The Happy Feats of HappyFeat

[HappyFeat]

Here are my latest set of outings... Tuesday - I needed to get "back in the saddle" so to speak after last weekend. However, I had plenty of time this day to heel, the weather was one of those "in-between" days - cool in the morning, warm by afternoon, with intermittent rain. These days always are tough for me to dress. This combined with the fact that I hated most of my wardrobe while trying to make a selection made for a late start. I eventually settled on a mauve-ish dress shirt, a black blazer, LB boot cut jeans in a tall length, and Nine West "Glaze" slingbacks. Since I have rediscovered these shoes, they have almost become my standby pair - if nothing else suits my fancy, then they are what I will wear. My first stop was a high end consignment store south of the city. This is the kind of place women in BMWs bring their "old" Louis Vouton bags to exchange for a used pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. I had been meaning to check it out for quite a while, but never think about it until I have driven past. I went in, browsed for a while, no shoes in my size, but I did find a couple of cute skirts that were not marked down yet. I will go back and check on them though. The store was packed, and consignment shoppers are agressive to say the least. I was just competition in the ailes and racks, nothing more. I just got in the spirit and fit in nicely. Next, I went to the mall where the Bandolino and Aldo stores are located. I was just there last week, but thought I would make another spin around the stores. A different girl was working at Aldo, who actually brought me the right sizes. She was a young fashion design student at the Art Institute. We talked about fashion, shoes, her studies, etc. as we tried on shoes. Nothing fit, however it was a lot of fun. At Bandolino, they had a bunch of new things in. I tried a couple pair of sandals and chatted with the staff about other brands, etc. I wound up giving directions to the Nine West store to another customer even. Again, a pleasant relaxing experience. The highlight of my day came at another shopping center about a mile from the mall. I went into a store called Footloose, a high end store that sells shoes and clothing. Here I started browsing the clearance rack, though nobody came to help for a long time. Eventually a tall raven haired beauty in a black peasant skirt came and asked if I needed any help. I asked if they got many 11's and she kind of made "that face." She went in the back and brought out all of the 11's they had on clearance. They were all kind of frumpy and totally unappealing. I told her that I really wasn't looking for anything in particular, but when I saw what I was looking for I would know. I asked her about a pair of spectators on the floor, and she told me that they didn't get any of those larger than a 9. Then she took me on a tour of the store, showing me all sorts of shoes SHE liked, but kept saying that the only come in 10, they only come in 10, etc. Though she was wearing flip-flops, she was almost as tall as me in 3 inch heels! She said she only wore heels when she went out and that she couldn't wear them shopping all day like I was doing. Eventually, she had shown me everything and we were just chatting. She said she was sorry that "nothing caught m eyes" and I replied that no shoes caught my eye, but she did. She blushed, I told her that she was beautiful and quite helpful and I hope that I see her the next time I came in. She said that would be nice and hoped I came back soon. I think I will next week. My next stop was a late lunch. I went into a quaint little sit down place, ordered a bowl of suop and read. The waitress noticed my shoes, but never made any comment, though she was a bit friendlier than a waitress normally is. My last stop was Starbucks for a Frapachino. Again, I sat and read in one of the easy chairs, attracting some glances from people coming and going. It was a very nice day and I think my mojo is on the rise. Wednesday - A brief outing after work. I wore a navy blue suit jacket, a yellow nylon tee shirt, LB boot cut jeans, and kitten heel Navy Blue Steve Madden "Vespa" Mary Jane pumps. A pretty casual look. My goal was to go to Lane Bryant to look at their additional markdowns on clearance. Though they have never been terribly helpful at this store, I decided to be a bit more assertive and asked for a fitting room. I tried on three skirts and a pair of pants, but the skirts were too small. The clerk looked for a larger size for me, but they didn't have them in the store. I walked around the floor in a really cute navy blue a-line skirt that was just too snug in the waist and got very positive comments from other clerks and patrons. The skirt was fantastic with my shoes and I was a bit heartbroken that they didn't have it in a larger size. Thursday afternoon - I decided to try an experiment. I wore my brown Nine West "Gaffer" pumps which hav over a 3 inch heel with average length jeans. This exposed a lot of my shoes, more than I normally do with jeans. I didn't find the look terribly comfortable, not because my shoes were more visiable, but I think high shoes need longer inseam to look right with jeans. I had a couple of hous planned, but wound up spending most of my time in the Nine West store. They had gotten a lot of new things in, so I tried a few things, but didn't buy anything. I had a nice visit with the manager for most of my time in the store however. She said they are getting more larger sizes. I asked if she was getting any more male customers. She said no, other than me the few guys who buy for themselve pretend that they are not for them. I got a chuckle out of that. She gave me a couple of coupons for this weekend and one for the month of June as well. Thurdays Night - I went to karaoke night, wearing a black sweater, white jacket, gray skirt, black nylons and Nine West "Aleena" peep toe pumps with a vary high heel. It is almost required that I wear a skirt to Karaoke night now. The place was very slow, and I had a nice evening, though no real deep conversations except for one girl who was with a date that told me that I was "hot" and that she would kill herself in my shoes. Pretty typical. I cathhed with a guy about the basketball game (Houston-LA game 6) and left after about two hours. It was nice to get back to the "scene of the crime" from last Saturday however. Attached are pictures of my outfits and a picture of the shoes I wore on my first three outings. My heeling time looks like ti is about to slow down for a couple of weeks, however. But you never know...

