Firefox

I just take the photographs. In the UK it's legal to take photos of people in public places, including faces if they happen to be visible. And you can share such pics on the web or in a book, provided you don't use them in a defamatory way. If you use the pics to advertise, you have to have a signed model release from from the person.

Yes we have done that before on heel meets. My problem is I am size 7 or 8 UK whereas most of the guys are 9-11. If you are going to swap, you need people your size!

Your symptoms closely match those of Morton's Neuroma:

http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/mortons-neuroma.htm

It's possible you have irritated or damaged a nerve. See the link for more details.

The Dollar is going to take a further hit against sterling because of the drop in interest rate, but it's likely we'll have to drop the UK rate to lessen possible recession, so it's only a temporary situation I'd agree the Euro is likely to take over as the most important world currency. It now has a much broader international and financial base behind it. If Britain ever joined the Euro, that would be another nail in the coffin for the dollar.

Yes, it's true, wearing 4 inch heels you only get 2.5 to 3 inches taller. Not many people realise that especially in the casual fashion magazines where they often talk about people being "4 inches taller in their heels". It's due to the rotation of the foot forward as well as up. If you look at some of these fetish 6-7 heels, the heels is actually going up behind the foot. The heel bone is not going any higher. It can't because of physical limitations. This does have an advantage though. If you are looking for a height increase with shoes, then wearing 2-3 inch block heels gives you almost as much elevation as 4-5 inch heels. And 2-3 inch heels are much more practical for continuous wear.

Kind of old news

http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/everybody/7930-adjustable_heels_again.html

I wrote about them in that thread. They were selling them for $300 a pair which I think was overpriced. "Inventor" is flattering word to use for Sophie - I saw almost exactly the same thing elsewhere a couple of years back!

I just spoke to Heelfan recently and he says Mel IS still operating the shoe business from the back of the antiques shop. They've still got plenty of stock so get along there and check it out!

Large Brittany indeed Je crois que j'ai meilleur compris les mots Francais!

• The international heel meet is this a meet primarily for members of this great group or is it a meet advertised to all into wearing heels? What was the number of attendees last year? And how many are expected this year?

It's a meet advertised for all into wearing heels. Mostly guys who wear heels come, but there were about 3 or 4 women last year too. I think last year there were about 28 people, and this year there will be 40-50

• This next group of questions is aimed at men who want to wear heels but still dress in normal male apparel. Where is this trend at; are we just a few who have decided to break the norm and go with what we like, or is this trend growing and gaining acceptance both among people and the fashion industry. If the trend is growing is it a fad or do you believe that some day men will wear heels as a part of everyday dress?

It's a trend for a few who break the norm, but since the 1970's there has been greater and greater acceptance that it is a fashion alternative. It will definitely become more popular but never mainstream in the same way that men wearing earrings is not mainstream.

Having lost trousers to the women and long hair/jewelery to the men, there is tremendous resistance in society to retain at least a couple of things that are more or less exclusive to one sex or the other. Heels and skirts for women and closely cropped hair and ties for men are the last bastions of the battleground for those who want to retain some elements of differentiation in dress. If this differentiation goes completely, many people, mostly men, fear the breakdown of society with its inbuilt male dominance. In the same way there is resistance against gay people, TV's, and pushy executive high-flying women.

• If the fashion and footwear industries actually pushed this trend what type of high heel shoe do men want marketed to them. Example if Florsheim Shoes took their current line of shoes and offered the line with regular heels or high heels say 2” to 4” would you be interested? Or do you want the footwear companies to make the women’s lines available in men’s sizes.

I'd be interested in anything that I liked the look of. It might be a style designed for men or a style designed for women. I tend to wear thicker heels and cowboy boots anyway because they suit me. Some guys who wear heels hanker after the women's styles because they think of themselves partly as women. In fact they are probably transgendered, so they feel better with women's styles just because they have been "designed" for women. It's all down to personal choice, so I don't care if they produce women's styles in larger sizes or styles marketed at men. If I like it, I'll buy it.

• The last question is if high heel fashion for men became the “NORM” would you still want to wear heels. If so why and if not why.

Yes, some of the time, like I do now. I don't wear them necessarily to shock but for a fashion alternative, and a bit of extra height too (I'm 1.73m without). Although it is interesting sometimes to get looks and play with people's minds a little, it's not my prime reason fro wearing them.

Nice photos of the cars and the girl, but It's a shame we don't get a better view of her shoes. I always find this quite a challenging aspect of good street fashion shots, making sure the style of the shoe can be appreciated as well.

Yes, I'm a Fox, it's true!

Here's another one of my favourite street shots (from flickr again)

For my part no, because they don't generally realise I am taking pictures. I prefer the candid type of photgraphy, just recording what went on as if the photograper is not there. Posed shots can destroy the natural magic of the composition. Having said that, some of our contributors to High Heel Street Fashions do take pics of themselves in natural surroundings and post to the group. An example would be Juliet Banana. They like to invite comments on their wardrobe and get suggestions for wardrobe combinations as well as a self-review of their current looks.

I don't think you'd be out of place. We're a pretty easy bunch to talk to and we do get women coming along so you'd be welcome if you could make it.

