Steve63130

Good advice, Cali! I have done this with numerous styles of shoes, including my avatar sandals. Once a particular great style is sold out, it's almost impossible to replace later.

Steve

The best investment you can make is not an expensive camera, but an inexpensive camera holder/tripod, so you can take photos which are steady, clear and focused. Then go to the library or read on the internet about basic lighting so you don't try to take photos of yourself with a bright background, putting yourself in shadow. Learn how to use the self timer and learn how to do basic editing - cropping, rotating if necessary, and color balance. Once you've mastered all that, be prepared to spend LOTS of time on the blog. If you don't post to it frequently it will get old and stale and people will stop viewing it. If you don't think kiddo will give you much time for the blog, better postpone the blog until you're sure you can do it. It's a bigger task than you think. Look at all the blogs that have started here and dropped by the wayside. Few are left.

Steve

Mlroseplant,

See the silver lining! This is definitely a buying opportunity for you. Lots of end-of-season clearance sales going on. You go, guy!

:-)

And HiH is right - you can easily make minor repairs yourself and extend the wear life of your shoes. There's lots of "how to" stuff on the internet if you need help.

Steve

That first step is the most difficult. Start with low heels and build up as you get practice wearing heels inside. Don't risk stumbling because the heels are too high for you. They shouldn't hurt, ever. Once you master walking well, with grace and confidence, you can go outside. You'll find it's very different walking outside but take time to get used to it. Stay in busy places where people are not paying attention. Don't make the mistake of trying to stay in the shadows of a dark alley. That will draw even more suspicion.

Once the nervousness goes away, you will start having fun! Watch where you step! Good luck and report your adventures here.

Steve

That's not good news. I love their shoes. They usually fit pretty well, and are comfortable for walking. Just this evening I wore their Major Role pumps to the local pub (BYOB) which is really just a lounge. My wife and I had drinks with about 18 other residents here at the retirement community we live in. Nobody mentioned my shoes or asked about them, even though they were plainly visible. While the heels were comfortable, after an hour or so in them, and walking a few hundred feet to and from the car, I was ready to take them off.

Anyway, I hope Aerosoles survives, but I wouldn't be surprised if they become extinct like a few others.

Steve

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2012 at 11:32 AM, Steve63130 said:

My wife bought me a pair of Valley Lane black leather flats back in the late 1970s, which I used to use as slippers whenever we'd travel, as they packed in a lot less space than men's slippers, and I loved them. She was ok with me wearing them, even in front of her mother when we'd stay over at her place. I still have them and wear them occasionally. Many years ago I also bought a pair of Payless Ribbed Flats (kind of a wavy sole for traction), which are all man-made and a bit lighter in weight. I wear those too, when traveling. Other than wearing them in the hotel to go get ice down the hall, or get something from the front desk, I don't wear them in public. I keep them strictly for indoors. So they have a place in my wardrobe, but I much prefer heels, and I've often substituted heels for flats lately when traveling. Steve

I found this post on the first page of this thread, which I wrote over 5 years ago. Fast forward to today. About a month ago, my interest in flats was rekindled. Don't get me wrong, I'm still passionate about heels. But I recently bought 5 pairs of flats, and I've worn all of them in public several times without any problems:

Crocs Sexi-Flip thong flat sandals in black

Crocs Alice Work mary janes in black

Payless Carla flats in black

Payless Clinton flats in black

Torrid leather flats in black

The Crocs have a wonderful padded footbed with lots of cushion. Like walking on pillows. They are great in inclement weather or to wear to the pool, as they are completely waterproof. Both are fun to wear and fit perfectly.

The Payless Carla have a square toe and look sophisticated, I think. The Clinton flats are plain and comfy. Neither required any break-in time. 

The Torrid leather flats required a bit of break-in time, but they are a soft luxurious leather. They were the most expensive of the bunch at $50, and well worth it. 

I've submitted reviews on all of these. Search for them at crocs.com, payless.com, and torrid.com. Photos below.

Steve

I agree. When it comes to fashion, quit looking for logic!

Steve

Those boots look VERY masculine. The lug soles make it look that way, much more than the high heel makes it look feminine. Almost nobody will know they're women's shoes, and if they do, it's someone who knows shoes. Maybe one of us! Strike up a nice conversation!

You'll have no problems wearing them in public. Thanks for sharing your post.

Steve

4 hours ago, Cali said:

 No butterflies here, just pterodactyls.

Oh, man, I hate when that happens! LOL

No, I've never fallen off a high heel, but I've come close. I don't usually do stilettos, but I recently bought a pair of black "Logan" Hooded Low-heel sandals, which I really liked. Payless was out of stock but Amazon had them for $20 so I bought a pair. I wore them out the other day and promptly got them snagged in a sidewalk crack, but fortunately they came loose. I paid more attention to where I walked after that! I also was in a pair of clog-style sandals recently (Born "Rutina") and the heel went into a hole where the pavement was missing (maybe an inch). I almost twisted my ankle, but fortunately recovered ok. It was a scare, though.

Steve

21 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

Steve,

In such a small area like Granville the burning question is who could the other man be so "head over heels about women's shoes". Maybe he saw one of us one day strutting our stuff? IT is definitely curious or just a crafty sales tactic. HappyinHeels

The store was in the Easton Shopping Center in Columbus, a big city, not here in little Granville. That was the same place you and I went you visited here and we went to Bakers and Nine West. I have no idea who the guy might be. Spikesmike is the only guy I know on this board from Columbus, but I've seen his collection and it's very neat and orderly, so I doubt if he had a closet designed by The Container Store. If it's somebody on this forum, maybe he'll come forward and identify himself.

