loveheel

I regularly buy from the "women's" side of the aisle and have recently found that this has a positive influence on what my wife gets for herself. My wife is normally well dressed (she has a slim figure) but not adventurous in her clothing. This week I bought some Sketchers-like shoes at Stave Madden and some nice women's jeans that were on sale. I often buy woemn's jeans since they are better fitting in the thigh and I don't like the baggy look of many men's jeans. I wore the jeans and shoes yesterday and my wife loved them. Ironically, she commented: "I wish they made jeans like that for women" We are getting her the same pair of shoes this afternoon. Now I wish I could only influence her on wearing high heels as well. She has never gone above 3" and usually only does 2". Does anyone else have experiences like this with their SO ?

Xaphod, That is a hilarious story. I have had fears of stuff like this happening to me. I am a master in locking myself out of my car. One day, many years ago I did it 3 times in a day. Everytime I go shopping in high heels I get very nervous when I lock my car door, and make sure I have the key. It is one thing to walk around a mall in heels, it is another to deal in person with a car mechanic while in your 4" heels ! Maybe it is the double dose of embarassement.

Great sandals. Like the way the buckleand straps circle the leg. Wear these with some long flared jeans (or shorter ones if you are really brave) and you will have a great time out.

Since you live in the US, let me recommend some brands that are common available here. Nine West: intermediate priced, but I have had good shoes from them. Also, among fashion shoes they have pretty decent heels on them. Usually they carry up to size 11 in stores. Franco Sarto: one of my favorite brands and available at many good shoe stores (and on the web). I have several pairs from Franco Sarto and find them to be well made and comfortable. Actually my daily work shoes are women's loafers from Franco Sarto and they are awesome. I have also liked buying at Aldo, though the quality is a little more variable. Never go for their "all-plastic" shoes which they often try to sell as up-market. Their leather shoes can be a decent bargain. I have three pairs of boots from them. In the somewhat cheaper category there is Parade of Shoes (only on the East Coast). This is the higher end store owned by the same company as Payless. Some shoes are good. Some are not stiff enough for my feet. Finally there is Payless. Great deals. SOmetimes excellent shoes. Sometimes less so. Only buy after trying them on.

Had two great HH sightings on my recent trip to Singapore. Being tired of Chinese food every day, I went to buy some fries in a local McDonalds early on Saturday evening. Walk in two women clearly dressed to kill. One of them wears a long gown with a slit all the way up to the thigh. But the shoes really caught my attention They were 5" stilletos with a metal heel. The straps were a bit unusual. They seem to be made out of the thick leather that you see used for bondage gear and were connected through small but thick metal rings. Overall, a stilleto sandal I had not seen before. The nex day on my flight back I made a stopover in Amsterdam. Waiting to board the same flight as I do was an Asian women wearing the strangest pants. The pant legs were wide and made from shear material similar to fishnet stockings. On top they were connected to short black shorts. But the shoes ! She wore 6 inch heels with a 2 inch platform in black PVC. This is not exactly my favorite kind of shoe, but still it was quite a sight. It was interesting to see all the security personal almost staring their eyes out at her.

Hey Hoverfly, I have a pair just like the second picture you show. Did you get them at Payless ? For me to are a little to unstable to be comfortable. Maybe I am just to heavy.

I don't know though. In a lot of these shows, the point is to really just make fun of the guy wearing heels. Not exactly good to gain general acceptance for the trend.

Whoo, is that by any chance DSW shoe near Union Square? If not, please tell me where it was, I'm going to SFO in a few weeks again and I'm defenitely going to visit a place that sells expensive brands at seriously reduced prices!

Actually I think it was called ShoePavillion. It is not too far from DSW, but on Market Street more towards the Financial District. DSW is pretty nice as well, but I find that there prices are often still a bit too high (even though they are lower than department stores). When you are in San Fran, definitely check out Nordstrom. It is a heaven for shoe lovers. Also , they carry large sizes.

