csb2 Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 I created this thread after reading the threads about designer Rad Hourani's unisex line of clothing and footwear. While his high heel booties are nice, the price tag of $1095.00US seems a little bit overpriced. http://www.radhourani.com/collections/eshop/products/sh001l The Rad Horani high heel boots also reminded me of the "Men's style of high heel shoes and boots" that have been available at 6inchheelsforever for a few years now. Even though they seem fairly priced ($275.00Canada for shoes and $345.00Canada for boots), they have never generated any interest in me at all. Perhaps, I don't like the tapered toe boxes. http://www.orientvisual.com/6inchforever/shoepage.php?querytype=category&searchstring=Boots&itemsperpage=100¤tpagenumber=1 With that in mind, I find the following women's style of high heel shoes and boots to be the best that could potentially be intended for men to wear. The heels are at least 4 inches high and the rounded toe boxes look a lot better than tapered ones. ====== 2010 Vince Camuto Cool Oxford Shoe (still currently available on ebay.com in some sizes). NOTE: heel is 4.25 inches and the sole is 0.25 inch thick. http://cgi.ebay.com/VINCE-CAMUTO-Cool-Oxfords-Shoes-Womens-130-New-/160577439860?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&var=&hash=item6b1b6cbb24 2010 Seychelles Thriller Ankle Boot (still currently available at amazon.com). NOTE: the heel is 4.625 inches high (not 5 inches high as listed at amazon.com) and the sole is 0.25 inch thick. However, the front part of the boot rises about 0.625 inch off the ground and produces an effect of a 5-inch heel on the arch of the foot. http://www.amazon.com/Seychelles-Womens-Thriller-Ankle-Boot/dp/B003FSHJBC/ref=sr_1_17?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1304719366&sr=1-17
hoverfly Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 I believe for the general male 4" + heels are to high maybe should be around the 3 to 3.5 inch mark. That's with out platforms. Hello, my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee! 👠1998 to 2022!
Foxyheels Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 Over the past couple of months I have purchased six pairs of ankle boots in the sales. Four of them sold as ladies and two of them as men's. They are all chunky type heels and range from two to three inches in height. I personally believe they all look masculine so are very easy to wear anywhere without getting any comments. I think ladies boot styles now do include very traditional male designs so it's easy to get away with a higher heel, I even wear them locally and in front of family and friends with no problem. I tried them all on in the shops without even a slight glance from anyone and MrsF walked around picking out others for me as I did. I don't consider them to be 'high heels' but they are tall enough to feel nice and more importantly get everyone who knows me used to me wearing higher heels. Once that becomes normal I should be able to get away with a slightl higher pair as everyone will be used to it. I still prefer my four inch boots for street heeling away from home but who knows with time I may get to wear them locally as people acclimatise to my preference for talker and taller heels. High heels are the shoes I choose to put on, respect my choice as I repect yours.
Histiletto Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 Whether the heels on shoes or boots are block, wedge, stiletto, blade, or etc., the best high heels are a matter of personal choice. To limit this choice to a particular height or style is the same thing that society has done to keep men from wearing heels at all. This is not honoring the right each person has to choose according to their own sense of style and self-expression.
miltboot Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 If you ever saw footage of Prince during his heyday, he was ALWAYS wearing stiletto ankle boots. Nobody really thought anything of it and this was 20 years ago. Now, granted, Prince is a very short guy, and a celebrity, but it's amazing what is still not acceptable in the general public. 1
csb2 Posted May 7, 2011 Author Posted May 7, 2011 I believe for the general male 4" + heels are to high maybe should be around the 3 to 3.5 inch mark. That's with out platforms. 1) The "Men's style of high heel shoes and boots" that 6inchhighheelsforever has been selling for the past few years have 4 inch high heels with no platforms. 2) I would agree that the height of a "men's high heel" could be either 3 or 4 inches. So, if we compromise, it would be 3.5 inches. However, if you round that figure up, you get 4 inches. Right? 3) Since a women's high heel is generally considered to be at least 3 inches or so, it would seem appropriate for a men's high heel to be considered at least 4 inches or so. The average man is taller (about 5'9" vs 5'4") and has larger feet (about 10.5US vs 8.5US using same scale) than the average woman. 3 inches is more a "mid-heel" for the average man. 4) I agree with FOXYHEEL, plenty of 3-inch high heels for men already exist. I also don't think that 3-inch heels don't get noticed that much, especially on big men. ======== I believe that getting "men's high heel" styles of footwear is one of the keys for men gaining total social acceptance for wearing high heels in public. Give them some high heel shoe and boot styles that are "Just for Men" and masculine-looking, but also sexy like the 4 inch Vince Camuto oxfords or Seychelles ankle boots (not the ugly ones at 6inchheelsforever).