[RonC]

HappyFeat, another group of nice outings for you! As I can tell we share many likes in terms of heels, I am not surpirsed to hear that you almost bought those Bandolinos as well. I too like the black and white version, but I felt a bit less conspicuous in the all black style, if you know what I mean. They are enjoyable shoes and I love the look. The heel is high enough to enjoy, but not so high as to make walking difficult. Thanks again for returning to a "shoe shot" in your posts. I like them all!

[JeffB]

Yo, HappyFeat: Congrats on your latest outings, and pics! I must say you certainly do know how to work a blazer, they really do enhance your overall look! I absolutely MUST give a blazer a try myself! And you know how to wear a skirt as well! Bravo to you, my friend! You continue to impress me with your fine sense of style!

[SandalFan]

... one girl who was with a date told me that... she would kill herself in my shoes.

Is it just me, or does that seem to be the consensus among a lot of women who don't wear heels? It just strikes me as funny, heels are the one thing we street-heelers most often admire about women, and most women don't even like them.

Case in point - where I live, I can walk into my local Hy-Vee, in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and be the ONLY one wearing heels...

Go figure...

[roniheels]

HappyFeat... Great outings, great outfits, and pretty high heels. I really like your style. I wear suits or slacks with sport coats with my high heels. I am going to try the jeans and sport coat look on my next high heel outing. Once again you have inspired me as well as others here at High Heel Place and I thank you.

[HappyFeat]

HappyFeat, another group of nice outings for you! As I can tell we share many likes in terms of heels, I am not surprised to hear that you almost bought those Bandolinos as well. I too like the black and white version, but I felt a bit less conspicuous in the all black style, if you know what I mean. They are enjoyable shoes and I love the look. The heel is high enough to enjoy, but not so high as to make walking difficult. Thanks again for returning to a "shoe shot" in your posts. I like them all!

I own a few pair of Bandolinos, though I have many more pairs of Nine West. They are owned by the same company. The Bandolino manager told me the difference is that Nine West are more fashion forward while the Bandolino styles are designed more with comfort in mind. For example, most Bandolinos have lower heels and padded insoles, which do make them really great shoes for guys who heel. Both brands are great for me, since the 11's normally fit nicely and they are quite attractive.

I understand the issue of how conspicuous a shoe can be. Though I am not a guy who really cares to "fly under the radar" as a rule, there are times I like to wear more understated shoes. I am sure this is true for anybody, even women, when matching heels with their outfits - the choice of shoes depends on the outfit, where you are going, what you are doing, and what your mood is that day.

I also understand as a guy that wearing inconspicuous heels makes you feel less obvious. However my experience has taught me that here are times I can go out in a block heel loafer and everybody seems to notice and other times I can go out in a stiletto sandal and draw minimal attention. Color is the one variable I have found in how much attention you get, and the black and white spectators definitely would turn some heads. In the end, you made a fantastic style choice for your comfort level. You should be quite proud of the entire process.

Yo, HappyFeat: Congrats on your latest outings, and pics! I must say you certainly do know how to work a blazer, they really do enhance your overall look! I absolutely MUST give a blazer a try myself! And you know how to wear a skirt as well! Bravo to you, my friend! You continue to impress me with your fine sense of style!

That means a lot coming from you JeffB! I have gotten quite comfortable wearing a skirt. I feel natural and sexy...not to mention powerful in a skirt. I have even given some thought to wearing a skirt with guy shoes, just to see how it goes over. I continue to be amazed at how comfortable they are and even how easy they are to wear. And I never fail to get comments about my legs. Isn't thsi what fashion is about...feeling great and looking good?

Is it just me, or does that seem to be the consensus among a lot of women who don't wear heels? It just strikes me as funny, heels are the one thing we street-heelers most often admire about women, and most women don't even like them.

Case in point - where I live, I can walk into my local Hy-Vee, in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and be the ONLY one wearing heels...

Go figure...

I was talking to a couple of girls while I was out recently about this very thing. They were both wearing heels and I was commenting that it was nice to NOT be the only person out on a Saturday night in heels. Though the places I go don't attract a lot of fashion forward women, you would think there would be more footwear variety on a night out than flip-flops and sneakers!

I do see many more women wearing heels while I am shopping recently. However, if I do talk to a woman about my shoes, about half the time they are asking the "how do you walk in those" kind of comments. I really think that there is a certain backlash against fashion in general and high heels specifically in certain parts of American culture. Ironically, there are many women who are just afraid of going out in heels as there are men.

