The Happy Feats of HappyFeat

[JeffB]

Yo, HappyFeat: Big ups on your latest outings. Your pics showed, as usual, your fine sense of style, particularly pic #3 as your bag matched your shoes! Bravo! Color coordination is crucial! The more I read of your exploits, the more impressed I become. Keep up the great work, my friend! You are quite the inspiration to us. danielp6406: I agree with your assessment about men and what we put in our handbags. Speaking just for myself, I keep stuff at a minimum when I use a bag: wallet, cell phone, car keys, house keys. That's it, but then, I'm a firm believer in traveling light. TBG: I agree with you as well. If you can't be comfortable when out and about in a skirt and heels, then you just plain shouldn't attempt it. Period! As for why I wear skirts and heels, simple, because I enjoy doing so. Nothing more complicated than that.

[HappyFeat]

My outings continued this week, which were very relaxing. This begs the question for me - does wearing heels relax me or do I just do relaxing things when I am wearing heels? Either way, heeling is a whole lot of fun. Wednesday - I went to karaoke night and since spring is coming I am letting the hair grow back on my legs. Because of this, I felt like wearing a skirt since soon it will be out of the question until next fall. I wore dark nylons which were more than enough to cover the fuzz. I may still have a couple of weeks that I can get away with a skirt, so I may squeeze in at least one more outing. My outfit consisted of a black dress shirt, knee length Lane Bryant denim skirt, black nylons and Nine West "Gillman" slingback pumps. The evening was uneventful except for talking to the manager about a business proposition and flirting a little with the bartender. But it was nice to get out- especially in a skirt again. Thursday - I went to the neighborhood bar again that is frequented mainly by 20 somethings. I wore a black suede sports coat, blue seersucker shirt, Lane Bryant flare jeans that are long enough to cover my shoes, and a pair of old Nine West d'Orsay pumps with a round toe and a 3 inch heel. Usually I run into somebody i know or at least have met, but not this night. Though the bar was crowded, the clientele was fairly devoid of personality. I had a couple of beers, watched people and headed home. Friday - I had three hours free in the afternoon so I took full advantage. I wore the same jacket from the night before with a black striped dress shirt, Lane Bryant long bootcut jeans black patterned trouser socks and an old pair of Nine West loafers with a 3 inch block heel. I took my computer to Panerra Bread, got caught up on some work, browsed HHPlace, and ate lunch. I was there for well over an hour and was noticed only by a pair of attractive, college age Asian women as was leaving. They smiles at me as they stared at my shoes. I gae them a wink when they looked up. I hit the bookstore for an hour or so of browsing, I flirted with one of the women working a bit and even bought a book. It was a very nice afternoon. As spring comes around, I am hoping these weeks of multiple outings are able to continue! I hope everybody is getting out as often as they can. There is nothing to fear al all.

[danielp6406]

Greatings HappyFeat :-)

Nice denim skirt and d'Orsay pumps. They look very comfortable.

Congrats

[Thighbootguy]

This begs the question for me - does wearing heels relax me or do I just do relaxing things when I am wearing heels? I’ll bet some of folks, that are new to heeling, read that question and could not comprehend “going out in heels and relaxing”. That is because they haven’t acquired the confidence in themselves, and the look they are presenting, that will allow them to relax. You obviously have, and should be model to which new heelers can look. But to your question… I suspect it is more that you do relaxing things while wearing heels. My own experience is, although I am comfortable wearing thigh boots, I am still on guard when I am out, in fact, I often come home exhausted (happy, but exhausted). Complacency is an easy trap to fall into and I’d rather be on guard than sorry I wasn’t. Once I have been somewhere wearing boots and I am fairly sure that it is a “safe” place, I can back off the guard and relax and really enjoy just being out. You may notice in my posts that I tend to repeat going to some places a lot. By the way, boots hide most of the leg fuzz. The taller they are the more fuzz they hide.

[JeffB]

HappyFeat: Great outings, as always! That pic in the black denim skirt and slings was sensational! Makes me want to look for a black skirt like yours! I think I'd look great in one! On the leg fuzz issue, I've never had to worry about leg hair which doesn't grows on mine, so if I can wear skirts all year 'round. But I opt for wearing hosiery which evens out my skin tone. However, with spring on the way, I might just go barelegged more often. On the topic of being relaxed while out and about in heels, oh, sure, that comes naturally to me a well. I feel so at peace when wearing what I want to wear and that lends to that easy, peaceful feeling because I'm having so much fun. For example, sitting in the lounge area of a bookstore with a beverage and a magazine or two or three while in heels and a skirt is very relaxing to me, and I enjoy that greatly. And that relaxation is helped from being in an environment, like a bookstore where I know from plenty of past experiences I've never had any problems and can let my hair down, metaphorically speaking.

[HappyFeat]

I guess the more I heel, the less eventful outings become.

Yeah, that happens. You really start to believe that wearing heels and skirts is a reasonable way to dress and become very comfortable presenting that image. Next, you start asking yourself questions about why you’re wearing heels and skirts. Here is where the rubber hits the road. Now that it is not an exciting adventure just to get out of the car, you can make a more accurate assessment of the look you are presenting and the reason for presenting it

I’ll offer no conclusions at this point.

