My new Miguel Jones Ankle Boots

[Rob]

Hi all,

I've finally found the ultimate Ankle Boot (for me at least)!

I started on the forum as an admirer of women in heels, with no real interest in wearing myself. Then three years ago I tried a pair of YSL Jonny boots and I was hooked.

Since then I've worn the Jonny Boots (which have 2½" heels) all the time outside of work (even getting married in my second pair) and for the past two years Jeffery West shoes with a 2" heel to work everyday.

But I've been wanting to get something higher. But whilst I'm all in support of the "free stylers" on the forum who wear feminine shoes and stiletto heels, that's not the look I want, and wearing "women's shoes" does nothing for me - it's simply the feel and look of the raised heel that I like.

However I have tried a few "masculine" women's ankle boots trying to find something that I like, but I've found that women's boots are designed to make feet look smaller, whilst men's shoes are designed to make the toes look bigger for the same shoe size. As I only have size 8 feet and I'm 6 foot tall, my feet are on the small size to start with, and the proportions just look all wrong with any women's boots that I've tried.

Recently after reading some posts here I realised that high heel cowboy boots might be an option, but I'm not really a cowboy boot kind of guy!

Then I came across these Miguel Jones Ankle Boots. On his ebay site he had a pair of size 9½ Ankle Boots in stock at only $129 (+ postage & duty), compared with around $175 for the made to order boots. As I believe that American sizes are slightly smaller than UK, and I may have read that Jones higher heels run small, I decided to take a risk on the size 9½ for my size 8 feet. (If they were too big, I could always try thick socks or an insole.)

Well they have arrived and I have say that they are stunning! Despite the high heel they have a very masculine look. I don't think anyone could mistake them for womens boots. They are very well made, with leather lining and a real leather sole. The heel is stacked leather, but with a rubber bottom, so they should be silent. The arch the closely follows the foot - so they should be comfortable for longer term wear.

They are too large and I would have been better off with an 8 or 8½, but fit with two pairs of thick socks!

These really are cool boots, with very much a loot and feel of being "real men's boots"! I'm very please with my purchase and I think I'll be wearing them a lot!

Here are some pictures:

[Rob]

And some pictures of them on. The first three pictures are with boot leg jeans, and the last two with straight leg jeans. Whilst I generally prefer straight leg jeans with my Jonny boots, I think the boot leg jeans work best with these. A rather good look, don't you think?

[Foxyheels]

These look perfect for street heeling if you want the high heel experience but not the commonly percieved 'female' look. I imagine they are very easy to walk in forlong periods due to the more masciline wider heel.

[jo]

US sizes are typically 1.5 more. UK 8 should be US 9.5, so your order should be, and was, spot on.

[Elegant]

That's an ass-kicking pair of boots, wear them proudly and don't hide their heels under pant legs!

[Charlie]

Welcome aboard Rob! They sure are great, comfortable boots! I have my 4" heeled ones on as I type this. I wear them all day and all evening long and my feet feel great at the end of the day when I take them off. I recently went the custom boot route with Miguel and got a pair with 3.5" heels that are also very comfortable for all day wear. I posted about them in the "who's bought some new boots" thread. He's definitely my favorite boot maker and having worn similar styled women's boots for years now (I still do btw), have to say that these give that same great high heel feeling in the feet. They do follow the arch of the foot quite nicely as well. 4" is definitely my favorite heel height these days but I don't think I can manage the 5" ones. I've been tempted to buy a pair to find out for sure though..

I don't know if you have this link or not, but here's a link to Miguel's official custom boot website:

http://www.custom-boots.net/

Charlie

[roniheels]

Those are great looking boots. I wear boots similar to those to work and no one even comments anymore. I would definitely wear a pair like those to work and for formal outings.

[Charlie]

Okay.... I just ordered a pair exactly like yours Rob. We'll see if I can handle the 5" heels in this style of boot. I incorrectly stated the heel height of another pair I bought sometime ago when I claimed 5.5" heels. They were actually a 4" heel height, but for some reason are much tougher to walk on than the ones I'm wearing today? I made the claim from memory. LOL Anyway, with these boots the heel necks down thinner and the boots are 1/2 size too large but I can't wear more socks as the tall shaft is too tight to get my socked feet through easily. Charlie

[ejs]

Those boots look excellent for out and about and i am sure would present no problem for wearing all day! Very tempted to get some!!

