RonC

Here ya go jwhite44 - I think I'll leave these on for a while

thanks

Larry

Nice boots. I could see myself in those. Not sure anyone would mistake that heel for a mans boot, but they look comfy and a nice heel height.

Many years ago, when it was typical for males to wear suits and dress shoes to work, during the winter in snowy parts of the country, men would wear a pair of rubber boots over their dress shoes. Totes was probably the most popular brand. On several occassions, I would wear a pair of low wedge heels inside of the boots and go walk around a mall or something. True heels would not work, as they would quickly pop through the thin rubber sole of the over boot. I suppose a piece of thin metal in the bottom of the boot may have been able to prevent that, but I never tried it.

Spotted in Boston, Mass, yesterday Apr. 28. Near the main courthouse/govt. buildings. Fellow heeling - black boots, gray pants. A good look. Very subtle, but the trained eye noticed. Anybody want to claim it?

Please fill us in as to heel style and height!

Just got these:

Very interesting shoes! The style fo the heel and the pattern on the first pair is unusual, but I like the cut of the shoe, which is very delicate. As others have stated, the color of the second pair is a bit vibrant for me, but the style is very nice. I like the toe ornament.

Nine West comes through again.

This time I picked up a pair of Austin pumps. With a rated heel of only 2.5" (just under 3" actual), I guess these are barely considered to be "high" around here, but I don't mind. They are still lovely and fit well, though with the usual gap in the back.

I hope you don't mind if I share a few pictures. They have an extended point toe, which I thought had been going out of style. It's not generally my preference, but it certainly makes for comfy toes! Well as much as can be expected...

Nine West always has some nice looking shoes. While I also am generally not in to the elongated toe box, those look nice on you. I'm sure they are decent to walk in as well!

Great pictures and responses. I think that these would be my entry into the conversation.

I like those, even with the platform. I do like the wood look heel, especially in that color shoe. Very nice.

Thanks Muddypaws. I actually am having some problems walking in these for some reason, and I don't think it's related to the platform. Seems that the heel wants to slip out to the inside when I walk. I have to be rather careful in them (and stairs are certainly an adventure!). One other thing I find as I wear them is that the arch of the sole ends a bit too soon, and the arch of my foot tends to be up off the sole. I guess you get what you pay for, and at Payless, the price is pretty reasonable. In any event, I have them on right now and will wear them a few times before I make a final determination if they are for me or not.

I wear a mens 12 in almost all mens shoes but have found that if ordering off the Nine West website, I can order a size 12 and it fits great. It seems their sizes run a little large. I have just got these in and wearing them now.. FABULOUS!!

I have another pair of 4.5" black leather oxfords I picked up first that are my favorite. Nine West has become my dream company for heels. 4-4.5 inch heels on most things.

I would love a little higher at times but at least these fit!

I find that interesting as for me personally, I do have some problems with Nine west actually running small. Maybe small is not the right word, but tight in the tow box. I guess my problem is width more than length, as while I have discomfort in the front part of the shoe, the back tends to slip off when I walk. You're right about Nine West having a nice selection however. And I do enjoy going to their outlet store and trying things on now that they carry size 12 in the store!

I was in Burlington, Payless, Carnival and Sears yesterday, and tried on heels in each.

I must say that it does appear that larger womens sizes are making somewhat of a return. As I mentioned in another thread, the Nine West outlet near me has darn near every shoe in a size 12. And even Payless seems to be bringing in a somewhat larger selection in big sizes again (though nowhere near the good old days when all styles were carried in 11 and 12s). And some of the Nordstorm Rack stores even carry a selection of 13s and 14s to go with a generally wide choice of 12s. So there is at least some hope for us big foots!

Hey there and thanks for your kind comments! I take a US Women's 9-10B. I totally agree with you on the bows, can't get enough of them. I like the pumps in you avatar, they look like Pepe Jimenez Classic Pumps of the Rita variety. I had some original Sergio Zlecers in navy once and those were nice, love those classic lines. I am looking for a replacement pair actually in a navy or red patent.

The avatar shoes are from Walt at Classic Pumps. I believe they are Pepe Jimenez, and are the Rossi style. I would gladly own every style Classic Pumps carries, but that would be rather costly! My only complaint is that they have never had anything with a bow or a t-strap, though they do have some now with a nice cutout feature and some slingbacks. I am very jealous of your shoe size, but wow, if I wore that size, I would probably spend 10 times more on shoes! Of course, then I would actually be able to find a shoe on a closeout rack that was my size, so I would likely end up paying less per pair, but buying many many more!

Thaks to all that commented! They have been an interesting experience. While I shall never lose my appreciation for standard thin sole, stiletto heel shoes such as those in my avatar, after having tried these, I will certainly at least consider some other platforms in the future (not thick ones though. I'll leave that for HappyinHeels...lol!)

Just bought these today at Payless. They are my first pair of heels with any type of platform, as I am not a big fan of the platform look. These aren't bad as the platform is realtively thin rather some of those that are and inch or two. It is interesting to walk in, as the heel is still rather high (nearly 5") and the sole doesn't really bend much. I think I would get quite tired in them if I had to walk any distance. But I must admit that I am enjoying the look and feel as it is something different from my usual style.

