CrushedVamp

You can now buy mens sizes, called Unisex Leggings, but for me leggings are hit and miss. It is not just size. As I said before I do not like the nylon-type kind, and kind of have to feel them to get the cotton ones I want. My daughters said I like "inside leggings", but even that moniker is hit or miss. I was at the store the other day getting pantyhose with my wife, and I i noticed in that section there was a lot of "leggings" as they were labeled, but they sure looked like black pantyhose to me. Very, very sheer. But then the ones in the women's section are more nylon than cotton. At the dollar stores they tend to be cotton like, but not always. It is frustrating because about 50% of the leggings I get, I never wear because they are not the type I like. I even try reordering the ones I do like by Brand Name and Product Name but most times the brand is no longer being made. As for the unisex designation; it's about time. These things are super comfy. No reason for the ladies to have them all to themselves. I will, though she is an extra-introvert if there ever is such a thing. Very shy... That being said, I was on here a long time ago, I think. I say that because it was a high heels forum that I belonged too, but the atmosphere was a bit different then. Not better. Not worse. Just different. I could not remember my username or password so I started fresh so nothing nefarious on my end of things on that. It would have been back in 2005-2011ish. If this site did not exist then, it might have been a different high heels site. But no matter, I am here now and hope to contribute in a meaningful way.

Thank you for the welcome @mlroseplant . I was on this site years ago, but atlas forgot what my username was so I had get a new moniker. Like then, I hope to add to the forum in a good way. I was mistakenly thinking there was a lady who hiked the entirety of the Appalachian Trail (2190 miles) in high heels, but in checking I was sorry to see two sisters hiked it entirely barefoot. There is a HUGE difference between high heels and being barefoot. A few have hiked stretches of it in high heels, but to my knowledge no one has yet to through-hike it wearing high heels the entire way. Not to derail this thread but if someone on here wants to make high heel history it is theirs to take! Maybe that would generate some sensationalism for the high heel? Maybe a heel designer will take on the challenge and adapt a comfortable high heel for such a trip? What a Victory, to stand on Mount Katahdin 2190 miles later at 5269 feet... AND 6 inches!! 🙂

You are very fortunate, to which you can read that as 'I am so jealous of you', but in a good way of course. 🙂 I have always loved Shackelton and read all the books and accounts and as odd as this sounds, as much as I would love to see Antarctica I would prefer to see South Georgia Island more I think. To see Sir Shackelton's grave would be an honor. Such an upright good man. The advertisement for that job I saw said 9 months, but three would be better. I do have the mental capacity to winter down there I think, and might, but there is the marriage thing. Charlie Munger called it "Opportunity Cost", that is where when you commit to one thing, it prevents you from committing to another. He was referring to money, meaning if you put money in bonds the same money can't go to stocks, but it is the same with marriage. Being married I have to consider her needs too, and that is okay. Marriage has many perks as well. I would definitely sign up for a 3 month stint, but admit I really, really, really considered that 9 month job. I used to travel for 5 months away from home. 9 months is a lot, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Again, so jealous of you, but in a good way. I am so glad you got to experience it. Good for you!

That is so awesome, and thanks so much for sharing. What you did is really a life lesson; sometimes in life we just have to know ourselves and defeat us. Tossing away your sneakers forced yourself to do what you really wanted do. It is how we explore, get out of our comfort zones and really enjoy life. I once heard, If something scares you but also excites you... do it! I climb high tension lines, sometimes hundreds of feet in the air and with 345,000 volts and while it ALWAYS scares me, it makes lief exciting too.

Wow, I am so jealous. South Georgia Island is one place I have never been but always wanted to go. I saw one time that they were looking for Electricians to go down to Antarctica and maintain their powerplants and I almost signed up. Heck I still might. I do generation here in the States so would be well qualified. Unfortunately, I have a wife that would not like being alone for 9 months. Everyone at work wears Keen boots because of the composite toe and high voltage safety features, but for whatever reason they hurt my feet.

I am pretty conservative in both lifestyle and with money, but one thing I have done for several years is indulge in a manicure and pedicure. For me it started out when I got an ingrown toenail and the doctor said it was nothing they did at the clinic, and that her prescription was to go to a nail salon. As she explained why I needed to go and what they did there, it became clear that it would be a trip for sound medical reasons. But the doctor also followed it up with the statement that she thought both genders should go, and that her boyfriend went with her to one routinely. I had to look up some articles in male periodicals to feel okay about it that first time, but for sound medical reasons and the sheer fact that men spend as much time on their feet as women... maybe even more depending on what we do for work, it makes sound sense to take care of our feet the best we can. I do not live a flashy life, but there are a few indulgences that I do enjoy. Having a maid to clean our house is one, and another... going to the nail salon routinely. For me, it is mostly for a pedicure, but since they always ask, and I am there anyway, I have a manicure too. Both are without toenail or fingernail polish because that is not the reason I go, but I highly recommend a manicure/pedicure for men for health reasons. If you are unsure like I was, do an internet search and you'll see many articles talking about the medical benefits. That was the convincer for me.