HappyFeat...

Great outings, great outfits, and pretty high heels. I really like your style. I wear suits or slacks with sport coats with my high heels. I am going to try the jeans and sport coat look on my next high heel outing. Once again you have inspired me as well as others here at High Heel Place and I thank you.

Thanks for the feedback Ron. I have noticed since I started posting my outfits in my album that I really do wear jeans and a sports coat look a lot. For me it is casual, but still clean and fashionable. Also, women's jeans do not have great pockets, so the added places to carry things doesn't hurt.

Like you I stated heeling wearing man's suits and slacks most often. It seemed logical - heels tend to be dress shoes and those are my dress outfits. It is a fantastic look and I still do it on occasion. Then my logic shifted to what is a comfortable look, something I like, and can wear most anywhere. That's when I started with jeans and a jacket. I started wearing women's jeans most of the time and got some with a tall inseam to provide a bit more coverage of the heels. I liked this look on women, so I decided to try it when wearing heels. I liked it and now it is pretty much my signature look.

I am glad that my experience show that a guy can not only wear heels, dress how he wants, and enjoy doing it...but the world woun't spin off its axis when we do. You are also and inspiration to me Ron...as well as JeffB, who has really helped me find rotating in a skirt or two is also pretty cool!

[JeffB]

That means a lot coming from you JeffB! I have gotten quite comfortable wearing a skirt. I feel natural and sexy...not to mention powerful in a skirt.

I often feel the same way. I feel bold and strong when I wear a skirt, like I'm smashing the old school conventions regarding what men can and can't wear. I'm shouting out my independence from the tyranny of traditional men's fashion. And it's a whole lot of fun too!

I have even given some thought to wearing a skirt with guy shoes, just to see how it goes over.

Guy shoes??? In a word----EEEEEEEK!! Say it ain't so! To quote Marlon Brando from Apocalypse Now, "the horror, the horror". Heh!

I continue to be amazed at how comfortable they are and even how easy they are to wear. And I never fail to get comments about my legs. Isn't thsi what fashion is about...feeling great and looking good?

I'm jealous! No one's complimented me on my legs! Argh!

I am glad that my experience show that a guy can not only wear heels, dress how he wants, and enjoy doing it...but the world woun't spin off its axis when we do. You are also and inspiration to me Ron...as well as JeffB, who has really helped me find rotating in a skirt or two is also pretty cool!

Glad to have been of service!

[danielp6406]

Another nice outing HappyFeat :-) Can't wait to read more about your encounter at the Footloose store...

[HappyFeat]

Here are the highlights from my latest outings:

Saturday - I went out to my regular haunt on Saturday night, so I did what comes natural for a Saturday night out, I wore a skirt! My outfit consisted of a Black blazer, a white french cuff dress shirt, a gray Lane Bryant to the knee skirt, black nylons, and my black Bakers "Kamilla" platform pumps. I also wore the shell bracelet that the woman I met last week gave me, just in case I ran into her again. I didn't however.

My regular place was D-E-A-D, but I did get to talk to a couple people that I hadn't seen in months. I went to another club in the area after a couple of hours where I talked to three young women on girls night out and met a woman who was quite sexy in a mini skirt, thong mules, and a very nice one-sleeve tank. She was from Florida and in town to visit her in laws. We shared a couple of drinks, discussed my attire and had a very nice hour or so together.

Sunday - I decided to go to Nine West to use a 20% off coupon that the manager had given me. However, I wound up not buying anything since I am waiting for the pair of shoes I really want to be marked down. I wore a burgundy short sleeve slik shirt, linen draw string pants, and red Nine West "Tomcat" sandals. It was warm and sunny so I was feeling a bit "beachy" so to speak. The store was way too crowded to talk to anybody working. All of the other customers seemed to pay me no mind. After about an hour of wandering around the mall, I left. It was a quick outing, but it was nice to get out again in some strappy sandals.

My other activity Sunday was doing some work on my photo studio. I built a floor unit that should show my heels better than the carpet I have been standing on in all of my other pictures. I am still having troubly with lighting, but that's the next task to undertake.

Monday - I took a brief break from house cleaning to go to Lane Bryant to check their clearance sale. Of course there was nothing in m size, but I did have a nice visit with my friend who works there. Actually most of the visit was just the two of us talking and getting caught up. She and I my go see Star Trek next week if it is still out and she said she would like it if I wore heels if we get to go. Bummer that she is married though.

It was chilly on Monday, so I wore a charcoal suit jacket, gray nylon ribbed tee shirt, black wide leg LB trousers, and gray Steve Madden "Curtsey" pumps. This was the first time had have worn these shoes without stockings of any kind and they were kind of rough on my feet. They fit tight and have a very pointed toe. With stockings, they seem to do ok, but this day they gave me fits. Since my feet were well on their way to making me crazy, I called it a day. Another short outing, but it was again nice to have a break.