I hit this stage a while back and still haven’t gotten a good answer about why I wear thighboots and skirts.

I think you hit the proverbial nail on the head here. For me, there was a time that I would just slap on a pair of heels and go, with minimal thought about the entire ensemble. It was fun, but as my heeling evolved, I put more and more thought into it. Now, I wear women's bottoms almost exclusively and have taken it into skirts, crop pant, capris, gauchos, nail polish, accessories, etc.

I think you put it best by saying that as I see my fashion creativity as reasonable while expanding my options, I feel more comfortable. Where I have gotten with all of this has been completely surprising to me. Now I am as confident, and maybe more so in my alternative wardrobe as I am in my work clothes.

All of this does lead to outings becoming a bit less interesting, not because all of the things don't happen around me that used to, I just don't notice, or care nearly as much.

By the way, I do think your look is great and I appreciate reading your posts.

Thank you for the support. I appreciate feedback and comments from you as well as the many other people who have been so supportive.

This begs the question for me - does wearing heels relax me or do I just do relaxing things when I am wearing heels?

I’ll bet some of folks, that are new to heeling, read that question and could not comprehend “going out in heels and relaxing”. That is because they haven’t acquired the confidence in themselves, and the look they are presenting, that will allow them to relax. You obviously have, and should be model to which new heelers can look.

But to your question… I suspect it is more that you do relaxing things while wearing heels. My own experience is, although I am comfortable wearing thigh boots, I am still on guard when I am out, in fact, I often come home exhausted (happy, but exhausted). Complacency is an easy trap to fall into and I’d rather be on guard than sorry I wasn’t. Once I have been somewhere wearing boots and I am fairly sure that it is a “safe” place, I can back off the guard and relax and really enjoy just being out. You may notice in my posts that I tend to repeat going to some places a lot.

On the topic of being relaxed while out and about in heels, oh, sure, that comes naturally to me a well. I feel so at peace when wearing what I want to wear and that lends to that easy, peaceful feeling because I'm having so much fun. For example, sitting in the lounge area of a bookstore with a beverage and a magazine or two or three while in heels and a skirt is very relaxing to me, and I enjoy that greatly. And that relaxation is helped from being in an environment, like a bookstore where I know from plenty of past experiences I've never had any problems and can let my hair down, metaphorically speaking.

Both replies have a lot of valid points and I agree. I think that JeffB sums up how I feel exactly. There is a lot of joy in just having the confidence to live how you choose to live - wear what you want - but we all have our favorite places to go, both in and out of heels. My heeling time is my relaxing time, so it makes sense to feel relaxed when heeling.

Thighbootguy also makes a valid point about being on guard and becoming comfortable with a place before heeling there too often. Though my gaurd isn't nearly as high as it was when I first stared heeling, I am still more aware of who is around me when I am out. A perfect case in point is my two recent outings to a bar in my neighborhood. Though there crowd is diverse, on certain nights it is a real pickup joint for the college age set. I know alcohol, young horney guys trying to impress the ladies, and testosterone don't always mix well and a guy in heels is a good target for some young buck wanting to prove his manhood. So, I wore fairly inconspicuous heels with longer cut jeans and paid close attention to those around me. This is true for a lot of places that I go, but I am finding the happy medium of how on gaurd I have to be versus how much I can just go about my business.

Experience, tempered with judgment is the best teacher here. I am sure some folks do think that it is quite strange that anybody would ever say that doing anything different, let alone something like going out in heels can be relaxing, but experience has taught me that it is just relaxing to be yourself.

I guess why I keep my thread going is that I would like people who want to get out, but are apprehensive to have a resource- the evolution of a heeler, so to speak. Its one thing for those of us who fought through the initial anxiety of simply getting out of the car to browsing the mall in a skirt and heels to offer advice, but what I want (as many of us - if I may be so bold - who share our experiences) is to offer our trials as real examples of how we mad it happen. I would like to think that there are guys who read this and think I have wanted to do it, maybe I can.

By the way, boots hide most of the leg fuzz. The taller they are the more fuzz they hide.

HappyFeat: Great outings, as always! That pic in the black denim skirt and slings was sensational! Makes me want to look for a black skirt like yours! I think I'd look great in one! On the leg fuzz issue, I've never had to worry about leg hair which doesn't grows on mine, so if I can wear skirts all year 'round. But I opt for wearing hosiery which evens out my skin tone. However, with spring on the way, I might just go barelegged more often.

Skirts are so much fun and are remarkably comfortable. It has been my experience with my limited times out in mainstream settings while wearing a skirt that it attracts much less attention than most people would assume. Since I am relatively new to skirting, the leg hair issue is relatively new to me. I have shaved the last few winters, but always let it grow back in for the summer, which is where I am at now.

I find it ironic that for me boot season and bare legs season seem to overlap. I am not sure if I would wear boots in the summer months, but who knows, if the mood strikes me I just may do that. Also, I have done the two pair of nylons thing in the summer, which is not terribly comfortable and can be very hot, so I might as well wear boots. We will see where it goes. This may be the last year I have hairy legs. Frankly, I lke smooth for the way it feels much better. Its all apart of the evolution.

