Gige

Sorry - put this topic in the wrong place! Moved to "For Everyone!"

Oh lordy!!! Those pictures are hilarious! I just love the way they are drawn in such a cartoonish manner, as if how they looked on paper was anything close to reality. What is interesting is that the styles in those ads are not that horribly different than what is available nowadays. Similar to others, I have never been much of a fan of the "heelless" heels - they would seem to be an extreme test of one's balance. A few weeks ago, I wore a pair of 13cm heels to the office and although all went well, for the most part, I wouldn't do it again. By the end of the day, my knees were feeling it from the pressure put on them from the angle of the ankle. I stopped running a few years ago in order to save my knees and now, greater than 11cm is not going to happen simply for the sake of preserving those joints. ~10cm seems to be just right for me.

Some time ago in another thread, the presumedly long discussed and possibly resolved issue of what constitutes a stiletto heel surfaced for yet another round of unnecessary debate and comment. I posted that although I love stilettos, I could not imagine that I would ever wear a pair of such heels out and about, let alone to work/the office. I believe that I had legitimate concerns regarding how appropriate they may be for a professional environment and the possibility of breaking a heel while simply walking from place "a" to place "b." Well, much to my surprise, all of that changed today as I wore a pair of 12cm stiletto ankle boots to the office for the first time. June 19th is a holiday here in the states and I expected that just about "everyone" would take off on the 20th for an extended weekend. Given that I still do not have a substantial amount accumulated time to take away from my job beyond holidays and weekends, taking a day off now would have a direct impact on travel plans for the remainder of the year. Thus, I decided not to do so and head in to the office for the day despite how much I just wanted to stay in bed this morning. As I recognized that very few other people were probably going to head to the building, I started to warm to the idea of wearing a pair of very high stiletto ankle boots to the office for the day. I saw this as a "test" to see how I enjoyed it and determine if there were going to be any "problems" if I did so. I decided to wear a pair of very long trousers as to cover almost all of the heel and a simple top for the day (and yet, is was still houte couture). In sum, the experience of wearing such heels was incredible. As 12cm is the very limit of what I can reasonably handle, it took me some time to get the mechanics of it down so that my cadence was smooth. I had to remember to stand up straight, bend the knees a bit, and walk at a much slower pace so as to take longer strides. Although, I more or less "had it down" by day's end, I think it I still need a bit of polishing/practice. An errand followed the end of the work day on the way home and once I got into my place, my knees were feeling it but everywhere else was fine. Needless to say, I immediately started planning the next time when I will be wearing a pair of similar heels to the office. In all the experience was utterly intoxicating! So yes @mlroseplant you were correct in your prediction that I would eventually be wearing stilettos to the office! A note on the photo - at lunch, I felt the need to get out of the office as reviewing dozens of pages of intricate financial documents can only be fun for so long. I walked over to the small park across the street and sat on a bench for a few minutes to clear my mind. The mere fact that I was out in a place were the world could see me wearing my stilettos is that to which I can find not adequate words to properly describe. For some reason, I continue to have issues of posting photo to the original post....

Hi all: Allow me to set the situation. Today I was wearing a pair of 3”/3.5cm, dark blue, block heel pumps at the office - a pair of shoes that are very appropriate for a professional setting if one wants to wear heels (see photo). Around noon, I decided that I wanted to stretch my legs and clear my mind prior to having to switch gears from one monstrous case to another monstrous case. I figured that I would step out of the building and possibly walk to the medium sized park across the street. I stepped on to the elevator/lift and as it stopped on the floor below mine, two women stepped into the car. The conversation that followed was very close to the following: Woman #1: “It just started raining.” Woman #2: No or not heard response. Me: Oh man…that stinks! I wanted to go outside and walk around for a bit.” At that point, woman #2 looks down at my feet and says, “How can you wear those? I can’t wear heels." The manner in which the comment was delivered did not seem to be challenging me on my wearing of heels or the pair I was wearing was somehow inappropriate. Moreso, it seemed that she was expressing a general disbelief that any person can walk in heels. Regardless, the comment caught me off guard as, usually, comments given by women are very much along the lines of the fact that they love my heels and if I can wear them, then do so! Not to digress, but I often respond to compliments with a very warmly stated, "It never goes out of style to have style" which often gets a laugh or at least a smile! Me: “Oh, they’re very comfortable. The material is canvas, so there is a lot of stretch to them,” which was/is true. At that point, the doors opened and I held out my hand to signal for them to exit first and as they did so, I wished them both a good afternoon. I stepped outside and it was raining hard enough to prevent me from walking to the park. As I thought about it, I should have responded along the lines of “You should see what I consider to be high heels” or moreso, “Because I can!” Not wanting to create a scene, I responded in a nice and professional capacity. Just for clarity, woman #2 was approximately in her mid to late 40s, about 5’ 6”/167cm, and a proportional frame to her height - not heavy but not thin. She was wearing thong style sandals but not flip flops and jeans - effort level of the outfit, about a 2.5 (on a scale of 1-10). Later in the afternoon when my spreadsheets were giving me headaches, eye strain, and seizures, I decided to ask some of the other females in the office, both of whom told me they “can’t” wear heels, why such was the case. I explained to each the situation, and that I was truly curious and sought an understanding of why some women may be able to wear 5”/12-13cm heels at age 80 and others cannot wear 2”/5cm heels at age 20. I was not at all wanting to be judgmental but was only seeking knowledge. The responses I received were not only enlightening but quite helpful. It seems that foot shape and size are the primary reasons they do not wear heels. One woman explained that she has small but wide feet, as well as a low arch, which makes finding a well fitting pair very difficult while the other indicated that she had narrow feet, especially in the heel area. The latter, who is my colleague, added that if she wore a pair of pumps, her foot would not be wide enough to remain in the shoe, and she would walk right out of them regardless of height. She added that she often wears lace-up shoes or those with a strap across the top of foot so as to keep her foot in place. In a sense of friendship and humor, my colleague stated that she has often seen me wearing heels and wondered how I do it as to her, they look very uncomfortable. It is important to note that only one other person who works in my building on a regular basis (my big boss!) ever puts any effort whatsoever into presenting him/herself in a professional manner. As I have expressed on many past occasions, lounging and/or frump (or both) is often the 'style du jour' throughout the entirety of my office building. Likewise, only once in the two-and-one-half years I have worked in my building have I seen a woman wearing heels (higher than 2”/5cm) and/or a skirt for the day. Thus, the only person who wears heels on a regular basis is me, and there are time where I wear my trainers rather than heels to mix up the look a bit. So, was the question posed to me inappropriate or not? Thoughts? Can't get my photo to upload.... This is an on-line photo of the pumps I was wearing. "Midnight" by Aerosoles.