[RonC]

HappyFeats, I like the cleavage on those Maddens. If you typically wear an 11 and they are tight, I'd be in trouble, as most any manufacturers shoe in an 11 is snug for me. The Bandolino's are snug for sure with bare feet, not so bad with nylons. One of the pairs I tried on actually did fit quite comfortably in an 11. I just didn;t like them as well. If I was actually intending to wear them out and about for an extended time, I would have bought the comfortable pair. But for brief outing, the pair I bought is bearable.

[Thighboots2]

HF, Like the 1st pic of you in skirt, hose and heels. I do like the waist gender divide. Very Dale Milleresque. I prefer your knee length as Dale always wore above knee skirts often with pleats and his legs weren't as good as yours so looked wrong. His build would have suited a kilt more. Personally I don't think guys who try this style should do so with above knee skirts. Plain pencil style works well, also a calf length wrap would go well too, especially with those patent heels. The wideleg pants, in that picture anyway, IMHO don't do you any favours. Keep it up though, especially your experiments with skirts. To me, they give your best shots. Simon.

[JeffB]

HappyFeat: Once again, you've greatly impressed me with your sense of style, especially that first pic of you in that blazer and skirt! Tremendously sassy! Bravo to you, my friend. You've certainly done well. By the by, I recently bought a blazer and plan to pair it with a skirt for a future outing. I'll keep you appraised!

[HappyFeat]

HappyFeats, I like the cleavage on those Maddens. If you typically wear an 11 and they are tight, I'd be in trouble, as most any manufacturers shoe in an 11 is snug for me. The Bandolino's are snug for sure with bare feet, not so bad with nylons. One of the pairs I tried on actually did fit quite comfortably in an 11. I just didn;t like them as well. If I was actually intending to wear them out and about for an extended time, I would have bought the comfortable pair. But for brief outing, the pair I bought is bearable.

Steve Maddens almost always run small in larger sizes, though I have heard they actually run a little large in smaller sizes. If Bandolinos ran a bit snug for you Steve Maddens would defiantly be out of the question. However, Steve Madden does make some styles in 11's and even 12's in wide width, but I have encountered them only on rare occasions is less than attractive styles. Like you say, for a breif outing, they are bearable.

As you know, this is absolutely what it is vital to try shoes on in the store. People think I am crazy when I say this, but I have tried on the EXACT same shoe (size, material, color, etc.) and have noticed a difference in fit.

HF,

Like the 1st pic of you in skirt, hose and heels. I do like the waist gender divide. Very Dale Milleresque. I prefer your knee length as Dale always wore above knee skirts often with pleats and his legs weren't as good as yours so looked wrong. His build would have suited a kilt more. Personally I don't think guys who try this style should do so with above knee skirts. Plain pencil style works well, also a calf length wrap would go well too, especially with those patent heels. The wideleg pants, in that picture anyway, IMHO don't do you any favours.

Keep it up though, especially your experiments with skirts. To me, they give your best shots.

Simon.

Thanks Simon for the advice and input. I also love the gender divide at the waist, which is really a look that I have always gone for. OK, I have worn a couple of dresses, which is mainly just because I can and never considered a regular part of my rotation. I also agree with you about the wide leg pants, they do have a tendency to make my legs look as wide as my shoulders and give me a bit of the monolithic, walking wall look. I will likely wear them on occasion, but they don't give me my "best" look.

I don't know if I will ever be a regular "skirter," so to speak. I do tend to make the bottom portion a bit to feminine with fairly high stilettos etc. It is a fun look for me on occasion, and I am really having fun working it out. I do agree that the knee length is about perfect for me - and for my taste most anybody. I would like to try something just a bit shorter, but only an inch or two - just to see how it works for me. I have tried on a couple of pencil skirts, but have yet to find one is actually in a size I can wear. Form my initial observation, I think I look GREAT in them and can't wait to give them a try.

I really think my style is coming into focus. Since I started my gallery, which keeps my outfits easy to access place, I have noticed that my most common look is jacket, jeans or trousers, and pumps - more of the "guy in heels" look with a very slight feminine twist.

Thanks for you input and please keep your critiques comming.

HappyFeat: Once again, you've greatly impressed me with your sense of style, especially that first pic of you in that blazer and skirt! Tremendously sassy! Bravo to you, my friend. You've certainly done well. By the by, I recently bought a blazer and plan to pair it with a skirt for a future outing. I'll keep you appraised!

Jeff, finally a blazer! I can't wait to see your results. Plus as I have said many times before, the pockets are fantastic for heeling if you want to leave the bag at home. Sassy, I like that...it is actually a pretty accurate critique of my personality (my grandmother did try to knock the 'sas' out of me, but I have a pretty hard head...) and is really how I feel when I am heeling, especially in a skirt.

Also, it has been a year since I started my very first adventures thread : http://www.hhplace.org/guys/10811-2008_-_summer_happyfeat.html . Looking back on that, I am amazed at how far my heeling as evolved. Wow! The good ole High Heel Place has been very good to me. I have a couple of new outings to post in the next could of days that have been way too much fun.

