Finding Discreet Street-Heels for Guys

[Dawn HH]

After trying many of the suggestions made here, so Far it has helped me to begin my street-heeling successfully without any comments or questions. Dawn HH

[Heelfan]

Excellent Dawn. The best thing of all about these Forums is when we read that they are inspiring and helping members towards greater and higher things! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[Robert]

On the website of Tallgirls http://www.tallgirls.co.uk/ there is a summer preview of what clothes and shoes can be bought soon.

I see they will have two pairs of shoes which are the same as shoes sold at Womenshoesplus http://www.womenshoesplus.com/ in the US.

The English Mary-Janes are the same as the American style "Sharon" and the English mid-loafer is the same as the American style "Kimberley".

The difference in heel height is that this store measures heel heights at the inside of the heel while Tallgirls measures it at the back.

The English shoes cost GBP 60 and the American shoes cost $ 55.

You can look for the shipping costs at their websites for your countries.

I just wanted to let you know for those who are interested in these shoes which are excellent for discreet heeling.

Robert

[Heelfan]

Hello Robert! Thank you for pointing out that a few of NinetoElleven's styles are the same as Womenshoeplus's. In fact I wear shoes that I have bought from both sources, without having realised that they sometimes use the same manufacturer. However, it is also worth mentioning that apart from a few of those matches, the rest of their respective stocks differ widely so it's worth studying both ranges. For instance, I prefer wearing high loafers to mid or low loafers, and my "High Loafer" from NinetoElleven is different from my Womenshoeplus's high loafer called "Vivian". The former has a slimmer heel. Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[Robert]

Hi Heelfan. I can explain a little more with pictures. The first two are the same at Tallgirls (or Ninetoelleven) and Womenshoesplus.

These two are high loafers with around 8 cm (3 1/4 inch) heels you talk about, the first one from 9to11 and the second from womenshoes+.

Robert

[Bubba136]

I usually wear shoes the same styles as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th picture without problems almost everywhere. They are inconspicuous and unnoticable that, with a nice pair of trousers, usually no one gives them a second glance.

[Heelfan]

Yes Bubba, I entirely agree. In fact, as long as the shy guys wear their trousers within an inch of the ground, they can enjoy some REAL heel lift with these 4 1/4" inch loafers:

As Firefox keeps trying to reassure the shy-guys, even at that height under suitable trousers, no-one is ever going to even notice. Just try it!

GO FOR IT!

Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[jagman]

If you're into wearing heels for your own personal comfort, but don't wish to make a public statement then 34-36" bootleg jeans from LTS or Tall Girls is the answer. Even pointy toes or pumps don't seem to cause much stir with this style. The rare occasions such as stepping out of the car or climbing stairs is a gentle and controlable way of exposing your footwear and when you're feeling more adventurous try sitting in a cafe or tightening the belt and hitching the trousers up.

[Robert]

Heelfan,

Where did you get these?

4 1/4" inch loafers:

4 1/4 inch? Personally I don't find them discreet. There are a few members asking if 2 inch or 2 1/2 inch is appropriate for their first steps outside. 4 inch and above are more bold

Robert

[DandyDude]

All I can find to fit me are stilettos, which I buy in the form of ankle boots. I would like to be able to have some variance, but I've not been able to. I do have several pair of chelsea boots with block heels, but they will eventually wear out. As usual, the 6Inch Forever stops just short of my size in those two "men's heel" styles. Drat.

[Heelfan]

Hello Robert!

I don't own those excellent 4 1/4" loafers. I copied the picture from Highluc's site:

http://highheel.be/poor_boy_part7.htm

Highluc uses it as one of the illustrations in part 7 of his own Story "The Poor Boy". In my opinion it is the best illustration of a discreet but high shoe for street-heeling guys ob the entire net. Maybe you could PM or email Highluc and ask him for the source. I have other shoes somewhat like it but not exactly the same. The nearest is "Principal" currently being sold by Brantano UK up to size 9.

Regarding whether or not it is discreet, I think you may have missed my point. My point was that provided that the trousers are long enough (within an inch of the ground), then ALL of those loafers are going to look exactly the same as each other to the public, so they are ALL equally discreet. In other words, with long trousers, they ALL look virtually the same as an ordinary man's shoe.