csb2 Posted May 7, 2011 Author Posted May 7, 2011 If you ever saw footage of Prince during his heyday, he was ALWAYS wearing stiletto ankle boots. Nobody really thought anything of it and this was 20 years ago. Now, granted, Prince is a very short guy, and a celebrity, but it's amazing what is still not acceptable in the general public. I have a copy of Purple Rain on DVD. I believe that most people knew Prince was really short (5'2"), so they considered his boots as "prop" rather than "fashion". If you can get a big-name male celebrity, who is about 6 feet tall, to ALWAYS wear stiletto ankle boots, it might very well change fashion for men (or at least make it easier for other men to do the same).
csb2 Posted May 7, 2011 Author Posted May 7, 2011 Whether the heels on shoes or boots are block, wedge, stiletto, blade, or etc., the best high heels are a matter of personal choice. To limit this choice to a particular height or style is the same thing that society has done to keep men from wearing heels at all. This is not honoring the right each person has to choose according to their own sense of style and self-expression. I agree, but you got to start somewhere. When is the last time you walked into a men's shoe store displaying any type heel over 2/3/4 inches high?
Histiletto Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 If you can get a big-name male celebrity, who is about 6 feet tall, to ALWAYS wear stiletto ankle boots, it might very well change fashion for men (or at least make it easier for other men to do the same). Waiting for misuer right could make a lifetime waisted. Be discreet, but wear the heels you desire and do it your way. I agree, but you got to start somewhere. When is the last time you walked into a men's shoe store displaying any type heel over 2/3/4 inches high? Maybe they would start carrying such footwear just for us, if we (and some of our friends) gave them reasons to do so.
jo Posted May 7, 2011 Posted May 7, 2011 If you can get a big-name male celebrity, who is about 6 feet tall, to ALWAYS wear stiletto ankle boots, it might very well change fashion for men (or at least make it easier for other men to do the same). They usually look something like this though...
csb2 Posted May 9, 2011 Author Posted May 9, 2011 They usually look something like this though... Not necessarily. 1) Tom Cruise has worn stiletto high heels on numerous occasions in public (just google "Tom Cruise high heels"), but like Prince he's rather short at 5'7" and usually partners with taller women. His former wife Nicole Kidman was 5'10" (in barefeet) and almost ALWAYS wore high heels, towering over Cruise. So, Cruise's high heels are also unfortunately regarded as "prop" rather than "fashion". 2) Any big-name male celebrity, who is about 6 feet tall and a GAY FEMININE MALE could probably do it what takes to change shoe fashion for men.
pussyinboots Posted May 10, 2011 Posted May 10, 2011 ^ Tom Cruise wears 'lifts' - not stiletto heels. If he wore stiletto heels it would be a Worldwide 'Shock-Horror Expose' and plastered all over the media and the internet. He wears men's shoes that have been built-up at the instep and heel....and you can find lots of photos of this - and none of him in stilettos (unless someone has had the 'Photoshop' working overtime). "Good Girls keep diaries....Bad Girls just don't have the time...!:icon_twisted:"
csb2 Posted May 10, 2011 Author Posted May 10, 2011 As far I remember(?), the first photo was plastered all over the tabloids in the USA a long time ago. He was wearing a pair of stiletto high heels and standing in back of a podium up on a stage (side view photo) with his former wife Nicole Kidman. They got married in 1990 and it was about that time. Over the years, I saw more articles about Tom Cruise wearing high heels, but never actually read them. So, I assumed that he was still wearing stilettos. Perhaps, after the first stiletto high heel photo, he switched to lifts. I stop being a Tom Cruise fan a long time ago. IMO, Cruise was great in the movies Risky Business and Top Gun, but then changed after starring with Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. You could start to sense him trying to act rather than being his cool self.
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