[Puffer]

Very nice boots, Rob! The general styling is certainly masculine and must be good for street-heeling. How high are the heels, please? The only thing I slightly dislike (although it is a true 'cowboy' feature) is the wide border (welt) around the nicely pointed toe.

What did you get stung for in UK customs duty, VAT and fees? (Always a disincentive to import from the US, unless one is lucky.)

US sizes are typically 1.5 more.

UK 8 should be US 9.5, so your order should be, and was, spot on.

No - I don't think so: US men's sizes are usually only a half-size smaller than UK, so if Rob is a UK8 he should fit a USM8.5.

[Rob]

US sizes are typically 1.5 more.

UK 8 should be US 9.5, so your order should be, and was, spot on.

Well all I know is that these size 9.5 would fit a UK 9 or 9.5 better than my UK 8.

Very nice boots, Rob! The general styling is certainly masculine and must be good for street-heeling. How high are the heels, please? The only thing I slightly dislike (although it is a true 'cowboy' feature) is the wide border (welt) around the nicely pointed toe.

What did you get stung for in UK customs duty, VAT and fees? (Always a disincentive to import from the US, unless one is lucky.)

Hi Puffer,

The heel measures 5 inches high, and they certainly feel much higher than a 4 inch heel (which is the highest I've previously ever tried). But they feel walkable with a bit of practice.I also think that the wider heel makes them look lower.

I must admit that I like the wide welt. It is one of the things that makes them look more masculine as it is something common on men's shoes, but much rarer on women's.

But yes I did get stung for VAT (at 20%) plus an £11 UPS brokerage charge! But not other duty. So they weren't cheep, but seeing the quality I feel that they are more than worth every penny.

[Puffer]

5 inches - I'm impressed, Rob! You must let us know how you get on with them. The heels certainly don't look that high and I agree that the overall appearance - shaft, heel, welt and toe - is essentially masculine, as well as being smart and sharp. It's really only the height of the heel (if exposed) that takes them out of mainstream menswear. But that is the point, surely - we don't want to be stuck in 'mainstream' forever!

[Majo]

Wonderful boots, Rob.

[Rob]

These look perfect for street heeling if you want the high heel experience but not the commonly percieved 'female' look. I imagine they are very easy to walk in forlong periods due to the more masciline wider heel.

That's an ass-kicking pair of boots, wear them proudly and don't hide their heels under pant legs!

Those are great looking boots. I wear boots similar to those to work and no one even comments anymore. I would definitely wear a pair like those to work and for formal outings.

Wonderful boots, Rob.

Thank you for your compliments guys!

Okay.... I just ordered a pair exactly like yours Rob. We'll see if I can handle the 5" heels in this style of boot. I incorrectly stated the heel height of another pair I bought sometime ago when I claimed 5.5" heels. They were actually a 4" heel height, but for some reason are much tougher to walk on than the ones I'm wearing today? I made the claim from memory. LOL Anyway, with these boots the heel necks down thinner and the boots are 1/2 size too large but I can't wear more socks as the tall shaft is too tight to get my socked feet through easily.

Charlie

Congratulations Charlie, I'm sure you will really enjoy them!

But last night I saw that they now have my correct size at the $129 and in stock! Sods law, I only brought the size 9½ as other sizes were $175 made to order (with a long wait) and with only 97% vendor rating I didn't want to risk ordering something not in stock.

Having thought about it today, these boots are so good that I if I can sell the size 9½'s, without too much loss, I'm going to order my correct size. It will have cost me over the odds, but they really are worth it.

So I have put them up in the High Heels For sale forum here.

As I mention there, if anyone is seriously interested I may be able to meet up to let them try for size. (Central or South East London, A23 corridor or North Kent preferred.)

[Rob]

Okay.... I just ordered a pair exactly like yours Rob. We'll see if I can handle the 5" heels in this style of boot.

Hi Charlie,

Did you receive your order yet?

How do you find them? Have you worn them out yet?

Can you handle the 5" heel?

