Alexa

Yes, it's great having lots of shoes in one's office. I've got about three pairs to choose from under my desk. Plus some emergency ballet flats in a drawer somewhere. It's useful if you feel you need to freshen up or change the mood just to have a change of footwear. It helps me think too - if I'm stuck with a problem I'll put a fresh pair of shoes in and take a strut down to the cafeteria and get another coffee and by the time I've got back I've usually got some ideas. It's like starting afresh with a clean sheet of paper. Alexa

That's funny, it doesn't show up as capitals on my screen. Not when I posted it, and not now. I don't tend to buy sandals myself. As I think I've said elsewhere I've got maybe one pair of leather flip flops gathering dust at the back of a cupboard somewhere and that's all. So everything that's been in the water with me has been closed toe. Hence my tipping the water out when I've finished. I haven't got completely soaked in a pond or pool outdoors for many years, probably not since I was a student. At home or at work I spend a good deal of time sitting at a desk, so I tend to slip my shoes off, if it can be easily done. I tend to put them back on again if I need to get up and walk around, especially now that my feet are more comfortable at an angle. I've just got up from my desk and put the kettle in the office on, and didn't put my shoes on for that, but I would if I were venturing down the corridor. Yes, a grippy sole is an advantage, in the water and out of it - hence my enjoyment of my New Rock Hells just now. As I've said elsewhere, I'm tempted to get the strappy pump version of this too, and maybe the calf length boot, as the latter will take me nicely through the winter months. So much footwear, so little time . . . Alexa

I suppose so, but then there doesn't seem to be much point to them unless you're actually showing off your toes! I'm not finding them as silly as I did when they first came out, and even quite enjoy seeing tem on other people, but I'm stil not tempted to buy any. Not for me thank you! Alexa

Something strange is happening to me. I know I don’t like peep toe boots, and I know I don’t want to get any. But yesterday I was walking through the town centre and saw a very elegant, statuesque young woman in leggings and peep toe boots who looked great. When I got back in to work I started browsing the web for something similar. I came up with these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steve-Madden-Women-Korset-Bootie/dp/B0031U0K1U/ref=sr_1_92?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1312377710&sr=1-92

and started fantasising about sliding my feet into them and doing the laces up. Now that’s something I normally only do with things I want to buy. Something’s wrong! Maybe I’ll have to give in and buy some after all. . . .

Alexa

Well, I finally gave in and bought them. August’s salary was in the bank and the temptation was just too great. They arrived on Monday and I did my usual little ritual of washing and pampering my feet and put them on. The insides feel really smooth and I can feel the padding in the insole. The angle of my foot is a little steep, but still comfortable. It feels so weird having an open toe box. I can see my toes wiggling and it catches my eye. I wore them round to see my boyfriend and he certainly showed his appreciation, being a bit of a shoe fetishist himself, but not as much of a one as me. I like the way they look with several of my long skirts, so I‘ll probably be wearing them regularly this autumn. So there you go – something I never thought I’d wear!

Alexa

I’m getting seriously heel adapted these days. I had to walk to the station this morning to get a train for a work related trip. Thinking of all the uneven pavements between my house and the station I wore a pair of last year’s ballet flats, and found the walk quite uncomfortable. Fortunately I had my trusty New Rock Hells in my bag and changed into them once I arrived on the platform. They’re turning out to be my favourite everyday shoes this summer. Instant relief! Next time I shall keep my heels on and call a taxi.

Sometimes I take my shoes off on planes, sometimes not. Depends on how I'm feeling, how long I expect to be there and whether I get absorbed in a film or with looking out of the window.

Alexa

I’m rejoining this conversation after it has moved on a little, but there are a few things I’ve got to comment on whilst it’s reasonably fresh in my mind. No, I’ve never fancied getting shampoo in my shoes – it’s the sticky residue I don’t like the idea of, that and the slimy texture it sometimes has. Water only for me, thank you. Many years ago when I was at University I had a boyfriend who liked to watch me washing my hair in the shower whilst wearing a raincoat. He’d just sit there on the edge of the bath watching the suds run down my coat. I didn’t mind, but it got to be a bit of a chore after a while, as the coat took ages to stop dripping – we used to have to leave it hanging up over a washing up bowl.

