RonC

Ok, I'm officially lost on the whole exchange and will just take one big step backwards....lol. I will, however, re-state my love of toe cleavage. I just happen to find it quite sexy. Some of those from Lovely Shoes are too extreme I admit, but anything Walt at Classic Pumps sells fills the bill quite well for me. I should add here that toe cleavage on some of the newer shoes is not quite the same as those of the shoes Classic Pumps sells. For one thing, many of the toe cleavage pumps today are those with the elongated toe, which in my opinion looks like court jester shoes, so for me, even toe cleavage can't make those look good (just my opinion now, please don't take offense anyone..lol). In addition, the newer shoes tend to be cut so the top line is rather straight across, and seems to exaggerate the exposure on the side of the foot toward the little toe, whereas the classic style will show a similar amount of toe cleavage across the entire toe area, a more symmetrical look if you will. Wow, this is over-analysis if I ever heard it...lol. Anyway, I hope every has a great day!

Well, if we just look at the present moment, I have 6 pair. However, if I still had all the ones I bought and only wore a couple times beofre passing them on, the number would likely be well over 100. The difficult part is storing them somewhere that family members won't find (I am not out about my heeling). So most often they are purchased, worn a few times, and then, as I have taken to doing these days, I will toss them in to a Salvation Army (or other used clothing collection) box. That way, at least someone else gets to enjoy what are typically like new shoes. I am always curious as to how many of my gently used heels end up with other males. I know the second hand shops I visit with some regularity most often do not have much in the way of large sizes. But someone is getting my hand me downs!

Bubba, I did take them off. In the office I work in, it would not be considered cool I'm sure. And as I indicated, these boots, while certainly not a stiletto heel, would never be taken for men footwear, as the heels is a bit too tapered. If I had the stones, I should have just kept them on when I went to the Nine West store. But alas....

Sorry Tech...my mistake. Okay, so Mrnh, what was it that Bubba said that set you off? lol Sorry again. I should look before I leap!

Thanks Happyfeat. It was a nice experience. This was my first venture into trying on womens shoes in a mainstream womens shoe store. While in my area there were several stores that carried large sizes and were more than receptive to men trying on shoes, all of them are, unfortunately, no long gone, likely put out of business by places like Nordstroms and the availability of on-line shoes in a wide range of sizes. I rue their passing all the time. I have never tried a place like a Nine West, Also, Bakers, Naturalizer, etc. before last Saturday. I certainly won't make a habit of going there, as it still remains a bit stressful for me, but I will no longer be afraid to try about any store if I so desire. In the Chicago area, I am seeing a definite trend toward elimination of larger sizes. Not sure the reason. We have Kohls stores here, and they have almost completely eliminated size 11 from their stores. We also have Carson Piere Scott that used to carry many 11's and even some 12's at one time, and they are down to most shoes in 10 only now. One would think that they wouldn't want to lose any business given the state of the economy, but I guess they just don't sell enough to warrant carrying the stock. And that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because the department stores I've visited that do carry larger sizes rarely, and I mean rarely, have much in the way of an 11 or larger on the sale shelves, while the 6 to 9 range has rack after rack. Since I would guess that the sale racks would tell the tale of what was selling and what wasn't selling, if they couldn't sell the larger sizes, the racks should have plenty of them! I just don't get it!

I voted other here because for me, I still get excited wearing heels. While I can wear them for hours without being sexually agog, there is certainly a sexual factor for me.

While I actually voted no, I have given this one some thought as of late, and if I were to vote again, I would likely chnage my vote. While I have to admit that I wouldn't be thrilled by the sight of most guys in heels, I would enjoy seeing a guy wearing shoes that he enjoys, and would certainly be jealous of him if the shoes were to my liking. Certainly, I don't think we'll see stiletto heels for men in the mainstream, but wouldn't be shocked to see chunky heel styles for guys. And seeing guys in chunky heels on a regular basis would not change my attraction to a woman in a pair of sexy, feminine heels. My problem is that, while I enjoy heels period, my real focus is those very feminine styles, and that is what I enjoy wearing personally. That what makes it so difficult for me to venture out in public, as the shoes I want to wear certainly would not be mistaken for a mens shoe. I wouldn't still enjoy seeing a woman in some nice heels, as long as the look remains feminine. Several years back when stilettos disappeared and women we wearing chunky loafers, I hated them something fierce. But more recently, the loafer style, and even those with chunkier heels, become much more feminine (i.e., lower cut vamps, more foot exposed, which to me differentiates them from a mans style), has actually become a favorite of mine, as long as it is of the definitely feminine style.