Rob

[FreshinHeels]

Very nice boots! Let us know how they fit and walk. I mailed them if they make the same style boot with the heel 1 inch lower. 5 inch bit to high for me.

[Charlie]

Hi Charlie,

Did you receive your order yet?

How do you find them? Have you worn them out yet?

Can you handle the 5" heel?

Rob

I got them. The fit is good. The extra 1" height makes a huge difference when compared to 4". I can walk in them, but it's noticeably more difficult. I wouldn't wear them to work but would consider wearing them to dinner or any other event that's more sit down than standing up. What's cool about them is they are of the pointed toe variety so the extra length in the foot obscures the 1" higher heel height when worn with longer bootcut pants that I typically wear. They actually look more 'manly' because of this.

Charlie

[Rob]

Very nice boots!

Let us know how they fit and walk.

I mailed them if they make the same style boot with

the heel 1 inch lower.

5 inch bit to high for me.

Thanks for the compliment.

I believe they don't do this toe shape (which is what I like best about them) with a 4 inch heel, but please let us know their reply.

I got them. The fit is good. The extra 1" height makes a huge difference when compared to 4". I can walk in them, but it's noticeably more difficult. I wouldn't wear them to work but would consider wearing them to dinner or any other event that's more sit down than standing up. What's cool about them is they are of the pointed toe variety so the extra length in the foot obscures the 1" higher heel height when worn with longer bootcut pants that I typically wear. They actually look more 'manly' because of this.

Charlie

I agree with you about the long toe obscuring the heel height. The overall masculine look of them is what I like so much.

I must admit that I now have some concerns about how I will cope with the 5 inch heel. I'm not even proficient in a 4 inch heel yet. My plan was to just wear them out and about as every-day boots at weekends, but it may be that I can only manage them for the occasions you mention.

When I tried them on, they did feel very high but manageable with practice. But at present I'm only really used to 2½" heels out and about so it could be too much of a step up. I guess I'll see how I get on when my correct size ones are ready.

By the way, Prutske has started another thread about his Miguel Jones boots here.

[Charlie]

All I can say is that I was pretty unsteady on the 4" heeled boots as well at first, but have mastered them to the point of total comfort and confidence. The jury is still out with the 5" ones, but every well rounded Miguel Jones boot collection should have at least one pair of the really high ones. LOL Charlie

[FreshinHeels]

Well no answer so far. Guess Miquel Jones don't wanna sell boots to me Mind you after reading the size problem it's problaby for the best.

[Rob]

Hi All,

I thought it might be time for an update:

To recap, I originally brought the ready made Miguel Jones boots but as they were too large I sold them to another forum member and ordered some custom made boots from Miguel Jones - same toe and heel style but with closer fitting ankles and a zip (like a tradition ankle boot).

The fit of the new custom boots is really good, but slightly loose - but they work quite well with a pair of thick socks. I would go as far as saying that they are very comfortable, if it wasn't for the strain that the 5 inch heel puts on my ankles.

But I had been practicing around the house in them for a few weeks now. When I first received these new boots my wife wasn't keen on them. She asked to see them on me, so I put them on under long jeans (like in the pictures earlier in this thread) and she said "actually they don't look too bad". Then she asked me to pull my jeans up so she could see the heel. At that point she said that she didn't like them.

The next weekend I asked if she minded if I practiced in them around the house and she was OK with that and I didn't make a big thing of it. On the Sunday we were going to do our weekly shop. Half an hour before we went, and unprompted, my wife said, "you can wear your high heels if you want" but I turned that down, because I knew I needed much more practice and would look stupid walking badly (and her seeing me walking so badly would have a negative effect).

I practiced around the house a few times over the next few weekends making slight improvements in them, but still struggling until a few weeks ago when we were going down to Brighton for an event. My wife said I could wear my boots if I wanted but I said "I don't think I'm ready yet", but she said take them anyway and see how you feel when you get down there.

We parked in an underground car park near our destination at around 4.45pm. I decided I would put them on and take a few steps around the car in the car park to see how they felt before committing. The boots didn't feel too bad on the smooth flat car park floor, but I was unsure I was ready to wear them out of the car park. But my wife said "come on lets just go". I did explain that I wouldn't be able to walk very well or fast and she said "fine, lets go".