I am quite jealous JeffB. Not having to wory too much about legs hair is a great thing. But you really love wearing skirts, so it works out quite well. I love going bare legged and think that if you can get away with it, show off those gams all summer long!

Greatings HappyFeat :-)

Nice look as usual. ( I already said it all before !) I noticed you are wearing a purse.

Also a perfect match too. Are you using a purse for a long time ? (don't think so)

I notice it is quite small and it doesn't look too full or heavy (Compared to a women's purse)

A women's purse is a different story since their purse always seems to be too small

(I guess we don't need to carry with us as much items as they do...)

Happy heeling !

Yo, HappyFeat: Big ups on your latest outings. Your pics showed, as usual, your fine sense of style, particularly pic #3 as your bag matched your shoes! Bravo! Color coordination is crucial! The more I read of your exploits, the more impressed I become. Keep up the great work, my friend! You are quite the inspiration to us.

danielp6406: I agree with your assessment about men and what we put in our handbags. Speaking just for myself, I keep stuff at a minimum when I use a bag: wallet, cell phone, car keys, house keys. That's it, but then, I'm a firm believer in traveling light.

Yes, back to what Thighbootguy had mentioned about the whole look. I don't often carry a handbag, but I am growing to like them more than I imagined. I like small bags with long straps. I went on eBay and picked up a few Coach leather bags in various colors to match outfits. It is a great feeling to have pulled off a great match. Also, in that particular outfit, I tried to macth my shirt to my nail polish. Silly maybe, but what fun!

JeffB, you are right on about the bag. Since a bag for me is only an occasional thing, it just has to house my ID, cash, keys, phone, and maybe a camera. I do put a pen and a notepad in as well, which I wouldn't always carry if I had pockets. People who carry a bag all the time would simply accumulate junk in it until it was full. I have no need for makeup, lipstick or the like, though occasionally I do carry lip balm or gloss.

A bag is simply necessary when pockets are not available. Now that I have a bag to go with it, I may get out in the black dress I posted earlier!

Greatings HappyFeat :-)

Nice denim skirt and d'Orsay pumps. They look very comfortable.

Congrats

Thanks, the skirt is one of my favorites. I think I have worn it out three or four times this winter alone. It works great with pumps, but boots take it to the next level. The d'Orsday pumps are quite comfortable and I really need to wear them more.

I am hoping to have outings starting today. I will keep you posted. Thanks for all of the thoughts and input.

[JeffB]

I think you hit the proverbial nail on the head here. For me, there was a time that I would just slap on a pair of heels and go, with minimal thought about the entire ensemble. It was fun, but as my heeling evolved, I put more and more thought into it. Now, I wear women's bottoms almost exclusively and have taken it into skirts, crop pant, capris, gauchos, nail polish, accessories, etc.

For years, I've put a great deal of effort in properly coordinating my ensembles, having figured out that it isn't just about the shoes, they have to be part of a total outfit. And that has become even more importatnt to me of late, thanks to my newly developed passion for wearing skirts. If you're going to wear articles of clothing most associated with women, then it's crucial that you look your very best so you don't come across looking like some sort of freak. Speaking just for myself, I don't want to hear someone say, "Look at that nutty guy in a skirt" rather, "Hey! He looks good in that skirt".

I think that JeffB sums up how I feel exactly. There is a lot of joy in just having the confidence to live how you choose to live - wear what you want - but we all have our favorite places to go, both in and out of heels. My heeling time is my relaxing time, so it makes sense to feel relaxed when heeling.

Being able to regularly visit your favorite haunts, dressed as you want and being able to blend in with your surroundings without incident instinctively makes you feel comfortable and extremely at ease. That's why I prefer daytime jaunts to places I feel most at ease in, like bookstores and choice mall locations, comfort in your surroundings is vital.

Skirts are so much fun and are remarkably comfortable. It has been my experience with my limited times out in mainstream settings while wearing a skirt that it attracts much less attention than most people would assume.

I've also found that out too. While I have attracted a few glances here and there, it's not really all that apparent as with heels, people do notice but don't say anything.

I find it ironic that for me boot season and bare legs season seem to overlap. I am not sure if I would wear boots in the summer months, but who knows, if the mood strikes me I just may do that.

I usually pack away the boots after April or so when the weather really warms up, so I don't have all that much time to wander around in my thigh highs, but I intend to get in one last outing or two before the boot season ends.

I am quite jealous JeffB. Not having to wory too much about legs hair is a great thing. But you really love wearing skirts, so it works out quite well. I love going bare legged and think that if you can get away with it, show off those gams all summer long!

Don't worry! I intend to! As the weather turns warmer, my goal is to go on more and more outing in skirts because I do love wearing them as they feel perfectly natural on me, and they look damn good on me too! Perhaps I might try a shirtdress once summer arrives and the season demands lighter weight fabrics. As for the leg hair issue, or rather the lack of same, I guess it all boils down to good genes I guess. Heh! Now if I can do something with these toenails of mine, I might even give sandals a try! HA!

[danielp6406]

...On the leg fuzz issue, I've never had to worry about leg hair which doesn't grows on mine...

Greatings JeffB :-)

Same as HappyFeat, I envy you on this issue ...

