If You Are Tired Of Nobody Noticing, Try This!

[mlroseplant]

After more than two years of public heeling, I have finally found the courage to wear one of the looks I really like: Denim hot pants with heels.

 

Considered cheap and taboo (outside of the Dukes of Hazzard TV show) for years, it is now acceptable and even fashionable to wear heels with shorts. Well, if you do it right. I admit, it's a fine line. However, I've always loved the look when done correctly, and I suppose I knew it would always come to this. So here is my stab at it: Short shorts, but not too tight. Close fitting t-shirt, but still good coverage (nobody needs to see my hairy torso in this context). Heels high enough and thin enough to look "right" to me, without being over-the-top girly.

 

Somehow in the last month, I have grown an awfully thick skin, because let me tell you Brother, if you're wearing this outfit, there is NO secrecy or anonymity. People notice you, look at you, take videos of you, and sometimes make comments to you. I cannot possibly understand how JeffB or TBG manage to have somewhat peaceful experiences when they go out. Perhaps it is because I live in a small town. I'm not saying it's negative (I have yet to have a truly negative interaction), but it's certainly not peaceful. And yet, I absolutely love wearing this outfit! I also have a couple of pairs of 5" wedgies that look good with it.

 

As a side note, if I am with my 5 year old son, the comments stop, and the stares are much more furtive!

[Dr. Shoe]

Hahaha! They're not exactly hot pants. We call those Burmudas in the UK and many guys wear them and old ladies too!

 

Nice heels though.

[JeffB]

Miro: Cool outfit there! To answer your question about how I can wander about in skirts, I guess a lot of that has to do with living in the big city where people are too wrapped up in their own lives and affairs to pay much attention to me. Or perhaps the notion of guys wearing skirts in public no longer has the shock or revulsion factor it once did. Who can say for sure. Anyway, bravo to your own brand of boldness!

[Heelster]

Try some "Daisy Dukes" and see what happens.

[Mr. X]

Your outfit looks fine to me

[SleekHeels]

That looks like a perfectly pleasant summer outfit, not a "provocative" style at all, and the heel fit in with the overall look. I can't help wondering that if it's a heels-and-shorts taboo thing, would a woman wearing the same outfit get simiar reactions? Also if you wore the exact same outfit but with flat mens sandals, would you still get the same reactions? I think the small-town aspect is almost certainly a big factor, in London on a hot sunny day that outfit would blend right in with the shopping crowds or in one of the big parks. I'm not saying you wouldn't get looks, it's just that most people are too preoccupied to even notice, and those that do don't tend to be so petty as to make a big deal over something so trivial. Kudos to you for daring to step out and brave the reactions.

 

The only slightly "odd" thing about the look is the no-tan "socks", people might even subconsciously pick up on that as unusual, it would look more natural if you had a more even tan. Last year when I first more a mini-skirt with heels I realised that my legs had only caught the sun when I was sitting reading, so the front of my legs were tanned and the back of my legs were pale. These days I take care not put my legs in the sun at all unless I'm barefoot, because even a low tanline around the ankle looks odd with high-heeled styles (or even ballet flats) that reveal more of the foot.

[mlroseplant]

Hahaha! They're not exactly hot pants. We call those Burmudas in the UK and many guys wear them and old ladies too!

 

Nice heels though.

 

I had to laugh just a little bit at that comment. Yeah, I guess they are not exactly hot pants in the traditional sense of the term, but just exactly how short do they have to be to be called hot pants? These have an inseam of two inches, but they are not really tight. Is it the tightness that makes them hot pants? In the 1980s, it was very common for guys to wear shorts this short, and I always point this out to people, including my son, whose first words upon seeing these shorts were, and I quote, "Daddy, I have just three words--BELOW THE KNEE."

 

I know terminology varies from region to region, but I cannot possibly call these Bermuda shorts. To me, Bermuda shorts are to the knee, or just above, a good 8-10 inches longer than these shorts, and quite loose fitting. The sort of thing you would wear with a man's suit, if that were at all fashionable here. That being said, I bought a pair of quite tight fitting capris last year that were described as "Bermuda shorts."