I think one area of high heeled shoes that has gone unexplored is adjustable high heels. One look on youtube regarding “types of mechanisms” and it is clear to see that an adjustable heel is possible. Maybe it is adjustable in ¼ inch clicks, or a thread-out type of heel, or who knows, maybe the two means combined together so that a 2 inch heel could be extended to five inches? I could just see some interest in the same pair of shoes that is worn sensibly to work is cranked out and not so sensible at the club. Or the pair of shoes worn to work and is shorter in the morning takes on a much high heel in the boardroom later that afternoon? I am not sure, but it surprises me that this has not been explored with high heels yet.

Question: Do people on this site typically wear their ankle bracelet on one ankle versus the other? My wife typically only wears one, mostly because for some strange reason I prefer one versus her wearing one on each ankle. But when she wears it, she wears it on her left ankle because she is married, and her left hand is where she wears her wedding band. That is her reasoning anyway, and I am fine with that. As for church; she often wears her ankle bracelet to church too. I have noticed she is far from alone, with it seeming ankle bracelets are becoming more vogue. In doing a very loose survey at church, on any given Sunday our smallish church of 300-400 people might have 6-8, people wearing ankle bracelets. This is judging by several Sunday's, and not just one. It was done in the summer months too since often they are more visibly worn.

I always felt a Coffee Table book on high heels might be received well. I could kind of envision an oversized book, teeming with big high-definition glossy photos of high heels, starting with a chapter on the history of high heels, then progressing up through the various kinds. I am not sure how the layout of the book would go exactly, but a chapter on pumps, boots, mules, etc might be in order. That way in some trendy urban apartment, as apartment guests arrive for a cocktail party, they can kick up their feet on the coffee table and there is a Coffee Table book about high heels. Its kind of hard to describe what I envision I know, but not a fetish book, but not a history of high heel book either. A coffee table book. Lots of photos. Some information on the history of particular types of heels, but really a coffee table book.

For me it is not so much that male fashion needs to be more feminized or masculine, just that it is so darn boring. I am traditional in dress, but enjoy dressing nicely, with my wife and I being the most best dressed at a restaurant or other venue, but to "spice" it up for me, what do I really have? Typically, it is to wear socks or a tie that has a crazy color or pattern to them. Or, often I will wear a pink or purple button down shirt that kind of says, "that man has confidence enough to wear those colors". But that is it. Shoes, pants, shirts, etc; other than wearing a vest or some other article that is no longer considered vogue; men's fashion is pretty boring. How bad is it in the mens fashion industry? So bad that a few years ago a hispter sued a company for using his image on their advertising... except it was proven in court that it was not him! People were laughing because as new and different as the hipster movement was trying to be, it showed everyone hipster man wearing the exact same thing. I would love to see that change. In that way it only makes sense that men's fashion steals ideas from women's fashion because they are so much more options. Or maybe men's fashions should go back and steal from what women's fashion stole from us, namely hosiery and high heels? Myself I do not care where the creative ideas stem from, but man I would like more options then just whopping it up wearing crazy pattern socks and a wild tie.

My wife tried wearing toe rings, but for some reason she just did not like them. That was too bad because I find them attractive. She does however, wear an anklet when she is dressed up. Whether for church, a date, or just a nice dinner, she typically wears one of her many ankle bracelets. In reading through the replies, I do see that gold is the preferred choice for many wearers on here, but for some reason, me and her prefer silver. We do have some gold ones, and will wear them on occasion, but 9 out of 10 times, when picking out an anklet, we get the silver one. She does wear polish on her toes, but while I prefer her to wear fire engine red, what I call "whore red" just to tease her, honestly she mixes it up and it could be wearing any color. This includes different colors on each toe some days. They typically are symmetrical in color from her left foot to right, but her big toes might be red, her middle toes green, and her pinkie toe purple, and the other toes different colors.

