Puffer

I had you in mind when I mentioned them, Jeremy! Let us know if you get them. These are very nice too; my favourite sandal style - every woman should have them: https://www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-hands-down-extra-wide-fit-barely-there-heeled-sandals/prd/9177568?clr=black&SearchQuery=hands+down+extra+wide&SearchRedirect=true (I did try a pair in UK10; the heel is 4.5". ) Same or similar sandals available in other colours and fits too.

The shoes in the second pic look so wrong with the round toes. White shoes need at least an almond toe to look sleek, as with the later pics. And likewise, sandals need minimal straps on an open front, not just a peep toe. Just my opinion, but white footwear needs to be lightweight - clumpy toes and heels can mar the effect.

That is unfortunate, and I'm surprised that they didn't fit you comfortably. The Espresso (soft black suede) is possibly more forgiving and lacks the awkward rear zip. For others interested, today's prices (most discounted) on the boots are: Espresso £35.00 (Wide fit £50.00); Elexis £33.00 (Wide fit £38.50), with all sizes up to 10UK shown as in stock. I do wonder if the bigger discount on the standard fit reflects on them being a poorer fit, with fewer sales. Various other nice-looking ASOS footwear (in sizes up to 10) discounted too, including some 5" 'Tulita' wedges at £10.50.

You miss my point. I only said that there were a number of things other than platform shoes that men had adopted (or re-adopted) from women, notably in 'the decade that style forgot', i.e. the 1970s. I did say that many of these were (fortunately) short-lived, but they did open the door to a marginally more adventurous look for men, which continues, albeit slowly. As the board is essentially footwear-related, it is clear that the wearing of sandals by men is now an everyday (well, weather permitting!) occurrence. Thirty or forty years ago, very few men would wear open sandals (and without socks) of any description, except perhaps briefly at the beach or pool - that was seen as a very girly thing. But sandals of all sorts are now very common street-wear, and styles are not limited to simple rubber flipflops, chunky hiking sandals or thickly-strapped Birkenstocks and the like - much lighter and more unisex styles are seen, some quite dressy or (in traditional terms) feminine. As to hairstyles, I agree that long hair on men is currently nowhere near as common as it was in the '70s. But, here again, the point is that it became accepted (if not always acceptable) that men could wear their hair long, or in almost any style they chose, and this remains the case. Longer hair (traditionally female since Victorian times or earlier, but before that acceptably male too) was taken back into the male boudoir, and remains there.

What about the men who (from the mid-60s onwards) have increasingly embraced 'female' fashion norms by wearing earrings, pony tails and other long hairstyles, colourful and patterned shirts, sandals, some make-up etc? One may argue that most or all of these looks had historically been adopted at some period by men (as of course were high heels, long boots, ruffles, tights and various other garments too) and were merely being 'retrieved' by mainly young men who wanted to make a statement in what they (rightly) perceived to be a stuffy and non-progressive world. Some of these male fashions have (mercifully) died away again, but I very much doubt that we will see no more borrowings from across the aisle. I think the real point is that women can and do wear and look exactly as they choose and that includes freely copying absolutely anything that men have, or once had. Men, however, are usually ridiculed if they attempt to adopt anything that is not traditionally male (according to the society they live in), especially if it has any connotations of femininity or 'prettiness', whether actually copied from women or not. Yes, some such looks will catch on - usually in a limited way and perhaps only briefly (as with platform shoes) but conquests in the battle for fashion freedom are rarely won by men and progress overall is slower even than Brexit!

You are a prime example of what my wife would consider a pervert or deviant, Cali - so I hope you never meet! (My apologies - I don't share that opinion.) As to tattoos (and piercings), she considers anything other than normally pierced ears (on a woman) and perhaps a modest 'traditional' forearm tattoo (on a sailor, for example) as ugly and disfiguring - and I have to agree with her on that. We see so many men and women whose appearance is marred by such 'adornments' as well as by shapeless, ugly and unflattering clothes - and that without considering how they speak and behave. Yes, we are being judgmental and critical, but we both have views on the 'look' that we like, or otherwise, on people in general or each other (as do most folk if they are honest). The problem is that her views often do not coincide with mine, particularly about what I (or men in general) should wear. Thanks to the others who have commented. I try to keep my head down and my 'activity' is very limited and discreet - but I walk on eggshells (difficult in heels!).

Well, my wife would certainly not agree with you on that! She is by no means an uncaring or intolerant person but anyone whose conduct deviates from what she considers to be normal and acceptable is in line for a big rocket and potential excommunication. And that certainly includes the idea of a man wearing 'high heels', whether femme or not, or other allegedly effeminate garments. If it were within her power, she would doubtless have Eddie Izzard (for example) burnt at the stake.

