higherheels

Interesting, I didn't know about the differences between womens and mens shoes. Probably also depends on foot and shoe shape. Some pumps I can also put on just by stepping into them, some I have to pull back on the heel to get into. I'd also say that stilettos look more feminine than block heels in general I just came back from my first walk around the block in my new boots. They're definitely harder than the Hot Chicks for such a "long" walk. I can feel it in my calves and also on the balls of my feet. I will stick to shorter distances and indoor wearing for now. The walk around the block was about my limit, so I'll try it again when I had more practice. Still have a long way to go, but maybe I can wear them out soon again for dinner or so 🙂

We're all responsible citizens, raising the standards 😀

Sounds really difficult for pumps. Apparently there's more than just narrow or wide feet

They definitely look presentable! You've probably set the highest standard of any office 😀 In my office the standard is 0 cm, so I'm responsible for raising the average 😉

@mlroseplant That's the beginner's mistake I also made. Trying them on, thinking they fit perfectly, just to realize afterwards that the heel slips out of them while walking. This often happened after a while of breaking them in. I looked up the Steve Madden Daisie and Klory. They really look similar to the Louboutin Models. I think the height looks nice on them. More suitable for everyday wear than the Louboutin 120's, but not as "low" as the respective Louboutin 100 models. Oh, that's a different story. Not as fun as if you would have been captured practicing in heels. @Shyheels I think of that more as an advantage than disadvantage. My feet are also more on the narrow side and most pumps fit me well. @bluejay I'm the total opposite, almost all my pumps are stilettos 😀 Do you prefer block heels for the look or walking experience?

@CrushedVamp That's a funny story about your rule of height. I'm not going to church usually, but the rule makes sense to me. At least I'd feel a bit wrong going to church with 12 or 13 cm heels, or massive platforms. For sure. About 2010 I started trying lower and comfortable heels for everyday wear, and 2012 it was pretty much the same. At that time I had many lower heels with around 7 cm, they were widely available at that time.

Now that you both are waiting for me to try them for my walk, I have no more excuse 🫣 Just kidding, I'm excited too and for sure will try this week. The fit and feel in pumps sure is different to other styles. I actually like the tight fit, it gives you the feeling of "a second skin" if you know what I mean. But when it comes to walking a lot or wearing them for a very long time, other styles can feel more comfortable. It must have been fun when they watched the videos from the security cameras and seen you practicing in your heels 😀

Yes, that's really interesting. From what I know, Louboutins generally are known for not being comfortable. With the Hot Chicks it's the combination of the height and tight/stiff toe box. The Pigalle are way more comfortable, but I've worn them so much that you could almost call them "worn out". Though they still hold up well, I'm sure I can wear them for many years to come. If I would wear the Hot Chicks as much as the Pigalle I think they'd get more comfortable too with time. Maybe I'll try my walk around the block in my boots this week. I'm a bit concerned that it will be very uncomfortable, but I got to start at some point. My indoor wearing also results in a lot of sitting, but as you say it still gets you familiar.

@Shyheels The 100 meters were manageable. I'm curious how the walk around the block (170 m) will turn out. It sounds a lot, but for really wearing them out you quickly get a few hundred meters, so that's my goal to get as comfortable as possible in them to be able to wear them out more. By more comfortable than the Hot Chicks I mean the general shape and fit. The higher heel makes them more uncomfortable for walking, but the rest compensates a little for that. @Puffer In Germany it's the same with Deichmann. They almost only have "standard" shoes, nothing too exciting. @mlroseplant What a pity, a broken heel is a bad as it can get, but sounds like you managed it very well.

For me it's the same. For longer walks I always use such heels and they're really comfortable. @mlroseplant Yes, platforms where everywhere. Mine in the beginning were about 10 cm effective heel height or maybe a bit below, later they got higher. I don't have any of them anymore, but it was always fun. They gave such an height boost, it was crazy. And as you say, now they don't even seem high anymore. You really get used to it.

@Shyheels I'm sure that helps! 5 km is quite a bit of walking, so even if it's "only" in 8 cm heels it will get you used to them very well. Yesterday I wore out my new boots for the first time 🙂 It was only a short walk from the car to the restaurant, about 100 m one way. But it was enough to feel the bit of extra height to the Hot Chicks again. Other than that, they're even more comfortable than the Hot Chicks, which is really nice. A very nice shoe for occasions with less walking and more sitting. I'll try them soon for my walk around the block. For further distances I still have to practice to make them more comfortable.

