jo

As you are still a teenager I guess you could get away with buying in New Look, and you have the advantage that you already tried them on and know what size you want. However it is quite a male-unfriendly place if you are over your early 20s, you tend to stick out otherwise. It seems that most of the customers are between 11 and 20 (though some are with parents), and most of the staff are between 16 and 24. No chance of trying something on in that environment, unless you went shopping with a group of girls. Well done on the conversion, I wonder what style she got, and how long she will continue in heels? Were they in their sale, or the normal price?

New Look had some amazing sandals late in 2001 with nearly a 5.5 inch square heel. They sold out before I got back in to buy some. I saw only a few teenagers with those on, most were struggling with such a very high heel; they only seemed to be around for a short while, so most seem to have given up trying, quite quickly. This year there are thousands of girls wearing pointy 4-inch+ heel ankle boots; seems to be an overwhelming fashion trend. Dozens spotted in less than 10 minutes last Saturday afternoon in town.

Yeah, I could also walk first time (after some initial cramp). I don't think it is possible for people to have a proper opinion of these shoes until they have tried them at least once. They are very very different to anything else anyone may have ever worn before; and the pump shoes, oxfords, ankle boots, knee boots, and thigh boots each require slightly different skills to master properly.

>> Stead and Simpson aren't great. I've been laughed at by the staff there before for trying on heels, but they're shoes are great, and they're cheap as well. <<

In the late 1980s Stead and Simpson and Faith seemed to be the shops with the highest heels if I recall. Wish I had the courage to go in and try stuff, way back then. I have had varying results, recently, with Stead and Simpson. One local branch is quite small, and busy, so there isn't a lot of room to try stuff on in a "quiet corner". They have some really high-heel ankle boots, in the sale, that I want to try sometime. The staff are quite young, and tend to keep a close eye on everyone in the shop. They give quizical looks when men start looking at the high heels section; I just wish that they would find something to be busy with elsewhere for a moment. Another local branch is a lot bigger, much quieter (but doesn't have so much stuff in their sales) and the staff in there are really helpful. They are all in their 30s or 40s and, I guess, have seen it all before. I asked them for help and recommendation, and they brought out 3 or 4 pairs to try, found a quiet corner towards the rear of the store, and had a laugh and a joke (even joked with a lady customer that they have men in "all the time" trying on heels [even though they told me earlier that it was quite rare]) while offering help and advice. They weren't at all phazed by it all, and didn't push for a sale, on something unsuitable, either.

I think I saw some back-zip ankle boots in TK Maxx (UK) last week (check out Stead and Simpson as well, though I'm not sure). I have certainly seen them in several places in the last few weeks, but I am struggling to remember exactly where (Barratts, Brantano, Faith, TK Maxx, are all worth a look as well, also "Shoe Shed" if you have one of those near you).

There are still a lot of sandals with ankle cuffs and back zip straps, a style that appeared just over a year ago in selected places then suddenly went mainstream. I have tried some of those, but the fit has to be very good, otherwise you just fall off the shoe. I found a lot of the ankle cuffs far too loose for my little ankles. Ankle boots would be a whole lot easier I guess. Perhaps I'll try that next time that I see some.

I saw the Liz Hurley picture in one of the UK newspapers at that time, but I have never seen much about this on the web. Did anyone else find any other information? In the posts mentioned above, there are references to scanned images. Those images do not load for me.

Heh, just by chance while looking for something else I found "Jo" by Moda at: http://www.designershoes.com/

"Jo" by Moda

The style isn't exactly a favourite, so onwards to look for another "Jo" elsewhere.

This shopping site mainly sells sizes 11, 12, 13 (I think US), and has a wide selection.

As I am size UK 6.5 / 7 (= EUR 39.5 / 40) I'm not sure how I ended up at that site.

The images from Heel Lover can be found at: http://photos.yahoo.com/thesimean

Hmm, my trip is next week. Thanks for the tips. I assumed this weekend was 2003 Jan 31 - 2003 Feb 01 (of course I was looking at Friday and Saturday). D'oh!

Did you ever manage to get any images ?

For those who don't know much about Eddie, just by chance I found a transcript of one of his recent shows at: http://www.auntiemomo.com/cakeordeath/d2ktranscription.html

Enjoy!

OK, going very upmarket how about:

Prada Shoes - BEBE JARDIN - F/W 2002-2003 Special Offer: SAVE $50 - NOW $379.00

On this page: http://www.raffaello-network.com/raffties/list_products.php?rangeid=29&prodrange=Prada%20Womens%20Shoes

http://www.raffaello-network.com/raffties/detail.php?itemid=12522&rangeid=29 Prada Shoes - BEBE JARDIN

I looked in Marks and Spencer late last year, just to see if I could spot those lace tie shoes, but I never saw them in stock at any time. I guess they had them for just a short while, only in the run up to the party season.