Yes, indeed. My wife is aware that I have some heels and have worn them for exactly the reason you suggest (quite apart from simply liking the look of stylish footwear which happens to be traditionally female) and considers it a perversion - and potential marriage-breaker. The YouTube video was a light-hearted but sensible and genuine experiment by a young man to try heels for himself. He did well, but I agree that the fit of the shoes was not ideal and I wonder how he would have fared with, say, more pointed stilettos. Incidentally, the location was the Isle of Wight.

I think you will find the 10 standard or wide a good fit if you are normally a 9; if a little loose, thicker socks will help. (I wish I only had that fitting problem!) I've just checked, and Elexis and Espresso (soft suede) are in stock in both 10 and 10 wide. If you place a new order (rather than exchange), you should get the lower price on Elexis. Good luck! My returns (sent last Thursday) were received and immediately credited by ASOS today.

Yes, ASOS searching has erratic results. Expresso (black suede) boots available in most/all sizes (inc 9) in standard (now £35) and wide (£50). Strange that the standard fit Elexis/Expresso boots are now cheaper than the wide; the reverse true until today.

Good idea - but wouldn't it be better all round to run a buried outside cable in armoured stuff? And don't your Regs require (or at least recommend) this, with proper allowance for voltage drop on a long run? In the UK, we would generally use 'SWA' (steel wire armoured), either two core (with the armoured sheath used as earth) or three core. Although I suppose the little buggers could gnaw the outer plastic sheath, they could hardly digest the steel inside! SWA is scarcely more expensive than the equivalent PVC twin-and-earth and of course no conduit is needed. I recently ran 4mm 2-core SWA for 32m (30A max loading) to an outbuilding for my son; the first 8m or so being under the house floor - but easier/cheaper to run the whole lot in SWA to avoid a joint where it emerges outside, and is then clipped to a wall at ground level.

UK9 wide was in stock when I posted yesterday. And my recent experience with ASOS suggests that 'out of stock' items re-appear - possibly when returns arrive (or Santa's elves have made another batch). Frustrating, but ultimately rewarding.

I hope they do too, and that the rear zip doesn't cause you problems. Do let us all know. The wide fit version (often a better fit for blokes) is cheaper at £38.50.

HeeledSteve's boots look great - but surely that heel is higher than 70mm? I have very recently bought two pairs of rather similar boots from ASOS - but alas I have had to return them as they do not fit. In both cases, they are size 10UK wide fit (the largest size available) but are just too small for my size 11UK (Eu45) feet. The first pair is 'Espresso' - black suede (leather), side zip, 3.5" Cuban heel. I could just get these on and zip them up but they are too tight everywhere and I am doubtful about stretching them: The second pair is 'Elexis' - black leather, rear zip, 3.5" Cuban heel. The toebox felt fine but I could not even do up the rear zip - an impossible task! Sorry about the picture quality; best I could do. Despite my disappointment, I recommend these boots to anyone with a 10UK medium-width foot, or smaller. They seem well-made, of solid construction, with leather uppers and a sturdy Cuban heel that would be very acceptable for public outings even if exposed. I just wish I could get something very similar in a larger size! They do seem to be in variable supply from ASOS (going in and out of stock), so anyone interested should order quickly! ASOS has other styles in sizes up to 10UK also (some in wide width), but again supply may be erratic.

I agree with you on all your main points. But, whilst I accept that hearing/reading the English language as used (and often abused!) by those outside the UK is indeed a learning experience for me, it is rarely a lesson that I would have wished to have! I should like to think that the UK educational system is sound, at least in giving our kids a good grounding in their native language at junior school - and generally that is so. But I shudder when I see or hear some of the semi-literate or ungrammatical efforts of present-day teachers, who often totally fail to set the necessary good example when, for example, marking homework or writing school reports. Such sloppiness would not have arisen, or been tolerated, when I was being taught the basics sometime in the last century; I well remember the fundamentals effectively imparted in my lessons at the age of 5 or 6. You are absolutely right that a good command of one's own language is vital if one is to succeed in any profession or occupation. That is true even if one's chosen path has a high numerate or technical content, such as in accountancy, engineering or computer science. The essence of success is invariably effective communication - and that means effective use of language. On the subject of schools and effective communication, there is a tale of a headmaster who wrote in a boy's report: 'He sets himself a low standard and consistently fails to reach it.' The boy's parents took this to be a compliment!