That looks like a perfectly pleasant summer outfit, not a "provocative" style at all, and the heel fit in with the overall look. I can't help wondering that if it's a heels-and-shorts taboo thing, would a woman wearing the same outfit get simiar reactions? Also if you wore the exact same outfit but with flat mens sandals, would you still get the same reactions? I think the small-town aspect is almost certainly a big factor, in London on a hot sunny day that outfit would blend right in with the shopping crowds or in one of the big parks. I'm not saying you wouldn't get looks, it's just that most people are too preoccupied to even notice, and those that do don't tend to be so petty as to make a big deal over something so trivial. Kudos to you for daring to step out and brave the reactions.

 

The only slightly "odd" thing about the look is the no-tan "socks", people might even subconsciously pick up on that as unusual, it would look more natural if you had a more even tan. Last year when I first more a mini-skirt with heels I realised that my legs had only caught the sun when I was sitting reading, so the front of my legs were tanned and the back of my legs were pale. These days I take care not put my legs in the sun at all unless I'm barefoot, because even a low tanline around the ankle looks odd with high-heeled styles (or even ballet flats) that reveal more of the foot.

 

I agree, there is nothing really "provocative" about the outfit, but it IS unusual, especially for a guy. I can tell you that I wore these shorts, as well as other, somewhat longer women's shorts all last summer, generally with tiny women's thong sandals, sometimes with somewhat clunkier men's thong sandals (which I have since stopped wearing), and I did get occasional stares, but not NEARLY the reaction I get with the heels. I mean, I went for my evening constitutional last night wearing these shorts and 5 inch wedge sandals, and it was reasonably peaceful, but there were several cars that lingered at stop signs much longer than normal, like 15 or 20 seconds. I don't know if they were digging out their phones to take a picture, or what--I didn't turn around to look. I did catch a guy the other night snapping my picture from his back yard, and I'm pretty sure he was embarrassed--when I said hello to him, he immediately put the phone to his ear as if he were making a call. Busted, haha! This sort of thing simply does not happen when I'm wearing long pants with heels, or short pants with flats. I really do think it's the high heels with shorts combination. I can only imagine what the reaction would be if I wore a short skirt with heels, like JeffB. Luckily for me, I have no desire to do so. No offense intended, JeffB. I think you look great, but it's just not for me.

 

To answer your question about whether a woman would get such a reaction, I think she probably would get some reaction, but not nearly as much as me. I can only speak from my own personal experience, but there definitely seems to be some ethnic differences in regard to this fashion style. It seems to be much more common for Asian and Hispanic women to wear high heels with shorts. I rarely see white women in high heels and shorts. In fact, I can think of only four times in my entire life when I've seen a white woman in high heels and shorts. Three of them were tasteful, and one was completely trashy. But Hispanics and Asians seem to rock this style with impunity. Go figure.

 

As far as the suntan (or lack thereof), any "socks" you may see are an illusion of the photo. I work construction, and none of my leg had seen the light of day when this photo was taken. Not true for my face, neck, and arms! Like you, when I do get some sun on my legs, I make sure I am barefoot. I cannot tolerate flip flop tan lines.

 

Thanks, guys (and gals) for all the compliments and words of support. I get precious few.

[mtnsofheels]

Hey Miro,

The look is nice and I like that. I too prefer shorts like yours versus below the knee. Most of those shorts look like some one had an accident in the rear.

I am now using tan or beige hose to cover the no tan legs, my work also makes my legs see no light. I am still trying find heeled sandals similar to yours

but have not found them yet. Wedge sandals I do like as well.

[Steve63130]

I would advocate the use of pantyhose, too, in order to even out the color variations that occur naturally in skin and give a smooth, more attractive overall appearance. It can be matte finish so it isn't too highly reflective (i.e., Hooter's girl) and sheer to waist so the panty doesn't show below the leg hem. If you do wear pantyhose, be sure to shave your legs first. I like those sandals a lot. Good overall look, in my opinion.

 

Steve

[SF]

Hey there Mlroseplant….   I'm not a guy who wears shorts, just don't like them - so I will recuse myself on that part.  Butttt, I wear sandals almost exclusively and do like those shoes a lot…..  Take care, sf

[Dr. Shoe]

Actually I was being funny when I called them Bermudas. LOL.

