Steve63130

SF,

You motivated me to try those sandals also. I bought mine from Macy's online, and got a discount. I also bought size 12, but in wide width, as I have bunions. I want the strap to go over the bunions, not be pushed forward by them - that's uncomfortable. No, it's downright painful! So the wider straps fit fine and they will be fun to wear.

I also sent in reviews, both to Macy's and to Naturalizer. I'll let you know when the reviews are published. 

You said the heel is just over 2". Mine are 2 3/4 inches. And with another 1/4 inch for the footbed, my heel measures 3" off the floor at the back. It's a comfortable walking height for me.

Steve

It's also possible to buy elastic toe cushions in the drug store. These are an elastic ring that fits over the toe and a squishy plastic pad is attached to it. Put it where the pain is and see if the padding helps at all. It just might.

Steve

Ron,

Great progress! Glad you got out in public. You learned your first lesson: It's important to have shoes that fit right and are comfortable. You may need to make adjustments in those Karmens, with padding, moleskin, or whatever. And it's possible those aren't your best choice for walking in public. Only you can decide that. 

It gets easier every time you go out. Just watch for slick surfaces if your Karmens have a hard heel tip like mine do. And watch out for sidewalk cracks, gratings, and other obstacles. We don't want to hear what gravity did to you!

Best of success!

Steve

Thanks for keeping us posted on your situation. We certainly understand and we applaud you for keeping your priorities in the right order!

Steve

Darn you, Bluejay! I clicked on that link above, to find that shoe was out of stock, but right on the same page it suggested a similar style, Clark's Kurtley Shine Slingback with 3 1/8 inch block heels which they just happened to have in 12W. Of course, I HAD to get them! You cost me money!

Steve

I'll add my welcome, too! My wife is very accepting of my footwear preferences. Sometimes, too accepting and I worry if I'm overstepping what's good for me! LOL

Steve

Those look really spectacular, SF. Are they stable or do the thin heels tend to wobble when you stand or walk? One of the reviewers said they wobbled. Another reviewer said the strap was big enough to go over bunions. That is good news for me, and they do come in wide width. Naturalizer is one of my favorite brands. I might have to try those. It would be fun to get together and wear the same sandals! You're only 2500 miles away, after all!

Steve

Thanks, SF! I love your new avatar photo! My bunions would kill me with that front strap, though! LOL

Steve

Thanks, HHBoots. Glad you like them. I appreciate the compliments. The jeans don't flare much, but they fall nicely over the backs of my heeled boots and shoes, and the shorter ones work well with flats also. The rise is a comfortable height, and they fit really comfortably.

Steve

I wear bootcut jeans (from Torrid) almost exclusively. I like the look. I have them in two lengths: Regular for wearing with flats and low-heeled shoes, and Tall for wearing with higher heels. I prefer to keep my heels partially hidden, but not always. Yesterday I wore my Clark's "Adya Clara" mary janes (3 1/4 inch heels) with the regular length jeans, and it left nothing to the imagination. I thought it was a good look, actually. 

Steve

On 3/29/2018 at 1:24 AM, HappyinHeels said:

A proper car kit should include a tire jack, road flares or safety triangles, first aid kit, flashlight, extra water especially in North and South America and in Australia, as well as an EXTRA SET OF HEELS. Don't leave home without them!

I can attest that the shoe collection of Steve63130 is organized with military precision. Perhaps his heels were standing at attention when I visited. He really is an organized guy. 

HiH,

That is indeed a great quote! 

Thanks for the confirmation on my collection. When we lived in our big home, we had plenty of room for shelving for my collection, but when we moved into our retirement community we had to downsize. We went to The Container Store and had them design closet shelving which can hold 72 pairs plus room on the floor for 8-10 more pair. Downsizing motivates one to make use of every cubic millimeter! I'm not sure I'd describe my organization the way you did, but I'm glad you were impressed!

Next time you're in the neighborhood, plan to stop in and see us again! It's always good to visit and catch up!

Steve

I agree, Shyheels. He could lose his job and his spouse! I sure hope not.

Steve

I never wear the same shoes two days in a row, mostly for health reasons, as leather and some faux leathers need time for perspiration to evaporate so bacteria don't grow and get stinky. I often change shoes two or three times during the day, depending on mood, weather, venue, and activity.  My collection is divided into summer shoes (mostly sandals) and winter shoes (clogs, pumps, boots and flats). My closet holds about 72 pairs on 12 closely spaced shelves (6 pair/shelf), plus a dozen pair on the floor. And I have about that many off-season shoes in plastic bins under the bed. Tall boots go in the front hall closet, and I have 6-8 pair of those. And I have about 3 dozen pairs of shoes in a storage locker. Those I don't wear much but can't bear to part with. I try them on periodically and sometimes I reclaim them to the closet or else reluctantly give them away. That's so hard to do, as most of you know!

Steve

I found my perfect jeans are bootcut jeans from Torrid. I tried them on in the store, then ordered two pair online - one in regular length for lower heels and flats, and one in longer length (2" longer) for higher heels.

Steve

Careful what you wish for. The grass may be brown on both sides of the fence!

Steve

James,

Great selection! Have fun with them this winter.

