mlroseplant Posted March 3, 2013 Posted March 3, 2013 This pair of mules caught my eye on ebay a couple of weeks ago. I snagged them for a very nice price. However, I don't ever see me wearing them in public. They are the only pair of shoes I own thus far that I feel this way about. I bought them because I've always been attracted to the "Candies" style, and I also thought they'd be good practice shoes for my other, more conservative mules. I figure that if I can learn to walk in these properly, my other shoes ought to be a breeze! They're not as hard to walk in as I thought they'd be, but they are a bit of a challenge if I actually want to walk, rather than amble. Now that spring is just around the corner, I'm starting to think about the whole sandals thing in earnest. When wearing high heeled boots, oxfords, or even closed-toed clogs, it's much easier to appear more on the masculine side. With sandals, ehhhhh, I think it's pretty much impossible. The question is, do I care? The more important question is, will my wife care? I'm going to say, "yes." I'm 100% sure she's going to hate these, and 99% sure she would hate ANY high heeled sandals I might find. Obviously, she doesn't know about these yet. I've always loved sandals, but it's often very difficult to find a pair of sandals that I will actually put on my feet. In fact, I've been known to go barefoot rather than wear fugly men's sandals in some years where the styles were just too hideous. I'm weird about my feet that way. By the way, I do take impeccable care of my feet, and I have taken to shaving the tops of my feet and toes for some time previous to my heeling days. I'm not really looking for any advice. I will eventually decide what I do or do not feel comfortable wearing, and, through discussion, what my wife will accept. I do not want to wear anything in public that would make her very uncomfortable if people saw us together. I am just curious to hear your thoughts about high heeled sandals and masculinity.
SF Posted March 3, 2013 Posted March 3, 2013 Sandals are cool!! With the exception of two pairs of mules, all my heels are sandals - and some flats too. I have worn women's sandals since I was a teen - thongs, wedgies, strappy etc. As with other shoe styles, mens sandals - to me - are unattractive. Women's shoes and sandals, are much more stylish, that's why I wear them. With spring coming and the spring summer styles coming out, give sandals a try. I always make sure my feet look nice, nothing worse than ugly neglected feet in a pair of sandals. For the most part, when I am out and about, no one even notices (or cares) that I am wearing women's sandals. BTW I like your sandals shown in the attachment, although the heel is a bit high for me, I keep the heel height to about 2 to 2 1/2 inches max.... Take care and have fun!!! sf "Why should girls have all the fun!!"
canadianbeaver17 Posted March 3, 2013 Posted March 3, 2013 I have bought a few pairs just for fun. I did buy a pair like mlroseplant's Candies mules, evening know I would never wear them out. Since heeling indoors happened the most, I decided to buy some "indoor slippers" that I always loved the styles and wanted them for my own. All 4 I use to wear a lot.
Steve63130 Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 SF is right. Sandals are a lot of fun. I had never wanted to wear them before a year ago, but in December of 2011, I developed a toenail fungus and went to my dermatologist, a stunning woman who wears very fashionable clothes and shoes. She knows of my passion for heels and has seen me in different boots and clogs. Anyway, she diagnosed my fungus and trimmed away 1/3 of the nail on my left big toe, gave me some ointment and told me to put it on twice a day for 6 months until the nail grows out. I did, and by June 2012 everything was good again. I decided to start wearing sandals a lot because keeping my feet in boots and clogs and loafers all day keeps the toes moist from perspiration, and it makes an ideal environment to grow fungus, so I started buying sandals and wearing them a lot. I probably own a couple of dozen sandals by now, and I love wearing them. I get my toenails (and fingernails, too) professionally done in a local salon, and usually wear polish with a subtle color - dusky satin rose, copper, etc. My feet look great, they're healthy now, and they do justice to good looking sandals. Just last week I bought these casual wedge sandals from Naturalizer called Tribute. They are only 2 3/4 inches but the ankle strap keeps them secure and they're fun to wear. If you log onto www.naturalizer.com and search for Tribute, you'll find them, and you'll see two reviews from me. I submitted the first one, but it got lost, so I submitted a new one, then they found the old one and posted it too. Steve
Heelster Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 This pair of mules caught my eye on ebay a couple of weeks ago. I snagged them for a very nice price. However, I don't ever see me wearing them in public. They are the only pair of shoes I own thus far that I feel this way about. I bought them because I've always been attracted to the "Candies" style, and I also thought they'd be good practice shoes for my other, more conservative mules. I figure that if I can learn to walk in these properly, my other shoes ought to be a breeze! They're not as hard to walk in as I thought they'd be, but they are a bit of a challenge if I actually want to walk, rather than amble. Now that spring is just around the corner, I'm starting to think about the whole sandals thing in earnest. When wearing high heeled boots, oxfords, or even closed-toed clogs, it's much easier to appear more on the masculine side. With sandals, ehhhhh, I think it's pretty much impossible. The question is, do I care? The more important question is, will my wife care? I'm going to say, "yes." I'm 100% sure she's going to hate these, and 99% sure she would hate ANY high heeled sandals I might find. Obviously, she doesn't know about these yet. I've always loved sandals, but it's often very difficult to find a pair of sandals that I will actually put on my feet. In fact, I've been known to go barefoot rather than wear fugly men's sandals in some years where the styles were just too hideous. I'm weird about my feet that way. By the way, I do take impeccable care of my feet, and I have taken to shaving the tops of my feet and toes for some time previous to my heeling days. I'm not really looking for any advice. I will eventually decide what I do or do not feel comfortable wearing, and, through discussion, what my wife will accept. I do not want to wear anything in public that would make her very uncomfortable if people saw us together. I am just curious to hear your thoughts about high heeled sandals and masculinity. I've been looking for a pair like those in stores for about a year now. I bought a pair of clogs like that but with a closed toe and love them. So easy to slide in and out for around the house, and comfortable to go out in. Any idea what brand those mules are, and I wonder if they sell them in retail shops.
