Steve63130

Nice outfit, SH, but there's too much makeup on your face and it looks a bit blurry. :silly: Just being goofy... Steve

I apologize for the error. I actually knew it was Kilty, but must have hit the wrong key anyway and didn't catch it in proof reading. It was completely unintentional. I was not trying to be negative at all. Kilty, if you want to give up wearing heels, it's your decision. I just think it's a bit of "sour grapes" after one bad experience. All I was saying was that you have it in your power to get back into the ring for another round if you want to, and I and many others here would encourage you to do so. While you got knocked down, you weren't knocked out. Steve

Kitty, I'm not going to try to convince you to keep wearing heels or skirts, but I do want to point out that it was something you set out to try to do, and if you give up, then the demons (in your head) win. That is not the outcome you wanted, nor does it have to be that way. Your destiny is still very much in your control. Steve

Spikesmike loves spurs and wears them in public often. Maybe he'll drop by and comment on this thread. Steve

Great pics, Dr. Shoe. You're very attractive and your outfits are quite fashionable. Thanks for sharing! Steve

Kilty, From your posts I gather that you are hosting a LOT of demons in your head about public heeling/skirting. As many others here will tell you, confidence is the key to success, and your level of confidence is currently insufficient. The answer is baby steps. If you want to dress in heels and a skirt, a park is the last place you should go. People don't wear such formal clothing to go to a park, so you stand visibly out of place. If you want to be invisible, take the good advice of Foxyheels and others to go to a busy public venue like a shopping mall, where everyone is too self-focussed to notice you. You'll be invisible, and your success is almost guaranteed. Build on that to do it again and again and grow your confidence. If your heels are too uncomfortable for much walking, find another pair that is better. Maybe try heels with bootcut jeans to walk in public places with a minimal amount of visibility while you build confidence. The main things are: (1) keep at it if it's something you want to do, and (2) don't let the demons win. Finally, if you can hook up with another mate who is more confident and can mentor you in the fine art of skirt/heels wearing, join him/her in your outings and watch and learn. Good luck in your outings, and thanks for posting a thread of your own. If you're successful in the long run, you'll look back on these early days and wonder what the fuss was all about. See yourself as successful and others will see it that way, too. Right now you lack that vision of yourself, so keep trying. Steve

All good suggestions, Doctor. I would add that anyone wanting to organize such a heel meet should look through past threads in this section to see how successful or unsuccessful past heel meets were. A lot can be learned from history. Also, besides a venue where heelers can get together to eat and drink, it's often fun to do some shoe shopping afterward, particularly if there are shops that cater to larger sizes. In the example of the two very successful heel meets in Canton, Ohio, organized by Johnieheel, the luncheon was followed by shoe shopping at DSW and then to an upscale mall with several shoe stores in it. Steve

I wouldn't give up on this forum just yet. It's summer (in the northern hemisphere) and lots of people are on holiday or spending time outside and can't be bothered with keeping up with forums. It should get busier as the weather cools off, I expect. We're always seeing new people join us. Steve

In the end it all boils down to tolerance of other people who are different or don't fall into nice neat pigeonholes that we've constructed to categorize our observations. While none of us may like every fashion that comes along, we ought at least to elevate ourselves not to denigrate it just because we don't like it. If we can turn it around and be constructive in our criticism, supported by some rationale, that's a much better approach. And with more exposure, who knows? We might start to like it. For example, I never liked wedges, but I'm starting to warm up to them. I might actually like them in the future, probably about the time they fall out of favor! lol Steve

Very well put together, SH. What's that big hh boot behind you? Maybe it will fit one of the bigger guys here! Steve

TBG, I agree with the others. Good presentation. I, too, found that the Karmen pumps needed more arch support. I found myself walking on my heels and the balls of my feet with almost no support in between, so I found a pair of leather arch supports and they make all the difference in the world now. What's next, high heel sandals? Steve

Happy, your footwear choices are almost extreme compared to mine! Your high platforms and towering stilettos and wedges you wore so gracefully were breathtaking - it must be the altitude! lol Really, I admired your boldness and skill in walking like you've practiced quite a few hours. Nicely done! And it was great walking in the shopping mall. Everyone was too busy with his or her companions or smartphone to notice our feet. Steve

I gave up there a long time ago and I don't think I've missed anything. Perhaps we ought to delete the link from here. Shafted, sir, what do you think? Steve

