Adventures of SleekHeels

[JeffB]

SH is right, Thighmax, there is no magic bullet when it comes to developing confidence and one's own personal comfort level when it comes to wearing heels in public, you just have to go out and do it. There will be good days, and there will be bad days, but, speaking as one of those experienced members of the forum, the good will FAR outweigh the bad. Each time you go out, you gain experience, you learn what works and what doesn't, and you'll inevitably become more at ease with yourself in whatever setting you happen to be in. As for outfits, I can only suggest that you strive to be tasteful, to avoid standing out like the proverbial sore thumb and to blend in as so best you can with your surroundings. Bottom line, it's all about trial and error, just do the best you can and you should be fine.

[SleekHeels]

My latest adventure was to a shopping mall for a coffee and a bit of heel browing that turned into buying. I wore my zebra peep-toe courts, stonewash skinny jeans and black fluffy knit jumper (the weather's not been very summery this week).

 

 

I think I heard one young woman mumble "weirdo" as she rushed by, a couple of very pretty young women glanced at me and gave a slight giggle before getting back to their conversation, but most people just ignored me. I exchanged smiles with a couple of young-middle-aged women, and had really positive chat with the sales assistant when I was trying on shoes.

 

Earlier in the week I went to the supermarket. I wore my black suedette wedge sandals with dark blue bootcut jeans and a bright orange vest under a black waterfall cardigan. The lady at the checkout seemed to be friendly and chatty with all the customers and was no different with me.

 

 

The same wedges are more visible with the aztec print dress and demin jacket that I wore last week, which made a sunny day much more enjoyable. My feeling was that most people ignored me a little more intensely than usual (if that makes sense), but the ones who smiled did so very warmly, and the cafe staff were very friendly.

 

 

I hope this inspires newbies to feel free to wear what they like.

[Mr. X]

Nice variety of outfits Sleek.  They look great on you! Plus, it gave me some ideas for future outings.  Thanks!

[LuvyourShoes]

I really appreciate your posts! Great outfits!

[JeffB]

Hey there, SH! Nice outfits all, especially the dress/denim jacket combo! I couldn't help but chuckle at your comment about being "ignored a little more intensely than usual". I guess that some people might have had trouble believing or accepting in their minds what their eyes had seen, or perhaps they went out of their way to give you a wide berth because they might've thought of you as being strange because of what you wore. Unless you can read minds, there's no way to know for sure. But hey, as long as you got to enjoy yourself, that's the important thing!

[bluejay]

Nice looking ensembles, SleekHeels. Keep up the good work.

 

I also like your polished toes too. Looks just like the color, I'm wearing now, called "Flashy Fuchsia" from Sally Hansen.

 

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[SleekHeels]

Thanks for your comments guys. Here are some close-ups of the zebra peep-toes:

 

 

The nail colour is Revlon's "One Perfect Coral", very close to fuchsia but slightly more orange.

 

[maninpumps]

Nice outfits and I like the Zebra print heels. 

[bluejay]

Thanks for your comments guys. Here are some close-ups of the zebra peep-toes:

 

zebra1.jpgzebra2.jpg

 

The nail colour is Revlon's "One Perfect Coral", very close to fuchsia but slightly more orange.

Nice looking Zebra print, peep toes. I could wear them.

 

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[JeffB]

Thanks for your comments guys. Here are some close-ups of the zebra peep-toes:

 

zebra1.jpgzebra2.jpg

 

The nail colour is Revlon's "One Perfect Coral", very close to fuchsia but slightly more orange.

Cool shoes, my friend!

[jetheelsfan]

Some shoes look "classy" while others look "trashy" - those zebra prints are a definite "classy" look. 

[SleekHeels]

My latest adventures in heels were to a shopping mall wearing my black patent court heels, black leggings and cinammon jumper over a black scoop-neck tshirt, and black shoulder bag:

 

 

Browsing the sales I found a nice denim pencil skirt which felt great when I tried it on. The changing room assistant was just the coolest person (she remembered me from before when I bought my white heeled sandals) and we had a nice chat. After paying for the skirt I went back to the changing rooms and changed into it:

 

 

I then walked across to a cafe on the other side of the mall, getting one teenage snigger but mostly just discreet glances on the way. The cafe was pretty busy but I found a small table to sit and and sip my coffee and read. The cafe staff were very pleasant, with no comment on how I was dressed at all but very friendly and it was nice to be treated like a human being. Other customers pretty much noticed me but didn't make a big deal of it, and apart from a few glances and subtle double-takes there were no reactions.