I keep my legs shaved from early fall to end of winter and I need to shave them 3-4 times a week !

( I wish having less hair on my legs and more on my head ! )

Warm weather is coming back so like many others, I will also let the leg hair grow back for next summer

Happy heeling !

[HappyFeat]

Again, another nice week with some fun chances to get out in heels. This week allowed me the chance to have five outings in five days. Though none was more then a couple of hours and in one outing I spent most of it barefoot (not as strange as it seems) I did have a lot of fun. Tuesday - Black Clayborne Sweater, Lane Bryant bootcut jeans and Nine West "Godspeed" slingbacks. I love my LB "Right Fit" jeans and wear them almost exclusively. I own them with a regular inseam as well as a tall inseam. These are the regulars which makes heels really stand out. The NW slingbacks I wore have a small heel, only about 2 inches, and are great with my shorter jeans. I went to breakfast at Panera Bread, one of my favorite haunts because of the mixed clientele and free wireless Internet access. The lace was crowded and I did get a lot of attention. One older woman in a business suit was glancing at my feet and when she looked up I smiled, which she took as an invitation to stare longer. I did chat with a young couple at the booth next to me, but they never mentioned my shoes, though they both stole obvious looks. Wednesday - Black suede jacket, white dress shirt, charcoal LB dress pants, and Nine West "Appleday" loafers. These loafers have a kitten stilletto heel, a little less than 2 inches in height. They are quite discreet and a lot of fun. I had a meeting cancelled and decided that I needed a pedicure. I went to JC Penny, just as a walk in. Luckly they could take me right away. The woman who did my pedicure was in her 60's and made no comment about my shoes, though she was in the room when I took them off. When she saw the deep purple nail polish, she asked if I wanted color again and brought me a basket to choose a new color. I wanted something neutral, and decided on OPI "Chocolate Moose" a nice deep beige. Though not as bold as purple, I do like the color a lot. We chatted and she did a wonderful job. I sat in the chair of a good half hour waiting for my nails to dry bafore slipping on my shoes and heading on. Thursday - Karaoke Night - Navy blue Polo silk pullover, Lane Bryant khaki trousers and Villager "Rave" navy opent toe pumps. I wanted to show off my pedicure and it was on the warm side so after much deliberation, I chose peep toes. When I arrived at the bar, I saw many people that I hadn't seen in months. One person was terribly disappointed that I wasn't wearing a skirt because she wore a skirt in case I showed up. It was a cery nice evening, though I drank a bit more than I planned on and had to get a ride home. Its always fun taking a cab the next day to get your car. Friday - Black checked jacket, black Polo turtleneck, LB flare jeans (talls), and Baker's Kamilla pumps. These are my highest heels and I basically wore them to impress the clerk at Lane Bryant who I have a running flirtation. She is married and it isn't ever going anywhere, but I am a flirt and she is really cute. I had a coupon to spend and the store was very busy. I met two new employees who were really cool to me. I wound up buying a denim jacket and skirt combo that was very cheap and I may get to wear in the next week or so. Saturday - Purplish wool jacket, red Clayborne mock neck, LB bootcut jeans (tall) and red Nine West "Janetto" pumps. I love these shoes and they got burried in the back of my closet so they haven't been worn for a while. I wore them with black trouser socks, which I always considered a fuax pas, but it looked OK when I put it together, so I went with it. My main purpose was to visit the Nine West outlet. It had been a while since I had been there and the manager had been e-mailing me asking when I was coming. The store was packed. I tried on about 10 pair, chatted with the staff and even a couple of customers. There is one pair of sandals that I love, nut they are still pricey. I did but a pair of brown and orange sandals that I hope to wear with my new pedicure. In each of my outings, I know that I did get a lot of looks, glances, etc. However, I was pretty focused on doing my thing and really don't care that much anymore. It is just great to be out in heels as often as possible. I may not be done today. If all goes well, which is always a big if, I may break another barrier tonight. We'll see.

[Mr. X]

Nice outings and pictures! I think I like the first and last pics the best.

[Bubba136]

Attitude, appearance and confidence. All three are necessary to pull off wearing heels in public. And, Happy Feat, you do it all so well.

[antneed]

Thank you sooooo much for your posts Happy!! They make visiting HH Place fun!! You are an inspiration to all us high heel loving dudes!

[Bootking]

HappyFeat, what next? Pics #1 and #2 - great!!

[JeffB]

HappyFeat: Once again, you've impressed me with your fine sense of style in your outfits. Admittedly, I've never tried blazers, but now you've given me something to think about!