mlroseplant Posted March 4, 2013 Author Posted March 4, 2013 I've been looking for a pair like those in stores for about a year now. I bought a pair of clogs like that but with a closed toe and love them. So easy to slide in and out for around the house, and comfortable to go out in. Any idea what brand those mules are, and I wonder if they sell them in retail shops. They are Steve Madden, the model name is Crunk. I believe they are a couple of years out of production. I looked them up just to get a better description and better pictures than what the ebayer had listed, and every place I found was out of stock. Apparently, they were made in several colors. I can't believe they used to retail for 90 bucks! I paid 20 for mine, shipping inclusive. They do seem solidly crafted with what I believe to be real wood, and the leather doesn't bite into your toes, although that strap is awfully far forward. They slap a lot when you walk--how girly! Surely there are still a few pairs out there, or something similar.
Dr. Shoe Posted March 11, 2013 Posted March 11, 2013 Buying shoes for fun? Is there ever any other reason? Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
SleekHeels Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Buying shoes for fun? Is there ever any other reason? Well said Doc ! If you like it, wear it.
mlroseplant Posted March 12, 2013 Author Posted March 12, 2013 Buying shoes for fun? Is there ever any other reason? True, but like most truths, there is some gray area. My occasional purchase of Red Wing work boots is remarkably akin to buying new tires for my car--it's definitely necessary, and has noticeable functional results, but I wouldn't exactly call it "fun." Sorry, I couldn't quite bring myself to write "tyres," as it seemed too affected. I'm sure you're quite capable of the translation. HA!
AZShoeNut Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Howdy, Now I never envisioned purchasing a pair of shoes like these before. These today, however, caught my eye. I think that they could be a lot of fun with a tie die shirt and a pair of jeans. I could find myself actually buying them. Larry http://www.torrid.co...idth-562710.jsp Life is short... Wear the bleeping shoes!
nerol69 Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 got these on a whim, was in the Skeechers store with my wife, liked them, bought them. So comfortable, first thing i put on in the morning
HappyinHeels Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 mlroseplant- Like Steve63130 and SF said sandals are really cool to wear both for the ventilation they give ones toes but also because there is no hiding anything...sort of like JeffB in his skirts or TBG in his patented thigh-high boots. I read an article somewhere in the last four years or so about a guy in Texas who always went to the beach with painted toenails but no other outwardly signs of "femininity". What he found was that he turned into something of a chick magnet nearly immediately. I suppose the plain message there is one of a confident person which the girls, in turn, are attracted to. My feeling is the same with sandals since they invariably expose much more of your feet. I suppose one could wear sandals with either no toe nail polish or just clar polish but I think this is a rarity. It may give the wearer a bit more some sense of blending in but it may also work against them. I honestly think that well-maintained feet; manicured toenails, moisturized skin, and freshly polished toes will be appreciated no matter if those feet belong to a man or a woman. Put those dererving feet into some stylish sandals and I believe that's the sign of a very confident person indeed. I like sandals, especially high wedge sandals as well as sandals with a stiletto heel, and would love to wear them out more and more as I was dong in 2012 and just did for our Chicago Heel Meet a few weeks ago. Your wife will probably not like open-toe choices so that's one thing to consider. You could, however, keep a pair or two for use when you are out and about but not with her. Try it friend, you'll love it! HappyinHeels
Steve63130 Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 Happy, well said. I agree that the best part about wearing sandals is that it motivates me to take good care of my feet. In December of 2011 I acquired a toenail fungus that required the dermatologist to remove about 1/3 of my big toenail. It took 6 months to grow out, and I was determined never to let that happen again. So I've been wearing sandals a lot more throughout 2012 and into this year in order to keep my feet in a dry, fungus-free environment as much as possible. While I love clogs and boots, I try to wear sandals for at least a part of each day (indoors in winter) when I can. Whether I wear with tights, sheer hose, or barefoot, I am motivated to get a pedicure once a month, keep my nails trimmed, keep the heel skin moisturized to avoid cracked skin, and watch for corns, calluses and blisters so I can treat them right away. I spend about 5-10 minutes paying attention to my feet each day, and it's really paid off. My favorite polish colors are a satin dusky rose, satin pewter, and copper, all of which my wife loves on me. I usually color my fingernails to match. Can't wait for warmer weather. We had a teaser last Sunday when it got up to 70 F for a few hours, but something inside told me not to put the snow shovel away just yet! lol Flurries today. Steve
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