Steve63130

Welcome back! Glad you had a great trip! I like those heels!

Steve

31 minutes ago, Thighbootguy said:

...and toward the end of the trip my ankle was letting me know it had given me its best effort and it was time for a break. 

"Break?" BAD word choice! "Rest" would have been better.

Steve

I'll drink to that! Looks like they have plenty of foam on top!

Best beer in the world!

Steve

Unless they're in the brothel business.

Steve

HA HA! Good one, Shy!

Steve

Great story, W6! Thanks for sharing! She was obviously a "leg woman!"

Steve

Busy, open, well-lit places are best. Malls, busy parks, and railway stations are all good. Before you go anywhere, practice a lot so you're comfortable displaying good poise, balance, and expertise in walking. Walking in the house is not like walking outside. When you're comfortable with the image you display, then you can go anywhere. Most people are preoccupied with their lives and won't notice you (but teenage girls in packs will giggle - ignore them). Those who do notice will probably not say anything. I would caution you to stay away from dark places, like poorly lit streets and alleys, theaters, and bars, and especially late at night or early in the morning. The darkness may be attractive to you from the standpoint of stealth, but if you're caught, it's likely that whoever does the catching, will think you're ashamed, filled with guilt, etc. However, if you're in broad daylight in a busy place, that thought will never occur to anyone. Most women will see you as a confident male and you might even get a compliment! I know this advice seems opposite to what you think is comfortable, but if you want to succeed, stay in busy areas. If you don't, you might expect to find your name and photo in the newspaper - and not for a good reason.

Steve

If you focus on heels as the most important thing to you, she will probably walk away; why should she accept being second in importance? If you are casual about it, don't make a big deal of it, treat it as a fun hobby, and keep the focus on her, she will probably stick around and find you an interesting and confident companion. Women love confidence. It's sexy to them. If you wear your heels proudly, she'll get that message and (I hope) she can deal with it. If you are shy, embarrassed, or treat it like you're ashamed, she'll pick up on that, too, and probably drop you like a hot potato. So be confident, whatever you do. If the relationship was meant to be, great! If not, accept it and move on. There are lots of accepting women out there. Better to find out now than after you're married and have kids!

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Steve

Nice boots, TBG!

You might want to go back and edit your post to correct the URL of the web site. It should be shoeshow.com.

I bought 6 new pairs of shoes from them a couple of weeks ago (for a total of $73!) but the only ones I kept were a pair of Drexlite "Shelby" shooties with a 3" tapered heel (pictured below). The selection online was good and the fit was ok on all six, but on the five I returned, either I just didn't like them as much on me as in the online illustration, or they weren't comfortable. I took them back to a retail store about 15 miles away yesterday and got a refund on the five pair which I returned, with no questions asked and no return fee or postage charge. I browsed in the retail store for a while but saw hardly anything in large sizes (11 or 12), so I left empty-footed.

Steve

Carol,

You are right, of course. I should have thought about it before I posted. I apologize to s2005kz, and I have deleted my post.

Steve

Pointer7,

Take baby steps that you're comfortable with, but don't stop pushing the envelope. I have been doing this for the past 7 or 8 years and I am amazed at what I've accomplished and how far I've come! I'm not trans, I am happy as a male, but I do wear heels, hosiery, women's jeans, women's tops, carry a purse, and wear nail polish. I do it openly and confidently, and people around me seem to be fine with it. I'm well accepted in the retirement community we live in, and life is good with the freedom I have.

If you're worried about getting fired for wearing heels, and the urge to wear is strong, open up your own business, be your own boss, and make up your own dress code. I did that, and I've never regretted it. Look around. There must be a business you can start or buy. Google could be your friend.

Steve

Interesting photo, W6. I like the composition as well as the subject role reversal. Good job.

I echo your wish for 2017 being as good a year! Happy Heeling!

Steve

I'm with you on sandals, Jeff. A few years ago I thought NO WAY! But I bough some anyway, and the more I wore them, the more I liked them, especially with a well-done pedicure. And I bought more! Now I can't wait till warm weather is here!