[HappyFeat]

OK, I finally did it! I wore my black knit dress out for an evening! It was more fun than I could ever imagine. I combined it with black nylons and Nine West "Aleena" peep toe, ankle strap d'Orsay pumps. A great dress deserves some really sexy shoes, right? I completed the outfit with a small Coach black leather bag. I went to a birthday party of an acquaintance of mine held at the club where I go to Karaoke on Thursday nights. I was greeted at the door by one of the girls i was flirting with the other night, who grabbed me, hugged me and kept going on and on and on about how wonderful I looked. This attracted the attention of several other people who came over, added complements and I posed for some snapshots. Two or three other girls asked me about my shoes...where I got them, how can I walk in them, etc. It took me half an hour before I could even get in the door, but I loved the attention. It appears that my taste in fashion is becoming something of a local urban legend. The only reason I excused myself and headed in was that a dress when it is 30 degrees F is a bit chilly. I went to the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender was glad to see me and ran around to check me out and give me a huge hug. It had been weeks since I had been in while she was working. I bounced around, even had a couple of rounds of drinks sent my way from admirers. I ran into a woman who used to do my nails. I hadn't seen her in years, and she is engaged to a woman the I knew from an art class I took years ago. I danced with them, and may get a contract to be the photographer at a lesbian commitment ceremony. Boy, I have an interesting life. I danced a few more numbers, flirted around a bit and eventually wound up sharing a bottle of wine with the bartender. It was great fun and everybody loved the dress. I wish I had done it much sooner! Another personal barrier broken...now to figure out my next goal... Attached are some pics of my outfit. The poses are silly, but I was having too much fun!

[radiodave]

Very nice! I think the compliments you received were well deserved!

[Bubba136]

Wow! What an interesting group of people you are acquainted with. I enjoy reading your adventures. And, I'm sure there are many others here that also enjoy them. Keep it up. You are truly an inspiration to all..

[Bootking]

OK, I finally did it! I wore my black knit dress out for an evening! It was more fun than I could ever imagine. I combined it with black nylons and Nine West "Aleena" peep toe, ankle strap d'Orsay pumps. A great dress deserves some really sexy shoes, right?

Incredible!!! I asked you what was next and you surpassed all expectations!!!! Great look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JeffB]

Yo, HappyFeat! Bravo, my friend! BRAVO!!! You looked absolutely sensational in that dress which you accessorized to perfection with the hosiery and shoes! Maybe the only thing you left out was a strand of pearls! HA! You certainly stood out in a fabulous way, no wonder you were the center of attention on your outing! I'm highly impressed with your sense of style and your boldness! More power to you!

[Bootking]

Yo, HappyFeat! Bravo, my friend! BRAVO!!!Maybe the only thing you left out was a strand of pearls!

HappyFeat, is that on the drawing board???

[HappyFeat]

Very nice! I think the compliments you received were well deserved!

Incredible!!! I asked you what was next and you surpassed all expectations!!!! Great look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yo, HappyFeat! Bravo, my friend! BRAVO!!! You looked absolutely sensational in that dress which you accessorized to perfection with the hosiery and shoes! Maybe the only thing you left out was a strand of pearls! HA! You certainly stood out in a fabulous way, no wonder you were the center of attention on your outing! I'm highly impressed with your sense of style and your boldness! More power to you!

Thank you friends for the wonderful support and complements. It was one of the more fun experiences of my heeling life and I felt very comfortable and content. Never underestimate the importance of location. I am lucky to have a place where I can go, be accepted and try new things. I am not sure if I would ever just don a dress and go anywhere, but it was so much fun to try it at least once.

There is one thing that I can say about my dress experience, if anybody ever decides to do it, just know that you better have confidence and not be shy because you are going to be exposed. I didn't think it would be that different from wearing a skirt, but it somehow is.

As for pearls, I did give some thought to accessorizing with jewelry or maybe a scarf. This may seem like a strange comment, but even though I wore a dress, I didn't want to make it look like a costume. Just me in a dress. I am asked a lot if I do "full femme" or if I ever do makeup, wig, etc. That really isn't me. I am just a guy who likes clothes from the other side of the store and think I can pull it off pretty well.

Of course it should surprise anybody, but I did spend a lot of time deciding on my shoes and opted for peep toes with nylons. For me, this is a long ongoing debate inside my own head, but I gave it a try and thought that it worked out very well.

Wow! What an interesting group of people you are acquainted with. I enjoy reading your adventures. And, I'm sure there are many others here that also enjoy them. Keep it up. You are truly an inspiration to all..

It sure is an interesting group of people that I have found, isn't it? Its a gift of mine to find open-minded, kind of out tere people even in pretty structured environments. I am fortunate hat I do have several people who accept me and even embrace my own eccentricities.

Congratulations on your outing. I'm sure it was thrilling beyond what words can do justice for. I hope some day you can toy with a camera while gaming these girls. Would love to see some on site documentary!

As far as the flock of people at the door, that's the power of Social Proof. It's a primary reason why I open alot of conversations with a lot of different girls when I'm out. It's like I go in a circle, a round if you will. Then when other girls see me talking to other girls, it increases my value and makes me more desirable.

Great to hear from you kneehighs! You make an outstanding point.

I think heeling is the ultimate example of social proof and how it impacts us every day. Even with this particular group of people, I was not accepted at first...just being thought of as the guy in heels. Trust me, the environment is far from mainstream, but it still has its own set of mores and is subject to group think. So, I jst started talking to people and as they ot to know me, my heels were either cool or of no consequence. Now as people greet me in such an accepting way, new people don't seem to pre-judge as quickly.

The main thing that strikes me is that in order to be comfortable as a public heeler, you really need to let go of all of the fear of standing out from the crowd, because you are going to. And who made these stupid rules anyway, so why should I care if people think I am odd for breaking them. Well, if that's why they think I odd, they really need to get to know me and then they might have plenty of reasons to think that...LOL Social conformity for the sake of social conformity is just a silly thing.

