Decisions, decisions ...

[Puffer]

From my sporadic postings, it will be reasonably apparent that I am primarily an ‘admirer’ but with some aspirations to wear heels myself. Like many members, my desires are constrained by the limits imposed by my personal courage, realistic wearing opportunities, family condemnation and shoe size (UK11). My public heeling has never gone beyond the lofty heights of the men’s cuban boots in my avatar; see http://www.hhplace.org/everybody/10499-cuban_adventure.html.

For some time, I have hankered after available and affordable footwear that is more daring but still essentially masculine and that could be acceptable in public. The opportunity to acquire something that might suit has now arisen and I have taken the plunge with not one but three boot purchases within a week.

The Priceless Shoes website shows a number of interesting boots and shoes, several of which are available up to UK11. Prices are modest (especially with sale discounts) and reviews are favourable. Although my preference is for a fairly plain ankle boot, there is nothing really suitable on the site at present but two pairs of knee boots looked interesting and seemed worth trying – they can be returned for a refund if unsuitable. So, I ordered the two pairs pictured below on 30 December and they arrived on 5 January, packed in large boxes inside a single poly bag (with only the word ‘Barratts’ on the laser-printed label to indicate the origin). Fortunately, my wife was out so no explanations were needed!

Both pairs are Chinese-made in soft black synthetic material with full-length zips and look quite well constructed and finished. The fit was excellent – the sizing is quite generous (length and width) and they felt more comfortable than many of my men’s shoes. They both have quite wide shafts 16” high and would easily fit someone with much larger calves than mine and in trousers.

The first boots ‘A’ (£20.25 net) have a very pointed chisel toe, a nicely-shaped ‘proper’ 3.5” stiletto heel and a flat asymmetric band around the instep with a small silver side buckle. The material has a slightly grained texture, quite attractive. To my mind, these are very smart but restrained boots – and would look great with narrow jeans and a leather jacket on someone relatively slim of either sex. But the shafts are a full 18” circumference (with a small elasticated gusset at the top) and require fairly wide trousers if to be concealed inside.

The second boots ‘B’ (£15.30 net) have a very round toe and a tapered ‘cone’ heel 3.5” high and with a base about 0.6” x 0.8”. Apart from the front seams, they are completely plain and smooth. Despite the narrow heel, they are quite discreet and not too obvious if worn inside longish trousers – which (as with A) must not be too narrow if the shafts (17” circumference) are to be concealed.

On New Year’s Eve, before the above boots had been delivered, I had to go out shopping locally. My wife asked me to try to buy her a pair of modest and inexpensive low-heeled boots for casual use. (I can’t think why – she knows that I HATE looking in shoe shops!) I accomplished that task easily enough, getting her some brown mock-croc knee-boots with a 2.5” block heel in the BHS sale – nothing exciting, although they would suit male heelers!. But it did give me the excuse to explore a bit more widely, including a foray into Evans. There were several items of footwear in the sale and a pair of size 10 knee boots caught my eye, reduced from £40 to £10. At the risk of my nose suddenly growing like Pinocchio’s, I bought them ‘for my visiting niece with big feet, ill at home’ (having established the refund policy) and tried them on at home. I cannot take or locate a picture at present; the boots are not on the Evans website and are presumably old stock.

Although my only previous Evans purchase (a pair of loafers) had proved too tight, the boots (‘C’) are an almost perfect fit on my size 11 feet and easy to walk in. They are made in Vietnam and very similar to B with a round toe but in a smooth chocolate-brown synthetic material. They have a 3.6” tapered stacked heel (in lighter brown, 0.9” x 0.9” at the base) and a decorative woven buckled band (1.5” wide) around the instep. The shaft is 16” high and 17” circumference with a generous elasticated gusset at the top – again needing wide trousers if worn inside them.

