Steve63130

Everyone's advice so far is good. Congratulations on deciding to take the first step. I think you should start with something conservative and build up your confidence. Go buy some bootcut jeans or pants that cover some of the heel. That will look a lot more stylish than baggy men's jeans. Confidence comes with experience and you want those experiences to be as positive as possible, so stack the odds in your favor. Practice walking in heels a lot so you're confident and competent, not clumsy and awkward. Thighbootguy's advice about looking in a full-length mirror and studying the image you see is the best advice. If you like the look you're presenting, then go out in public and strut your stuff. If something bothers you about the look, determine what it is and try something different. The best confidence builder is your knowing that you look good! And finally, you're doing this for yourself. Don't try to live your life just to please others. Please yourself. Be true to yourself. Do what's best for yourself in the long term and you can't go wrong. Keep us informed and let us know if there is anything we can do to help or provide advice. Good luck!

Steve

I think you'll get answers that are all over the place. Sexy/elegant is in the eyes of the beholder and I don't believe the terms are mutually exclusive. I see no reason that a particular shoe can't be both sexy and elegant at the same time. I personally thought the platform heels were attractive.

Steve

I have a pink turtleneck I wear occasionally and it's no big deal. Never had a negative comment, but I did have a positive one not too long ago. Like wearing heels, you just have to act confidently and nobody else cares.

Steve

Are ya gonna change yer name to Anklebootguy any time soon?

Tee hee!

Lookin' good!

Steve

Meels85,

I can't imagine giving up heels voluntarily. I can imagine a time in my future when I'm too old, too unsteady, or develop foot problems that preclude my wearing heels, so I'm trying to make every day count. I want to delay that unhappy circumstance as long as I can!

Good luck in your future, but I think you, like the rest of us, are hard-wired to love heels and destined to want to wear them your entire life. So I, too, am confident that you'll be back. And you'll be welcomed back. And you won't be the first!

Steve

That platform might just be something that was <groan>cobbled together....</groan>

Steve

Syd,

Those look great! I'd wear them anywhere. Enjoy them!

Steve

On 2/12/2016 at 10:02 PM, meganiwish said:

Without even looking it up I'm going to tell you that you're wrong, and that I know what you're about, you naughty man.  So you should know that a cat may have a sex, male or female, as do humans, but not a gender.  Gender is a grammatical thing in some languages.  For example, cerveza is feminine in Spanish, but there's nothing inherently female about beer.  My sex is female and in English I have no gender.

Ok, I'm wrong. I sit corrected...in heels.

Steve

Looking good! Fluevog has done very well by you! Thanks for the post!

Steve

Jeff, please pass along the phone number of your snow removal team. I like their professional appearance.

Steve

Syd, it's shorter in miles. Only 9320. Now can you do it?

Steve

Sounds like fun, but Toronto is a bit far to travel unless I plan to take a holiday there. Hmmm...that's a good idea!

Steve

On 2/9/2016 at 8:21 PM, meganiwish said:

You're quite right about Felix the Cat, but I must reiterate, Latin for cat is feles not felis.  

Feles is feminine and felis is masculine. Both are acceptable, depending on the gender of the cat. They also mean thief. Make sure the felis doesn't kidnap your felis. LOL

Steve

On 2/11/2016 at 8:11 PM, Thighbootguy said:

Great looking boots.  Take good care of them.  Be careful out and about not letting the leather get wet.

TBG, I have to ask you what's wrong with getting the leather wet? When it covered the cattle it probably got wet dozens if not hundreds of times. It's been treated with preservatives to keep it supple and weatherproof to some extent. Getting it wet occasionally, in my experience, won't hurt it at all. Just let it dry naturally without heat and it should last a long time. If the leather gets crusty with salt used to melt snow, wash it off and let it dry. Keep the leather oiled and it will be very durable. I don't see why people should treat their boots with, um...kid gloves, so to speak. What's your experience that tells you water is bad for boots? I mean this with all due respect. I'm not trying to be offensive or obnoxious (more than usual, anyway!). Nor do I want to hijack this thread very long.

