Steve63130

Thanks for your comments, Mike and Heelster. We had a good time shoe shopping and HappyinHeels was fortunate to find two pairs he loved! Steve

That's a great way to teach tolerance! I'm all for it. That's the kind of help these kids need and can benefit from. And it brings parents together who can share their experiences and know that their child is not alone in his situation...kind of like this forum brings us together so we know there are others out there with our interest in heels. Steve

Great story and I'm glad you had such a good outing. Please tell your wife and let her know of your adventure before someone else does and we read about your premature demise! lol Steve

Ash, that's a great looking coat. You wear it well. Steve

On his way back home from a trip to South Carolina, HappyinHeels visited me at my house in Ohio. He arrived in the late morning yesterday (Saturday, August 10) and my wife and I took him over to a local deli for lunch. We then went to our local salon, called "Love Yourself and Earth," because of their use of products that are "green," and Happy proceeded to get a delightful pedicure from Jenny and I got an express manicure from Noel. Happy enjoyed the wonderful massage from Jenny, and he went for a polish which is the color I usually get, "Spicy Chocolate," a coppery metallic satin rose in their G2 brand polish line. I decided to get the color I got in early July called "Palladium," which is a metallic khaki color, that matched my khaki capris perfectly. I also wore a golden yellow polo shirt, and my brown Born "Belinda" sandals. Happy wore his Jessica Simpson platform stilettos shown in the third photo below, with long jeans, polo shirt, and gray cap. After the mani and pedi, we thanked the girls profusely and went back to the house to hang out a bit while our nails dried. Then we drove into Columbus and went to Easton Shopping Center. Our first stop was DSW, where there was a disappointingly small selection of size 11s and almost no 12s, so we didn't stay long. We did see a Nordstrom Rack store just being completed, but not yet stocked or open. I didn't know this store was going to happen, so that might be a great source for the furture. We then proceeded to Baker's and as soon as we walked in, the store manager greeted us as if we were long lost friends! She complimented Happy on his fringed handbag, and I complimented her on her blue sparkly pedi and she asked how she could help. Happy told her what he was looking for and she brought out two boxes in size 11 for him to try. The black platform stilettos had a buckle that was not right, so he passed on those, but liked the beige wedge slides, so he bought them. We then went next door to Nine West and were again greeted by a sales agent who said she was glad to see us, told us what was on sale, etc. Happy and I looked around and he said, "I've got a pair of those, and those, and those, and those...etc." I think he owns a LOT of Nine West shoes! Anyway, he settled on a pair he liked and bought them. I did not find anything that I could not live without, so we drove back home. After showing my wife what he bought, the three of us walked over to the local pub but the wait was 25 minutes, so we walked down to the Mexican restaurant and ate a delicious dinner there. We stopped for an ice cream at Whit's (a must for visitors to central Ohio), and walked back home. Happy and I then drove over to my office and he tried on and bought some of our Activskin men's thigh highs. We returned home, had some beer, talked till midnight and went to bed. This morning we got up and I gave Happy a tour of my shoe collection. Then we drove over to the coffee shop and had coffee and bagels. We chatted for quite a while, came home, took a few photos and he resumed his journey homeward. While we have very different taste in shoes, we had a good time together, talking about our life experiences and sharing our stories, not only about heeling, but about life in general. Like all the other heelers I've met in person, he's a sensitive, thoughtful, caring and curious individual, and we were impressed with each other in many ways. I hope we can meet again and share more time together. The first pic below shows HappyinHeels in some beige platform wedge sandals (not the ones he bought yesterday at Bakers), and me in my avatar black Aerosoles Platonic sandals with black sheer hose. The second pic shows Happy in his new Nine West open toe wedges and me in my new black Aerosoles Scotland sandals. And the third pic shows us sitting on a porch swing, with me in my brown Born sandals and Happy in his Jessica Simpson platform stilettos. Steve

Yes, that's the right person. I've actually met her in person. Very nice, very honest, and really does her best. I have only good things to say about her. Steve

I'll make myself available if I can. Name the date, time, and place when you get it all organized! Steve

Shafted, "Hidden" is the term used for those, but there is nothing really hidden at all. The material of the shoe simply extends downward to cover the platform so there is no demarcation between the upper and the sole. Maybe "extended" platform or some other term would be better. But I don't think for a minute that anyone who wears that style thinks people won't see that the shoes have a platform. It's just inadequate terminology. Steve

Just don't wear them with hosiery and cross your legs at the ankles! Steve

I really like those sandals, Bluejay. They look great with that outfit. Maybe you can wear it next time I visit if the weather is warm enough. Steve

I'd be suspicious of people from Ohio! Lol Steve (from Ohio)

I highly recommend that Ashley conduct the tour of shoe shops! He did a great job a couple of weeks ago when we visited him in Toronto. And take him up on the Old Spaghetti Factory, too. Great restaurant! Thanks again, Ash! Steve