 

Having finished my coffee I browsed some more clothing sales and unexpectedly found a very pretty floral skirt in my size. The young changing room assistant in this store seemed slightly taken by surprise but treated me with what I can best describe as apprehensive courtesy. Anyway, I really liked the skirt when I tried it on, but I wasn't too sure which of my heels and tops might work well with it. At the cash desk I asked another assistant for some advice and she was very helpful, making a few sugestions but also encouraging me to try out my own ideas and see what I like.

 

A couple of days later I returned to the mall, wearing my new floral skirt with my brown knee-boots, brown leather jacket over a burgundy top, and a brown bag. This was picking up on a couple of ideas that the sales assistant had given me previously, but she wasn't there for me to thank her.

 

 

Maybe it was just a figment of my imagination but I like to think there was a hint of admiration of the outfit in some of the glances I got. Even if that's a bit of a delusion I don't care, the outfit felt totally fabulous to wear. On my way out of the mall I passed by a shoe shop that's being renovated, and the boarding has a huge picture of some amazing boots. I asked a passer by to take a photo of me, which they kindly did:

 

 

If anyone's interested, the shop was Russell and Bromley and those boots are a style called "Highland" by Stuart Weitzman (although at £595.00 they'll have to remain a dream as I don't see the decimal point taking a step to the left any time soon).

http://www.russellandbromley.co.uk/long-boots/highland/invt/372303

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shafted]

I really liked that look with the leggings. Nice job. Love those thigh boots too.

[bluejay]

Very nice SleekHeels.

 

Thanks for the post and your pics.

 

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[JeffB]

Hey there, SH! Great pics! I especially liked the second and third photos, very stylish, my friend.

[Puffer]

You look very presentable and well-coordinated in all those outfits, SH; well done!   You don't show your face but I'm sure that this is the only element of your overall appearance that demonstrates your true gender - and the only reason therefore that you would get anything other than a wholly admiring and accepting reaction from onlookers.   (And that is in no way a criticism of you or your activity; I admire your boldness and conviction as well as your taste.)

 

If it isn't an intrusive question, can you enlighten us as to the type of work you do, and whether you confine your 'outings' to non-work activity away from the workplace or home?   It is interesting to know background, and potentially encouraging to others who may wish to experiment. 

[SleekHeels]

Thanks all !

 

Puffer you're right I don't show my face (it's just a general internet identity thing, I wouldn't include my face if I was wearing regular menswear) but even though I'm always clean-shaven and occasionally wear a little mascara and lipstick, I don't make any attempt to conceal that I'm male (nor to conceal my enthusiasm for "femininity"). I'm not sure that onlookers are "wholly admiring and accepting" because they like what they see, I think most people feel a little uncomfortable seeing something that goes against their social conditioning but they're politely accepting out of political correctness. Having said that a few people who dare to take the blinkers off and have a genuine sense of fun with fashion (usually women) smile or even give a compliment (and know how to receive a compliment too) and that's really nice.

 

Your question isn't intrusive. I'm a self-employed computer engineer, mostly working from home but also in communal/public places. I used to wear my heels only at home, and although I still do sometimes for the fun of it, these days I often wear flats at home and save my heels for when I'm out and about. If I'm going to client sites I tend to wear a regular mens suit and shoes, but if I'm meeting a client in a public place (like a busy cafe) I'll often wear a shirt, vneck jumper, bootcut jeans (basically menswear from the womens department) and ankle boots, usually flats but occasionally with heels and it's never even been noticed as far as I can tell. That's the same if I'm going to an industry event. I save the skirts/dresses and prettier heels for when I'm just working by myself in a public place like a cafe or business centre where I'm fairly anonymous, or recreational time i.e. going to the mall for some window shopping or a concert. When I visit my parents I revert to regular menswear; they know I like to dress up but it fiercely upsets them and I have better things to put my energy into than bashing my head against that brick wall. In general I think it's easier to blend fashion freedom into the anonymity of an urban environment, and for those living in more rural surroundings maybe a day-trip to a big town is a more feasible option. I think autumn/winter is an easier time to blend menswear/womenswear with jumpers, jeans and boots, so perhaps that's an easier time for those wanting to step out for the first time.