As a creative person myself who makes income using intellectual property I understand the need to protect that, but to me this seems more of an arrogancy thing then true creative genius. I mean do they think they were the only designers ever to put red soles on shoes? It would be like me coming up with a cool title of a novel and then trying to copyright the title, and suing anyone else who tries to use it. Is it a creative title? Sure, but it does not mean someone else has not came up with the idea before me. You can't copyright titles for that very reason and CL should not be able to Trademark a primary color like red on the sole of a shoe. What is next, them claiming they should get Trademark rights to black pumps? The litmus test should be probability. It is highly likely some Cartwright made shoes with contrasting colors at some point, like red soled shoes. Now if CL had made a Red and green chevron pattern or their soles or something, that might be different, it is less likely someone else came up with that design, but the use of a primary color just seems like arrogancy to me. Like some grade school kids arguing on the playground they did something first when there is no proof of it.

I do not wear high heels myself, but do like my wife wearing them, and if it has been awhile since she has worn them, I get a sense of heel withdrawal. Because it's an issue with someone else doing something I like, it is not as easy to cure as just putting them on myself, but I do try and suggest we go places where she might typically wear them. Like going to an upscale restaurant she likes instead of going to our typical diner. Or I might mention how good she looked the last time we were at church and she had her high heels on. Or buying her a new pair of high heels that she liked. Another way is to reward her for wearing them this time in anticipation of wearing them next time, like giving her a footrub afterwards. Those are just a few of the ways I try and encourage her to wear them, and in doing so it helps with my heel withdrawal. It's just getting harder and harder to do as we both get older.

Is it getting easier now that as grating is replaced it should conform to the new American With Disabilities Standards which mandates high heel proof grating? That is, nothing bigger than a 1/4 inch hole? I know working in New York City some grating above the subways was changed to high heel proof grating and the consensus was (20 years ago) that high heels wearers hated it as much as the workers who had to deal with the grating in the performance of their work. I looked at some pictures of it and it still looks challenging to walk on with high heels.

I am artistic by nature, so I understand the overall idea of "no limits on imagination" so when I see wild artistic expression I try and be non-judgmental, I mean that is the whole idea of a fashion show, to be only expressive at what could be. It is no different than car manufactures who make full size clay models of cars, and their prototypes are so different than what can be efficiently made in the factory production line. Or a Henri Mattise painting looking outlandish in his day, but painting it nonetheless and seeing the world likes the vibrant colors and visible brush strokes. I get that. But at what point do you NOT waste your time in an endeavor? The double sole? The metal shoes? By their very nature shoes lend a self-evident practicality to them: they must be worn. Sure we can blend form and function, and we can challenge the user to on the skillful wearing of them via dizzying heights of stiletto heels, so by all means show us high heels festooned with barbwire if you want, but to make barbwire insoles is insulting to the audience at large. The double soled shoes? It's kind of insulting because I cannot unsee that.

I am a little more traditional, but some shows you can just count upon for some nice high heels. Kelly Bundy on Married with Children seems to always wear a pair of high heels at some point on the show, but even crime dramas like Rossetti and Isles gives a nod to the power of high heels on an actress with the coroner wearing them in almost every episode, and who can forget Leverage, who even made fun of themselves in one episode for always having high heels at play when Sophie Devereaux mentions "having an emergency pair of high heels" with her at an airport. There are a ton more, but really no matter what your visual interest might be, you can often find writers or directors who like the same thing as you, and see them subtly show up again and again in shows.

I am an electrician too, but while I climb a lot of ladders, and thus liked high heeled boots, what I called a Logging Boot because of the way the rung locks in the sole of the boot, I have now switched to Sketchers slip in work shoes. They are better and worse. Worse because they have a level sole (no heel so no grabbing rungs of a ladder better), but better because they are a composite protected toe and meet the stringent requirements of electrical grounding. Since I work with ultra-high voltage in substations, this appeals to me. It goes without saying that I like the slip-in feature of the work shoes as well, and find the insole comfortable enough so I do not have to buy additional insoles to be comfortable on my feet all day.