[JeffB]

I don't know if I will ever be a regular "skirter," so to speak. I do tend to make the bottom portion a bit to feminine with fairly high stilettos etc. It is a fun look for me on occasion, and I am really having fun working it out. I do agree that the knee length is about perfect for me - and for my taste most anybody. I would like to try something just a bit shorter, but only an inch or two - just to see how it works for me. I have tried on a couple of pencil skirts, but have yet to find one is actually in a size I can wear. Form my initial observation, I think I look GREAT in them and can't wait to give them a try.

You know, I've been kinda wrestling with that question myself, wondering if I plan on wearing skirts full time on my fashion freedom outings, but it's damn hard to resist them because they're so much fun! And yeah, like you, I truly believe skirts, especially short skirts look great on me. My recent outing on Sunday permanently confirmed that belief. In the beginning, I was somewhat apprehensive about wearing skirts because I had no idea what to expect from the world around me, but now that I've discovered that it's no big deal, I can't get enough of them as wearing pants or jeans seems so, well, boring!

Jeff, finally a blazer! I can't wait to see your results. Plus as I have said many times before, the pockets are fantastic for heeling if you want to leave the bag at home. Sassy, I like that...it is actually a pretty accurate critique of my personality (my grandmother did try to knock the 'sas' out of me, but I have a pretty hard head...) and is really how I feel when I am heeling, especially in a skirt.

Well, I've already come up with a couple of ideas of outfits to pair my newly bought blazer with, one casual, the other dressy. I've been thinking of taking the latter on a test drive this weekend, just haven't decided where yet. The added dynamic of a blazer with a skirt should make for a highly interesting combination. And YOU were my inspiration because of how great you look in a blazer! I'll keep you appraised!

[kneehighs]

So what's going on in your world? Part of the reason I even bother to update my thread is because your regular updates inspire me to do so.

[HappyFeat]

So what's going on in your world? Part of the reason I even bother to update my thread is because your regular updates inspire me to do so.

Since your adventures in Sweden are only something that I can dream about at the moment, I better keep my updates coming. Besides, I am pretty sure that there are many others who enjoy living vicariously through your adventures, I am posting an update to keep you inspired to share your experiences.

As for my world, I had a pretty decent week of outings last week. However, the holiday weekend has prevented me from updating, so this post may become a "wall of text." I apologize in advance.

Last Tuesday was a pretty awesome day for me. I made it out twice in pretty well conceived outfits, at least by my standards.

Tuesday Afternoon - Since the weather is turning pretty nice, I decided to take my Nine West "Fredita" platform sandals out for a spin. They have a very nice stiletto heel (over 4 inches) with a small 1/2 inch platform. They are brown with some orange in them and are quite comfortable. I matched them with Lane Bryant denim trousers, a yellow dress shirt, and a brown suit jacket. The trousers are quite long and have a wide leg, which cover the shoes quite well, even with the tall heel, but my toes peep out quite nicely. All in all I was pretty pleased with my look.

I went to a shopping area in Pittsburgh called the South Side Works. It is a pretty trendy area with higher end shops (at least for Pittsburgh anyway) and the corporate headquarters for American Eagle Outfitters is located there as well. My first stop was a small bistro for lunch. It was just at the end of the lunch rush, and as I came in I passed several very well-dressed, young corporate types. I felt like my attire, though a bit more casual, fit right in. The hostess looked me up and down and smiled at me. I winked to confirm that "yes they are heels" and she blushed a bit. I had an enjoyable lunch, though the rest of the meal was without incident.

Next, I went into Nine West. They really didn't have too many 11's, though the clerk brought me three pair to try. She said she had the Freditias in black and loves them. We chatted about shoes and shopping for a few minutes and she suggested that I try Ann Taylor, which was having a "huge" sale. I told her I would do just that. However, my next stop was the Steve Madden store across the street. Again, not much in an 11, but the clerk was helpful and did look for a few styles for me.

Next, I was off to Ann Taylor. The store was pretty busy, I guess word on the sale was out. Though I have a fairly extensive "women's" wardrobe, most of my stuff came from Lane Bryant, so I am used to a specific type of service. LB is quite open and even supportive of men shopping, where as this experience was not as friendly. I did find a cute skirt, but I thought that it might be too big. I asked if I could try it on, the dressing room attendant said she would have to ask the manager. I waited, she never came back to me with an answer, so I figured it was a no go. The skirt was less than $5, so I went ahead and bought it, thibkng if it fit I would know my Ann Taylor size. Nothing to lose really.

My final stop was the Donna Karen shop. They had a few nice things, but nothing on sale. There was only one person working and I wanted to ask her if I could try something, just to see basically, but she was very absorbed in her activities. Customer service really isn't what it used to be. It was a pretty enjoyable afternoon.