Thanks for your analogy of the site Firefox.

I must say it's not what I'd expected.

No problem. Although the fascinating thing about forums is that individuals have the ability to change the directions and make certain subjects more prominent. You just need to carry a certain number of people with you and new directions can emerge within the broader framework.

The forum is what people make of it and it's certainly changed since we started it in 2002 and from the old boardhost forums before.

Boardhost is still going by the way. You can see it here:

http://members3.boardhost.com/jennyheels/

There are more men than women who don't like the male heel wearing issue. Women are generally quite acceptive, but some men see it as the break down of perceived male dominence in society. They view gays or tv's in the same way. Thus they feel the need to shout out "poof or queer" because they see it as a threat to their own sexuality. Part of this is the perceived reinforcement of their own position among a pack of males and among males in society in general. Women generally don't feel the need to discuss shoes in any great depth. They just get on with wearing them for the most part. We haven't done anything to discourage women here, indeed we have encouraged them. But the deeper aspects of shoes are not something that interest most women. If you were to go onto a site about high perfomance cars I'd be prepared to bet there would also be 90% blokes and 10% women. Also you'll find some of the women here are TV's or TG's pretending to be women. You'll find the range of subjects discussed compleletely across the spectrum as well as the ususal fashion issues. Certain strange topics crop up over and over again. Damaging floors, getting stuck in mud, starting or driving cars wearing heels, heels in the snow etc etc. They're topics you'll rarely find in fashion blogs populated by genuine females. Don't worry though, there are plenty of genuine females here, and the pretend ones are just as friendly. It's all part of life's rich tapestry.

Hi Amanda. Welcome to the forum Actually, as you'll find out a lot of us guys here do wear our heels freely in public. It's no big deal in 2007. Hope you have a great time here. ...and Happy New Year!

I've not been caught yet. I use a zoom lens and am quite surepticious.

I generally concur with Knee Highs views on the subject. Take photos but exercise some respect and caution especially in the treatment of the photos and their presentation.

At the World Heel Meet 2008, a laptop slideshow of the best 400 shots (from over 4000 on the Flickr High Heels Street Fashions site) will be running. You'll be able to see what a wonderful display they are and a great fashion resource.

On Flickr High Heels Street Fashions group, we only approve quality full length shots with the faces visible, if they show, so you can see the whole fashion ensemble. The feet and leg only shots are not much use for a proper record or ideas on a full ensemble.

I go to Brighton two ir three times a year usually around August for the bridge tournamant and general holiday, so may be able to link up them.

In some black cultures, gay people not treated with any tolerance. I know wearing heels is nothing to do with being gay, but some people are ignorant enough to make the association, so you may find some people from certain balck cultures can't cope with it in a mature fashion.

I think we should have proportional representation in the UK The current system has been fixed with boundary changes so labour can get an overall majority with 33% of the vote. And since the turnout is only 50% that's only round 1 in 6 people who have actually voted for a labour gov. For the Tories to get an overall majority they need 42% and for the Lib Dems the figure is closer to 50%. Yet despite the support of 1 in 6 people we are continually told that the Gov has a "mandate" to do whatever it wants, including wasting billions on a pointless war in Iraq when the the country was not in favour if it (when they were given the true facts, rather than lies about WMD). The latest we hear is that the nanny state is going to make it illegal to pay for sex. This restricts freedom of choice of the client and the providers. Instead they should be legalising prostitution to take it out of control of the pimps and the druggies.

Yeah, don't get too excited. That's a range designed for women. Look at the sizing 5-12

I think you can turn the original question on its head. What would many husbands think if their wife started wearing trousers, high neck shirts, oxford lace ups and cut her hair short? I'd be willing to bet they would be a little miffed, and ask her to dress up a bit or similar. How would the guys at work react if they saw his wife like that. Some people are obsesed with conforming to societal norms, others aren't so I can see the point of some women in realtion to heel wearing guys. OK, those women have been somewhat brainwashed by society but there's no turning back on that. Just find someone who can think for themself.

Anyone can wear heels any day they want at the moment though. I'm not a fan of these days like Halloween etc where people are "allowed" to do things. Just do it anyway! By waiting for a special day it reinforces the mental block some people have, that they have to have some special permission from society before they can express themselves.

These match with my experiences. One of the most interesting reactions is when you walk past someone on the street, and they recognise the heels (usually many more woman than men notice). You can sense their second suprised glance downwards. Most often this kind of person will steal a glance back at you after you pass each other. Especially if a woman is with a man they may tell their partner after you have passed, giving the partner an opportunity to glance back at you. If you want a little fun, preempt this situation by looking over your shoulder and smile immediatley they pass. Then, when they make the glance back, they meet your gaze, catching them in the act. They don't half turn back round quick, I can tell you! You must also be prepared for the reaction from young teenage girls, who being very fashion concsious, will sometimes point and maybe giggle. But then these kind of people will giggle if you wear the "wrong" colour training shoes, or even they are maybe giggling at themselves, nothing to do with you. So just be prepared and relaxed, take that in your stride. It's all about confidence. Don't allow some halfwits to give you a mental block. You are above them.