I'm glad to hear your friend is out of the hospital and doing better. Steve

Kilty, Nice skirt but the "male equipment" still shows rather prominently on that photo. Try something like this. It might help. You need to learn to tuck the gear back and out of the way. http://www.glieberman.com/a313-abs-sense-shaper-boxer-briefs/ Steve

TBG, While I haven't seen recent pics of you with a beard, I generally don't like the disconnected image of facial hair with feminine apparel. It's too jarring. Facial hair is very masculine, I think, and seeing it on a body dressed in women's more delicate clothing and heels just doesn't look well put-together to me. That was one aspect I didn't care for in HappyFeat's recent posting of himself in goatee and his long skirts. I encourage you to re-think the whole notion and stay clean shaven if you're going to continue to explore a feminine image. But I respect your choice if you decide to grow the beard. Enjoy the new pumps. I bought a pair back in the spring, although I've only worn them out once so far. Summer is sandals for me. Steve

What I don't like about shame is how it is overused by the clergy and religious zealots to force their idea of morality on others. Shame is in the eye of the beholder, true, but how it's defined is also in the eye of the person causing or pointing it out. The oft-quoted Biblical verse in Deuteronomy about a male not wearing a woman's garment is a good example. Is what was decreed three thousand years ago still relevant today? Times and circumstances change. Our definitions of what constitutes shame need to change also. Steve

mlroseplant, Those Tommy H clogs look great. I have an older pair, similar, but I didn't wear them at all last winter. I'll have to take them for a spin when the weather turns cooler. Right now it's too hot for clogs, so I've been in sandals all summer. I wore my Aerosoles Scotland black leather sandals out to supper last night to a restaurant with friends of ours. I wore them with boot cut jeans and a yellow polo shirt. Our friends saw me getting out of the car, but I don't think they noticed. At any rate, they didn't say anything. These are so comfortable. Great arch support. The front strap is a bit stiff yet, but it gets better with each wearing. I've worn them with and without sheer hosiery. Last night was without. Steve

Mtns and everyone else, Let me know if/when you are coming to the area, and I will make an appointment for you/us. I assure you that you won't be disappointed. My friend from Australia is visiting next week for a few days, and asked me to line up an appointment for a pedi for him on Tuesday. I'll report how it goes. Steve

HappyinHeels, Thanks for the kind words and nice compliments. We were delighted to have you visit us and it was fun getting acquainted and going shoe shopping together. I always find it an educational experience and I admired your confidence as you interacted with the sales gals and tried on shoes you wanted to. Although we have different tastes in shoes, I am glad that you found two pairs you liked. And I'm glad you were comfortable wearing them both in public and in our home. We look forward to a future visit, and bring your wife next time! Steve

Shoe sizing is highly variable, not only from one brand to another, but from one style to another in the same brand. That's why it's so much more efficient to try on shoes in a store where you can walk around in different sizes to experience what works best for you. Unfortunately, since you can't do that, you will need to resort to trial and error. I'm afraid you'll have to expect lots of error, as 14 might be best in one style, 15 in another and maybe even 13 and 16! There's that much variability. You will also encounter shoes that don't fit well in any size. Sometimes they can be stretched or padded in the right places to fit better. But if they don't feel close to right on the first wearing, chances are slim that they'll be ok later. It's best to get as close as you can to start with. I call that the wow factor. When you put on a pair of heels and they fit perffectly, you say, "Wow!" and that's a 10. Buy them! When you can't even get them on or if they hurt, that's a zero. Pass them up! If the heel slips off but everything else fits right, maybe a smaller size would work, or you can get heel grips at the drug store which could fix the problem. You'll have to experiment. It could be that that style just isn't meant for your feet. One more thing. In the bigger sizes there are no half sizes, so you might find that the 15 is too big and the 14 is too small and you really need a 14 1/2 in that style but they don't make it. That's a common issue with us guys. Good luck in your adventure, and let us know what works, with photos! Steve

Your outfit is well coordinated, as usual, Bluejay. Thanks for the pics. I like the look, too. Steve

Great story, Larry. Don't you wish sometimes that you could rewind the tape and play it over a different way? We learn too late in life about things that we could have done differently, if only we'd had the courage to say or do things right the first time. Steve

You're too funny, ladies! LOL I'm wearing a smile, too. But I do have on a little more than that. Steve

Yeah, but mostly you appreciate the compliments from women heelers! HA HA HA! I know you, Bluejay! <grin> Steve