That's why I hope the shy guys will gain confidence and enjoy street-heeling with a good lift under their feet, but knowing they needn't be embarrassed for looking ridiculous. No-one's going to notice or care - try it guys!

Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[Robert]

O.k. Thank you very much Heelfan, I understand.

Now it's up to those who want to step outside if they want (read dare) to wear shoes and boots with 4 inch heels (if they can, I can't because it's my limit now - 2 inch I don't feel anymore and around 3 inch is my best) with the right trousers.

For trousers and jeans you can also look at http://www.tallgirls.co.uk/

Robert

[Dawn HH]

HEY!!! All you new guys!!! This isn't rocket science stuff. Sure you are going to be nervous the first time. I was and I did a lot of sweating also. Put on your 4" chunky heeled boots under long boot-cut women's jeans---open the door---close it behind you and start walking and don't look back. Walk natural and smile a lot. I have done it, so can you. Each time is easier and you will find that each time is more fun. Try it---you'll like it. Mikey did. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Aly]

...Walk natural and smile a lot.

This comment brings up a question I have: I regularly wear boots to work, with either a 2 1/2", 3", or 3 1/2" heel. Wearing the 2 1/2" or even the 3" is no problem - I walk quite naturally, and even though the hollow plastic heels make noise nobody has said a thing to me. But when I wear the 3 1/2" heels (a blade heel rather than a block heel) my steps are a decidedly distinct "ker - thunk" - there is a distinct delay from when the heel hits the ground and when the ball of the foot rotates down to the ground. I've tried walking so that both the heel and the ball hit simultaneously, but that takes considerable concentration and does not feel natural. Even so, I've had no comments at all the few times I've worn them, but I'm very self-conscious wearing them - I've convinced myself that people notice the sound of each step. So, my question to those who routinely wear higher heels - do you experience the same footstep sound, and do you try to eliminate it, or can it be ignored?

Thanks all,

Aly

[Heelfan]

1. The new nervous shy-guys tend to try and go to any lengths to muffle the sound by adding a later of rubber to the sole, and even by taking the existing sole off the heel in order to fill-up the heel with foam or sand or plastic wood or whatever to dead the hollow resonance of the heel. (See appropriate threads under the Forum "Shoe Repairs and Modifications"). 2. The semi-experienced street-heeling guys see to just leave each pair of shoes alone and let its natural sound prevail. They have already realised that 98% of the public won't even notice their heels, even when the trousers are short enough to expose the entire heel. And even the 2% that do notice couldn't give a toss about what some passing guy is wearing. In other words: No policemen are going to arrest you, no-one is going to beat you up and the world is not going to cave in! Just enjoy it! Try it! 3. We veteran streetheelers often get a bit disappointed if no-one notices our heels, so we sometimes get our stilettos changed from rubber tips to steel tips, and on the underside of chunky heels we add steel segs or steel screw-heads to really attract maximum attention. If you've got 'em - flaunt 'em! Cheerfully Yours, Heelfan

[Aly]

Thanks for the tips, Heelfan - I'm not so concerned with the noise, but rather the "mechanics" of the step. With the lower heels, and flats, the step is a single action, with the foot trqansitioning from the heel to the ball in a single, smooth motion. But when I wear the 3 1/2" heel the step is a decidedly two-part mition, where the heel makes contact, then the ball makes contact. Where a "normal" step would produce a sound of "click click click" it now produces a sound of "click-thump click-thump click-thump". But, as you say, few people are perceptive enough to notice so I'm not too concerned. I'm just wondering if there is a way to change my stride or something so that the "click-thump" turns into the standard "click".

[Dawn HH]

Aly:-) The points that Heelfan has mentioned are true and I guess that I am slowly working through them as I have only been street-heeling for 12 or 15 times since I started. At first the heel noise bothered me so I put rubber lifts on the heels of all my boots. This quieted them to some extent, but they were still noisy. I have just recently decided that if they make noise---so be it and I wasn't going to worry about them. They are different types of chunky heels from 3.25" up to 4" and they all have different sounds. I have also found that they all walk different depending on the style of chunky heel they are. I have a pair of Harley-Davidson calf-high squared toe boots with a block 3.25" heel. They walk like you said---not smoothly but ker-chunk and at a certain pace they shake your whole body and rattle your teeth. I have tried different walks with them as you have and you just can't walk smooth in them. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[verngentleheels]