Getting wet, or being wet, in public isn’t that difficult. Once you’ve stopped leaving a trail of droplets it isn’t particularly obvious. Over the last year or so I’ve been wearing leggings a lot, and they’re a stretchy shiny fabric, so you can hardly tell if they’re wet in most cases. What’s noticeable is if you have a ‘tidemark’ between the wet bit and the dry bit where the fabric goes a different colour. With clothes like that, you’ve just got to get the whole thing wet. Jeans are case in point. In my teenage years my parents used to get angry if I came home wet. But I discovered that if there wasn’t an obvious contrast they didn’t notice. A quick dip up to the waistband, and that was me sorted. I did nearly get caught out once when I came home from an afternoon out where we’d played in the fountain ad my mother decided that we’d got to go in the car to visit my grandparents. With the sun streaming in through the windows and the warmth from my thighs, my jeans started steaming. In response to my mother’s questioning, I said that I must have splashed myself accidentally in the kitchen, and I think I got away with it.

I‘ve had no more serious fountain play since I last contributed to this thread but did take my shoes off and dangle my feet in the water on Nottingham University campus a few days ago. I had gone there for a meeting and had half an hour or so to wait and found a little water feature that suited my purposes nicely. I didn’t get my shoes wet because I was about to go to a meeting with posh people I didn’t know and didn’t want to give the wrong impression. Maybe when I go out I need to take a spare pair of shoes. One to look respectable in, and another to play in.

Alexa

When I was young I was keen on horses. We never had one of our own, but I used to watch showjumping on TV. I used to like it when the riders fell off, particularly in the water jump. I was amused at the way they used to lie on their backs with their feet in the air afterwards to let the water drain out of their boots. Riding boots are often hard to get off, and probably even worse if they're wet, so you can see why. Most of my boots have zips, so it's easy getting rid of the excess water. We've had a few hot days in the UK since I last commented on here. No water mischief for me though. I need to get out more . . . Alexa

I take my shoes off a lot. Under my desk (at home or at work), when I'm sitting down for any reason, or if I'm in pumps without a strap to hold them on, even when I'm standing up. These days, I tend to put them on again though, even to walk short distances, as my feet have adapted to walking at an angle and it is more comfortable to do so. I was able to walk flat footed last year, but I've worn heels every day for the first six months of this year and that seems to have tipped me over the edge! Not as flexible as I used to be when I was younger, thats for sure. Alexa

Sometimes when I'm going out the heels are among the first things I put on, and I put the rest of the outfit together around them. Alternatively, I'll put them in the centre of my bed and put the clothes I fancy wearing around them to imagine what it's all going to look like. Either way, it certainly gets me in the mood for fun and games. Alexa

I went to visit a friend today and we spent an hour or two wandering round the shops in her local town. It was cloudy overhead but felt very humid. Sadly there were no fountains or ornamental pools, or at least not where we went anyway. I wore a pair of these

http://www.newrockdirect.co.uk/new-rock/new-rock-hell/new-rock-hell-shoes-47015-s11.html

I got them a few months ago. I hadn’t realised New Rock made platform pumps as well as their more usual boots. They’ve got a fairly grippy sole and a broader heel so you don’t feel like you’re about to fall over in them, and they’re easy to slip on and off, as well as having a very cushiony feel to the lining, so are quite comfortable. They got a first christening in a water feature in Birmingham’s Centenary Square back in May, and don’t appear to be any the worse for it. The padding in the insole means that they make squelching noises for a while after you’ve come out of the water. I can’t believe I did that in shoes that cost nearly £100! Oh well, it seemed like a good idea at the time and the water looked so tempting.

I’ll probably order some of these for later in the summer

http://www.newrockdirect.co.uk/new-rock/new-rock-cyber/new-rock-cyber-cib010-c1.html

I want something I can walk around in the countryside and on beaches in that keeps my foot at a steep enough angle to be comfortable; now that I’m so adapted to heels that I find flats make my calves ache. They’ll certainly be coming paddling in the sea with me.

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m cavorting in the fountains all the time. When I was younger I used to do it more. The summer I did my A levels, 1993, a group of us used to meet up in our local town centre most Saturday afternoons. Quite often I used to try to initiate some water mischief, and we frequently used to end up soaked in the water feature in the local shopping centre. Sometimes the security staff used to ask us to leave, but most of the time they left us alone. I soaked my way through plimsolls, trainers, ballet flats, and occasionally heels – my own and other people’s. My main choice of footwear at that time in my life, though, was those little fabric Mary Jane pumps with a rubber sole, which were stocked by the only ‘alternative’ shop in our small town. I got through loads of pairs of those in my teenage years. If I wore them all week without socks, a paddle in the fountain at the weekend freshened them up ready for the coming week. Of course, it was also possible to put them in the washing machine, but paddling was more fun. I tend to find the phases of my life are defined by the shoes I was buying and wearing. I’ve still got quite a lot of them – looking at them is like leafing through an old photo album. It makes me think of what I was doing and how I was feeling – even the smell is quite evocative.