I like the Dec 21st shoes with the back webbing and the ankle ties, and I also like the ankle cuff shoes you wore on Dec 6th. I have seen a picture in a newspaper recently with someone wearing something similar but with at least a 5 inch heel; I haven't seen anywhere in the High Street that actually sells such shoes though {shame}. I'll bet that someone like Sacha just might, and I'll look in their Kensington High Street branch later next week to see if they do. Dune have some similar shoes in some of the home catalogues, but not as high. I never knew that Peacocks sold shoes, I'll have a look in there tomorrow.

The Read or Dead ankle cuff shoes with steel stiletto heel are also fantastic.

I can relate to the heel heights as I wear a UK size 6.5 or a 7; in EUR sizes, size 39.5 or 40 seems good. However I doubt I could get away with wearing any of those styles out in public, just yet.

Thanks for sharing your diary with us, and I hope you do it again some time.

If you bought that many shoes in the last 3 or 4 months alone; just how many pairs do you have altogether? It must be loads!

Yesterday I saw a pair of shoes with a 5 inch heel (maybe slightly more) and a 0.5 inch platform; they looked absolutely impossible to walk in with the foot sole being almost vertical. They were UK size 2. I know someone who has the same shoes in UK size 3, and after 20 years of heel wearing she can actually run in them quite well.

Christian Louboutin always seems to have nice stiletto heels, in courts (pumps), sandals or many kinds, and some various boots, on display in the window. It is a tiny shop somewhat East of Kensington High Street (just continue up K H S, and beyond, looking on the right hand side).

I see, in a recent newspaper, a load of pictures of models wearing Christian Louboutin shoes. They have really thin heels and are all about 5 inches high, the heel is an even width for most of the length, and only flares out close to where they anchor to the sole. They look very nice. However, I don't think that they would be too impressed to have male visitors visiting the shop to try on their stuff; though it's possible maybe we don't know that they might have some rich celebrity secret cross-dressing customers. Ya never know.

Ack, sorry for multi-post. Kept getting error message:

No posts exist for this topic

>> the most common one being sent around at the moment is the KLEEZ-H. I get this sent to me about 3 times a week, which is rather annoying that someone out there has nothing to do with their time and computer than to waste others time with a virus. <<

Hmm, KLEZ-H comes from someone, without them knowing they sent it. The From address it puts in the message is not that of the person sending it, but is in fact taken from that persons address book or other messages stored in Outlook. The message with virus is sent on to other prople in the address book.

So, the virus often appears to come from someone you know, but in reality i was not them that sent it. It comes from someone that they know.

Yeah, the attached file always has an incorrect MIME type declared, and a wierd name.

How about filling in some details about the shoe sizes, heel heights, brand names, and where you got them, maybe even the year if you can remember. Lovely collection of shoes, and several there that I would like to try on (Wouldn't get away with wearing most in public though, might be good for a night-club sometime).

That is a bit more like it, though I know my foot could take a bit more curve than that. Those must be quite difficult to stand/walk in without any ankle support; but they would probably be a lot easier in a knee-length boot. looks like a whole load of fun.

Someone sent me a private message about ballet boots a few days ago. I mentioned in another thread that I moved it to the "Saved Messages" folder, to read later, and now I cannot access it. I just keep getting a "General Error" error message each time. Whoever wrote, please resend the message.

Hmm, from Brantano's web site at: http://www.brantano.co.uk/en_UK/html/trends/trends.htm

>> Consumers are demanding a freedom of choice. They are looking to escape the rigid standards set by society. This proactive consumer's scepticism fuels a search for personal solutions. <<

Maybe they do know about us.

Ack, sorry for multi-post. Kept getting error message:

No posts exist for this topic

Ah, I guess those links are in response to my comment about having a bend in the sole. Unfortunately, your bend is the wrong way to what I meant. Yours lets the toe go more horizontal, as in any more conventional shoe. I said that I would prefer to have the toes more vertical (more steep), and the heel more towards the horizontal (less steep); rather than the absolutlely straight sole that many ballet boots have. With those this usually means that you have to bend your ankle more then necessary. I would prefer to have some of that bend in the foot, with an ultra-high arch instead; meaning that there would be less strain on the ankles. This would probably lower the total heel height by perhaps half an inch, but is still going to be very very high. Sorry for any earlier confusion. Even so, your boots still look quite difficult to master, but it would be a whole lot of fun trying it out.