Steve

Excellent analysis, Kneehighs. Very well explained. It really takes a designer who is willing to push the concept (of heels for guys) with sufficient exposure, both in time and geography, so that the early adopters are widely seen and copied by the early majority, where the tipping point is. There need to be more suppliers waiting in the wings with competitive pricing to encourage more early adopters to adopt. Not every consumer who is so inclined is willing to fork over $1K for a pair of shoes. The price has to come down, the Chinese have to get interested and join the supply chain, and heels have to become more readily available cheaply to attract more early adopters. A limited few innovators just won't cut it. For the late majority and laggards who wait until it's safe out there for them to wear heels, they will wait a long time. Life is short. Why wait?

I think a lot of heelers on this forum are more attracted by stiletto pumps than, say, thicker heeled boots. I contend that if the fashion for men in heels ever takes off again (like it started to in the 1970s), it won't be with stilettos. Those will probably always be identified with women and "artistic" men. That doesn't mean that guys can't wear stilettos in public (like you do so well), but it's not as likely to succeed as a fashion trend as thicker heeled boots could, in my opinion, because it's harder to get more early adopters to wear stiletto heels in public.

Steve

The security guard was right, Jeff. You DO make it look good. Great outfit on you.

Museums are great places for heeling, even better than shopping malls. People aren't usually there to watch other people, they're there to see the exhibits. So for anyone who is just starting out or wants to try out public heeling, a museum is a great choice, especially an art museum. Artists are always considered leading edge anyway, so your leading edge fashion statement won't seem odd to anybody.

Steve

Yesterday I met with the new marketing director at the retirement community we live in so I could give her the newspaper announcement of her being hired here. She had not seen it. After I gave it to her, I complimented her on her round-toe pumps with a stacked heel and I showed her the Naturalizer "Brenna" booties (3" heels) that I had on. She said, "Oh, I really like those! I want to get a pair like that for myself!" I had no idea she was so accepting of guys in heels, so this was a real ice breaker. These booties are on sale now - I hope she buys a pair for herself! We chatted for just a minute more and I needed to leave. I didn't want to keep her tied up and wear out my welcome. We'll have lots more opportunities to talk in the future, I'm sure.

Steve

W6,

You wear those styles well!

Steve

That color looks great on you! Break out the sandals for summer!

Steve

Mlroseplant,

I used to feel that way, too. I always thought of nail polish as strictly a female thing. But about six years ago or so, I noticed my nails were really looking bad, so I went to a professional manicurist, and what she did to my nails with just a cleaning, shaping and filing, and buffing, was miraculous! I was very impressed and vowed I would go back every month. A couple of months later, she talked me into a clear nail polish, and that was outstanding. Shortly after that she talked me into using a very pale flesh color that complimented my skin. I was hooked and have since done metallics and subtle colors on my nails. She also talked me into pedicures as the "ultimate in pampering." I think she could have sold me a bridge in Brooklyn at that point. Now I wear fingernail polish and toenail polish all the time, but it wasn't always that way!

Steve

You're not guilty. That's the wrong word. You're PRIVILEGED to have the high heel gene in order to focus on footwear!

Steve

Well, you tried! You left the door open to further conversation and he refused to participate. Can't do better than that. But if you were complimenting me like that, I'd have yakked for 30 minutes with ya!

LOL

Steve

Er, not quite close enough for a jaunt over there, Don. Holler next time you're in Columbus!

Steve

My order came from Shoe Show today. Three of the seven fit in size 12. The LifeStride Gamut bootie (2.5" heel, $19.98), the It's OK Estelle bootie (3.25" heel, $15.00), and the It's OK Monica loafer pump (3" heel, $15.00) are all keepers and fit well. The others will go back. I found out there is a brick and mortar store about 22 miles west of here in the Columbus suburbs to whichI can return them, so no hassle or postage having to mail them back. Next time I go that way, I'll just drop them off.

Photos of the ones I'm keeping are below.

Thanks again for recommending Shoe Show (www.shoeshow.com), TBG. I'm quite happy with my purchases! I still can't believe the prices, and I got free shipping. The only extra was the sales tax, and well, the governor has to eat, too, you know. LOL

Steve

I like that look, SF. I have always found ankle bracelets and toe rings attractive. My wife has always hated them for looking slutty. I don't agree, but we compromise and do it her way.

:-(

Steve

SF,

MUCH better! Looks great now.

Steve