Cali,

I did state that Vector didn't wear heels, and I wore loafer pumps with a two-inch heel.

Good idea on the DSW web site. I found the navy David Tate pumps, "Sabra," on their web site, but the size of the pumps I tried on (and which fit perfectly) was 12W. The only width available online in navy 12 was extra wide, which would be too wide on me. It's possible either that the pair was sold since I tried them on, or maybe that DSW's computer system didn't list them because they were on clearance. But I'm not heartbroken. I knew, as I walked away from the deal, that I would probably never get them, and I'm ok with it. I would have preferred a higher heel anyway.

Thanks again for the good idea, though. It was worth the try.

Steve

Vector,

It was a privilege being party to your party! The entire afternoon and evening were awesome! We had a great time, and so did everyone else!

And the bride's shoes were spectacular under her white dress with long train. She was beautiful! And you looked radiant, too! Your flat, men's tuxedo shoes didn't do you justice! You should have worn the Mossimo D'Orsay heels!

Several people we met at the wedding did ask how we knew you, and like you and I planned beforehand, I just related that we happened to meet at a restaurant in Canton, Ohio some years ago (seven, as I later found out - 2011), we got to talking and quickly became fast friends and have stayed in touch. All that is, of course, true; I just left out the part that we were all there to attend a high heel meet and go shoe shopping! LOL

Enjoy your honeymoon with your honey! Safe travels!

Steve

What's a typewriter?

Steve

If you can overcome your shyness or embarrassment to make friends on this forum, those friendships can often lead to real life meetings and lots of fun. I had three of them in three days, a new record for me!

On Thursday, July 26, HappyInHeels, on his way east to visit family, stopped here in Ohio and we had happy hour and dinner at our retirement community. He met some of my friends and was warmly welcomed by the spokesperson of our "Meet and Greet" happy hour committee. She's only 99, sharp as a tack, still drives, walks without help from a cane or walker, has beaten cancer, and will celebrate her first century in September. HiH and I didn't have any opportunities for shoe shopping this trip, but we've done it in the past. He brought some new acquisitions and showed them to me; nice wedges and knock-out stiletto platforms! I showed him some of my newer shoes as well. After breakfast on Friday morning, he continued his eastward travels.

Then my wife and I drove to western New York, where Bluejay and I got together for an evening of shoe shopping. We went to an upscale mall, where DSW was our first stop. I found a fantastic pair of navy David Tate pumps in 12W which fit perfectly and were very comfortable. Unfortunately they were priced out of my range and the sales gal didn't have the authority to mark them down at all, so I didn't get them. Bluejay tried on some casual shoes but didn't buy them either. The store wasn't very crowded but there were a few other customers. Nobody stared or commented. We had fun looking at all the shoes and trying some on.

From there we went to Macy's where we were both appalled at how messy the clearance racks were. It was awful. I don't understand why sales people can't straighten out such a mess in their spare time when they aren't helping customers. It's just bad management. We left Macy's and went to Payless, where they had one of the biggest collections of Sizes 11, 12, and 13 I've ever seen! We tried on several styles, and Bluejay bought a nice pair of shoes which he liked. They were brown suede sandals with an ankle strap, which looked very nice on him. From Payless we went to Torrid, where I splurged on two pair of flared jeans, but we didn't see any shoes we wanted. So we went to have dinner and a beer in a local pub and then went back to Bluejay's place. I brought a gym bag with about a dozen pairs of my latest shoes, and he had a couple of bags of his own. We spread our shoes out on a table and proceeded to try on each others' shoes. We had a great time and learned a lot about shoes we hadn't considered. Bluejay isn't into mary janes, but looked great in mine. I'm not into platform wedges, but he had some comfortable ones. He also demonstrated what good a pad on the ball of the foot can do to keep feet from sliding forward in sandals.

On Saturday my wife and I attended the wedding of Vector, who posts here on occasion. I first met him in June of 2011 at a Canton, Ohio, heel meet, and we hit it off well. His girlfriend was with him then, too. We have kept in touch and a few years later they visited us in central Ohio. They finally decided to tie the knot and Saturday was the big day. I always thought Vector was quiet and reserved, but he sure knows how to party! It was a fabulous event and we really enjoyed ourselves! No, he didn't wear high heels to the wedding, but I'm sure he wanted to! I wore my Naturalizer "Taylor" loafer pumps with 2" heels. We took satisfaction in seeing lots of women dressed in some beautiful heels, including the bride herself! Anyway, our best wishes to Vector on his new journey with his lovely bride.

So that's it! Three heeling friends in three days! Gotta love HHP. If it weren't for this forum, I wouldn't have the privilege of meeting these life-long friends with a common hobby!

Steve

Hopefully with a return (round trip) ticket!

Steve

I work in an office of an online retail biz. I'm usually by myself or with my office manager who manages our fulfillment center. My wife's office (education research) is across the hall.

I can wear whatever I want. 

Steve

Me, too. It's probably been posted here, but perhaps the newcomers haven't seen it.

Steve

I have quite a few purchases from Shoe Show, after ThighBootGuy recommended them. The quality is not bad and the prices are super cheap, making the shoes a good value. Some brands, like Chelsea Moreland and Hot Tomato I find run at least a size too big, so big guys can find heels which fit. They have a number of stores in the Columbus area and I can return anything I buy for free if it's not satisfactory. Some examples of previous purchases are shown below.

