Puffer

Thus demonstrating the difference between 'a man's boot' and 'a male boot'. I suppose too that one could say about a heel-wearing man: 'one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind'. (A pity that Neil Armstrong spoiled such an apt quote by saying '... for man ...'.)

If (and I repeat 'if') the existing rod could be removed (or indeed partially drilled out from the 'break end'), it should then give a hole that would take a new rod, maybe larger in diameter and certainly longer. The trick then would be to bore a corresponding hole in proper register in the mating section so that they could be accurately reunited. Not easy but might be worth a try. I wonder what diameter the existing rod is?

I have done this on a heel thinner than Melrose's, inserting a 1/8" steel rod. There was no issue with strength or bending but getting everything true and in register was the problem, which is why I am doubtful of success.

You could do this, but the main difficulty will be accurately drilling both pieces so that they are in exact register when re-joined, and with the two holes in the same vertical alignment. Nothing to lose by trying it!

What a joy it is when something in brown or grey comes along! 😍

I recall that TLSB made shoes for other outlets too, notably 'Cover Girl' (now also defunct, following the death of the proprietor), not far away in Islington. I bought a pair of sandals with 5" stiletto heels from CG in 1972; I think they cost about £10! Well-made in leather to my measurements, they were not as easy to walk in as I would have wished and were never worn outside the house. Now something of a collectors' item, I sold them a few years ago and I expect they are being worn and enjoyed somewhere - I hope so. CG regularly advertised shoes with 6" heels, for which there appeared to be a steady demand.

What Bubba136 and Shyheels say about gender-specific or unisex clothing makes perfect sense; too much regard is paid to labels and not nearly enough to style, fit and choice. Bubba rightly reminds us of the many 'male' items of clothing that have been 'borrowed' (and in some cases adapted) for female wear. Loafers are a prime example: originally a casual men's shoe, copied and widely worn by women and which can have a heel ranging from nearly flat to a high slim stack, and sometimes with a platform too. A timeless so-called women's style that is eminently suitable for men to take back and wear with confidence. The pics below show just two examples - variations are almost endless:

If the new footwear looks unisex and passes for men's style, why did you buy from the women's side rather than the men's equivalents? Is it because they fit or look better, or simply because you want to wear 'women's' footwear exclusively?

I often wish that I had indeed been around a century ago, to witness and enjoy many things now lost to us. But the decadent lifestyle and fashions of the 1920s do NOT appeal to me at all - give me the decade from 1955 any day.

I am sure you will soon find those skills necessarily develop, however modestly, as you get to grips with a narrowboat. As a means of reducing unemployment at Woolwich Arsenal (London) after WW1, it was given the task of building a number of steam locomotives from sets of parts already to hand. When the first completed locos were initially steamed, they refused to move. The reason was that the machining of the critical moving parts (valve gear etc) had been undertaken to the sort of fine tolerances used in making weapons and aircraft. After opening everything out with a degree of 'slop', the locos moved easily and gave many years of good service.

'Marketing' is to blame for a lot that is wrong in society. My definition: 'The dishonest misrepresentation of goods and services that people rarely want or need'. That said, would a 'cleaver wedge' or a 'chopper wedge' be any less acceptable to the marketeers than a 'stiletto wedge'? We already have a 'scoop wedge' and doubtless others.

Nice mules, and I like the narrow back of the wedge heel. But (as previously stated), it should not be called a 'stiletto wedge' as, proportions aside, anything resembling a stiletto has to have a slim 'spike' appearance and a wedge heel, which has a continguous sole from front to back, cannot be likened to a spike/dagger/stiletto. A meat cleaver, or maybe a machette, seems apt.

I too have noticed some resurgence in public heel-wearing by women, leaving aside those clearly dressed for seasonal festivities. But a recent visit to a major retail shopping centre revealed very few stylish or elegant 'high' heels (above 3" say) on sale, although awful clumpy footwear with thick ridged soles and massive blocky heels were prominent. As to Scotland (particularly Glasgow), the appetite there, and in most of north-east England, for high heels is well-established and does seem to buck the trends in the (allegedly) fashion-conscious south. In part, this is due to many Scots women wishing to make up for their lack of height. I well remember being in Glasgow and, needing directions to the stop for the airport bus, I asked a passing woman who was clearly an off-duty bus employee (in uniform). She was quite petite, neatly dressed and made-up and wearing pointed stiletto courts at least 4.5" high. I got my information (with a smile) and a distinct feeling that not all was lost on the fashion front as she walked confidently away, heels clicking. But I doubt she wore those shoes whilst on the bus!

