driving in heels

[karen]

Anything smelly, especially if you have damp clothes coming from working out at a gym or just changing damp socks, you can temporarily put it in a plastic bag and roll it up, store it away. If you don't have a bag, I would put it in the trunk. Just don't forget to take them out to wash. Other than that, I pride myself in keeping my car smelling clean. It still has the new car smell according to my friends. I don't know if its the leather or the fact that I don't keep anything smelly in there that helps out a bit.

[heidi.bier]

The plastic bag to cover up my damp wool socks was a good idea. Plastic really does cover up odour. It was a good thing I went to my car and changed the wool socks underneath my boots yesterday because in the afternoon, with the office climate control system still not working properly, one of the really cute computer technicians was rewiring some cables in the office. He spent about 20 minutes under my desk untangling and doing something with the many cables attached to the back of the computer at my in lab workstation. With his nose sometimes very close to my fur lined leather dress boots, I had to be sure that I did not stab him with my high heel, I did not kick him and that no smell escaped from my boots that very warm Monday! Rest assured I had the zippers pulled to the very tops of my boots and if those boots were spacious enough to accommodate another pair of pantyhose, I would have gone to the restroom and put another pair on just to prevent any smell from embarrassingly escaping. Regarding the razor in the car Alexa, have you considered the Quattro razor for women? One of them uses a AAA battery so you don't need to use your car's lighter socket and they are readily available at most pharmacies.

[Alexa]

Yes, my car is getting less and less like a car and more like a mobile beauty parlour. I’ve looked at those Quattro razors online and they seem to have blades at one end and a little trimmer at the other. At first I thought I didn’t have the wherewithal to wet shave in the car, as it involves messing about with foam etc. but then it occurred to me that I could get some of those miniature containers of hair conditioner of the kind you see in hotels. I find conditioner’s just as good to shave with as aerosol foam, so using a little conditioner and cleaning up afterwards with a wet wipe and a tissue, and maybe taking a leaf out of Karen’s book, a dab of lotion, should let me freshen up for evenings out, overnight stays at my boyfriend’s house and weekends in the country. Job done!

Alexa

[heidi.bier]

It is pretty amazing some of the things one can do in a car. I use it as my private change room at times. With dark tinted windows and a thin blanket, I can go into my car to change pantyhose or socks without others watching. On the day our office climate control system malfunctioned, our office turned into an oven. I thought I could see steam coming out of my fur lined boots so I came to the car remove my boots and pantyhose for a while during lunch time before going back to work in the afternoon. I have been known to change from a dress to sports clothes in the car or vice versa when required. Needless to say, the car is key to my lifestyle just like Alexa & Karen.

[Alexa]

Yes, I can get changed and d a lot of beauty touch-ups in the car. Often I shuffle over into the passenger seat so the steering wheel and pedals are not in the way whilst I change. It helps if I'm parked somewhere where people aren't overlooking me. So your boots and socks do come off sometimes Heidi. But it sounds like you prefer to keep well wrapped up most of the time. Alexa

[heidi.bier]

Yes, I can get changed and d a lot of beauty touch-ups in the car. Often I shuffle over into the passenger seat so the steering wheel and pedals are not in the way whilst I change. It helps if I'm parked somewhere where people aren't overlooking me.

So your boots and socks do come off sometimes Heidi. But it sounds like you prefer to keep well wrapped up most of the time.

Alexa

I don't know what to do for the summer Alexa. I love wearing the 3" heels but only if I have lots of padding. When it gets really hot outside, I might have to drop to pumps with 2" heels and go without socks and pantyhose ......

You are amazing Alexa, you've managed to wear heels of such incredible heights without padding or anything else to help you out! The girls at your office must be jealous for sure. If I was there in person, I would ask you to teach me how to walk in such high heels. A walking lesson if you will

[Alexa]

Ah, Heidi, you’re very kind. Though as I’ve said, there are a lot of people here who seem far more expert than me. With the benefit of platforms, my feet are only ever at the sort of angle you’d get with a 4” non-platform shoe, I take my shoes off in the office and have a car, so it’s not as if I’m walking around in them all day either. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, there are a lot of ‘how to walk in high heels’ advice pages on the web, videos on Youtube and even classes one can attend, and taken together they'll all teach you more than I could! As regards wearing shoes without any padding, I’ve not really felt the need for padding. If I had ballet boots, or if I was a dancer and did a lot of pointe work I’d probably want padding. But with the weight taken on the ball of my foot, so far I’ve not found myself in pain. Well meaning friends tell me that I’ll suffer in later life, but it hasn’t happened yet. Incidentally, I see Camilla Morton in her book ‘How to walk in high heels’ recommends wearing them on bare feet so your feet can get more traction on the shoe. It’s an irritating book in lots of ways, but it just goes to show I’m not the only one who does this!

