barney15c Posted February 21, 2009 Posted February 21, 2009 This question is directed to our senior members (40+). Before larger sized female heels became more widely available where did you get your heels from. In the 60's and 70's possibly 80's it was almost impossible to buy womens shoes in mainstream retailers in anything larger than a UK7 rarely a UK8. What choices were open to you? I would imagine as the internet did not exist specialist shops would have been hard to find they would have had a limited range too. Also where would you have found out about them. I suppose places like Transformation (For TV's etc) would have been one of the places. Also what experiances did our overseas members have finding larger sized womens shoes 20 or more years ago? It was possible to get nice high heeled shoes in a big size even back in the 1950's. Check out these lovely Croc Leather Stilletto Pumps in a size 12B US a really big size back then: They are the first pair of shoes on the page. http://www.kittygirlvintage.com/shoes.htm In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!!!
shrimper Posted February 21, 2009 Posted February 21, 2009 Back in the day in Chicago there was the Chas. A Stevens building on N. State st. where there was a dept. store on the lower floors and then upstairs there were smaller retailers. There were a number of shoe sellers that specialized in larger sizes. As one large-footed woman explained it ; she would have to fight with the drag queens and cross-dressers to get all the nice styles before they sold out. She wore a size 12M.
onyourtoes Posted February 21, 2009 Posted February 21, 2009 I was lucky that I could squeeze into a 10 and occasionally 9 or 9 1/2, but even 10 was often hard to find, many styles stopped at 9. I don't know how many times I heard, "No, sorry, nothing bigger than 9. But with a size 10 foot she must be pretty tall and shouldn't be wearing heels anyways..." As I got older, my feet became less tolerant of too tight shoes, but 10 was mainstream and 11 common enough. In the early 70's I discovered the mail order fetish companies like Fine Craft and Solar Shoes and they frequently went to 14 or 15 and the prices weren't really all that bad.
kikepa Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 This question is directed to our senior members (40+). Hey! I consider myself to be middle-aged, not senior! I'm over your limit, but have another twenty years before I'm a bona-fide senior citizen! However, since you asked... Before larger sized female heels became more widely available where did you get your heels from. Before puberty, it was easy - Mom's heels. There were three solid years during which I could wear one pair or another. There were also the neighbors, which extended the wear dates, but was spotty trying to find time to wear those without getting caught! But while growing up, my first pair of heels I remember trying on and fitting belonged to a neighbor (I think I was seven), and the last pair that fit shortly before I graduated high school also belonged to a neighbor. Once I was out of high school and in college, it became easy. Payless was around by then, and there always seemed to be a size 12 or 13 heel at one of the larger discount shoe stores. Occasionally K-mart or Walmart had a pair or two, though the quality was always rock bottom. It wasn't until the Internet and places catering to larger heels came online that things got really run. I suppose places like Transformation (For TV's etc) would have been one of the places. No offense to any of our members along those lines, but I consider what's offered on those websites to be junk. Furthermore, they're specifically feminine in style (what else?) so it's really not what I'm looking for. Those who really care about us don't make a fuss about what we wear. Those who make a fuss about what we wear really don't care about us.
onyourtoes Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 ...Hey! I consider myself to be middle-aged, not senior! I'm over your limit, but have another twenty years before I'm a bona-fide senior citizen!... Wait until some 15 year old gives you a senior discount at Burger King without even asking. I think I was 48 the first time it happened, and most people claim I look young for my age!
morpho Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 believe it or not, not only on the 60's, 70's and 80's were difficult to find larger sizes, ,Now days in many countries, ......I am now doing a biz trip around Asia, and found out that there is practically impossible to find size 10 and up, I cannot find any, the shoes here are so small and very nice designs, amazing i would say, everything is made here, but all the large sizes are for export only, I went to Singapore, Hong Kong now I am in MAlaysia and nothing, everything is small, only ZARA and H&M carry size 40 or maybe 10, thats the largest. HOw the Asian folks do? I dont know but i noticed that they are not large feet people as well, so.....only turist cannot find any size of shoe. V. Morpho
onyourtoes Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 ...trip around Asia, and found out that there is practically impossible to find size 10 and up... It's the same in Japan, too.
RonC Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Shrimper, I remember the stores in teh Steven's Building as well. Unfortunately, I didn;t find out about them until well down the road, and shortly after I learned there were not only palces that catered to larger shoe wearers, but didn't mind you trying them on, they went out of business. While there were probably fewer larger size shoes around, it was much better when the store you went to specialized in the bigger sizes, and they certainly knew what you were there for! I miss those days!
JSpikeheels Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 I wear a size 12F based on a size 10 1/2M (US) which corresponds for our EU friends to appx a 44F to a 42M... ...I began with Payless Shoes staying primarily with boot styles from spring 2005 through about Spring 2007 through heel heights of three, four and five inches and, blockier less noticeable heel-styles leading to more and more of a stiletto as I gained comfort/confidence and attitude.... ...not too many stores carry anything larger than about a "10" and maybe a few "11's" (try Target, maybe Kohl's) so I turned to the internet for pump-styles and boot-styles that helped me key in on the right size... ...as you discover what styles appeal to you and what you can afford search, search, search for those styles in places like eBay on-line stores and Amazon.com related venues...memorize the style codes for your favorites so you will recognize them when you spot them... ...for example, you will hear me mention "my 1002's" very often in the next few weeks: http://store-spikeangel.com/Pleaser-Boots-Womens-SEDUCE1002-5-Rubber/M/B000GYC4OU.htm I wear these every day with Wranglers as a guy making no pretense of concealing them and putting my best foot forward, so to speak... and I found them at the link posted for less than $65..often listed at $90 and more in other places... so happy shopping, adventurers "KUNGALOOSH!!!!" extra credit question: who can tell me what that means? Jim/JSpikeheels
Bluegrassptp Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 Hello, Well ......I started with Pic-N-Pay til a tornado took out the shopping center around 1979.I had my sister who was driving at the time do my shopping for me .Then I went to Lexington and found Pickway and then they were bought out by Payless . There was always Sears mail order shops to choose from then too but ,you had to be careful not to order to small their sizing was bad . Sometimes you might luck up at the Family Dollar and find a few size 11 slingbacks (mostly plastic looking heels and over time they tended to crack and split due to fat feet ,but fun to wear just the same) Today I still have alot of the older style heels from the late 70's and 80's . The large sizes were out there you just had to beat the other heelers and crossdressers to them.LOL In my situation I was not able to do mail order from Frederics of Hollywood or Micheal Salem. I have been Banned for emailing abuse to tech when he tried to help me.
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