jmc

If you are talking about stiletto heels, try shrinking a piece of clear heat-shrink tubing on the end of the heel. Trim it to length so it does not extend beyond the heel tip, and of course be careful with the heat so you don't damage the heel. This makes a very nice protector to preserve the end of your heels. These are actually available as heel-protectors in some of those household-items catalogs like Lillian Vernon and such. But heat-shrink is available in most hardware stores, just make sure you get clear tubing because most of the available colors will not match your shoes.

. . .I'm like Indiana Jones, I'm making it up as I go along.

Aren't we all? It would be nice if this "life" thing came with a user's guide. . .

But then how many of us would read it?

As one rather notable U.S. President once stated, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

. . .

That's the only restriction, as we've never had an issue where prolific female posting in the guys section was driving male members away.

. . .

I would bet that a female posting prolifically in the guys section would draw men in droves.

TXT-1 -- you sound as though you wish HHplace had died. I most definitely disagree. It was dying, slowly, on the old board. It was mostly being drowned under a tsunami of spam and most of the women left but it was not dead. And now, I get a feeling that it has been re-invigorated.

I like the board, I like the interaction between members, and I think it has a lot going for it. HHplace was not resurrected but it did get a makeover -- much for the better.

Agreed - a pair is wasted if it's not on the foot! . . .

Most definitely. For this very reason I have been concentrating more on wedge styles, mostly in boots. I will actually leave the house in them from time to time -- this vastly increases my heel-time and adds to my confidence heeling in public. This epiphany -- that I could actually wear somewhat conservative wedge or block style heeled boots and shoes in public -- became clear about a year and a half ago.

So at present I have the following:

Three pair of wedge boots -- Nine West "Niolia", Fitzwell "Fallara", and Nine West "Brett".

One pair of a more stiletto style -- Skechers "Somethin Else".

Two pair of wedge shoes -- Aerosoles "Durmure" and "Land Stand".

Then there are four pair of block-heeled boots from Diba, Candies and Payless

several years ago (before the epiphany although these have seen wear outside).

Two pair of heel clogs, one of which makes an appearance in my avatar.

And at least a dozen pair of various pre-epiphany sandals and pumps. They are still fun.

. . .

Have you ever wondered: "Of all the things mens could fancy, why my feet/high heels?" . . .

Well, from the male perspective -- have you ever noticed what a pair of heels does to a woman's legs? It is a beautiful transformation!

. . . freestyle fashion doesn't put bread on the table or money in my pocket . . .

How true! I'm finding it tends to have the opposite effect. . .but then I am in a major collection-building mode right now.

Actually, I'm quite certain it's a bovine-made material, for the most part, followed by porcine, and to a lesser extent other animals.

The term "man-made" is reserved for materials who's origens are entirely synthetic, such as nylon. Cotton is entirely organinic, and is not considered "man-made," despite the growing, harvesting, combing, spinning, weaving, and sewing processes which must ensue. Leather has several similarly processes, including calving, growing, slaughtering/skinning, tanning, working, and (help me out here, Dr. Shoe, as I'm not sure I'm using the right word) lasting.

Wool, cotton, leather, flax, fur - none are considered man-made materials, even though considerable effort is required by man to generate useful products from them.

Right now I'm wearing a pair of leather shoes with a 3-3/4" heel. They're not "man-made."

Leather does go through a number of processes in its transformation from cow-hide to leather material, then a number of more processes to become shoes. Some of these processes involve some fairly harsh chemicals, such as the tanning solutions and dye solvents, but most of those chemicals are driven out of the product at the end. Even with all this, leather is considered a natural material while PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and PU (polyurethane) are clearly synthetic.

Personally, I find the natural materials to be vastly more comfortable than synthetics. Leather, pigskin and cotton fabrics "breathe" while synthetics often feel like plastic bags. Synthetics are getting better in this regard but they have a long way to go.

My most comfortable -- Fitzwell "Fallara", pictured below. In my size, US 12, the heels rise 3 inches and the rounded toe has plenty of room.

Chris:

That's been the universal sentiment of everyone who's ventured out in public while wearing heels. After awhile, you'll amaze yourself with how simple it's become to where you chastise yourself a bit for not having done it sooner.