[Puffer]

Thank you, SH - most enlightening.  

 

It is perfectly understandable that you would wish to preserve internet anonymity regardless of your activity or mode of dress; most of us would!   But perhaps you misunderstood me when I referred to the acceptability of your appearance; I was merely suggesting that, if you had a female face and hairstyle (and were reasonably attractive!), your mode of dress would very likely attract positive responses from onlookers.   In other words, you dress well and would probably turn heads for all the right reasons if you were indeed a woman.   As it is, being fairly obviously a male, your mode of dress is unconventional and, to many but not all onlookers, potentially a reason for them to show intolerance, discomfort, criticism or worse.   But you clearly have the balls (literally!) to take all this as you find it, in the hope that the world at large will do the same.   You have my respect.

 

You say that your parents know you like to 'dress up'.   Do you mean that they know you deliberately dress in women's clothes of an overtly feminine nature, as distinct from merely liking more flamboyant male or unisex clothing?

[Mr. X]

Very nice looks in your recent pics Sleek.  I too try to keep my anonimity as much as possible.  So I totally understand.

[SleekHeels]

Thanks Puffer, I had indeed misunderstood, the penny's dropped now and that's a very nice compliment so thank you very much for that.

 

You say that your parents know you like to 'dress up'.   Do you mean that they know you deliberately dress in women's clothes of an overtly feminine nature, as distinct from merely liking more flamboyant male or unisex clothing?

 

I've occasionally worn "menswear from the womens department" in quite a subtle way and I don't think they even noticed. But they do know I like to wear heels and other more obvious womenswear and that crosses a line that they just can't deal with. I've spoken honestly and openly to them about it but they choose to stick their heads in the sand. I've done what I can but compromise is a two-way street and, like I said before, there are more positive things to put my energy into. It's not exactly ideal but there is no secret key to total acceptance, everyone just needs to find a balance they can move forwards with.

 

 

______

 

Today I popped out at lunchtime wearing my black suede courts (5" heel, 1" platform) with bootcut jeans and blue "heart" tshirt under a black waterfall cardigan. Here are photos including a close-up of the shoes.

 

 

First I walked along a short section of the high street, crossing at a busy road junction. I popped into a drug store to buy some body lotion that was on sale, the sales assistants are usually young women but today they were young men, the guy who served me was totally unflustered by how I was dressed and treated me very politely and just like any other customer. I then walked back along the high street and bought some food items from the supermarket. As I walked purposefully along the aisles a few other customers gave me slight glances, but there was no negative feeling whatsover.

 

By the way I'm not making my posts on some vanity trip, I'm really just hoping that perhaps some hesitant newbies might think "hey, I could wear something like that" and be inspired to overcome their fears, just like other established forum members inspire me too. It would be great to read more newbie success stories.

[AZShoeNut]

Hello SleekHeels,

 

No vanity trip seen by me.  I read each of the adventure posts by you, TBG, Shafted, JeffB, w6ish, etc as soon as I see a new post.  Like reading the columns from the back of a magazine first, my eyes go to the adventure tales first.  I did a lot of heeling for a while but my trips have been very scarce for the last year and change.  Until I am better able to get back out in heels more often I live thru the adventures that you guys have.

 

Perhaps, when I do start getting back out in heels more frequently again they will be worth writing about.

 

Thank you for sharing!

 

Best,

Larry

[Steve63130]

I agree with Larry. If it weren't for all the encouragement from posters like you, Sleekheels, and others here, I wouldn't have progressed very far in my public heeling either. You guys are all an inspiration.

 

Steve

[vector]

I second (third) that and would like to that you all for your encouragement, support, and understanding!