I might be in London on either (maybe both if I get accommodation sorted out before then) Friday or Saturday, the first weekend in February. Probably in the Kensington area, but also plan a quick trip up to Camden.

In Kensington High Street, both Dune and Sacha are always a magnet for me (and another that I can never the remember the name of), you also have Nine West and others close by. Reading the stuff on this board will give me the confidence to go on in and actually try stuff on, rather than just looking as I have done in the past. Dune's web site is very disappointing. Faith not much better.

A couple of years ago, I am sure that I used to go inside a huge Barratts branch, in Kensington High Street. I feel sure that it was very close to the Kensington High Street tube station, yet I could not find it when I was in London last March. Am I mistaken, or did it close down sometime? Where are their other branches in that area?

Faith Factory Outlet. Hmm, yes please!

The closest boots I can find to the red lace up ones are the style "All the way up" at http://www.leatherworks.org.uk/acatalog/Metal_Heels.html

All the way up

Indeed!

Check out the styles "Ginger-L-M" and "Ginger-H-M" at http://www.leatherworks.org.uk/acatalog/Metal_Heels.html as these are similar to the style mentioned in post 1 of this thread. They have a wide, high ankle strap, with a long connecting back strap. They are laced rather than bucked. The major difference is the metal heel (which they say is 5.5 inches); though I expect they also do this shoe with a normal heel, and maybe they do something lower with perhaps a 4 or 4.5 inch heel (perhaps elsewhere on their site).

Ah, yes, "Ginger-L-P" at http://www.leatherworks.org.uk/acatalog/Closed_Shoes.html is a normal heel, but still a very high laced D-ring ankle strap. They do do both a 5.5 inch and a 4.5 inch heel though. Still a bit more racy than the shoe in item 1 though.

Ginger-L-P Ginger-H-M

I have now managed to get the Argos Additions catalogue; it's the 2003 Spring/Summer edition. I can't see the shoe posted in Item 1 in there. Maybe it was the previous catalogue issue? (In which case, perhaps they will be in a clearance sale soon?)

I never did get the http://www.argos.co.uk/ web site to work, but I then realised that Argos Additions is a separate site, which does work in Mozilla. I found this style instead, by: Sacha with an ankle chain.

Link to small image: http://www.argosadditions.co.uk/assets/Additions/L/p/p5181bks03.jpg

Link to large image: http://www.argosadditions.co.uk/assets/Additions/XL/p/p5181bks03.jpg

Someone posted a message about those Bronx "Banshee" zip-up ankle boots a week or two ago, along with a picture (but didn't refer to them by name). I can't find that post right now. They are black, zip-up, have a very pointy toe, a high narrow heel, nearly 5 inches I would guess, cetainly more than 4 inches, with a blue inside lining, sit high on the ankle, and are devine to wear. I tried a pair of these on in Brantano; actually I tried both the size 6 and the 6.5, and tried the 6.5 several times. I could not find a size 7 there, 6.5 seemed good enough though. They are marked down from GBP 70.00 to GBP 40.00 at the moment. (They are fairly similar to the style "Becky" on their web site at the moment, but they are black, only just above ankle length, and do not have the stitching detail on them). [edit]They are also fairly similar to style "Mandy" on the diba USA site at: https://www.dibashoes.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=10 [/edit]

I really surprised one shopper in Brantano who suddenly came around the corner. She walked past without looking; I was partly in the way. I said "sorry, looking for stuff for a party" and stepped aside to let her through. As the floor was tiled the heels made some loud sounds when I moved, which made her look down at my feet. She notices the boots on my feet, and my male shoes discarded at the side of the aisle. She said something like "oh my god, I couldn't wear something that high" and then carried on down the aisle. She tried on some lower boots and then went away to another part of the store. On the shelf right there, there were several pairs of boots exactly the same as I was wearing; maybe I should have grabbed a pair and offered them to her to try?

[edit]I haven't got Flash Player 6 loaded so I cannot access the http://www.bronxshoes.com/ web site.[/edit]

[later]Flash Player 6 loaded. Hmm, I never knew that! Bronx are Dutch, made by Dijkmans BV. The site only lists Dutch dealers, but I also see their UK head office is in Leicester. Check out the list of Trade fairs on their web site; that would be a fun day out. I've now found their US web site at: http://www.bronx-shoes.com/ (which doesn't seem to display all the images properly) and I am now also wondering if they do have a UK specific web site.[/later]

diba USA : Mandy