Steve

My experience is completely different, perhaps because I am older, have no kids, and have an approving spouse. We moved to a retirement community a year ago, and I made the  decision when we moved, to wear what I want most of the time. I'm not getting younger and one of these days I may not be able to wear heels because of foot problems, balance issues, or who know what? I know what my wife thinks are the limits of good taste, and I try to comply. Today, for example, I wore a pink turtleneck (women's), a brick-red sweater (men's), bootcut jeans (women's), briefs (women's), opaque thigh high stockings (men's Activskin A1009), and women's dress boots (Clark's "Ruby Sparkle" with 3" stacked heels). I also wore a light copper polish on my fingernails, and carry a black shoulder bag (women's). I like to mix and match fashions and take from both sides of the aisle - whatever I think looks good and feels good on me and doesn't bother my wife. Now here's the astounding part of a typical day for me.

I met two big burly guys from our village water department this morning at our house we're trying to sell, looking for a leak that caused our water bill to jump up a couple of months ago. I led them through the house and we found a leaky toilet that was the culprit. They may have seen my boots as I did nothing to hide them (although I wore the jeans outside them today - sometimes I wear them tucked in). Next I went to a meeting at our retirement community, then had lunch in the main dining room where I ate with some of the staff which I enjoy doing occasionally, then I went to a meeting of the residents association council (I'm treasurer), then to my business office, then to the post office, then to happy hour where I hobnobbed with lots of different residents, and finally to dinner. It was a busy day, with lots of contacts from the executive director to the gals in the marketing department to the president of the residents association to the housekeeping staff. Nobody said anything to me about my boots, my nails, or my purse. I carried myself with confidence, and I don't think too many people are really that observant, but some undoubtedly are. The only exception is that I have a good relationship with one of the marketing gals (my "shoe sister") and I asked her if anybody ever talked to her about my appearance and she said no, never. So I may be an oddity here in some ways, but people just accept it and never bother me or ask or talk behind my back (that I know of). I am grateful that I can live and dress the way I want to. Granted, if I wanted to wear platform stilettos, dresses, or present myself as female (why? I'd be really ugly!), some people might feel uncomfortable that I was pushing the envelope too far. The marketing gals call on me often to represent the community at marketing events and it doesn't bother them that I don't present myself as a totally masculine guy. So if they're not bothered, why should I worry? Wearing heels out and about is easy (a lot easier than I ever would have thought) and I'm comfortable and I enjoy being true to myself!

Steve

On the other hand, if her reputation is as bad as you say, everyone else must discount what she says as untrue also. If she saw you in women's heels and blabbed it to other family members, nobody would believe it anyway. That really gives you freedom to roam about without having to hide what you're wearing.

Steve

<tongueincheek>JeffB, ah c'mon! That post belongs on the www.flatheeledboots.org forum, don'tchathink? Them heels need to be higher for here!</tongueincheek>

Nice outfit, though!

Steve

It's a great idea but just suggesting it won't do anything. Make it  happen. Pick a venue, date, and time a couple of weeks out, announce it here, and get some replies. Ideally you will get 4-6 people to show up and have a great time! Good luck!

Steve

17 hours ago, subtle said:

 society sucks sometimes.

 

Yes it does, but that's the way it is. Better to light a lamp and be a beacon for others than simply to curse the darkness.

Steve

UKboots,

I totally agree with you on looking at the footwear first.

Conversation after my wife and I have passed a woman:

Wife: Wow, did you see her hair?

Me: No, my eyes never got above her ankles!

Steve

Great story, with a happy ending! Thanks for sharing. I hope all your outings are this good! It gets easier every time. Confidence is attractive and it shows!

Steve

Safe travels, Mlroseplant, and enjoy your trip in heels!

Steve

There are a LOT of straight guys on this forum who will attest that wearing heels does not mean one is gay, nor does it make one gay. Logically why would it? If you were a gay guy you would want to be attractive to another guy by looking masculine, not feminine. There really is no correlation between the clothes people wear and their sexual orientation.

Conversation:

Him: "I see you're wearing high heels. Are you gay?"

You: "No, I'm not gay. But I do have a gay friend and he has that same exact shirt you're wearing..."

Get the point?

Steve

Great story! Thanks for sharing it, hh. I love Aerosoles, too, and although I don't have that particular sandal, I have others that I wear frequently, including the ones ("Platonic") in my avatar photo, which I have in black and brown. Fun to wear. I hope you get another chance at public heeling in the near future! And I agree on a pedicure, leg shaving, and wearing nylon hosiery.

Steve

I think 3" stilettos, if the rest of the shoe is attractive, can look just fine. In fact, I saw a young mother in the grocery store last week in 2" kitten heels that looked really cute. So I would advise going with lower heels to get used to stilettos, and slowly build your foot muscles so you can eventually handle higher heels.

Steve