Alexa

Heidi, no, nothing acutally pops out. Well, I have tripped and lost a shoe occasionally, but that's very rare. What I mean is one's ankles feel vulnerable and a bit wobbly. Dolly - I'm with you on the technique for going down the stairs. Plus holding the handrail too! On slopes, I try to walk with my feet pointing down the slope, so sometimes it looks like I'm scuttling sideways. But it's better than running the risk of turning my ankle. Pedestrians have to cope with much worse surfaces on the pavements than cars do on the road. in fact, where there are a lot of changes in the pavement, or it's icy, I tend to walk in the road where I can, and get the benefit of a surface that is level and has been gritted! Alexa

Yes, getting wet at work is probably not a good move. Many years ago I remember sitting one of my A level exams (which we take in the UK at around the age of 18 ) on a hot afternoon with a puddle forming under my chair as a result of a quick dip in the pond in front of my college at lunchtime. ‘No you can’t, you’ve got an exam this afternoon!’ said my friends. ‘No problem’ I said, as I swung my feet over the parapet. I ended up going a bit deeper than I intended and no matter how much I tried to wring my skirt out it wouldn’t stop dripping. It gave some of my classmates something to giggle about on what would otherwise have been quite a serious occasion. Still got a good grade - a B in that one I think.

Yes, sometimes I do find the toe box stretches. Mind you, this can make things more comfortable in some tighter shoes, and give you a more relaxed fit. PU and other synthetic materials keep their shape better. Yes, when my feet get hot and sticky, a dip in the fountain - shoes and all - makes them feel a lot better. The feeling of the cool water rushing in is quite appealing. Once the shoes have dried out they feel a lot cleaner and fresher inside for a while too. In fact that initial feeling is so good that I like to get out, tip the excess water out of my shoes, put them back on and go in again just so I can get the same rush all over again!

I can’t understand why I’m like this. I hated swimming classes at school - the smell of the chlorine, the unpleasant sensation of drowning when the water goes up your nose, being shouted at by PE teachers. But a sneaky paddle in ornamental ponds is a real giggle.

Some of my shoes deteriorate. The insoles tend to become detached and curl up as they dry out, but I tend not to do this sort of thing in new ones or shoes I’ve spent a lot of money on.

Heidi – great to see you getting a bit more playful. If I was with you I’d try to steer you into slightly deeper water. I’d love it if you squealed as the water came over the top of your boots!

Alexa

Ah, Heidi, there's a naughty teenager in you somewhere after all. And you always seem so sensible. . . In answer to Jane's question, I don't thend to wear tigts or stockings. I have some but can't remember when I last put them on. I have a lot of leggings, but the reason I prefer these is that they leave my feet free. So I'm mostly just barefoot in my shoes. When I step in the water at first I quite like the sensation of air bubbles squeezing out between the shoe and my skin - this is particularly pronounced in boots but you can feel it in shoes too. I tend to find the bottoms of most public fountains are a bit slippery witn algae even if they look well kept, so really spiky heels would be a little too hazardous even for me. A broader heel is better! All this is making me look forward to the next hot day where my life takes me near a fountain . . .

The natural line of my foot in its most comfortable position is the equivalent of a 3 or 4 inch heel. However, with the benefit of platforms I can manitain this foot angle and go much higher. If I put my foot flat on the floor I get a stretching sensation in my calves and an ache in my shins after a while. If I keep walking I can sustian this for longer because my feet are off the ground for around half he time, but standing still in flats would be a bit uncomfortable if I had to do it for morre than half an hour. Alexa

Hi there Heidi, fancy seeing you here again! Some of my shoes and boots have a more grippy rubber sole, but a lot of them, especially from mainstream retailers like Schuh and Office just have plain flat soles. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. The most difficult thing is walking on a sideways slope in low-cut pumps or courts as peole call them in the UK. No ankle support! Alexa