Yup, I find that too. Starting out we seem to live under this great cloud of dread about "what will everybody else think" and it keeps us from going out. But think about it -- how often do you notice a guy's shoes? We notice womens' shoes but that's mostly because we love them so much. But mens' shoes -- who cares?

And when we do venture out, especially in something low-key and conservative, we find that virtually nobody notices. The worst I have seen is a glance and a somewhat quizzical expression -- and that is less than 1% of the time!

Why shouldn't we wear what we like?

Just out of curiosity, I looked up the Franco Sarto "Nolan":

I must say, that is a stylish, uncomplicated and elegant looking shoe, something both genders could easily wear as it incorporates both male and female elements to perfection. A good choice, dr1819.

Simple lines, but with enough heel to feel good.

Very nice!

If you can, have someone watch you as you walk away from them -- or get creative with a video camera. Watch your heels as you walk in these boots -- they are probably leaning to the outside. That is not proper, your heels should be vertical as you walk. It does sound as if this is a characteristic of your stride because you have had this happen before, although with a slightly different style. The wedge add-ons might help. Is there a chance that you are trying to turn your toes inward? -- this can cause a lean toward the outside. I have seen women do this too -- one that sticks in my mind did it so much that she had worn her heel tips at an angle. She was an interesting one to follow :-) .

I like the look, but do not use it myself. I am still at that stage where I would rather keep my heels hidden. They are for my pleasure, not for anyone else.

. . . Again, this is an extremely risky procedure which has resulted in many deaths. Please see the links provided earlier.

. . .

Not only extremely risky but also illegal, at least in the United States.

Greetings Heels48M! Look around, read some of our stories and tell us some of yours and I'm sure we will find a lot in common.

Moderation is the key. This passion, like so many others, has the capacity to consume us if we let it. We all struggle to find that "perfect balance" in life -- perhaps in futility because we have no proof that it even exists. In my own case I know that if I purged all my heels I would certainly cut my heeling to zero, but only temporarily. I cannot purge it from my mind and since "absence makes the heart grow fonder" the desire will intensify. Eventually my willpower will snap and Zappos is only a mouse-click away. Yes, we tread a narrow path here. Our passion adds spice to our lives but we must guard against it becoming our lives.

Then there is another category -- the wishful thinkers. These people already know the answer to their question but they don't like it and they are hoping somebody can tell them how to bend reality.

Aghhhh! I see I've posted twice. Sorry about that. Please get rid of one. Aglo

Not a problem :-)

The link's just taking me to the topmyspacemodels.com homepage. Anyone have better luck? It might just be one of those sites that doesn't work well without IE.

Chris

I just searched for "Gina" off the main page.

BTW, Gina -- you look positively amazing for 100 years old!

The best heely video I've seen. I wonder if he can walk in those pumps!

At one point he does stand up, although the pumps are out of the frame. He does not appear to change his shoes at any time.

There is really only one way to find out -- and that is to have her try them on. There is a lot of variation in sizing between different manufacturers and different styles, if this particular boot runs a bit large she may be OK with them. But only she can know and she must try them to know. If the boots are available from an online shop, make certain that they have a generous return policy before ordering. Cramming one's feet into shoes that are too small is a certain formula for misery, and potential debilitating foot problems later. No matter how beautiful the style, no matter how much you want to see her in them, it just is not worthwhile to wear shoes that do not fit.

Ancient. :-)

Hi dressboots, and welcome back.

Reading your post I come to the conclusion that there are a couple of other members going through some of the same soul-searching as you are. Have a look at this thread:

http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/hellos_goodbyes_introductions/6857-im_back_most_part-4.html#post117292

this post and the dialog afterward:

http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/guys/1743-thigh_boots_public-2.html#post116358

this thread:

http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/guys/6881-soul_searching-2.html#post117634

and this post with some of the dialog around it:

http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/guys/3165-losing_desire_heels-2.html?highlight=purge#post59465

You are not alone.

Hi Scott

How about these? They're Pleaser, style Maiden-8828. They're $65 on howcool.com.

Chris

I have a pair of those, got mine through eBay from BobandAngie. I'm pretty impressed with them, being Pleasers the price is quite reasonable yet they are leather and quite well made.

Welcome Joey! This is the place to be for all things heel-related!

Funny, the majority of "most annoying phrases" come to us from the world of business. Hmmmm.