 

Hotpants have a zero inch inseam... they look more like swimming speedos than shorts!

 

Like this!

[JeffB]

Actually I was being funny when I called them Bermudas. LOL.

 

Hotpants have a zero inch inseam... they look more like swimming speedos than shorts!

 

Like this!

 

Then there's the shorts girls wear that are so short, the pockets are longer than the inseam. Not a pleasant look in my opinion.

[Dr. Shoe]

Yep, mine are like that but only by accident. I cut off too much leg! In fact one pocket is cut off too...

[hhboots]

Then there's the shorts girls wear that are so short, the pockets are longer than the inseam. Not a pleasant look in my opinion.

 

I just love short-shorts on the right body, but I agree, the pockets hanging below the bottom hemline is so incredibly stupid looking.  

 

The length of those shorts is fine, but when I see those around, I want tell them don't be lazy and just fix the damn hanging pockets so you don't look like trailer trash.  It's super easy to fix, even for me  

[JeffB]

I think this is a function of you living in a small town, where cutting edge fashion isn't the norm.  In a globally alpha city like NYC, where cutting edge fashion abounds, loads of women wear shorts and heels.

kneehighs is spot on as usual. While Philadelphia isn't a global titan of a city like New York, I've seen women of every color wearing shorts and heels, the latter being mostly platform wedge sandals. Oh, and miro, taking another look at your picture, it just occurred to me that I have a denim skirt only slightly longer than your shorts, and I don't mind admitting I'd feel much more at ease in that skirt than I would in shorts.

[Dr. Shoe]

Girls in supershort shorts are everywhere here. Most don't wear heels though.

[mlroseplant]

kneehighs is spot on as usual. While Philadelphia isn't a global titan of a city like New York, I've seen women of every color wearing shorts and heels, the latter being mostly platform wedge sandals. Oh, and miro, taking another look at your picture, it just occurred to me that I have a denim skirt only slightly longer than your shorts, and I don't mind admitting I'd feel much more at ease in that skirt than I would in shorts.

  

I guess I should have made myself more clear. When I made the original statement, I was referring to shoes with a high, separate and distinct heel of at least 4 inches being worn with shorts. I guess that reveals my unconscious bias. If one were to count wedgies of less than 3 inch heel height, I would have to say that it a very common fashion, even here. Wedgies higher than 3 inches worn with shorts are less common, but not rare. What I don't see here is non-Asian, non-Hispanic girls wearing stilettos or near-stilettos with shorts. I'm also talking about everyday, on the street wear. I never go to bars or clubs, so I don't know, but I imagine stilettos with shorts in that environment is reasonably common, at least up in the capital city of Des Moines, about a 30 minute drive from here.

On a different note, in reply to the last half of your post, I have used up all my mental toughness in the past week, and I don't think I will be wearing the shorts and heels combo any further than my driveway very soon. I do enjoy wearing what I wear, but I just can't take the attention for a while. I feel the need to be able to go to the grocery store or the hardware store and get what I need without being gawked at. I'm definitely still wearing the shorts, and definitely still wearing the heels, just not at the same time. At least for a while.

Girls in supershort shorts are everywhere here. Most don't wear heels though.

Tiny shorts are very much in style, even around here. To me, this is a good thing...generally. But yeah, hardly ever with heels. Maybe wedgies less than 3 inches in height.

[Histiletto]

It's not that I'm out to be noticed as a high heeled guy, I'm usually the only person wearing them. To me, at least in this area, it seems most people, haven't been wearing heels for their casual activities for the past 5 to 10 years, whether in shorts, jeans, or skirts/dresses. So heels look out of place in most public settings. Also, should you favor wearing stilettos like I do, one can't help feel a bit awkward wearing stilettos on a daily basis that most people tend to leave for more formal occasions, like church, live theater, dance halls, and et cetera.  Since being a bit fanatic about wearing stiletto heels, I have to expect the consequences. However, it is easier when there are other high heeled participants around.

[Heelster]

Girls in supershort shorts are everywhere here. Most don't wear heels though.

Same here in the sticks. sneakers and flip flops.