Steve63130

Not that many pumps - maybe a dozen pairs at most. I don't wear pumps often. I prefer clogs/mules in public because they look more masculine and don't attract as much attention. Lately I've been wearing sandals more, so that's what I've been collecting. Steve

Shafted, I found your review and read it. Kudos, you really do rock! If the quality is as bad as two of the other reviewers posted, be careful how you tread in those heels. They sound fragile. But anyway, thanks for spreading the word that guys like to wear heels, too! Good luck! Steve

I don't care so much about attention. I really want respect or at least polite tolerance. I certainly don't want BAD attention (laughing, pointing, giggling, news cameras, helicopters with spotlights, that sort of thing). That's just plain rude. Steve

Oh, c'mon, Kneehighs! Stop teasing us! Tell us about the conversation and your impressions, good or bad. Hey, Bubba, for a guy with 10K posts on this forum, you get a lot of respect around here. How about giving her a call or email? This could be a good opportunity to bring our cause in front of more people. Steve

Good article in general, but the statement is made that gay men like to wear heels. I don't think there's any evidence to support that statement. It's a common misconception. Steve

Many of you have probably seen the media hype that's going around about tights for men. Most of you probably know that I'm a partner in G. Lieberman & Sons, and the creator of Activskin (formerly Comfilon) legwear for men. Well, today, I got a call from a Cassandra Arsenault in New York City, one of the producers of ABC's Nightline program. She interviewed me and asked a lot of good questions. She's trying to determine if, with all the media hype lately about tights for men, there is a story here that their audience would be interested in. Near the end of the half hour phone conversation she asked me if there are other men I know who would be willing to speak to her about their interest in hosiery. I assured her there were many. I also told her that there was an interest in a lot more than just hosiery. She knew that of course, and we talked about men's purses, cosmetics, nail polish, skirts, and of course high heels. I told her about this web site and she thought it was cool. She's very interested in speaking to fashion-forward guys about their interest in any formerly female-only apparel, shoes, and cosmetics. Now here's your homework: I ask each of you, if you are willing, to contact her (preferably by phone, but by email if you can't call) and introduce yourself, tell her you heard from me that ABC was interested in talking to hose-wearing and high heel wearing men, and that you definitely support the concept and participate as a frequent wearer (hopefully in public, but even in private is ok). You don't have to be an Activskin customer, and I'm not asking for Activskin endorsements or testimonials (but if you want to say something favorable, that's fine). She just wants to hear from you and pick your brain about your interest in hosiery, women's footwear, purses, nail polish, skirts, etc. Please give her a call at her office, 212 456 4977 (This is not a toll-free number.) or email her at Cassandra dot Arsenault (at) ABC dot com. Please take notes and come back here and post the gist of your conversation with her and any comments you might have. This could be a great opportunity for us to get the word out to much of the public that ordinary guys like us want to and in fact already do wear high heels (and perhaps other things) as guys in male mode and there is nothing wrong with adopting such a change in fashion. She gave me her approval to list her phone and email on this post. Please don't abuse it. Steve

I've heard of the People of Walmart web site. Maybe she's starting a People of McDonald's site. You could be the very first photo, Shafted! Steve

A week ago I got a nice pair of White Mountain black sandals from DSW online in 11M. They arrived and I noticed the insole said Naturalizer. Odd. But anyway I've worn them for a week and wrote a lengthy and detailed review. Today they posted it, in its entirety. Here's the link:

http://www.dsw.com/shoe/white+mountain+witty+sandal?prodId=236997&productRef=SEARCH

If anyone outside the US can't read the link, it's starts with DSW dot com. Search for Witty and you'll see three reviews for it.

Here's a pic of the sandals. I love their looks and I hope they become more comfortable with wearing. The straps tend to pinch my bunion but as they're stretching it's less irritating.

Steve

I agree. It shouldn't be a competition. I don't wear heels higher than 3.5 inches (without platform). My foot doesn't bend far enough, it's uncomfortable to try, and I don't enjoy pain. So I've found my comfort zone and I'm quite happy with it. If someone wants to wear 6 inchers, be my guest. It doesn't matter to me, I'm not concerned, impressed, or depressed that he/she can and I can't, and it doesn't make him/her better than me. I just wear what I want and that's all that matters. Steve

Shafted, good find! Be sure to write a review after a week or so, and let us know what you say in it. Steve

Doesn't matter - just wear your boots proudly and have a great time. Take some pics and post a report after it's over. Unfortunately I'm not available tomorrow night, but it sounds like fun. Enjoy yourself! Steve

I left a reply and dropped a couple of web site URLs, including HH Place. Nice article and good comments so far. Steve63130

Remember that old saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

Shafted,

I thought the old saying was, "When the going gets tough, the tough go shoe shopping!"