So we did a slow leisurely stroll across the bottom floor of the car park and, although slow, I felt that I was doing quite well - but I could feel my ankles bending down far more than they are used to with every step.

When we got the exit, I met the first big challenge: The lift was out of order, so we took the stairs up. The stairs took a bit of effort, but in many ways weren't as bad as walking across the car park, as I could go up them with my knees slightly bent.

Once out of the car park, I realised just how uneven even flat looking pavements are! Every slab felt at a slightly different angle, which I mentioned to my wife. Her attitude was that is what she deals with every day. My wife also commented that I had gone very red in the face. - I was on the look out for anyone looking at me. She also mentioned that I was walking stiffly and needed to loosen up. A few times I had to ask my wife to slow down. If she got a little bit ahead I wasn't able to speed up to catch up.

After a three or four minutes we reached our destination. Unfortunately I had to spend my time there (around half an hour eating canapés & chatting to people) stood up. Duty done, we walked back to find something to eat. I had all the same problems and did notice a few people looking at me, and felt that I had gone red again. I did discuss whether to go back to the car and change my boots, but wife said lets just get some dinner first.

As it was a warm sunny evening we had dinner sat outside a fish restaurant. Sat down, the heel of my boots was on display to everyone that walked by, but I was happy to show it. (My previous embarrassment was more due to how badly I felt I was walking, rather than the fact that I had the boots on.)

Then the difficult walk back to the car, and we left around 7.30pm (back in my lower Jonny Boots for driving). My wife said that just because she had let me wear them, doesn't mean that I can wear them all the time. She says she still doesn't like them much.

Since then I've only worn them around the house a few more times and a couple of times out for 10mins on my own. I feel I'm getting better in them, but very slowly. I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever master walking naturally in them, but I'm not going to give up yet. I certainly have a new-found admiration of how women walk in such high heels.

Rob

[Majo]

Great experience. Thanks for sharing, Rob!

[Steve63130]

Hang in there, Rob. It DOES get easier. Look, mate, you've trained your feet for almost your entire life to walk in flat shoes. You're not going to master walking gracefully in heels (especially ones that high!) in few hours. In fact, for any new endeavor, educators know that it can take a minimum of 160 hours of training to master the task. Yes, that's right, twenty 8-hour days! It's a long, uphill learning curve, so stick with it, focus, practice, and persevere! You'll get there in due time. Your ankles will learn new motions and your muscles will recondition themselves for different posture. It will be worth it but this kind of thing takes a lot of practice - more than we sometimes expect or want. Remember, most women have probably practiced in heels for countless hours to walk as gracefully as they do. Did you ever watch young teens try to walk in heels for the first time? They are awkward and ungainly. But time and practice and patience and persistence are what it takes. Good luck, and post again! Steve

[Charlie]

Hey Rob, I hear what you're saying. My progress into the 5" heeled Miguel boots has been slower than I would have liked and this is with wearing the 4" ones to work every day! Last week I wore the 5" heeled boots to pick up a prescription, to go to the bank, and then to dinner. No problem, but I'm not sure they'll ever be as effortless for me as the 4" ones are. I do like the challenge though and will wear them out more often now. Stay with it! You may want to get yourself a custom pair with the 4" heels as you'll be able to get used to these much easier and they are a little more practical. Good luck! Charlie

[Rob]

Thanks for the support Charlie & Steve! Steve, you raise some good points on how long it might take to master them. My concern is that only doing a few hours a week, I am spending too much time in lower (2-2½ inch) heels which wipes out any gains made in my limited time in the 5 inch boots. I guess I just need to find more time. Charlie, the fact that you are getting there does give me some hope that it should be possible to get reasonably confident in them. I may consider some 4 inch ones, but the timing isn't good as my income is about to go down and it will take a while longer to reduce our outgoings. At the weekend I wore them around Sainsbury's (a UK grocery store) with my wife. I felt awkward and I noticed a couple of people looking down at my feet. My wife said that I was walking very badly. On returning to the car my wife insisted that we walk down the ramp, rather than the steps, as "the practice will do you good". Those who wear heels out will know that walking down gradients is much more challenging as it forces ones ankles to bend even further than on the flat (but I think my wife quite enjoys how difficult I found that in her own evil little way)!