Alexa

[heidi.bier]

Alexa, thank you for mentioning the book on how to walk in heels. Which do you find more challenging, tall platforms or tall heels? Like yourself, if I didn't have a car, I probably wouldn't wear heels half as much. Puma sneakers would probably be what I would wear all the time outside of work but with the aid of a car and lots of padding, I am lucky to be able to wear heels everyday of the week. With regards to walking in heels, looking elegant is great but if one looks clumsy, then it really defeats the purpose of wearing heels.

[Alexa]

The key issue for me is the angle my foot is at. The best one for me is with my size 7 UK feet at the sort of angle you’d find with a shoe with a 4” heel and a thin sole under the ball of the foot. So that means I’m usually OK with a 5” heel, say, and a 1” platform, and so on upwards. Some of my platform boots hold the foot at a much shallower angle. I have some New Rock boots with a 6” thick sole but my feet are more or less horizontal. I can more or less climb mountains in those, and occasionally have. On the other hand those Demonia XTC platform pumps I mentioned in another thread are quite difficult to walk in, because there isn’t much sideways ankle support and it keeps feeling like I shall twist an ankle. Undeterred, I might try a pair of their XTC style lace up knee boots, because with boots things feel much more stable and I’m less likely to turn an ankle. A look I want to try is really high platform boots and this skirt

http://www.daregothic.co.uk/Skirts%20shop/raven%20days%20of%20fantasy.htm

Roll on payday!

We’ve veered off the subject of driving a bit here, so I hope the moderators won’t complain!

Alexa

[heidi.bier]

Alexa, I took a look at the Gothic clothes on that website. A lot of clothes there look gorgeous!!!!! I also noticed that a lot of the models on the Goth fashion site wore platform boots. Is platform boots the popular footwear for Goths of 2010? Getting back to the discussion on platforms with heels, I know exactly what you mean when you talk about certain platforms with heels being very stable. I am beginning to find that platforms with a wider base tend to be more stable and allows me to get away with a higher heel. One trend I see is this though. With high heel platform sandals, a cork base is very common. Cork is light. With high heel platform boots, the base is almost always rubber. I wonder why that is. On the topic of driving, I find driving in heels without platforms a lot easier then driving in platforms. Thus whenever I am in my car, I would either wear my high heels or my sneakers, never platforms. I don't think I can get out of my car park while wearing platforms hahaha

[Shintav]

I drive in heels all the time. I really don't have a problem with it. Well, mules are a problem, but then I just drive barefoot and spare myself the hassle. If I were ever pulled over I could slip them on again without anyone being the wiser.

[heidi.bier]

Getting back to the topic of driving, I know most vehicle pedals have a rubber surface designed for grip. When I wear boots with a tread or sport shoes or even pumps without too high a heel, there is no problems. The problem arises with shoes that have 1. thick soles, 2. fall off easily, 3. extreme heel. Interesting how many people here opt to drive without shoes and slip their mules or platforms or extreme heels on after the drive

[heelsrule]

I drive in heels all the time. I really don't have a problem with it. Well, mules are a problem, but then I just drive barefoot and spare myself the hassle. If I were ever pulled over I could slip them on again without anyone being the wiser.

Me personally, I won't drive in big spikes etc, I don't feel safe. I carry a pair of "normal" shoes under seat if I need them. When going out with hubby, which is when I'm most likely wearing shoes that are less likely to be easy to get on/off, I let him drive so no issue there. A few times I have being going on a girls night out I have let hubby know if advance and he is happy to drop me off and always insists picking up, so again no issues and if there is I just wear something easily removalable. ie not my lace up knee boots with 6" spikes no zip.

Re-driving in bare feet, I normally just pull my shoes off and don't worry about shoes unless its cold. I once asked a cop and he said its no longer a problem for them. They would rather you driver barefooted over heels. Also our regional lifestyle is such that most people where thongs/flip flops so hard to enforce a law aimed at 100 year old cars anyway.