From what I've read, while most fashion sites would go with no hoes, most agree that, with peep toes, a pair of nylons is not a problem. So really, you can go either way. However, it would seem that it must truly be a "peep" toe, with a small opening, to qualify. It is mots interesting that, when I was younger, women wore hose with all shoes, even sandals. Just look back to the days of disco, and you will see that everyone wore high heel sandals and stockings. Then a number of years ago, someone decided that no stockings was the new deal, and now everyone acts like it was NEVER ok to wear nylons with sandals or open toe shoes. I'd like to know who made that decision, and who gave them the right to state that is was NEVER proper to wear hose with sandals when, through history, it most certainly was proper. I admit that I have gotten to the point where if I see a woman in sandals wearing nylons that it looks a bit odd. But I still believe that the shape of the foot with stockings looks much nicer than without. Many women have toes that splay out in odd directions when wearing heels without hose, and that doesn't look nice either. I think that, especially for a guy, unless your legs and feet are shaven, hose is probably a better choice with the peep toe pumps.

My word, Tech, what in the world did Bubba say that you took offense to? He was talking about the difficulty of walking in sloppy fitting shoes??? Please explain!

I just posted a note about Nine West in the "try them on" thread. I went to the store in downtown Chicago on Saturday and they had no problem whatsoever with me trying on heels in the store. Only had a very limited selection of size 12, however, and the 11's I tried on were too small. I did pick a Saturday, as that is a less busy day in the downtown area. Unfortunately, the second Nine West store in the CBD is closed on Saturday. There clerk there also indicated that they had some size 12's, and that try on was absolutely not a problem, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to do that in a busy store with extensive windows to the street, especially since I work in the area. Maybe I can find an off time there as well. I only wish they carried more 12's, but I do understand, as I'm sure they don;t sell a ton in that size. Probably a good thing for my wallet!

I went to the Nine West shop in downtown Chicago on Saturday. I did phone ahead to inquire if they carried size 12, and to get a feel for the store clerk. She was quite nice and had no problem wahtsoever with me trying on shoes. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything at all that I liked in a 12 (a few pairs of those hideous long nose pointed pumps that make a size 12 look like about a 20!) and one pair of chunky heel pumps that had to be at least 5". I couldn't even walk in those things! A stiletto at five inches is easier to manuver in than a chunky heel shoe in my opinion. I tried on two pair in size 11 but, while I could get them on, they were too snug to wear for long or walk any distance in. Anyway, the point was that there is yet another Nine West store where you will be treated quite nicely if you want to try on shoes. There is another Nine West in the business district that I will also try in the future, as the clerk there also indicated that they cariied size 12 and she had no problem with me trying on shoes. Unfortunately, they are closed on Saturday, and I'm not sure I'm prepared to try on heels mid-day during the work week with that many people that can see in through the windows! Maybe eventually, but not quite yet!

HAd to work on Saturday. Decided to wear my 3" heel boots to the office, as I knew no one else would be in at 8:00 AM. I have to park about 2 blocks from the office. I very much enjoyed that 2 block walk in heels, and up the elevator and around the office for a while. It was one of my first ventures in public during the daytime in what would be considered obvious womens heels. While not spiked, they are tapered enough that no one would take them for mens shoes, so it was a challenge for me, and one which I passed with flying colors!

Samcar455, you mentioned Charlotte Russe for heels. As far as I have seen they only carry up to size 10 (US), not even an 11. Do they have larger sizes than 10 in your area?

Thanks for the comments, Bubba and Daniel. I have worn the boots for brief outings a couple of times. While it hasn't been in overly public locations, I haven't gotten any bad reactions so far. I have to say that they are quite comfortable. I generally need a size 12 in womens shoes, but these fit quite nicely in the 11. They are a little bit snug getting them on, but once on, they have plenty of room. The heel height is high enough to get a nice feeling as well. While by no means a stiletto, the heel is definitely narrower at the bottom than most I have worn in public. As a result, I get the occasional ankle wobble when I walk, which for me make the high heel experience all that much more enjoyable!

Shrimper, I remember the stores in teh Steven's Building as well. Unfortunately, I didn;t find out about them until well down the road, and shortly after I learned there were not only palces that catered to larger shoe wearers, but didn't mind you trying them on, they went out of business. While there were probably fewer larger size shoes around, it was much better when the store you went to specialized in the bigger sizes, and they certainly knew what you were there for! I miss those days!