So, you removed the original tip, turned a 6mm collar and fitted the collar by hammering-in a modified size 6 (9/64") Allen cap screw? British woodscrews in imperial sizes are almost identical to the US numbered sizes, but machine screws (Allen or otherwise) are now almost always sold in metric sizes, although imperial (usually Whitworth or BSF) are still around. One can have fun matching threads on older items, especially imports such as UNF, ANF etc. For modelmaking, British Association (BA) screws are still popular.

Nice boots, and a well-executed heel mod too. I assume a metric thread such as M3?

I'm sure you exhibited a First Class Male appearance!

You are quite right - I find that we did discuss this just over a year ago, on your 'ruminations' thread. My apologies for not remembering and repeating my question. And, yes, your opinion now matches that of a year ago! I see that I also mentioned then another pair of my wife's wedge sandals in which you expressed some interest. Alas, I found that she had thrown them out following some heel damage so I could not provide the intended picture.

A frank, interesting and enlightening discussion. Mark is clearly an intelligent, educated and articulate man, leading a typically masculine and heterosexual life - but generally in skirts and heels. He is no male oil painting and could not easily pass as a woman, but (as he explained) he has no wish to be anything other than a 'person' wearing certain clothing of his choice, that happens to be feminine in style. If he influences or persuades other men to adopt a more fluid appearance, without sacrificing their innate masculinity - and be accepted thus - then he will have done them, and us, a favour. In that sense he is, whether intentionally or not, a first-class freestyle ambassador and deserves respect. As to the undressing, my guess is that Mark simply wanted to demonstrate that he had a normal male body, albeit one that has benefitted from some grooming and toning, and that there was nothing 'unusual' (e.g. piercings, tattoos, pretty lingerie) to reveal. It was not really necessary but served to demonstate further his frankness and lack of inhibition, without being salacious in any way.

Melrose: I am still interested in knowing your opinion of the wedge sandals I pictured above, given your amnbivalent view of wedges. Something you would wear, or not?

I agree; too flabby and repetitive altogether. Presumably, the author was paid by the word (and doesn't know the difference between 'compared to' and 'compared with')!

Ideal for wearing whilst flying, instead of compression stockings - at least until evacuation becomes necessary!

I wonder if you would like/wear these - they seem to me to your taste? They certainly are to mine - a strappy sandal with a narrow wedge heel typically combines practicality with elegance, whilst remaining relatively casual. I bought these wedges in a 'Linzi' sale just before Christmas 2022 as a gift for my wife, who likes sandals but is increasingly reluctant to wear heels. They are a UK7 and the narrow wedge heel is 4"; the colour is a pale cream/ivory. My wife liked the style and wore them once briefly on holiday in the summer, but says they are 'too high' for her. I give up! As to 'stiletto wedges', I have to agree that this is a contradiction in terms. A stiletto heel must be a separate heel, narrow in both side and end elevations. But I have seen the label applied to several wedge styles, on the apparent grounds that the very narrow back of the heel is of similar appearance to a true stiletto.

Apart from steel-tipped stilettos, the noisiest footwear is probably that with the fairly chunky hollow plastic heels, peg-fitted with a plastic top piece. As I and others have commented elsewhere, these top pieces either wear or come adrift and replacement ideally requires an infill (e.g. wood) to the hollow heel before adding a new rubber or composition top piece, after which the heel is much quieter and more discreet.

Very interesting, and encouraging - but a picture of the boots would be very helpful. As an outsider, I would regard the US as the land of extremes: very strait-laced in many respects but surprisingly liberal and relaxed in others. Just look at 'People of Walmart' to see some examples of conduct or appearance that would almost never be seen in the UK. I'm not judging either country, just expressing an impression gained from my life in the UK and my visits to the US.

I don't doubt that legs have a better blood supply than arms, but circulation in legs and feet (as wells as arms and fingers) does diminish naturally with age, as the vascular consultant told me only on Tuesday during a hospital referral. Although he could find nothing abnormal with my lower limb circulation, he wasn't surprised when I told him of increasing cramps and leg pains at night and the intermittent soreness in the tips of a couple of my toes (which doesn't help if I wear heels), primarily due to thinning blood. I've looked in vain for some 'Elixir of Youth' on eBay - but I've got some garlic in case the vampires call.