Steve

This Is What It Looks Like When Men, Women and Dinosaurs Wear Heels in ‘Jurassic Park’

https://footwearnews.com/2018/fashion/celebrity-style/jurassic-park-in-heels-1202585168/

Steve

If you didn't happen to be at this event, here's what you missed!

https://footwearnews.com/2018/fashion/haute-couture/most-talked-about-fall-18-paris-couture-week-1202584371/

Steve

Thought you'd all enjoy a little lighter fare.

:-)

https://footwearnews.com/2018/runway/mens/spring-2019-trends-crazy-shoes-mens-paris-fashion-week-1202580775/

Steve

HHDude,

Cali is right. Avoid black. It's a bold but cold color. Go for warmer colors in summer.

Consider metallics. Gold, Silver, and Copper all look great and not particularly femme. I've worn them all. Surprisingly, they don't attract a lot of attention. If you want more attention, go with blue, green, or red metallics. Nothing to be scared of. You'll get a few stares, but you'll get ignored by most people. You'll get a few compliments, too.

Be confident. Wear your nail polish like you own it. Well...?

Steve

Are unmatched socks the "in" thing? Or do they have horizontal stripes only on the inside half?

I rather like his heels and the gray socks go very well. Thanks, Kneehighs.

Steve

Sorry to miss you. It would be nice to hook up some time in person. 

Steve

That's a great look. Actually, I have to confess, I wasn't exactly sure what a romper was, so I looked it up. Mr. Google pointed me to an Esquire article:

https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a55287/bro-romper-test-in-real-life/

Kind of a mixed bag, but I think it has possibilities with the right footwear. Those five guys rocked their rompers rather well.

Steve

I'm going to be in Austin, Texas, this coming weekend, June 30-July 1, 2018, with time on my hands (and heels on my feet).

After that, I'll be in St. Louis, Missouri, from July 2-4.  If anyone wants to meet up in either place, let me know by PM please, and we can make plans.

Steve

You guys are just jealous. I believe every word Kneehighs wrote is true. Why would he take the time to tease us with fake stories? 

Kneehighs, thanks for sharing your adventure. I'm glad you had a good time and enjoyed more than just the CL eye candy! Keep on posting adventures here. Nice loafer heels, btw.

Steve

Got a web site? Those boots look good on you. Last 2 pics in jeans - jeans are way too long on you.

Steve

HiH:

Yes, all tongue in cheek. There's a place for flats occasionally, and among my vast collection of heels, I have about 10 pair of flats: 7 ballet flats, 2 mary janes, and 1 flat sandals. Among the ballet flats, 3 are from Payless, one is from Torrid, 2 are from Crocs, and 1 is from Softstar. So I do have flats from both Payless and Torrid. Sorry for the confusion. And I've put the guillotine away. No danger!

:-)

Steve

Well, it would be a good sine if you're right! HA HA HA!

Steve

I, too, am sorry that high heels got connected with gay. It just reinforces the stereotype that wearing heels is only a gay thing. Oh, well. On the other foot, any news about a male celeb in heels is good PR. Too bad they didn't show a photo. I searched google and found photos of him, but no heels.

Steve

This article is from the Trade Journal Footwear News, and it's not good news for the industry, but it might be a buying opportunity for bargain hunters:

Steve

------------

https://footwearnews.com/2018/business/news/heels-sneakers-resale-data-thredup-1202573604/

• BUSINESS
•  
•  NEWS

JUN 13, 2018 2:44PM PT

Women Are Choosing Sneakers Over High Heels — And the Proof Is Mounting

By Hilary George-Parkin

Spring cleaning is all about out with the old, in with the new, and for 2018, women seem to be in agreement: high heels are old and sneakers are new.

Resale site ThredUp analyzed data from December 2017 to May 2018, and found that the last three months in particular have seen a significant uptick in activity surrounding footwear sales. Since March, it’s seen a 38 percent increase in the number of heels sent in by sellers, with Kenneth Cole, Guess, and Jessica Simpson leading the pack among brands that experienced the highest “purge surge,” as the site calls the phenomenon.

Shoppers, meanwhile, are adding more sneakers to their carts. In the same period, sneaker sales soared 46 percent, the site found, with demand spread amongst a mix of both athletic and fashion-geared brands. (Here, Keds, Dr. Scholl’s, and Asics came up on top in terms of growth.) The trend toward tossing one’s stilettos — or rather, shipping them off for someone else to wear — is evident in the site’s overall inventory, too: it currently has 11,862 pairs of heels for sale, compared to 3,184 pairs of sneakers.

This data backs up recent findings from market research firm NPD Group, which reported that sales of high heels fell 12 percent in 2017, at the same time that the women’s leisure sneaker category grew 37 percent to hit $2.3 billion.

The movement embracing comfort, it seems, is here to stay.

They still sell them. If you want something made from real leather and better quality (and if you have a wide foot), try Torrid.com. Let us know what you decide to get.

Steve

I was looking at the Payless "Clinton" flats, just a plain ballet flat with no adornment, and was struck by the fact that when I sorted the reviews by "Most Helpful", the top eight reviews were all from males! Guys are buying these and like wearing them. I shouldn't be too surprised that they are taking the time to review them and also to click on "Helpful" to support other male reviews. Most guys probably don't wear them in public too much, but it looks like a trend might be starting. I'm pleased that my review, from "Essgkay" is the most popular positive review. They're fun shoes, btw. I own two pair and I like them as a change of pace to heels. And I wear them in public.

Steve

Great outing(s). Thanks for sharing!

Steve