It seems like there are quite a few of us out there coming out of the woodwork. It must be quite a common thing because after all, on a hot day in any public fountain you quite often see teenagers and young kids playing in the water, complete with their clothes on. I used to be a bit of a water baby in this respect, but less so now I’m older. With friends, you sometimes just have to take the bull by the horns and drag them in with you. They usually enjoy it once you get them splashing around. A few weeks ago whilst walking round the shops in a major UK midlands city centre I managed to get a friend to come in a fountain with me. I was wearing ballet flats (no high heels that day sadly) and leggings and she had on skinny jeans and we both ended up soaked through to about mid-thigh. Especially for girls, you get a lot of pressure when you’re little to keep your clothes clean and neat, so there’s something about being naughty and breaking this taboo that’s always fun. Anyway, with dark clothes on it’s not that obvious to other people after you’ve stopped dripping, so by the time we’d had a coffee and shaken the excess water out of our shoes, we carried on shopping and felt much cooler. Yes, of course my friend thinks I’m weird, but I’m still a naughty teenager at heart.

Alexa

In the first few weeks of this summer I‘ve been wandering round in the spirit of the flaneur watching people, and have seen quite a few young women wearing open toe boots. I still don’t fancy buying any myself – there are far too many other styles I want first – but I do like to see a flash of brightly coloured nail varnish peeping out. It makes me think that there’s a young woman there who enjoys painting her toenails nearly as much as I do.

Alexa

I'm certainly getting a high heel foot shape. No bunions or overlaps yet thank goodness, but my toes are most comfortable when they're flexed at an angle to the rest of my foot, in the position they would be when wearing a heel, and my big toes point toward the centre line of each foot, rather than straight ahead as they did when I was a child. In an odd kind of way it makes me feel grown up and glamorous. Real women's feet indeed. If I'm still around at the age of 75, I hope to still be in high heels, especially when you consider the alternative . . . Alexa

I'm getting closer and closer to being stuck. On the increasingly rare occasions I walk around in flats I can certainly feel it in my calves, and even my shins. It's still possible to walk in flats, but, for example, after a shopping trip a few weeks ago where I wore ballet flats for a day wandering round the shops, it was a relief to get home and slip some heels on for an hour or two in te evening. Felt like my feet were finally in the right position! Alexa

Seems like ages since I've logged in here. I didn't even know whether my password would still work. The things I find most difficult are sideways slopes. I'm usually to be found wearing a fairly broad heel, so thye're less likely to go down through gratings or between paving stones, but my love of platforms means a side slope is an adventure in itself. Yes, I'd agree with Amanda, going downstairs is a challenge. Wearing heels makes the whole staircase seem steeper and more precipitous. Alexa

I sucked his toes with a mouth full of hot coffee. That made him squeal! Yes, I've certainly thought about locking my shoes on when I'm in the company of people who think it's a good laugh to try and get them off. Mind you, since I'm no longer a student, there's a lot less physical horseplay in my social circle. Alexa

I always try to get shoes that fit, but it is a little hit and miss sometimes as different manufacturers, different styles and even different batches of the same style do tend to vary a little. In buying online I always try to remember to check the returns policy before hitting the 'checkout' button. As I've said elsewhere, I tend to try new shoes out around the house first, before wandering off for an adventure in them. So far, my policy seems to be working. If I was wearing shoes I didn't like, just because they suited someone else's notion of being 'practical' I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable! Alexa

Yesterday I had a play fight with my partner which involved him throwing me backwards onto the bed, trapping my legs and whipping my shoes off. He lay across my legs so I couldn't get away and proceeded to administer a foot massage. I'm really ticklish so this reduced me to giggles and after a few moments I was completely helpless. He took his time over it, and after what seemed like ages he put my shoes back on my feet (a good move - I wouldn't be able to run after him so fast) and left the room quickly before I could get my own back. Revenge is a dish best eaten cold. I'm plotting something special for him . . . Alexa

Those are some rather nice pumps in your avatar picure Pernilla. Are they yours? Alexa

Leigh - have you bought them yet? I'm sure we're all keen to know . . . . Alexa

Aren't corsets great? I don't wear them all the time but I have a few which I love. There are so many sumptuous styles and fabrics available nowadays I feel spoilt for choice. I fantasize about being rich and being able to afford all of them. Maybe even having a maid to help me tighten the laces too. When I've got pumps or Mary-Janes on I often wear an ankle bracelet. I have some with little bells and trinkets on and I enjoy the noise they make as I walk around. Alexa