Steve

My sarcasm detector tells me your sarcasm is turned on, Shyheels! LOL

Steve

I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. Three years ago when we moved to our retirement cottage, it had only two conventional closets. My shoe collection was about 150 pairs back then, downsized from around 250 (just a guess) or so. My wife and I went to The Container Store, where they have a section of the store devoted to designing closets. We met with Becky and I told her I collect shoes, I have more shoes than most men, and almost all of them aren't men's shoes! She smiled and said, "Just 3 weeks ago I designed a closet for another male collector of women's shoes, and he was very happy with it. I'm sure I can help you!" Well, that broke the ice and we got along just great! She designed a closet with 12 shelves on each side, each shelf holding 6 pairs of shoes. My wife's are on the left side and mine are on the right. So that's about 72 shoes, plus those on the floor, make about 85 or so. Did I mention that there are 7 plastic bins under the bed which contain the off-season shoes? Each spring and fall I change over. I like the ability to see all the shoes for the present season so I can make a quick decision in the morning what I plan to wear. It's worked out well, all except for boots. Those we store in the front hall closet, and we keep them boxed up in our storage closet during the summer. It's all pretty well organized. Nothing is hidden in the back of the closet this way!

Now I'm beginning to have a problem. My collecting has not stopped and my rate of accumulation has exceeded my rate of culling, so the shoes on the floor are beginning to pile up and it's getting hard to keep things neat and tidy. Maybe I need to cull faster...NAH, bad idea. Forget I said that! I can live with the inconvenience. Maybe some day I WILL find some shoes hidden in the back of the closet! HA HA HA!

Steve

Good look, James!

Steve

It sounds like the counselor is giving you good advice; that was smart of you to go to one. We know you're hurt and it's tempting to blame yourself, but over time you'll come to realize that you did the best you could and it was HER problem, not yours. You need to look to the future. Life in the rear-view mirror is over with. 

Why not treat yourself to a new pair of heels? "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!" is a good slogan! And then check out some online dating sites and figure out how you're going to position yourself to meet new women. You can do it. Keep us posted. We all care how you do, and the sooner you let go and move on, the better off you'll be. Good luck!

Steve

My wife and I are meeting another couple, friends of ours from Scotland (Old Scotia), in Halifax September 18-22, 2017. He and I are heelers for many years and our wives are ok with it. If there are any others who live in Nova Scotia and would like to join us, please post here or send me a PM. We'd love to meet you for dinner, shoe shopping, etc.

Steve 

ljhh,

I had a similar experience when I was much younger, well before I was into high heels. I went away to college for my freshman year, and I missed my girl friend from home a lot. I was unhappy and decided to transfer to another college in my home town for my sophomore year. My gf and I were counselors at a kids camp that summer and she decided to break my heart by saying she needed to distance herself from me. I was crushed and took it very hard. But I recovered, and by the time school started in the fall, I started to meet other women, some of whom I liked even better than my old gf. I eventually met the greatest woman of all and we married four years later. We're still married (almost 43 years). I never would have done that if I were still with my old flame. Funny thing is that I have met my old gf a couple of times. She's as nice as I remember, but my present love is far better for me. So cheer up. There are other fish in the sea. You'll have to do some searching. Maybe a lot of searching. But there's the right woman for you out there somewhere, and she will be better than the one in your past relationship. Put on your best heels and go find her! Be patient. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a princess!

Steve

SF,

"Don't need" is a terrible reason for passing up a pair of beautiful heels, especially if they're not expensive. Heck, none of us NEEDS heels. We WANT them, yes, and for lots of different reasons, but NEED? Nah, I don't think so.

Just yankin' your chain. Go back and see if the shoes are still there. Buy them! Payless needs more male customers for their women's shoes. Help them out and help yourself!

Steve

I like those. Good choices, mate!

Steve

James,

All great choices! I like them all. I'd wear them all, too. Have fun with them! And keep posting!

Steve

Well, at least your ankles aren't sprained or broken!

Steve

Great post, TXGuy, and good progress. There are lots of women's shoes out there that are not very feminine and guys can wear them to experience heels without drawing attention. Boots like yours, even the 3" ones, are good examples. Many loafers, clogs, and sandals, especially if they have small platforms and block heels, are good examples, too, of women's shoes that guys can wear without being conspicuously feminine. And while I have pushed the envelope a little farther than you, I'm still fairly conservative, so I can relate to the rush you've experienced. And I assure you it gets easier every time. But it's the journey, not the destination, right? Anyway, thanks for sharing your post.

Steve

I have shoes that I love but can't wear for long periods of time. I think getting a shoe stretcher is the best idea for tight shoes. If they don't fit, MAKE them fit. Work on them until they do. Then you can wear them comfortably. If they're still not comfy, toss them or use them for decoration.

Steve

Very refreshing to hear it from somebody who is on our side! But for many of us who already wear heels in public, and heels much higher than Chelsea boots, we're way ahead of him, because we do what we want, not what society dictates.

Thanks for posting that, KH.

Steve

I wear a US women's size 11 in open back shoes like clogs and sandals and some slingbacks, but I need a 12 in closed back shoes like pumps, loafers, and boots. Brands I like, in alphabetical order, are Aerosoles, Born, Clarks, Naturalizer, Payless, and White Mountain. Most stores don't stock 11 or 12, so I usually go online to find shoes. I do look at Ebay often and many of my shoes come from there. I enjoy going to DSW and Macy's but I hardly ever find anything there which I like and which fits.

Steve

Hah! Ok, I clarified my post to state thigh high stockings! I don't own any thigh high boots. Maybe some day.

But you can still remain impressed if you like!

Steve