Tuesday Night - A woman from work invited me to go to the Bruce Springsteen concert. I have mentioned her before, I actually had dinner with her once while I was wearing heels. She is one of those women that I think may be interested in me, but always seems to play hard to get at the moment of truth. Anyway, I like her, she likes me and occasionally we do stuff together. The dilemma is that she is only 5 feet tall. Though she is OK with me wearing heels, it makes it kind of awkward if she isn't. Anyway, I wore heels to the concert!

Again, I was pretty proud of my outfit. I wore a Levi's denim jacket, a crinkled white shirt with French cuffs, gold cuff links, Lane Braynt boot cut jeans, and black Nine West "Rhythm" ankle boots with a square toe and a 3 1/2" block heel. Not only do I think the outfit was well put together, it was also a PERFECT look for a Springsteen concert, in my opinion at least. The concert was amazing, I still didn't close the deal, but we did have a lot of fun. Though the boots were pretty simple, it was the first time I wore heels to an event like this and I am glad i did.

Thursday - Karoke night! I don't know the last time I went to this bar and didn't wear a skirt. I wore heels there for years, which became an expectation of the regulars, and not a skirt is becoming equally an expectation. I wore the skirt I bought at Ann Taylor on Tuesday afternoon. I matched it with a red silk mock turtleneck, off white nylons, and red Bandolino "Rianna" peep toe pumps. The Ann Taylor skirt is a little shorter than what I normally wear - slightly above the knee - but when I sat down I showed a lot more leg. It was a slightly different look, and I think it agreed with me.

I chatted with a few people I hadn't seen in quite a while. For them it was the first time they had seen me in a skirt and they all seemed to like it. Later, I was chatting with a young woman, who told me that I was the "prettiest girl in the place." We shared a drink and had a few laughs. I danced with a couple of young women and left after a couple of hours.

Friday Afternoon - Again, another shopping trip. I wore a black dress shirt, white Polo painters pants (yes, men's pants), and Nine West leopard (gold and black) "Accolia" sandals. The sandals are probably to dressy for my outfit, but I thought they worked quite well.

Since I liked my Ann Taylor skirt so much, I decided to go pick up another one. There was a nice navy blue skirt with some red in it, that was on sale for about $15. I since I have let the hair grow back on my legs for the summer, I need to wear darker nylons to keep it covered. I know, I should just shave year round, and I may do that, but I am not committed to it quite yet. I have several pair of navy nylons that would match it perfectly. However, when I got to the store there were two other skirts for less than $5 each, so I decided to pass on the blue and get a red skirt and brown skirt. With additional discounts, I got both skirts for $7.15.

Afterward, I went to Starbucks where I sat, wrote a few notes and listened to a couple of high school girls talk about whether if it cheating on their boyfriend if she is with another girl. High school must be quite different now than it was 20 years ago. They both saw my heels, though they didn't say anything, but they did keep looking.

Friday night - Just one last chance to wear heels before being relegated to guy shoes for the weekend. I went out to a neighborhood bar near m house. The crown here is usually young people and I had worn heels there before. This night I wore my 3 inch Ann Klein pumps in camel brown, Lane Bryant boot cut jeans, and an olive sateen dress shirt. The event was uneventful, nobody really noticed, but I did get out again in heels. The remarkable thing about this outing is that I am pretty sure that it is my 100th outing I have posted here. All of this in just over a year!

The other thing that my many outings have shown me is that it is time to shake about 25 pounds. Looking through my pictures, I am getting a bit to chubby for my liking. I'll be sure to get right on that...

Here are my five outfits from last week. I will post a picture of my shoes when I get it put together. For those of you who made it through this post...I hope you enjoyed!

[danielp6406]

Great outings again HappyFeat ! I like the sandals in picture #1. Perfect match with the outfit. Curious to see what will happen with your female co-worker...

[JeffB]

HappyFeat: Great pictures all, but the very first one I clicked on was the skirt pic which I thought was sensational. You certainly did keep busy with your outings, wearing a variety of stylish yet tasteful outfits that allowed you to blend in well with your surroundings. Bravo to you, my friend! I look forward to reading more of your exploits!

[Mr. X]

Very nice pictures! I especially like the all denim one.

[Bootking]

I agree with Mr. X - the denim set has my vote!

[HappyFeat]

...I like the sandals in picture #1. Perfect match with the outfit...

Great pictures all, but the very first one I clicked on was the skirt pic which I thought was sensational...

Very nice pictures! I especially like the all denim one.

I agree with Mr. X - the denim set has my vote!

Thanks for the comments guys! I am glad that the variety of outfits seemed to have different ones that appealed to different people. Truth be told, these were my three favorite from my last set. I was particularly proud of them myself.

I am posting the shots of the shoes I wore for all five outings last week. On a technical note, I am still trying to come up with a way to post better quality pictures in a way that makes them easier to view. Stay tuned...

[RonC]

The attachment here works well for me. It is large enough to get a good view. I'm usually not one for prints, but I like the animal print sandals!

[danielp6406]

HappyFeat :-) Your pictures are always clear and the resolution is more than enough. Glad to see a close up picture of the sandals you wore with outfit #1. Again, they are very nice.