I see the picture didn't go through, so here is a re-post. I walked around in these for about a half-hour last night and find them to be reasonably comfortable for a size 11 (a 12 fits me a bit better). I measured the heels and they are three inches in the size 11. Here is the picture.

Bought these at Sears yesterday with the intent of wearing them outside. Not an overly high heel, but enough to have that nice feeling. Also nice because they are not overly noisy. All of $11.99! Tried them on, as well as another pair of Bongo boots that fit quite well, but were a bit more than I wanted to pay. Those had very high heels, probably close to five inches, with a small platform of about a half inch. I can't find a picture of them, however. They would have been a challenge to walk in, as they didn't quite hit my foot in the right place, and certainly that heel was more than I typically would wear outside of the house or car.

So, Bubba, do we long for the old days, or be happy that we can walk in public while wearing high heels and no one says much of anything? Tough choice, but personally, I think times were much better in the 50s & early 60s than what we have today. The world was a kinder, more gentle place in which to live (and the heels were kinda nice in those years too!...lol).

Great observations and comments TCollins and Bootking. I guess I was just hearing that comment that "no one noticed" a few too many times. Of course they noticed! A guy in high heels, and especially in the type of heels that it seems most of us prefer to wear, is just not going to blend in with the wallpaper. I have to admit though, TCollins, that I still find the Goth look to be one that I have a hard time with...lol.

After much reading and thought, I do have to post here. I have read many times the statements by those of us that street heel that they didn't hear a single comment..... While I am not at all surprised by that, I sincerely do not believe that it is, as so many have stated, because no one noticed. If you are walking through a mall or store in high heels, believe me, people will notice. First off, there are millions of guys out there that absolutely love a woman in high heels. If they hear the sound of heels, they are going to look! Second, women tend to notice what other women are wearing, and again, hearing the sound of heels, at least some are going to look. And that doesn't mention those who just happened to catch a glimpse while minding their own business. My point is, I wouldn't go along thinking "no one noticed". The better statement is, no one said anything, or no one laughed or had a bad comment. Trust me, it is like seeing someone with an obviously bad toupee. While 99% of the public isn't going to say a stinking word about it to the person wearing the silly rug, they did notice. And when that person is gone, someone is going to hear about the guy in the "bad rug". And I'm sure it most likely will be with a laugh. I'm quite certain that many, many times the people have seen you took note, but certainly will mind their own business and not say a word to you, or purposely mock you in any way. But see you they did, and someone will hear about the guy in women's shoes or high heels that they saw today. And I sincerely doubt that many have said, "yeah, but boy, did he look great in them", and actually meant it. This is not meant to be a put down in any way, as I've worn some heels in public in my day as well, and have tried on heels in many stores. But I am not so naive to think that no one noticed or cared. They were, just like 90% of the population, too polite or non-confrontational to have any interest in bringing it to your attention. But I'm willing to bet that somewhere, you have the reputation as "they guy in heels", and it's not necessarily the most positive of reputations. For the most part, I really don't care, as I hope to never see most of the public that might notice again in my life. But I'm sure that the clerk at the local Payless store has told many of her friends about me! Thankfully, I don't know them, and they don't know who I am!

To those that had a bad fit, did you try the wide width? When I first looked for them, all they has was regular width pair in red in a size 12. I thought, if this is it, there is no way I can wear them, as they were not at all comfortable. But a couple weeks later, they had them in a 12W in black, and when I tried them on, they fit quite nicely. So the wide really made a difference in this particular shoe. I had them on for a couple hours the other day, and while I didn;t do a lot of walking, they were quite comfortable.

I love the Nine West pumps. A simple black pump with a great heel. You look good with those pumps and the dress!

Oops, picture didn't load. Try again.

I just bought these at Payless the other day. While there, I tried on at least three other pair. The sales clerk that was working was there the last time I was in, and she has no problem with me trying things on at all. In fact, this time she expected me to try them on. At check out, I said that, judging by her reaction, I was not the only guy that came in to try and buy heels. She said yes, there are other guys that come in. She continued by telling me that she had the same pair I purched but in red, and thought they were really cute! I asked if they were comfortable, and she said that while she had only had them on for about an hour, they seemed fine to her. I loved the thought of this cute young lady wearing the same shoes as I was buying! Would love to see her in them. Needless to say, I'll be going to that Payless with some regularity!

While not the best of pictures, from what I can see, I just might have to give up heeling for her! Wow!