This is definitely a problem and I believe groups of two to four women are actually the most brutal when it comes to the shoe department. More often than not a woman will toss the shoes to the ground and walk around in them, take them off leaving them on the floor, then get another pair and do the same thing. The most trashed store I have seen is the Burlington Coat Factory at the Gurnee Mills Shopping Mall in northern Illinois. One late November day I think I counted over one hundred pairs of pumps, sandals, wedges, and boots among four different aisles!! BCF attracts a subset of the kind of people that frequent Walmart and eat, smoke, and drink in their car...and play the lottery. The shoe aisle debacle merely is a reflection of that slovenly behavior. On the other hand BCF is a good store to shop for deals.

HappyinHeels:wavey:

I agree with you about BCF and their clientele, as well as there being good bargins there. I believe though that the real problem is the operation of the store. They don;t have much staff to clean things up, so it ends up looking like a total trash job. It's pretty much the same in every one I've been in, and the people that shop there tend to fall in that Walmart type category. So what does that say about me...lol. However, shoes are about the only thing I would go there for.

I've posted this suggestion before, but believe it rates stating again. One of the best ways to deflect some of the anxiety of the first time is to call ahead. The first place I ever decided that I was going to try on heels I already knew that the carried large sizes. I called and asked if they minded a guy trying on shoes and the response from the manager was an emphatic "no sir, you've come to the right place!" So with that much known, at least I knew that when I walked in the door there would be no hysterical reaction! That made the first time much easier for me. I went to the shop and told them I had called earilier, and was treated wonderfully, even offered a spot in the back so I wouldn't be uncomforatble among teh other shoppers. Eventually, I grew very comfortable there and bought many pairs of shoes from them (several of which I wish I stall had!), and after a time I would just try on in the sales area. Unfortunately, they went our of business some time ago (along with most of the other small shoe shops that used to dot the landscape). There was another place I used to go to where I called ahead. They manager there showed me to the stock area and said "here are all of the sizes above ten, try on whatever you like." They are, alas, gone as well. I have had a bad reaction as well, when I called a store I knew that carried larger size and asked the girl/woman that answered about trying on shoes and she laughed and said "your a guy and you want to try on womens shoes???" Needless to say, I did not go there. When you call, they can't tell who you are, so there's no need to fear that they will see you on the street and point at you yelling "there's the guy that wanted to try on high heels in my store!"...lol. All I'm getting at is, if you know what the store reaction will be by making a simple phone inquiry, it is easier then to walk in and try on. And that phone call is anonymous.

I really love anything with a bow, the red satin courts with the bow knot are so delicate and feminine. I mostly favor heels with almond toe boxes. Here are a few more photos of some of my favorites. The white satin Badgley Mischka Caltons are a jewel in my collection. I love them and a nice comfy fit for such a high heel.

I very much enjoy bows myself. They make the shoe most feminine in my humble opinion. Your choices are great! I am jealous of your collection. What size do you wear?

can you now see them?

thanks

wolf

Why yes, yes I can

And I won't comment on the smart a** replies either

I get nothing, Wolf. Try again maybe?

Hi RonC, Sorry for the slow reply and sorry to say no to both your questions :-(

Cheers, Wobblyheight.

Well, I just have to get closer to the screen to drool at them then....lol

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While not the highest of heels or the sexiest of styles, I absolutely love the way those shoes look with her outfit. They just go together very well, and she would have my rapt attention!

Wow, Happy, I really thought you had given up heels, you've been gone so long! It's great to have you back again! I really missed your pictures and adventures. As Scappy indicated, you have been a great inspiration to me. It truly was your pictures and stories that got me to the point where, while not even close to being in your league, I do wear my 3" block heel loafers out and about. Just last night I went to Sam's Club and Kohls in them. If not for you, I doubt I would have ever worn them in public. Someday, I just may get the nerve to wear an actual pair of thin heels out and about. Great to have you posting again!

Happy, I'm curious. Your age is only 8 years less than mine, so we're basically in the same general era. Yet you have this strong love of platforms, wedges, etc. that I would never bat an eye at. Was it the 70's that was the basis for your initial interest in heels? I guess that's the only era I can think of before the present that was heavily into platforms. Stevie Nicks fan by chance? lol

RonC-

OK, you don't have stiletto boots for Michigan Avenue but how about pumps for State Street?? That's actually where more shoe stores are anyway. Anytime anywhere my friend.

HappyinHeels

Someday, HinH, someday I will do that! For now, I think the block heel loafers are about the top of my scale.

Actually, I should pass along to you that the DSW store in Vernon Hills is a great place to shop. The sale racks are way in the back of the store, and there are usually not a lot of other customers around (I am speaking of middle of the day weekday.) I know you do like the plats and very high stuff, and they do have a selection of platforms with about 5" heels or so even in the sale racks. I tried on a couple pairs of Steve Madden platforms, but I'm still just not in to the thick sole scene just yet. In any event, it's not too terribly far from you (Route 60 exit on the Tri-State, west to Milwaukee Ave, south to second center south of Rt 60 on east side of Milwaukee Ave).

Black Patent Pumps (I'm actually wearing the pair in my avatar right now!)

It appears to me that no one took offense to my anti-plantform rant, which I am very greatful for. And gerryjohn, I do remember the change from the 80's heels to the generally low heel period that followed. Actually, if my memory serves me correctly, it was more so that the heels became quite blocky. There were still a number of heel heights being worn, but with everything so blocky, they never looked very high at all. Had I been street heeling at that time, it would not have been much of a problem to wear most any of the womens styles at that time!