[JeffB]

HappyFeat: Wow! What a wide variety of styles from one outing to the next! Most impressive indeed!

[HappyFeat]

Here are my latest set out outings. Also, I am trying a new image format. I have been playing with Photoshop a lot and have come up with a format that displays two poses (one standing, one sitting) and a closeup of my shoes. The files are a bit larger, but they are still smaller than two or three separate pictures of the same outfit. It should make viewing easier, plus give a really decent perspective of each outfit.

Tuesday evening - Karaoke night. I wore one of my new skirts that I bought at Ann Taylor last week. It is a winter skirt in brown plaid and would have looked fantastic with boots, but I decided to mix patterns a little bit and wore brown mesh tights. I matched the skirt with a Clayborne V-neck pullover and a camel jacket for a very "preppy" overall look. For shoes, I went conservative and wore brown, patent Bandolino "Carlynn" pumps.

The evening was rather slow, but I did run into a former student of mine. I really wish I had taken my camera with me because she was wearing really great sandals from Bakers. I wound up shooting pool with her and her new friend most of the evening. It was the first time I ever shot pool while wearing a skirt.

Wednesday evening - I decided to build on my "all denim" look from last week. This time in addition to my Levi's denim jacket, I wore skinny jeans from Avenue, a mint green dress shirt, and Sam and Libby "Throwback" round-toe pumps with a low three inch stiletto heel.

My evening activity was a trip to the bookstore. I got a lot of second looks, a few WTF glances and even a couple of smiles. I probably spent an hour browsing before checking out with a book on photographic lighting. Afterward, I went to the bar I was at the previous night, chatted with the owner and had a couple of cold ones.

Thursday afternoon - I liked the feeling of the skinny jeans and heels and after being a in fairly public place as I was on Wednesday, I wore my Calvin Klein straight leg (women's) jeans a tweed blazer, and a silk Murano short sleeve silk pullover. Since I am trying to work with my skinny jeans, I wanted a lower heeled shoes. I like to keep the heel height 3 inches or less with straight leg trousers personally. My options in that range really aren't that abundent, so I wound up wearing navy blue Bandolino "Sneakpeak" pumps. Though the outfit wasn't my favorite, I felt OK with it.

First, I had some work to do with my computer so I went to Panera to take advantage of the free Internet access. I spent about an hour in the store during the lunch rush. I was noticed by a lot of people, even getting a smile and a wink from a women working at at table in the corner. In fact, when I came into the store two young women saw me and basically had their faces pressed to the glass as I walked by. Ironically, while I was in the store and not far from them, they never really seemed to make any effort to look. The funniest thing was several employees swept the floor very near my table during the time I was there. I must be a real slob...lol

The rest of the day was spent traveling around town checking out various consignment stores. I looked mainly at bottoms and shoes, but the selection in 11 was quite limited. I think in the five or six stores I visited, I found three pair total. I did buy a pair of used Aldo slide mules with an interesting vamp and a cute 3 inch stiletto heel. They were $10 and a size 40, but I thought for the price I could deal with less than an outstanding fit. I was really surprised when the woman checking me out made absolutely no comment because she watched me closely the whole time I was shopping. The only comment that I got was from a lady at the last store I was in. When I was walking out of the store, she asked me my shoe size and I told her an 11 and she said they may be getting more in so I should come back.

Friday Morning - I wanted to look *nice* today, but not overdressed, which I have the tendency to do on occasion. I went with a pair of black Lane Bryant "Lafayette" dress slacks, and a crinkled white oxford shirt. I wore my Levi's denim jacket to juxtapose the the dressy look of the trousers and shirt. I wore my Enzio Angoli "Mylsit" peep toe sling backs because they may be the trendiest pair of black shoes I own. I was a bit worried about my toes which are in rough shape - my pedicure isn't until next Tuesday, but since the toes just "peep" I thought it was OK.

The reason for this was I wanted to go back to the "Footloose" store and see if I could just bump into the exotic brunette I talked to a couple of weeks ago. However, since I got an early start, I went to Starbucks, had some oatmeal and steamed milk. Though my shoes were peep toes, my trousers covered them quite well. A few people noticed, but all in all I didn't notice any extra attention than a normal heeling adventure.

When I got to the store, she was working. She didn't recognize me at first, but once she did, she was very friendly and helpful. I wanted to get some quality time so to speak, so I browsed the shoes and found a very nice pair of patent t-strap Boutique 9 sandals and told her I wanted to try them. This store doesn't have chairs- it has sofas. I took a seat and trued the shoe. It actually fit quite nicely so she offered to get the mate. When she brought it back, she sat down next to me while I tried it on. Leaning into the corner of the sofa as I modeled the shoes she told me they were very nice, but would be best for "going out." The left shoe was way too tight however so I decided to pass on them, but i told her I might be back to try them again. She even said that she really liked the shoes I was wearing.