So, could I (and would I) wear any of these boots in male mode in public? I tried them all out with several different pairs of jeans and found that a slightly longer straight-legged pair went well and concealed the shaft and part of the heel. My initial thoughts on overall appearance and wearability are as follows:

v As indicated above, boots A are very much to my liking and close to my ideal style. I like the pointed toes and they do not worry me, whilst the strap decoration is flat and not too obvious. I just wish that I had the nerve to wear them, exposed or otherwise, but the stiletto heel is impossible to disguise and, alas, not yet acceptable for male wear in any everyday situation. JeffB (almost identical to me in height and build – but, alas, a little younger, better-looking and more suntanned!) and others here could certainly carry it off but I don’t yet have the guts to be a pioneer.

v Worn under suitable trousers, boots B are quite plain and inconspicuous although the cone heel is somewhat narrower and higher than any men’s Cuban heel and will still be noticeable. And, to my mind, the round toe makes them look more prominent than it would if more tapered; I never wear ‘bulbous’ toes and do like pointed styles. But yes, I might get away with them under long jeans.

v My views on B apply much the same to the Evans boots C as the styles are so similar. But, although the colour and slightly thicker heel of C are OK, the decorative band cannot be hidden completely and would be difficult to remove without some spoilage. I don’t think they will be practicable, nor do I really need both B and C, so I shall probably return C – but with regret.

So, where do I go from here? I like both pairs of Priceless boots but neither is ideal and I can find no others that are better. However, there are several on the Priceless website that might appeal to other members (including a high stiletto platform ankle boot up to UK11 at only £10), especially if not wanting anything bigger than UK9. The two cowboy styles also pictured below are a case in point – very acceptable for discreet male wear. Maybe Priceless (or someone similar doing bigger sizes) will bring out an affordable plain ankle boot with a semi-pointed toe and a straight slim block heel of around 3.5” – isn’t that what a lot of women wear for ‘smart casual’ and what most of us want too? Stilettos are great but they are certainly not the only way forward (or upwards)! Incidentally, I note that Evans intends to add to its very limited size 11 styles in future.

I really don’t know my ‘next step’ and I would welcome members’ opinions on the boots I have, their acceptability and how they should be worn. I have described the boots in some detail (as the website fails to give the heel heights etc) and hope that info may be of use to others considering a purchase. I’m sorry about the lack of personal pics; it may become possible for me to post some soon if I can borrow and master a digital camera.

[sendra45]

My reply wont be as long as your first post, but I will give you my opinion. A and B are not suitable for street heeling unless you are used to it and are going to be cool with whatever little attention you draw, they would be fine for the more eccentric street heeler or the street heeler that does it everyday. C, although you are going to send them back would be the best choice, I dont like the D boots, suede real and fake look tatty and smelly very quickly. Some people will have an opinion about you what ever you wear on your feet, expensive trainers say one thing, knackered ripped ones say something else, you can look at everybodys shoes and make an opinion, for example I wont buy anything off of a sales person in a shop if they have taken no time over their shoes, if they are clean, shiny, and in good condition it will help them get the sale. Cowboy boots say something, as a wearer of them I am not sure what though, but that might be because I want the shape and the heel, not what they stand for. Your C boot is cowboy in style and might be something to look into. I like mine as they are for men, with heels, no argung with anybody about them being 'womens' shoes. There is a thread about ' a new high heel cowboy boot maker' here someplace, with the money you have spent on boots in this topic, you would be halfway toward a fantastic pair of mens heels, perfect for street heeling.

[yozz]

I agree with Nigel that the third picture has the easiest boot for first street heeling. The fourth draws attention by its color contrast. The second is a bit more 'advanced'. At the moment it would be at my limit. I have something similar and have gone into town with it, but only a few times. I do have boots that are a bit similar to the third, but a bit higher. Those I do not have too many problems with. I have taken them into several cities. apart from some very sporadic second looks I have never seen any reaction. Cowboy boots are not that abnormal and when it requires a second look to see that they are 'out of the normal' you don't have much to fear. My two cents. Y.

[Puffer]

Thank you, Nigel and Yozz, for your prompt and considered responses.

I have, however, caused you a little confusion: the Priceless boots I have (my A and are those in the first two pics. The third and fourth are other Priceless boots that I do not have (and are not available in UK11) but identified as potentially of male interest. My Evans boots © are not pictured but, as I described, are very similar to B (but brown, with decoration).

I don't think that this confusion changes your view that A and B are not for newbies (so my C would not be either), but the boots in my third pic would be a reasonable choice whilst those in the fourth are less suitable for other reasons. If I have it wrong, I'm sure you will tell me!

Alhough I quite like suede, I do rather agree that it can look tatty. I hadn't particularly thought of the heel colour-contrast (also true of the Evans Boots C) giving rise to a problem, as such a contrast was not at all uncommon on the men's 'stacked heel' boots/shoes of the mid-70s.