[Dawn HH]

Happyfeat:-) The silly poses aside---I think you looked natural and quite comfortable in your dress. You accessorized it perfectly with the hose and shoes Your acceptance at that establishment certainly does you well. Congrats to you as you are a leader in your own right. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[HappyFeat]

Happyfeat:-)

The silly poses aside---I think you looked natural and quite comfortable in your dress. You accessorized it perfectly with the hose and shoes Your acceptance at that establishment certainly does you well. Congrats to you as you are a leader in your own right.

Cheers---

Dawn HH

Dawn HH, it is great to see a post from you in this thread! It has been quite some time and I truly appreciate your input. Thank you!

The outings continue! I cannot say for sure, but I don't think that I have made it out in heels for five consecutive days before, even for a quick jaunt around the block. However, this week I was able to do so each day for at least one hour at a time. Though the outings were mostly uneventful, I am now comfortable wearing heels under most circumstances anywhere I go. For me, this is a big accomplishment, achieved through just getting out and doing it. The irony is that the outings may be mundane, but if the wearing of heels is normal (at least to me), then outings are not always going t be terribly exciting. Heels have almost become "no big deal" to me, which is a great feeling!

Monday - Tweed Jacket, Gap off-white sweater, black Lane Bryant wide leg trousers, Bass leather/suede "Alanas" booties. Before work, I went to Starbucks to try their new oatmeal (very good actually) and finish a couple of things due that morning. The coffee shop was crowded, manly groups of women who were meeting before their day's activities. I did get a lot of glances when I set down, but as I ate and worked, I really didn't pay attention to others much. I did catch an older woman wearing a pants suit and great Bandolino open toe wedges periodically checking me out, but I was in her line of sight, and lets face it people who wear great shoes (or at least good ones) will check out shoes on others.

One group of young women when they left all spoke and smiled to me on their way out. I figure they had to see, but could not be certain. After about 45 minutes in the store a young woman wearing a black pants suit and green, patent, stiletto, pointy toe pumps came in. She went to the counter and was ordering several drinks for a to go order. I decided that I really wanted to talk to her, so I went headed in her direction only to see that y the time I got there, she was already sending a text message. I returned to my table and packed up my stuff as to time it so I could hold the door for hew when she left with her large order. Since I was near the door I could watch and wait. My plan worked perfectly.

We both reached the door, I offered to hold it for her, and told her how much I loved her shoes. She thanked me and told me she bought them at Bakers. I said that I never have much luck at Bakers because they seldom carry an 11. She didn't even bat an eyelash ad as we walked to our cars we talked about shoe shopping in the area, comparing notes about different brands and styles. We talked for about 5 minutes as she loaded the coffee in her car and we parted. She wasn't phased in the least that I bought heels, let alone was wearing them. A pretty nice experience to say the least.

Tuesday - Sports coat, black Polo turtleneck, Avenue straight leg jeans, Nine West "Tornado" boots. The weather was a bit of a winter mix on Tuesday and I had some errands to run in the evening, so I decided to pull out my boots while I still had a chance. But since I have been pushing myself to try new things, I wore the boots over my jeans. This was a first for me, but the Tornado boots are way too nice to hide. I bought gas (a few long and curious glances from the few people who caught a peek), went to the ATM, and then to the post office (it was closed, just the lobby, so nobody to see).

I then went to Lane Bryant to return a couple of things. Of course everybody there has seen me in heels, so I didn't expect much of a reaction. There was a new person working whom I really haven't gotten to know, so i wasn't sure what to expect. We chatted, she took my items and completed the transaction. Afterward we talked about the weather, and she showed me several new items that had gotten in during the last week. She showed me a couple of dresses that would "go great with those boots." I thanked her and left. I went to the Shoe Department and talked to a women who worked there, mainly about cooking and baking for Easter, and she showed me a few things that had come in. Nothing really interesting, however. One guy shopping in the store saw me and his eyes got as big as pancakes, including the subtle "jaw drop." I guess he had never seen anything quite like me...he really needs to get out more. A customer came to check out, and I headed on.

Wednesday - Jacket, Clayborne Silk mock neck pullover, Lane Bryant Bootcut jeans, and red Nine West "Gooro" boots. Wednesday is usually a short day for me, so when my afternoon meeting was canceled, it was even shorter, giving me some free time. I changed into my heeling outfit and went to Panera for tea, a snack, and free Internet access.

I truly love going out in red shoes because there is no hiding them and they are such a great alternative to boring black or brown. Of course I did get noticed, but the people in this particular part of town aren't very outgoing. The girl who took my order was a bit shocked by my appearance, though she tried her best not to let me think she was shaken. I would have said something to her, but since she was working I didn't want to put her further on the spot.

I grabbed a seat near front window and went to work on my computer. As people came in, I would glance up and catch their amazement at my boots, at least for those who actually noticed. About every 15 minutes, I would walk across the store to refill my tea glass and drew some attention each time I did so. Most were nonchalant glances, some were approving glances, and some were giggles. Before I left, a mother and daughter were picking up their to go order. We happened to be leaving at the same time, and the daughter, about ten, raced to the car yelling for her friend waiting "There is some guy in there wearing HIGH HEELS!" The mom was obviously horrified, but I didn't care. Kids will be kids. Not so long ago, that would have bothered me, but now its all a part of life.