For the next 30 minutes, we sat next to each other on the sofa and talked about our lives. She was quite excited to learn that I wasn't gay and we discussed the possibility of me contracting with the store to design a Web site and database. We talked about my wearing of heels, about other male customers, and she even told a story about her 10 year old son wearing her friend's heels the other day (she was cool with it). I learned that she is the shoe buyer for the stores (they are local stores), she is from NYC, vacations on the Jersey shore, has a son, has a pool, and spends a lot of time with friends. I asked her if she would like to have lunch and discuss the Web site and she said to check back next week. Which I will do.

All in all it was a very exciting week - good conversation and a good chance to experiment with different looks. Can't wait to see what's next!

[JeffB]

Bravo, HappyFeat! BRAVO! You sure know how to style and profile! The first pic was terrific as that outfit was sensational, especially with the tights which worked perfectly with your skirt. Liked the pumps too! I don't mind saying you've taken your skirt wearing in directions that hadn't occurred to me----at least not yet! Heh! Your other outfits were great too, pumps works to so well with jeans and you demonstrated that very well. I'm envious of how often you get out and about and of the outfits you sport in your travels. Once again, BRAVO!

[danielp6406]

Greatings HappyFeat :-)

Another nice week you spent wearing heels and nice outfits !

Bravo for the skirt and the brown mesh tights: You got a lot of nerve !

It is always nice to see someone wearing what he wants where he wants.

I like the denin look too. Your new image format is a very good idea.

Happy heeling !

[roniheels]

Greatings HappyFeat :-)

Another nice week you spent wearing heels and nice outfits !

Bravo for the skirt and the brown mesh tights: You got a lot of nerve !

It is always nice to see someone wearing what he wants where he wants.

I like the denin look too. Your new image format is a very good idea.

Happy heeling !

The only thing I can add to this is to please keep sharing the many different combinations of wardrobe and high heels with us. You have inspired all of us, not only those of us who wear high heels in public, but those who are thinking of doing so. Congratulations on a wonderful week for you.

[RonC]

Happy, I like the new photo format! Much nicer to have several shots to browse through! Good luck on the web site deal (and of course, with the "exotic" lady! lol.

[HappyFeat]

I thought I was going to see a pretty big reduction in my time to heel, but that still hasn't materialized, so here are my latest outings!

Saturday Morning - Just a causal day out in heels. I had some morning errands, so I decided to do it in heels. The big deal for me was that I went to my bank branch in heels. I never did this before because I never knew how they would react and I see them a lot. I just don't care any more. One teller did give me a long glance and I am sure they talked about me after I was gone. Again, don't care. I did my grocery shopping and went to he post office. I don't know what kind of reactions I got because I just didn't pay that much attention.

Oh, my outfit was a burgundy Clayborne pullover, Lane Bryant wide leg khaki trousers, and brown patent Bandolino "MacDougal" loafers with a 2 inch block heel.

Monday Morning - Again another errand running outing. The big experiment was to go back to the bank in slightly (very slightly) more obvious shoes. I wore a black short sleeve pullover sweater, Lane Bryant Khaki trousers, and black Nine West "Appaladay" loafers with a 2 inch stiletto heel. Far from over the top, but they were obviously not from the men's department. Again, a couple glances at the bank and a smile from the woman behind me in line. The same teller made an effort to look. No comments, but that doesn't surprise me. I went to a couple fo drug stores afterward without much incident. Of course I was far from obvious in my attire.

Tuesday Afternoon - I had an appointment for a full spa treatment - haircut, manicure, pedicure - at least for me that it. I didn't wear heels to the appointment, choosing the more practical flip-flps to wear post pedicure. I got a very nice subtle pinkish brown color on my toes. Very neutral and nice for summer. Afterward I went window shopping. My outfit was a silk and cotton pullover shirt, black linen drawstring trousers, and for my heeling, gray (warm clay) Nine West "Dipurhips" slide mules. My shopping consisted of an hour or so trying on shoes and visiting at the Nine West outlet, browsing Ann Klein, Lane Bryant and Jones New York outlets, and having lunch. The most exciting part of the day was talking to the JNY store manager as I shopped. Though she wouldn't let me use the fitting room, she was very helpful and never once was uncomfortable.

Tuesday Night - Karaoke night. Spent most of the evening drifting between three different women. One was with her boyfriend, a bit too tipsy and really pissing him off. Though she was very beautiful, part of our conversation was that she couldn't get a job due to a felony conviction and serving 3 years in the joint. If Bubba thought I ran with an interesting crowd before, this is ought to get him rolling. The woman I spent most of my time with was a fascinating Asian woman who was very fun to talk with. She is a big "Twilight" fan, and is even going to a convention, not to mention could sing the entire Pretenders catalog. Though we flirted heavily, danced a bit, she is married and was just out for fun. Being a gentleman isn't always so bad...

My outfit was far from typical for a gentleman however. I wore a white pullover, black knit skirt, black footless tights and black Nine West "Tomcat" sandals (had to show off my ped, even thought it was really quite chilly).

So that's it for now....more to come!