[heidi.bier]

I am surprised to see that a lot of girls would just slip off their heels to drive instead of changing into sneakers, Uggs or flip flops. I know that most flats, especially sneakers are usually very comfortable to drive in. I am guessing they are the most efficient shoes to wear too when driving since that is what NASCAR drivers wear as well for their races.

[t_d41]

I thought about this one for a while before replying. I have always driven for many years in my highest of heels. I have on occasion slipped off my shoe on my driving foot to keep fro scuffing them on the pedals or mats. When i do I do not adjust the seat so I end up driving with my foot in the same pointed position as with heels in order to hit the pedals. I hesitated to post because I am an amputee for the last five years and since it is my right leg affected I have to drive with an auxiliary pedal anyway so that may not be the same as what you are discussing. I still drive in hells at least 95% of the time, especially since I am always in heels anyway.

[kllmig]

Often i will take my HH of when I'm driving, i dont feel save drivin in them...

[heelsrule]

I am surprised to see that a lot of girls would just slip off their heels to drive instead of changing into sneakers, Uggs or flip flops. I know that most flats, especially sneakers are usually very comfortable to drive in. I am guessing they are the most efficient shoes to wear too when driving since that is what NASCAR drivers wear as well for their races.

Hi,

Why change. Hop in car, slip of shoe and drive. Obviously easy with a shoe that slips on or just simple strap. Sometimes if I know I want to get out quickly or go quickly I might take off/on before or after like at lights. I have changed to other shoes, but also depends on the car set up. Some cars i can drive in 6" heels (although prefer not to), but others I simply cannot in a 4" heel.

[heidi.bier]

Hi,

Why change. Hop in car, slip of shoe and drive.

One problem with that would be that my socks and/or pantyhose would get all dirty

[Dollybird]

Hi I drive in heels pretty much everyday. I'm fine with normal stilletoes, but I don't drive in high platforms though, just because it's difficult to feel the pedals so I swap to some flatties I keep in the car.

[thehighheelsgirl]

I am surprised to see that a lot of girls would just slip off their heels to drive instead of changing into sneakers, Uggs or flip flops. I know that most flats, especially sneakers are usually very comfortable to drive in. I am guessing they are the most efficient shoes to wear too when driving since that is what NASCAR drivers wear as well for their races.

Jen's boyfriend here...

She showed me this, and I got a bit of a smirk and laugh out of it, then figured I should probably post something educational.....

Racing shoes are nothing like sneakers (nevermind being nothing like heels). For one, they are fireproof (usually some form of Nomex), and look like weird high tops. They are very thin in the toe section, so that you can "feel" the pedals under the ball of your foot (particularly important during braking, since you are often right at the threshold of wheel lockup and race cars do not have ABS), but the heel section on the right shoe is very stiff, so that you can heel-toe (keeping the ball of your foot on the brake, while using the heel/ side of the shoe to blip the throttle to match revs during downshifts) going into corners.

Just to give my input here- I will drive in heels, but only going out to dinner or to the store. When I take the Porsche out for a "spirited drive" or to the track, I either wear shoes I know i can drive well in (my girly Puma sneakers are actually very similar in function to real racing shoes), or I wear my real racing shoes or Piloti's.

If any of you want to get a pair of almost normal looking shoes that are great to drive in, but that you can also wear to run into the store and not look like a freak, check out the line from Piloti.

Hope this helps

[heidi.bier]

Interesting information on what professional race cars drivers wear Jen's bf Given how many people seem to change when driving, I am giving this idea some second thought. I typically drive in my 3" heels .......... that could perhaps be too high .........

[Dancer Girl]

Since I am in heels about 23 hours a day I have been driving in heels but a couple times I have had problems braking and having my heel caught on the floormat so most times now I just go barefoot. Usually not a problem unless i have white stockings on and the soles get black from my dirty carpet and floormat in the Jeep.

[heidi.bier]

Since I am in heels about 23 hours a day I have been driving in heels but a couple times I have had problems braking and having my heel caught on the floormat so most times now I just go barefoot. Usually not a problem unless i have white stockings on and the soles get black from my dirty carpet and floormat in the Jeep.

Going barefoot when driving does sound safer. I should take off my heels although I usually am way too lazy to go through all the effort of unzipping and pulling my high heel boots off, driving and putting my boots back on ........ ah, the sacrifices we make to be in heels