Gorgeous!

Earlier today I had an encounter with a woman in heeled boots that was so unexpected and amazing that I felt the need to regale all members of such. So, if you are interested in reading about it, then continue on but if not….well, too bad. Today was the quintessential autumn day in central Illinois as the high temperature was ever so slightly above normal. It was brilliantly sunny with not a single cloud in the sky and at this latitude, it is the peak of Autumn colors. Given such, it was not a day to spend indoors in any capacity and it was my desire to be outdoors that led to an inspiring encounter that will be long remembered. The dialog of the conversation is presented as the best as I remember it. After completing a few errands in the morning, I returned home to drop off my purchases and have a light lunch. The day was simply too beautiful not to enjoy the autumn colors and thus, I decided to head to the Lincoln Memorial Gardens located on the east side of town. The Memorial Gardens is a 125 acre large nature preserve and probably the best place to stroll along marked trails on this marvelous day; the entrance is about a 20 minute drive from residence. En route, I came upon a non-descript intersection controlled by a traffic light and as I had the green, I approached without much caution. There is a small petrol station on the northeast corner of such and as I neared it, I could not believe what I observed – a woman wearing five-inch, black stiletto knee high boots stepping out of her vehicle. As soon as I saw her, I thought to myself, “Did I just see that?!” I immediately turned into the gas station and pulled my car to the pump behind and on the other side of her car. I could easily see that yes, she WAS wearing the boots I thought she was wearing! Although I could have used a bit of petrol, I was not going to purchase it there as the station only offered the lowest octane regular or diesel. Sorry, but neither one of those are going to work for me. Upon stepping out of my car, I reached for the window washing brush and cleaned up the rear window (it was actually rather dirty) and then grabbed a few paper towels the clean the edges and wipe away the streaking. As I went to place the paper towels in the trash, I cautiously approached her. “Excuse me, ma’am” I stated. She looked at me and then I said, “Those are killer boots!” A bright smile came across her face and she responded, “Oh, Thank you!!” I then professed that her boots were those which I would love to have in my closet. As she seemed to be delighted with the compliments, I asked her about the brand she was wearing. She leaned against her car and raised her left foot so that the sole and heel were facing upwards. I could see that the boots fit her calves like a glove. “I don’t remember where I got them…Oh, they’re Nine West. So it’s a decent brand” she stated. “Yes, Nine West has great designs – I have a few pairs in my wardrobe” I replied. “I do not mean to be forward” I continued, “but you look sensational! Are you attending an event?" I asked. The woman, probably in her mid-40s, and an “average” physique, was wearing a black dress with a hemline that hit about mid thigh, with a slightly below the waist length black jacket. She had long, straight brunette hair coming to about her mid-back, and a tongue, nose, and just below the lower lip piercings. Based on her appearance, I though she may be heading to a Halloween party. Her outfit is hardly that worn around my part of the world. “I just left a funeral” she replied. Talk about awkward – complimenting a woman on what she is wearing to a funeral… “Oh, I am sorry to hear that” was the best I could do. “Regardless, your outfit is stunning” I said. “I don’t mean to be rude by complimenting you, but your outfit is incredible!” I continued. I do not remember her exact response, but she mentioned that she loved the compliments and never tires of hearing such when directed her way. Not wanting to make her feel that I was wanting to do more than simply express my appreciation for what she was wearing, I started moving back towards my car. “Have a wonderful afternoon” I said. “Thank you darling! You’re beautiful!” she said as got back into my vehicle. From there, I left the premises with someone needing to pour cold water on me! As I drove to my destination, my mind was racing. Wearing five inch stiletto boots in a funeral? That is extreme confidence in my eyes and has so inspired me to step up “my game.” During my lovely stroll around the Gardens, I made a vow to do something that I have wanted to do for years. I will reveal such, however, when it comes to fruition. The picture of the boots were not the exact model she was wearing, but were fairly close. When I should pass away, I want those in attendance at my funeral to wear the same outfit.