Thursday - Tweed jacket, Lane Bryant "Houston" trousers, Black Enzo Angoli peep toe sling backs. The weather was getting much more Spring like, so I really wanted to go out in sandals, but settled for peep toes. My pedicure is holding up nicely, so I still want to take full advantage of it. Besides, I love to free my feet from their overly heavy prison of winter.

My outing started by going to the mall. I went to Lane Bryant (not the same store where I do most of my business) and seeing what they had. It is a bigger store than my regular store, so it is always nice to look. This store however has pretty lousy service so I seldom get anything there. My next stop was Baker's, where I know to ask if they have any 11's. The clerk I asked said they didn't, but he other knew me and told me they had gotten one pair since the last time I was in. She ran and got these in tan: http://www.bakersshoes.com/product.aspx?c=311&p=106661 for me to try.

They have a zipper up the back and matched my toes wonderfully, but at $80 was a bit more than I want to invest, particularly in an exotic sandal. However, while I was wearing them around the store, getting a very dirty look from a guy shopping with his girlfriend, another customer told me "those are great," while pointing at my feet. I said yes, but a bit high for me. She then held up a shoes and asked what I thought of them. I told her they were fantastic and she had to try them. She did, we discussed what she would wear with them, etc. For the next half hour she tried on shoes, we talked about them, all the while I was still wearing the sandals. Customers came and went, usually girls with their boyfriends who gave me looks ranging from curious to strange, and she kept trying on shoes asking for my opinion. She wound up buying two pair and I returned the sandals to the store room. Maybe they will still be around come clearance time. I left the store with the young woman and we talked as we went down the mall. I never did get her name, but did learn she is a college sophomore and works at Amdercrombie and Fitch part time. I may just wander in sometime.

After the mall, I went to Barnes and Nobel and then finally the Starbucks I was in on Monday morning. The clerk there recognized me, took my order, and then covertly walked around to check out my shoes. Though she said nothing I figure that she will say something the next time I am in. The store was pretty dead, I just relaxed and read a little before heading home.

Firday - Gray wool blazer, red turtleneck, Lane Bryant bootcut jeans, Bandolino "Riana" peep toe pumps. Friday was a quick outing to the Nine West outlet to make an exchange. The outlet offers a second pair 50% off deal, and last week when I was in I was charged full price on both pair. So, I had to return my shoes, then repurchase them with the discount. They really had nothing in and the clerk was really pushing me to buy the cream colored sandals that I tried on the last time. She and her coworker have both bought them and since they did, apparently I have to as well. Somehow, heel shopping has evolved into a sorority meeting. We had fun, I tried them on again, but still haven't committed to making the purchase.

Next I went to the Bass outlet, the Gap outlet, Banana Republic, and Calvin Klein. Nothing was jumping out at me. Lane Bryant hasn't had anything fun, though the clerk I have dealt with at the outlet showed me all of the new stuff since the last time I was in. At the other outlets, I got nice welcomes, glances at my feet, and then smiles from most of the younger staff, male and female alike. It seems that young people don't prejudge as quickly, which is nice.

I have attached pictures of my outings. I know, if there are no pictures it didn't happen, but the number of pictures of my outfits are beginning to add up. I am trying to get some variation in my poses, but this will be a process until I am happy with them. One of the great advantages of posting my outings to HHPlace is that I really get to see the outfits and did notice that I wore the same jacket 3 times. I need to pay closer attention when getting dresses. Its all a process to be mastered.

Another advantage is really getting to analyze my outings. For example, I really didn't think I went too "out there" in my selections. But I did wear red shoes, peep toes and boots over jeans this week. So, maybe the outings were much more edgy than at first glance. I am planning a pretty wild outfit for tonight, but that's for another post...

[Bubba136]

Hmm, what I wouldn't give to see a picture of you and JeffB together-- and, perhaps throwing TBG in for good measure. Talk about pushing the envelope, that image would be spectacular Congratulations, Happy Feats. And, thanks for the description of your outings.

[JeffB]

Bravo, my friend! BRAVO! Once again, you've impressed me with your excellent sense of style in your recent outings. I must say you certainly do know how to work a blazer to perfection! I'll have to try that myself in the future! Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what your next adventure will be like!

[Dawn HH]

Happyfeat:-) Your kind words have been very much taken to heart and appreciated tremendously by me. Thanks so much. I really enjoyed the pics of your outfits which show much time and consideration in the selection. You look great in them all and are all co-odinated perfectly for each occasion. You are getting to be quite a leader here on the Forum. Congrats! Cheers--- Dawn HH

[spiker]

Wow! Sounds like you had a great week! Oh...to have your confidence! Great outfits - thanks for sharing. Spiker.

[Bootking]

Varied outfits, well coordinated, boots over jeans - EXCELLENT!

What next????????