Aly: Glad to hear of yet someone else in the San Jose area. We may yet get to a critical mass for an expedition. Vern

[Dawn HH]

I have been checking out the Nordstrom web-site for discreet heels for guys to use for street-heeling. They bill themselves as the biggest shoe store and I'm sure that they could satisfy the street-heeling needs of a lot of the board members. They list a lot of major shoe companys that are providing boots in all heights and styles in leather and in a wide range of prices. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Dawn HH]

Heellover48:-) Your son is an assistant manager of a women's department in Nordstrom's and doesn't know? Too bad! Just think of the "perks" you could be "privy" to. You would have the inside track on what the latest in fashions in shoes and boots would be as soon as they hit the store not to mention maybe a hefty discount. I think a lot of us wished we had an inside track on our favorite hobby. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Firefox]

I fit in Heelfan's category 3. I often modify boots to make them more noisy so people can't fail to notice. The rationale is that the more people that see something the more normal it becomes so enabling other shyer people to push fashion boundaries.

[Dawn HH]

Heellover48:-) Its a shame to have to let such a golden opprotunity pass by with your son, but I can see your point. Well taken. I just wish I had an opprotunity like that and I would gladly go broke for it. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Dawn HH]

Firefox:-) Keep pushing those fashion boundaries. I'm one of the many shy people and I'm right behind you. Good luck! Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Firefox]

Thanks Dawn By the way, you don't need to put separate posts when replying to different people. Put all your replies in the same post at any one time. It makes the board less cluttered and keeps the number of pages in a the thread down.

[Dawn HH]

Firefox:-) Thanks for the suggestion. I'm still feeling my way around with some things yet. I'll try to keep things less cluttered in the future. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Dawn HH]

Emery:-) Hi---I haven't heard from you for a while---hope your in good health. What you relayed to Aly would also apply To me and one of my pairs of boots. (Harley-Davidson). I call them my biker boots. I have several pairs of boots with various heel heights and differently styled chunky heels. I wear a different pair every day for street-heeling. Variety is the spice of life someone said. I will follow the advise you gave Aly and see who is able to smooth out our walk first. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Aly]

I will follow the advise you gave Aly and see who is able to smooth out our walk first.

Emery gave excellent advice - practice makes perfect! But Dawn, I don't think I'll be getting much practice with those boots in the near future: the temperatures are up in the 90s right now, and I prefer sandals to boots when it gets that warm!

Aly

[Dawn HH]

Aly:-) I see your point on the climate on your end of the country. I wouldn't be wearing boots there either. I'm in a more temporate climate here. We are in the 40's at night and the 50's and 60's during the day time. It's a rare occassion if we hit 90 here and that usually only lasts a day or two. I wear boots all year around, or have so far. The house, car, stores, and Malls are all air conditioned. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Arctic]

1. The new nervous shy-guys tend to try and go to any lengths to muffle the sound by adding a later of rubber to the sole, and even by taking the existing sole off the heel in order to fill-up the heel with foam or sand or plastic wood or whatever to dead the hollow resonance of the heel. (See appropriate threads under the Forum "Shoe Repairs and Modifications").

2. The semi-experienced street-heeling guys see to just leave each pair of shoes alone and let its natural sound prevail. They have already realised that 98% of the public won't even notice their heels, even when the trousers are short enough to expose the entire heel. And even the 2% that do notice couldn't give a toss about what some passing guy is wearing. In other words: No policemen are going to arrest you, no-one is going to beat you up and the world is not going to cave in! Just enjoy it!

Try it!

3. We veteran streetheelers often get a bit disappointed if no-one notices our heels, so we sometimes get our stilettos changed from rubber tips to steel tips, and on the underside of chunky heels we add steel segs or steel screw-heads to really attract maximum attention. If you've got 'em - flaunt 'em!

I don't know how many times you need to have worn heels to be counted as a veteran so I may be categorizing myself in the wrong segment here, but I like them quiet. I wear boots with heels because I like them, not to get the attention from the society. If that's your thing, that is ok of course but you're generalizing a bit...

[Dawn HH]

Bert:-) I like my heels quiet also so I have put rubber on the heel tips. This helps some, but they still make noise. I also wear heeled boots because I like them too, and they are very comfortable. Cheers--- Dawn HH