You mean tasteless? Steve

Do a Google search if you know the name of the style. Other shoe sellers, like Amazon, Zappos, Shoes.com, Shoemall, and Shoebuy might still have some in stock. If you need a bigger size you might not find it. And yes, check Ebay, too. Good luck. Steve

Mick18, Wishing won't help. Heel meets don't just happen by themselves. Why not plan one yourself? It's easy. The Mid-West is a big place. What city? Pick a date and time, pick a venue for the get together (a restaurant or pub), and maybe go shoe shopping before or after. Then post an announcement and see if anyone else posts or pm's you that he's interested. Maybe you'll get a couple of others who attend. Johnieheel (what ever happened to him? he was always an inspiration!) hosted a couple of very successful heel meets in Canton, Ohio, a few years ago this way. You can do it, too. Good luck! Steve (in the Mid-West of Ohio)

I recently posted on here that I bought their Karmen pumps in black after reading all 168 reviews and finding that 14 were from males. That's almost 10% who admit it, and there were no doubt a few more by males who didn't want to disclose their gender. Payless has a good thing going and should capitalize on it even more. Steve

I go to a salon in Ohio all the time. It's everything you could ever want in a salon - nice gals who are very talented and keep the place spotless and odorless by using "organic/green" products as much as possible. They love their customers, especially men, and it shows. Of course they love chocolate even more and it never hurts to give them some kisses (Hershey's Kisses, that is!). Bluejay, I do hope you and Mrs. Bluejay can visit someday and get a pedi from this special salon. Steve

Great looking outfit, Bluejay. Thanks for posting the pics. Those are the same white patent pumps you showed me as were leaving the restaurant a week ago Sunday, aren't they? They look great. Steve

Stoney8, The demons are all in your head. Every day, thousands of guys go into shoe stores all over the world to try on and buy women's shoes. The sales agents have seen it all before. You would not be the first man to ask to try on women's shoes or boots and you will not be the last. The sales agents are there to make a sale and they will usually do everything they can to expedite that result. They will try to make you comfortable, suggest alternatives, and go to great lengths to make the sale. You are not adversaries with them, you are partners. Help them make a sale, but remember it's YOUR money and you want to buy something that fits and that you can wear comfortably. If it hurts, you won't wear it and it will be money wasted. Don't do that. Get good value for your money. The first time is the most difficult, but once you've done it, you will realize that it's not as hard as you thought it would be. And after a few times you'll wonder why you were so reluctant to do it in the first place. I've tried on women's shoes and boots in many shoe stores over the years and I've never had a bad time, but I have had a lot of good ones. Chances are that your experience will be the same. So take a deep breath, go inside, act VERY confident (like you've done this 100 times before), and ask to try on a boot that you like in your size. Try on both left and right and get up and walk around. You're not buying the boots just to wear sitting down. You want them to be comfortable in dynamic mode - for standing and walking. Get the best quality boots you can find and you will be happy to have made a good investment. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Steve

Sleek, thanks for the pics. I really like the slingbacks, and they look great with the jeans. Steve

Don't get them near these or there could be an explosion! http://www.oxygenshoes.co.uk/ Steve

SF, I like the Lucca sandals a lot. Good choice. I haven't tried them on yet, though. Steve

Check this out: http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/why-kelly-osbourne-shoes-look-good-enough-eat-193654221.html Steve

I won't be able to be there on August 10, but I was in Toronto with my wife just this past Friday and Saturday. We met up with Pumpcat/Ashley at Town Shoes in Eaton Centre and we walked to three other stores along Queen Street, including his favorite Fluevog store, which I saw had some really stunning (and some really funky) styles - quality stuff. The other stores were good, too, but I didn't see anything that I couldn't live without. After shopping for an hour, we took the subway to the Old Spaghetti Factory on the Esplanade, and had a really delicious dinner. Then we walked along Yonge Street to the Hotel Victoria, checked in, and walked back to the pubic parking garage on Queen Street to get our suitcases. Parking in Toronto is very limited (and expensive) and this hotel has no parking facility at all. Ash wore black Fluevog boots with square toes, 4.5" trapezoidal heels, and a modest platform; skinny jeans and a blazer. I wore bootcut jeans, royal blue polo shirt (everything in Canada is royal - lol), my black shoulder bag, and my black Born "Belinda" sandals with beige thigh high stockings. We did a lot of walking that evening! Anyway, Ash is a delightful guy, a terrific host and guide, and a good conversationalist. We had a wonderful time together and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I wish we could return for the heel meet on August 10th, but we have a guest staying overnight with us, who happens to frequent this forum. Details to follow... Thanks again, Ash! We really appreciate your taking the time to host our visit! I hope I convinced you to get a shoulder bag. It's SO convenient and I would never be without it. Steve

Why take risks? It's your hard-earned money. Don't waste it. There are plenty of good, reliable, shoe shops that cater to all kinds of needs, so go where the reputation is good and where you know you'll get good service and good product. Steve