[HappyFeat]

Hmm, what I wouldn't give to see a picture of you and JeffB together-- and, perhaps throwing TBG in for good measure. Talk about pushing the envelope, that image would be spectacular

I would love the opportunity to get that picture with JeffB and TBG. It would be epic! Then again, any time you get to share company with people who are not afraid to be themselves, is the real reward. It makes me feel wonderful to think that there are others out there doing the same things I am. It may not change the conventional wisdom of fashion overnight, but I think we are all doing it one person at a time.

Bravo, my friend! BRAVO! Once again, you've impressed me with your excellent sense of style in your recent outings. I must say you certainly do know how to work a blazer to perfection! I'll have to try that myself in the future! Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what your next adventure will be like!

Jeff, I have found jackets to be fantastic for heeling for a lot of reasons. One is that they have pockets, which many of the bottoms that I have been wearing lately don't always have, and when they do they are not quite big enough. Second is that they are warm and I think provide a slightly smarter look than other coats/jackets. I do like my black leather jacket and topcoats as well. They also provide my outfits with a bit of a masculine touch to counter the more feminine styles of heels that I prefer. I love the juxtaposition of the masculine and feminine, the ying and yang if you will that a jacket with heels or a shirt, etc. provides.

As for trying blazers, most of mine are thrift store finds. The one advantage of men's fashions is that they really don't get dated all that quickly. Oh, I know some years its 2 buttons or 4 buttons, narrow or wide lapels, single breasted or double breasted, etc. For a jacket to throw on with jeans (or a skirt) or a pair of dress pants to go to the mall or a museum, or wherever it really doesn't matter too much. God forbid my heels be dated though...LOL. I will say that I do't think I have paid more than $10 for any of the jackets in last weeks outings. I have a few that I bought retail, but nice things aren't too hard to find second hand and my experience is that after they come back from the dry cleaner, they are in top notch shape.

Happyfeat:-)

Your kind words have been very much taken to heart and appreciated tremendously by me. Thanks so much.

I really enjoyed the pics of your outfits which show much time and consideration in the selection. You look great in them all and are all co-odinated perfectly for each occasion. You are getting to be quite a leader here on the Forum. Congrats!

Cheers---

Dawn HH

Very happy to hear from you again Dawn HH! Thank you for the complements on my outfits. As for being a leader on this forum, I am only passing my experiences on as a way of getting more guys to get out there and do what they want. So many others have shown me the way, and I want to keep the momentum, in the best traditions of scholarship. If being myself constitutes leadership, then that's what I will do. I would love nothing more than to open this form one evening and read of the adventures of dozens of guys just being who they are.

Wow! Sounds like you had a great week!

Oh...to have your confidence!

I have always been a confident person. However strange this might sound, the more I heel, the more confident I become in life in general. Though I don't heel around family or at work, an likely never will, I am otherwise out as a heeler. Many friends know and accept me, and it was hard, but I love being who I am and really could never imagine it any other way. I figure you do have the confidence, you just need the right circumstances to get out there and do it.

Varied outfits, well coordinated, boots over jeans - EXCELLENT!

What next????????

Well, as for what's next. I had an outing Saturday night in my lace skirt and footless tights. I just need to get the pictures edited and will post that very soon. This week looks pretty busy, so I may not get a chance to heel as much as I did the last couple of weeks (11 outings in 14 days), but those times are pretty rare in general.

[HappyFeat]

OK, here is my "over the top" outfit for the week. I went out Saturday night, though being the night before Easter, it wasn't a particularly busy night. I really wanted to put together a special outfit since my last Saturday night out was in my dress, but since I only own one dress, that was out of the questions. So, I did a redo of my black lace skirt, matching it with a pink silk mock neck shirt, and a white jacket. I decided that I wanted to try something new, so I wore black footless tights and my Baker's "Kamilla" pumps with a platform and a killer stiletto heel. I went to the same place where I wore the dress. I was discarding some clothes, so I took them to the bartender. Patty always loves my clothes, and she has lost some weight, so I figured I would help her with something that might fit her now. When I arrived, I set for a while with a guy that I talk to a lot, he recently broke his leg and I had to hear the whole story. Then I went and danced with a woman who I hadn't seen for quite some time and ran into one of my students. She was there with her new girlfriend and I set and talked to them for a while. As we were talking, a cute, but heavy girl came up to me and said that she was tempted to knock me down and take my shoes. I have had complements on my shoes before, but none quite so direct. She asked me what they were, where I got them, etc. Only them did I become worried that shoe theft was a real possibility when she told me she wore a 10 1/2 and they are 11's. I did offer to let her try them on but she was wearing boots and didn't want to take them off. I noticed she was wearing Lane Bryant jeans and we talked about shopping for quite some time. She bought me a drink (though I was only drinking water) and we had a wonderful time chatting and flirting. We did dance a couple of numbers and then, like always she left with a significant other! Well, not always, but it seems that way. Its not like I am cruising to hook up, never been my style, but a phone number and a later dinner date would have been nice. I did have a wonderful evening out and I danced a lot. The shoes may be the most comfortable I own and they are terribly easy to walk in. The only issue is I am not used to setting in a 5 inch heel (they are only technically a 4 inch heel with the platform, but the heel is very high for me) and I could never quite get where to put my feet on the stools. Anyway, I did have a good time.