Steve

I know a lot of you prefer stilettos and that's fine, but as an older guy who wears in public every day, my preference is for lower heels and wider, more stable heels. A recent purchase was a pair of Clark's "Emslie Lulin" mary janes, and you can find my published review of them here:

http://www.clarksusa.com/us/womens-technologies/womens-ortholite/emslie-lulin-brown-leather/p/26129222

If you can take a minute and click on the link above, scan the review "Excellent Comfort and Outstanding Design" by Essgkay, and then click on "helpful," it would be good for the public (mostly women) to see a high approval rate of a guy wearing and reviewing women's shoes. Thanks for your help!

Steve

James,

You're getting into some nice autumn styles and we're still in winter boots, but warmer weather and sandals are on the horizon!

Steve

My latest pair of ballet flats is from Payless. It's their "Claudia Snip Toe Flat" in red and black. I bought the black in Size 12. It fits perfectly and feels very comfortable. My only complaint is that it could use a little more cushion in the heel. Here is a link to the page with the review. I would appreciate it if you would all click on it, find the review entitled "Greatly exceeded my expectations" and click on "helpful." Thank you!

http://www.payless.com/womens-christian-siriano-for-payless-claudia-snip-toe-ballet-flat/79368.html?dwvar_79368_color=red

Since the review will disappear from their web site when the style does, here is what I said:

"I hadn't been on the Payless web site in a couple of weeks, so the other day I decided to go exploring. The new Claudia ballet flat caught my eye so I read the reviews and decided to take a chance. I'm glad I did. I ordered it in black size 12. I have the Clinton flat in 12W and the Carla Snip-Toe flat in 12 (which is also wide) and wondered if the Claudia, available only in regular width, would be wide enough for me. I also wondered if the toe would be high enough – it looks like it tapers down pretty far. Well, I'm pleased to say that the shoes came quickly, and they fit perfectly. I like the V-shaped cut of the vamp on these. The vamp on these is high and there is no visible toe cleavage at all. The width is fine for me. The shoe in size 12 is about 11.5 inches long, which is a good length. The heel is a quarter inch high and the sole and heel are made from quiet non-slip rubber. The man-made outer material is very leather-like and the interior is a comfortable nylon knitted fabric which breathes well. There is good padding in the leather-like insole although I would appreciate a bit more padding in the heel. They are comfortable with sheer nylons (as in the photo) as well as barefoot. They are easy to walk in, don't slip off my feet, and I can see these flats becoming a favorite in the future. More and more guys are wearing ballet flats and my wife is fine with it. They're really comfortable casual shoes and I look forward to wearing them a lot this spring! Thank you, Payless, for making these flats in bigger sizes for us fashion-forward guys!"

Obviously I didn't remember! I went back and looked at the photo of us that my wife took. Sure enough. You are correct! And you're wearing black nylons, it looks like. I'm wearing my avatar sandals, black Aerosoles "Platonic" sandals with 3.5" heels, with nude nylons. My jeans are way too long! I wear them shorter these days. Wow, the date on the photo is 2012! Long time ago!

Happy Heeling to you also!

Steve

HHBoots,

You might push the envelope further (i.e., higher heels or more variety) with long pants or jeans. If I wear sandals with 3" heels or higher, I wear bootcut jeans. I like the look and my wife is ok with it. If I wore the same shoes with shorts, she'd hand my head to me!

When it's warm out and shorts are preferred, I'll wear lower heels - 2 to 2.5" wedges or some such.

Always with a pedi! I prefer more neutral colors, like grays, pale dusky red, metallics, and skin-matching "nude." I rarely do clear and I never do dark colors. 

Steve

I have seen Bluejay wear women's heels with men's apparel, and the way he matches colors, it comes off looking quite good. For instance, the first time we met, we went to a restaurant for dinner. He wore brown men's dress pants with Naturalizer "Daiquiri" sandals with 4" block heels. I wore the same sandals, but I wore them with bootcut women's jeans. The next day he wore men's white dress trousers and a royal blue shirt with white pumps with about a 3" heel. I was impressed. That was many years ago. We have visited several times since then. Whether he wears men's or women's apparel, he looks very well put together!

Steve

Bluejay,

Yep, what you said is true. I'll vouch for it. You are a ladies man, that's for sure, and not only fearless about wearing clothes from both sides of the aisle, but you have an amazing sense of color in putting outfits together. You are an inspiration, so don't be away from HHP so long. Continue to post photos of your outfits, too. We love to see what you wear. Hope we can get together again sometime this summer. 

Steve 

Mlroseplant,

Glad you returned safely. Get back into heeling slowly. You don't want to damage your feet or you could be in serious trouble. Enjoy the journey.

And thanks for making an effort to keep posting while you were gone!

Steve

This is the first winter in several years that I have NOT worn nail polish on either toes or fingers. Last October my dermatologist (a woman) said I had a serious fungal infection and recommended I lay off the nail polish until the infection clears. My left big toenail was longitudinally split 75% of the way from the tip to the margin and looked really bad, so I followed her advice, used the fungal cream she prescribed,  and decided to give my fingers a little breathing space as well. My big toenail has grown out a good percentage of the length of the nail now, and looks much better. All my other nails look healthier, too. In fact I put on a couple of coats of clear nail polish this past weekend, the first time since autumn. Usually I use colors, but I was rushed for time and you can't hurry with color. I will probably get to color my toes in April when I start wearing heeled sandals again. Until then, I'll let the nails grow out some more. Fungal infections are certainly no fun!

Steve