genebujold Posted October 9, 2003 Posted October 9, 2003 There are many online sources for heels (of all heights and styles) in MEN'S sizes (well, women's sizes large enough to be worn by most men). And many of the sites have women's clothing in larger and TALL sizes (up to 5'11"). MAINSTREAM: Nordstroms: http://www.nordstroms.com Lane Bryant: http://www.lbcatalog.com Roamans: http://www.roamans.com FETISH: Pierre Silber: http://www.pierresilber.com Frederick's of Hollywood: http://www.fredericks.com For more sources, see GreenTithe: http://www.greentithe.com/ Good luck!
BobHH Posted October 9, 2003 Posted October 9, 2003 Frederick's on-line selection is small compared to their store selection, and more mainstream than fetish. Also, the size range is less than it used to be. Fetish sites, to me, would include: http://www.forplaycatalog.com http://liquiddreams.com http://www.duganbrothers.com http://www.flirtcatalog.com http://www.poisonangel.com http://www.mayashoes.com (all styles) http://www.wickedtemptations.com http://www.karoshoes.com http://www.wildrosecosmetics.com http://www.duskuntildawn.com Mainstream ones would include: http://www.sexyshoes.com http://www.italianheels.com And those are only partial lists, mostly USA except the last one.
genebujold Posted October 10, 2003 Author Posted October 10, 2003 Hi, BobHH. I think something like this might be fun: But only under a trenchcoat! Seriously, though, I agree with your differentiation between fetish and mainstream. To me, "mainstream" means the kind of heels you'd normal see most women wearing, either to work or around town. Now, "out on the town" is a bit different, especially in Vegas, where you either find sneakers, grandma shoes, or 4"+ heels. I really enjoy seeing a pair of beautiful heels like these: But on a woman! To me, it's just not asthetically pleasing to see them on a man. I believe men should be able to wear heels, too, even if it's not asthetically pleasing. But "aesthetically pleasing" is like beauty - it's in the eye of the beholder. Nevertheless, not only am I not into shock value, I am very much behind the idea of forwarding the concept of people being accepted as people regardless of what they wear. Just as when women first began wearing pants they had to limit themselves to tastefully-designed slacks (and usually heels) that clearly said "yes, these are pants, but they're feminine - I'm not trying to be masculine," we face similar hurdles. Therefore, whenever I appear in public wearing heels, I like to wear heels that say, "yes, these are heels, but they're not out of place on this individual," and would be considered to be aesthetically pleasing to the majority of the population. If, when Katherine Hepburn began wearing pants, she'd chosen blown-out jeans instead of designer slacks, I strongly doubt her "fashion statement" would have helped the cause of women wearing pants. In fact, the public backlash would probably have been strong enough to seriously retard bifurcated leggings for women. In a similar fashion, if we're ever to get the general public to buy off on the idea of men wearing women's fashions, it'll have to be a gradual effort, beginning with tasteful, generally-accepted departures that aren't too far over the boundary of what most consider "normal." With that in mind, whenever I wear heels in public (or in private, since I wear the same ones for comfort as well as fashion) I avoid anything that looks "fetishy" and stick with "elegant classics." To me, these would include women's flat toe-thong or medium-width strappy sandals, 2" to 3-1/2" chunk or taper-heeled clogs and loafers, and boots with moderately slim heels up to about 4". For example, here's one I'd love to see in larger sizes! Then again, this is me and my viewpoint about how to get the public to accept us - I'm sure others' opinions would differ!
genebujold Posted October 12, 2003 Author Posted October 12, 2003 I found another shop with some very nice styles in sizes up to 45 (about a 13.5). http://www.extravaganza.de/
BobHH Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 Yes, I agree that to be accepted, the progression would have to be very gradual, and would probably not get to fetish styles as a norm in our lifetimes, if at all. However, I don't have the time to wait, so I go straight to the sexy ones, but not really in public, unfortunately. If you have seen White 6 Inch Spike Heels from Canada, he goes public in his platform stiletto sandals, but with his long hair and slim build, it's not too obvious from a distance. Of course, having a girl with you helps considerably. That would be my dream.
BobHH Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 Forgot to mention that Maya of Maya's Shoes tells me she will have pumps up to women's size 17!!! Wow!
Bubba136 Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 Bob, since you know her personally, perhaps you might be able to give her some idea of what styles of shoes would sell best to the men on this forum? Certainly in the realm of boots and classic pumps. Or even, you might ask her if she would consider taking email orders (payment by “PayPal” or credit card) for styles in larger sizes. A person could email a picture of a style they are looking for, stating the size they need, and let her either special order it from the shoe manufacturer or see if she can't locate it on the internet. Of course, the individual should be willing to compensate her for her time and effort. Just a thought. Perhaps someone with more experience in the retail area can expand on this scenario and make it work. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
BobHH Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 There is a page on Maya's site saying to e-mail her for custom shoes. The web site needs work, in my opinion, but I didn't tell her that. I did give her the URL for hhplace. Custom shoes are not inexpensive.
genebujold Posted October 14, 2003 Author Posted October 14, 2003 Ok, folks, here it is - the motherlode: http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Clothing/Footwear/High_Heels/
jo Posted October 19, 2003 Posted October 19, 2003 Hmm, many well known sites are missing from that list. Maybe some more should be submitted? Do bear in mind the submission rules though. They do NOT list affiliate sites, or resellers. So, Leatherworks would be listed as an original manufacturer, but another site selling primarily leatherworks stuff would not, even if in a different country. Take note of that for anything that you might submit.
genebujold Posted October 19, 2003 Author Posted October 19, 2003 Hmm, many well known sites are missing from that list. Maybe some more should be submitted? Do bear in mind the submission rules though. They do NOT list affiliate sites, or resellers. Interesting! I love the fact that they only list the primary outlets - saves a lot of time looking through all the styles. Besides, the primaries are often cheaper than resellers, anyway.
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