That's really nice! I can't say that about me. Maybe for them it's even more fascinating that you're a man wearing them, than if a woman wears them and it's still rather normal. I was never aware that I grew up in the era of super high heels, but as I've read a bit of your historic experience already it seems so. When I started wearing heels I liked platforms the most. Then when I started wearing them for everyday life I shifted towards non-platforms which I still prefer until today. But I still have a few with smaller platforms that I like to wear now and then. It's like a love of my youth that never really let me go 🙂 Haha yes, and for others it's "I could never walk in those"

I feel like most of the girls today who wear heels for such events don't really do it for joy but because "nicer clothes" as you say are expected. In my days of youth, for most girls in my area it was more that we were excited to be able/allowed to wear heels and looking for every possible occasion where we were allowed to do so. The classic black pump wasn't really a thing for us younger girls. Pumps yes, but almost everything had a platform 😄 this was mid-2000s.

It's better to not take a risk if the conditions outside are bad. There will come a time when you can wear them out again.

I can imagine that it must be hard for you to find heels in your size. I'm not very often at Deichmann, but their stock on high heels generally degraded, not speaking of size. I'm looking forward to wear out my new boots this weekend. All the snow is gone again, so this might be a good chance. I wore them indoors everyday now and also did stretching exercises. In difficulty they now feel similar as the Hot Chicks did before, so I made some progress 🙂

Now that's a nice compliment you got 🙂

Yes, winter can be a tough time for the higher heels. In snowy or icy conditions I also prefer something lower and a block heel, such conditions can even be difficult in flats. But boots with a low block heel can be just as good. It's been like 15 years ago that I last wore any flat boots for winter, and I never had any problems since. This reminds me of a funny story a few years ago. We were (once again 😉) out at a christmas market with friends. Because snow was everywhere I wore a pair of boots with a block heel, something around 8 cm. While at the christmas market, we saw that on a nearby mountain there was also a christmas market which looked nice, so we decided to visit this one too. It was only a small mountain, something like 150 meters of altitude from the bottom and only accessible via a footpath. My husband and friends asked me "are you sure you can handle this path in your heels?", but I had no doubt because they had a good sole, block heel and weren't that high. And I wasn't wrong, it was really easy. Uphill was pretty much the same as with flats, and downhill I even had a bit of an advantage when walking on the side of the footpath where the snow was a bit softer. Because my heels could grip into it. I sure got some funny looks when other people obviously struggled more in their Uggs and such than me in my heels 😀 So this is my proof that heels can be as good as flats or even better in snow.

So they should be like a 10 cm heel in "standard size", I also like such a height for office days.

Sounds like a nice pair of boots for work. In a bigger size they won't be that steep and comfortable for a whole workday.

I only know our german christmas markets, so I also have no comparison. From your descriptions it may be better that I don't know others 😀

I didn't know that our markets are object to a bad imitation, crazy. Yes that's the issue with stilettos. At our christmas market were paths and places with cobblestones and my heels were stilettos, that's really not the best combination. Your idea with bringing your 12 cm boots with you sounds great!

Indeed they are very nice. Oh, so in britain they try to imitate the german christmas markets? Yes, it's really great to try something new from time to time. And I'm sure it would've not been as comfortable if I didn't have the recent training from our challenge! Your experience sounds great too 🙂

As I've understood you never wore any heels before, right? I know it's tempting to start off with the desired heel, like a 5 inch heel for you, but you can save yourself a lot of pain and trouble by starting with a lower heel and taking your time. Trust me, I'm speaking of experience 😉 I would recommend to start with something like a 2,5 - 3 inch heel and wear these until they feel normal for you. Then slowly proceed to higher ones until these feel normal as well. The higher the heel gets, the more a small increasement will make a big difference. For example (sorry for speaking in centimeters) the difference between a 7 cm and a 8 cm heel will be barely noticable, but the difference between a 12 cm and a 13 cm heel is huge! Also, as already said by the others a good fit and quality is important. Especially with less supportive forms like pumps or sandals it's very important that they have a tight fit, otherwise you'll be bothered too much with slipping around in them/out of them. Also it would be easier to start with block heels than stilettos. Good luck 🙂

@mlroseplant I only know strip clubs from movies or tv series, and am probably even too young to have recognized that "normal" heels were used in the 90s. Interesting indeed, I only have huge platforms in my mind when I think about stripper heels. It makes sense for manufacturers to use the same heel height for a few sizes to save costs. There probably will be many models out there which are manufactured that way. Wow, as if the height challenge is not enough you're also making a distance challenge! 60 miles in a month sounds a lot. I wonder how much I would make in a normal month. For the christmas market on the weekend I chose a pair of 11 cm boots. Up to now I've always chosen some lower heels like 7-10 cm for christmas markets, so it was really nice to wear something different this time. We were there for about 3 hours, so with all the standing it was not as comfortable as with lower heels, but it was OK. I now definitely want to wear 12 cm boots to a christmas market too, but therefor I will pick a smaller one where we won't stay as long.

Ah, that sounds really interesting. You probably seen a lot then.