Very nice.... 4" heel?

Actually 4.5" That is about all I can handle for walking some serious distance with.

Bert, It is actually rather sqaure (slightly rounded on the edges, but nothing pointy or so). I got them from some discount outlet in San Francisco that sells expensive brands like Via Spiga at seriously reduced prices.

Here is a better picture of my new Via Spiga boots.

Susan, Love the ones with the strap. Have been trying to find such a pair for myself for a while, but have had no luck getting them in the right size. They were in all stores last years, but there seems to be less of them in stores this year.

I love the jeans mules. Didn't use to be a fan of jeans shoes, but have seen some really nice pairs on the streets recently. You wear them extremely well. Great job

That picture isn't all that good. The toe box is actually very comfortable. They are a little tight on the instep, but it is slowly getting a bit better with wear. I also used on of these leather stretch fluid on the tight parts. The heels also look lower on the picture. I love these boots ! I bought them at the "Shoepavillion". At least I think that was the name. Bert, if you go to San Fran, make sure to check out Nordstrom in the San Francisco Center (on 5th (?) and Market Street). Always have had very helpful sales staff there. In the same area on Market are a few other shoe stores (Aldo, Payless, and the Shoepavillion). Depending on your size, you can also shop at the higher-end stores on Union Square. But definitely wear some serious heels when you walk around in SF. The San Francisco crowd is used to seeing people that "deviate from the norm"

Awesome sandals, Julie. You have great taste.

Here is a picture of the boots. I think I have met my match with these. The heel is 4.5 inch and they are a little tight. After walking a quarter mile in these on the street of San Francisco my 3 inchers felt like gym shoes.

http://65.160.96.70/hhplace/images/1054521960.jpg

Got some real encouragement from a women while trying on a pair of nice Via Spiga boots in San Francisco last week. She was trying on a lower pair next to me and ask me for advice on how they looked on her. We had a good chat. She commented on how great the Via Spiga boots looked on me and how she never could walk in those high (4.5 inch) heels. Interestingly, this was all rather genuine. Her husband was with her and even seemed to appreciate. She left complimenting me on "living a little out of the box". I felt great to get some appreciative comments. So, you women out there, make some positive comments when you see a guy trying on high heels. It can make our day !

Hi Jeff, I think many women ask this question with genuine respect. I bet you they would also ask it from women wearing high heels. So in some way I think it is really a positive accomplishment that they ask you.

Saw a women with great boots in the Boston airport last week. She was on the same flight to DC as I was. She was wearing boots with a thin blade heel, the kind that narrows down on the bottom, almost like a stilleto. Must have been 5 inch. The boots looked like they were the jeans fabric, which I am usually not crazy about, but these looked great on her. I could not keep my eyes of her ... Yum yum

I really do like your boots. My experience is that it is pretty easy to get away with wearing boots like this outside. I often travel to Belgium. Will have to try Brantano. Do you know if they have size 42 ?

you people are making me drool

My vote goes to the Nine West boots. Very stylish !

I think you are absolutely right Emery. People are so impressionable. if you walk confidently, even in fully exposed 3 inch heels, you are sending the message that this is "normal". It is when I get less confident (and do stupid stuff like turn around when I see people come that might laugh at my shoes), that people definitely look. It is the same when trying on shoes in a store. When you start walking around with boxes in a store and hode in some corner to try on the shoes that your behavior arouses much more attention than when trying on the shoes in plain sight.

I am a teacher myself at one of Boston's large universities. I think you should employ tact in this situation. Many female students that "dress up" don't mind a slight bit of flatery, as long as it is all good natured, but you have to keep in mind that they see almost any teacher/instructor as having a position of power. As a result they will rarely have the courage to mention any behaviour that they find annoying. Glancing is good. Staring is looking for trouble.

I have pretty much the same slides. Because the have a black wedge and no separated heel, they are easy to get away with. If I wear them with black pants very little looks "out of the ordinary"