I am not surprised to hear the suggestion that a lot of men wish to wear high heels but so few men do out in public. I am a person that tends to seek out percentages on things and read recently where 47% of men have tried on what is considered feminine clothing at least once in their life. That is a lot, but I think it shows what we know: fashion curiosity is a human thing and not a gender thing. Heck my wife is constantly wearing my shirts and I can never find my jacket she wore and left somewhere. Just as an example to this though, I was a competitive swimmer in my youth, and for faster swim times my swim coach had men and women do shaving parties before tournaments. This gave me a huge dislike for body hair, so I have always been almost fully shaven. I was so self-conscious about this that I have said for years that I have a condition where little hair grew on my body. I flat out lied. I shaved and I have for years. Well come to find out, I am hardly the only man that does. A very personal part of me that I shaved 30 years ago that few men ever did, now a whopping 66% is shaven now by men. And a man that shaves his legs is up to 15%. Over time I see that percentage increasing even more as other men find out, we are not so different as we thought. My point here is that what people do privately might astound people in the higher percentages than they ever imaged. I mean, who would have ever thought 15 out of 100 men you see have shaven legs under their pants. I came here because my wife LOVES high heels and I love that she wears them, but I admit I have tried them on. I have never worn any out in public though. But as a lover of history, I know that high heels were historically for men, then taken over by women, and now reverting back to men’s wear. I am glad to see that reversal. I think over time high heels worn by men will be far more common place. And it has happened. Keds was the first shoe ever designed entirely for women in 1916. Now in 2024 a fashionable shoe for men is a type of shoe that looks very similar to Keds. While a bad example because they are not high heels, it does prove that even in shoes; fashion styles transcend genders. Who is to say it will not happen with men wearing high heels?

My wife prefers her shoes a little bit loose, in what she calls the Kate Middleton Effect. That was where Kate Middleton once admitted that in order to wear heels comfortably for the long periods of time she had to, she bought the one size, or two sizes too big. At the time the article came out, it was suddenly the vogue heel-wearing thing to do. Granted my wife's comfort depends on a few things. One of the biggest is the time of the year she is wearing them. If it is winter, or cool enough out so she can wear a pair of pantyhose of stockings with them, that drastically helps. Her feet can slip around a little bit without her high heels falling off, but also not hurt her feet. This reduces blisters, especially on the backs of her heels. In the summer months, or when it is too hot to comfortably wear nylons, wearing high heels comfortable for her is a bit harder. Another big factor though, is the quality of shoes she gets. The cheaper ones; oh my, the sizes vary so much; often from right to left and not to mention her size 8.5's being a 7 or 9. It really varies on the cheaper high heels she buys. To combat both issues, it is not uncommon for her to wear some heel cushions specifically made for high heels. Sometimes she will even double them up to tighten her high heels on her feet, and yet, still make them comfortable to wear. It has become such an issue, that if I buy her shoes for Christmas, her Birthday, or other special occasion, with every pair I buy, I buy her (2) of these heel cushions to ensure they fit, and are comfortable for her. If she does not need them for these shoes, they are extra for other pairs she might not have them for. But this is just my wife's preferences, although she likes wearing high heels, and wears them quite often.

I am by no means a Cordwainer or Cobbler, but one time my wife and I were doing a photo shoot of the 1930's and while she styled her hair just right, and had the dress and other accompaniments, her high heels were an issue. They were not at all 1930 style. But by using some hot glue and some velcro, I was able to fashion some very close replicates that at first glance look like were of that era. Only the very well versed in 1930 shoes would have noted the difference. I guess my point is, to never assume you can create what you want. With a little craftsmanship and ingenuity, you can get the look you are after. When I get full permission to make posts on here after my probation is up, I can post a photo or two of them.

Technically I should not answer this because the question is “who wears leggings with their high heels”? I came to this site because my wife LOVES high heels and I love that she wears them, but myself I don’t wear high heels. However, that is not the case with leggings. I wear them A LOT! About 10 years ago I learned that leggings under my jeans was much warmer since I work outside even in the winter. Long Johns made my itchy, and sweatpants under my jeans was too bulky, but leggings fit tight, but are not itchy, and are very warm. Since then I learned what most women learned a long time ago… they are super comfortable. Because of that I lounge in them at home now. In fact, as I write this I have a pair of leggings on. But I might also mow the lawn with them on, or run to the store with leggings on even though I am a little self-conscious about them at times. Having a wife and daughters, they have long learned that after work it is "soft pants time" and leggings is just what I wear around the house. Overall, I like the soft cotton type that are known as "inside leggings", and not the more nylon or spandix ones because those are too hot under my jeans. I find the kind I like at the Dollar Stores we have here, and while they are “womens”, they fit me well and are about $5 which is also nice. I have about a dozen pairs because I wear them 100% of the time from October to April, and lounge at home in them year around.