I also agree that cowboy styles have a special character, not necessarily appropriate when home on the range in the UK! We probably latch on to them because they are an acceptable heeled boot for men rather than because they are our ideal style - I think that is your message, Nigel.

Thanks again for your views - and I should be glad to have others.

[benno]

I wore the boots on the attached photo on NYE. I wore them with a red military jacket, dark grey skinny jeans, a long white bead necklace with 2 seagulls, a long chunky beaded black chain necklace, messy hair (on purpose), designery stubble and had an old camo jacket over the lot as it was really cold. Went to a friends house for pre going out drinks and no one said a word apart from a mate who simply asked if I had heels on. There were some very, very ordinary people there. Then moved on to a cheesy club that a friend owns. Think Hollyoaks and you're half way to the sort of people that go there. No one said a word apart from two female friends who gave me a huge thumbs up. Then moved on to a very exclusive boutique hotel for Champagne at midnight. Some friends were staying there and we went up to their friends suite. I had never met the couple staying in the suite before. They didn't say anything about what I was wearing. Moved on again... to a very cool house party full of media types. Everyone was either a DJ, TV producer or worked in the music industry. My girlfriend and I immediately hit it off with a really lovely couple (husband and wife). One of them had a famous father and brother in a VERY famous UK band. The guy really LOVED my outfit and kept commenting on my amazing shoes. Go out there wearing whatever you like and as long as you do it with the right attitude, piece together a great outfit and visit sensible surroundings you can do it. Cheers, Ben ps. Just wanted to add that if I had worn stilettos then I think more people would have made comments.

[jwhite44]

PBPT.jpg (15.1 KB, 35 views)PBRT2.jpg (14.1 KB, 33 views)BBLC.jpg (24.9 KB, 34 views)BBSC.jpg (19.4 KB, 33 views)

PBPT I think is not a good choice for outside, due to the stilletto heel and pointing toe

PBRT2 is possible. The black color (especially if it's not too shiny) and non-descript shape (no obvious features that stand out) are a plus; the thinness of the heel is a minus. You can probably wear these, but a long pair of pants is probably required

BBLC is probably the best of the four (with a definite if it was available in a dark color (and apparently also available in your size!)). I still think in general we (discreet heel wearers) are much better off with darker shoes. Lighter colors are just going to stand out more, no way around it.

BBSC is no good (in my opinion) because of the contrast in color between the boot and the heel.

[stefan]

PBPT.jpg (15.1 KB, 35 views)PBRT2.jpg (14.1 KB, 33 views)BBLC.jpg (24.9 KB, 34 views)BBSC.jpg (19.4 KB, 33 views)

PBPT I think is not a good choice for outside, due to the stilletto heel and pointing toe

PBRT2 is possible. The black color (especially if it's not too shiny) and non-descript shape (no obvious features that stand out) are a plus; the thinness of the heel is a minus. You can probably wear these, but a long pair of pants is probably required

BBLC is probably the best of the four (with a definite if it was available in a dark color (and apparently also available in your size!)). I still think in general we (discreet heel wearers) are much better off with darker shoes. Lighter colors are just going to stand out more, no way around it.

BBSC is no good (in my opinion) because of the contrast in color between the boot and the heel.

Thoose links does not work.

[Puffer]

Stefan - the links given by jwhite 44 are to the four pics I attached to my first post, in the order they are shown! So just go back to that.

The third and fourth boots are not available above UK9, so no use to me.

[ShockQueen]

For my own $.02, my vote is the second pair! Put those with the right pair of jeans/slacks, and you're golden. I've worn similar styles, and received many nice compliments.

[stefan]

Stefan - the links given by jwhite 44 are to the four pics I attached to my first post, in the order they are shown! So just go back to that.

The third and fourth boots are not available above UK9, so no use to me.

I suspected that but could not be sure.

[mtnsofheels]

Hi Puffer, I think the ease of deciding is based your comfort in public, starting with the least obvious is a way to start, once you are comfy then proceed to the next level, by then you will know what works for you. The BBLC is a good start. Each would have a different look with a different trouser, so finding the right combination might take a couple of tries. But to start the BBLC ones for my opinion. Benno, what boots are those you had worn on NYE? those are really nice? Best of luck Puffer, looking forward to hearing more about your heeling! Mtnsofheels

[Puffer]

... The BBLC is a good start. ...

Thanks, and I take the point - but I have already explained that I do NOT have the third or fourth boots pictured and they are NOT available in my size, so my wearing BBLC is academic!