Um...I could be wrong.

hh_pe:

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Maybe you need to communicate to your partners the plain and simple truth, and have a frank discussion on how to patch up the differences. Remind them that it's only clothing. Also, trouser socks (thin opaque socks) are sold for men, too, if that helps.

http://www.glieberman.com/categories/Knee-High-Socks/Opaque/

Good luck.

Steve

My wife bought me a pair of Valley Lane black leather flats back in the late 1970s, which I used to use as slippers whenever we'd travel, as they packed in a lot less space than men's slippers, and I loved them. She was ok with me wearing them, even in front of her mother when we'd stay over at her place. I still have them and wear them occasionally. Many years ago I also bought a pair of Payless Ribbed Flats (kind of a wavy sole for traction), which are all man-made and a bit lighter in weight. I wear those too, when traveling. Other than wearing them in the hotel to go get ice down the hall, or get something from the front desk, I don't wear them in public. I keep them strictly for indoors. So they have a place in my wardrobe, but I much prefer heels, and I've often substituted heels for flats lately when traveling. Steve

Awesome boots TOWI. Will you wear them out and about? They BEG to be seen in public - what a great fashion statement! Wear them proudly! Steve

Imroter, once you go ahead and tell your mom, and she tells your dad, you can relax, breathe more easily, and calm down. The secret will be out, and you will feel so much better. You can probably even wear the boots in front of your parents. Wouldn't that be great? Your parents love you, and no matter what you wear on your feet, they will still love you. That's all that really matters. Just be honest. Good luck! Steve

One of the things I liked about the heelmeets that Johnieheel organized in Canton, Ohio, was that they were held at a quiet family restaurant where we could carry on a conversation without competing with a loud, noisy background. Most pubs, bars, and nightclubs I've ever been in have loud music blaring, and there are so many hard surfaces that they are extremely noisy just from the patrons talking, the clattering of dishes, etc. That's a tough atmosphere for conversation and getting to know fellow heelers. My ears would hurt for hours afterward. I just can't hear others talk and I can't hear myself talk when there is a noisy background; I find it a very unpleasant venue for me. So one thing I would like to recommend on your list, Dr. Shoe, is to select a quiet place where people can get to know each other. Later, if they decide to go to a club or other noisy place, that's their problem. Steve

Sounds fetishy to me. No thanks! Steve

Shafted, Sometimes "it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!" (A quote attributed to several different people.) Steve

This is very sound advice. I've always advocated trying on high heels because so many shoes are made differently and sizes vary as far as fit, especially in my case. Sounds like you had a fun adventure and I hope you have many more. The more you heel in public, the more fun and exciting it is. Thanks for sharing.

Sound advice? Great pun! HA HA

Steve

I think you have it exactly right. Guys who wear nail polish, high heels, or legwear are perceived as confident and confidence is sexy. Guys can often be as insecure as women, so a guy who's confident and shows it by boldly wearing something that reveals his softer, feminine side really stands out from the rest of the male crowd. Kudos to Kneehighs and Shafted for demonstrating this point, and to HappyinHeels for articulating it well. Steve

RonC, I agree that a lot of heels have no arch support and are therefore uncomfortable to wear very long or walk very far. I've discovered that many of the shoes in Aerosoles line have excellent arch support (at least for me) and they have become my favorite brand of late. No insoles needed. Give them a try and let us know what you think. Steve

The only label I really like is "fashion forward." That's a label I can not only live with, but flaunt! Maybe we should change the forum name to Fashion Forward Footwear! Steve

Hey, Shafted, this isn't news. Read Kneehighs' many posts on the subject. Now you've become a chick magnet, too! Ok, you can go back under your rock now. Ha ha! Steve

Sadly, there are so many women that now refuse to wear pantyhose daily and they compain about them being so uncomfortable, which I don't understand. Anyway, many hosiery retailers are now specifically marketing to men to make up for a large decline in sales to women...

Most of the women who complain wear cheap hosiery that doesn't fit them right; they probably opted for a size that was too small. If a woman would take the time to try higher quality hosiery from an upscale retailer, and with patience and an open mind, she would almost certainly find something that was comfortable, stylish, showed off her legs nicely, and it would be something she would enjoy wearing. I know of women who tell me they no longer wear sheer hosiery because they don't want to bother to shave their legs. That's just lazy.

I question your second sentence. Please tell me what retailers are marketing to men? The only one in the US that I'm aware of was one hosiery company, Berkshire, who has tried selling a brand they called Lexwear since the early 2000s, and it was only on the internet, but they had a very limited offering and never expanded it after finding out that the market was too small. Oddly, their web site is still up at lexwear.com but you can't order anything. And in Europe there are a few suppliers, notably Wolford, Gerbe, and Levee, who have dabbled in the men's market and withdrew for lack of sales. There is one distributor in the UK that markets exclusively to men:

www.Legwear4men.com

The company stocks several European and one Chinese brand that are marketed to men. there are also distributors in Europe (Sweden, Greece, Romania and Moscow) who sell some men's hosiery brands.

Steve