If you are trying to do what you think you are trying to do, which is make lower heeled court shoes into higher heels by adding metal tips, I think it might be possible. If I was to do it in a homemade, use-what-I-have-for-tools sort of way, I would use a drill clamped into a vice spinning the stainless rod and use a file or grinder to rough out some tapered heel tips. After you get the taper you want, you can shine them to a mirror finish using sandpaper going from 100 grit on up to 1200 grit. Jewelers rouge will make the stainless steel reflect like a mirror if you spend enough time sanding and polishing them, but is not needed. Auto wax paste will get the cloudiness out too. To attach the heel tips to the court shoes, careful drilling, adding a steel pin, and using epoxy will secure them. You can find the Stainless Steel 316L rod cut to short lengths you will need from Metal Supermarket which is an online cut-to-length metal store, and those higher sandpaper grits can be found in auto parts stores since they use them for autobody work. Epoxy can be found at any hardware store. Total cost might be $25. I do have two concerns though. In taking what is an 1-1/2 inch high heel, to say a 3 inch high heel, will the extra heel height throw the sole of the shoe off from being flat to the walking surface? This is just a question and honestly may not matter? My other concern is how strong the added heel tips will be, and if the pressure of walking in them might snap the connection? But you never know until you try it. Good luck. It seems like a fun cobbling project!

I think your outfits are well thought out and well put together. I really like the bottom one, maybe because of the style of hat, and its color does so well with the black heels and coat? Nice!!

As way of introduction on here, I thought I would tell the members of this site that my username “Crushed Vamp” has no particular funny story behind it, other than it seemed an appropriate username for a high heeled forum. If nothing else I guess, it tells people I know the various parts of a high heel. I have always liked high heels though, in particular combined with stockings, a dress or short skirt, and an ankle bracelet. Fortunately I have a wife that likes to dress up for most occasions and loves her high heels. When she was formerly married to a very short man inch which she would be higher than him in wearing high heels, he forbid her to wear them. Since height is not an issue with me, she has gone all-out on high heel purchases and has every style, type, color and variation there is with her 200 plus pairs. While less in number she has thigh high, knee high and booties with high heels and will wear them if the mood strikes her. It is enough that she has a walk-in closet just for her shoe collection. We affectionately call it her "shoe barn". Myself, I do not wear high heels although I am glad to see men wrestle the high heel back to our gender from its inception some four hundred years ago. My love of them is enough that on my bucket list someday is crafting a pair for my wife to wear. I am not a cordwainer by trade, but do have some woodworking, leather and metalworking skills so do think I could make a custom pair. Considering my love of high heels, I think that would be a gratifying accomplishment. I am not sure how they would fit, or how comfortable they would be, but it would be fun to learn a new skill I think and who knows, form a new hobby?

I fully understand what you are experiencing. My wife and I are often the best dressed at a restaurant or other function which goes noticed by others who are there. Often it is the other women that make it miserable for my wife; sly comments in the bathroom, scowls and sideways glances, all for just being dressed better than they are. Or even worse, nasty comments from her own family, “your heels are too high”, or “your skirt is too short”. Yes I can commiserate with you on what you are saying. I deal with it by doing my best to be understanding. Since we like dressing up and looking our best whether it is at church, a restaurant, or a show; we do, and ignore the comments, even if it is not easy sometimes. While others might feel we are dressing up and thus making them look dressed down, that isn’t the case. We just like looking sharp individually, and as a couple. 1. I try and encourage my wife to dress up by dressing up myself. If she sees me looking sharp, she tends to follow suit in matching me. However, if she chooses to dress down, I still dress sharp. I don’t berate her or beg her to wear something better, it is her decision on what she wears, but by staying true to looking sharp myself, it just shows her that I will stay the course. 2. I understand that high heels are not comfortable and have a back up pair of shoes for my wife like ballet flats. As much as I love her wearing heels, it is better to have her start in them, and have to take them off mid-date through, then have her resent wearing them at all. I always have a more comfortable pair of shoes on me, or close by in the car, etc. 3. Take them to venues where it is more typical to be dressed up. Nice restaurants. Upscale performances. Live Theater, etc. By not standing out, they will feel more at ease dressed up, and thus wearing high heels. 3. A lady needs three things: food water and compliments. A wife can pick fake compliments out as soon as they are uttered or texted, but by being honest and telling them often how much you appreciate them wearing high heels, and how good she looks in them and other honest compliments, she is more inclined to wear them for you. 4. Like all interests, be wary of falling into the trap of making her feel as if you just love her because she wears high heels, or you just love her when she has high heels on. A woman wants to be truly loved, and while they like dressing to please the man she is in love with, she does not want to be reduced down to being loved just for what she wears. Or feels she has to wear high heels to be appreciated. It is a very fine line I know, but this is why several other suggestions I offered above come into play. In closing, just understand that a woman has some six hundred images per day they are subjected to on what the world thinks the ideal woman looks like. Naturally most women do not feel they measure up. As husbands and fathers we are battling the world, but we cannot give up and let our wives, girlfriends and daughters know we are proud of them whether sharply dressed or slumming for the day. We ultimately have more sway than the world, but we must be understanding. Maybe these suggestions will resonate and work for you.