Excitement Of New And Old Heels

[SleekHeels]

How quickly does the excitement of a new pair of heels fade away for you?

 

For me it's quite slowly, and while I love that new shoes feeling it's almost just as exciting to rediscover old favourites in my collection, maybe by wearing them with a new outfit for a different look. However, I think in the early days when my collection was much smaller, the novelty of each new pair of shoes was a lot stronger because I usually had nothing else like that in my collection.

[Shafted]

None of the responses really suited me. Excitement is a real stretch for me at this point, besides it really depends on the shoe.

[Histiletto]

Again, it depends on the heels and how well they support the desired visions for the look you want as one of your personality selections.

[SleekHeels]

... it really depends on the shoe.

 

Again, it depends on the heels...

 

I guess I was thinking from the perspective that these days I don't really buy heels that I only half-like, I tend to have to really like a pair of heels before I buy them (maybe they're a lot nicer than a similar pair I have already) so not only does the initial level of excitement have to be quite high, but I have to see a long-term appeal too. Consequently the excitement tends to persist for me, so I tend to keep all the heels I buy. Maybe others have a much higher throughput of heels, throwing out old pairs as frequently as they buy new pairs, and are much more addicted to the short-term excitement of buying new heels. Maybe some people even buy heels that they don't even like that much just for the sake of it because they're addicted to the excitement of the shopping experience.

 

Some might call me obsessed with heels because I have 100 pairs, even though I only buy maybe 4-5 pairs a year on average, whereas someone else obsessed with heels might only have 20 pairs in their collection but they're constantly replacing that collection. Thinking about it, maybe this is what I was trying to get at with my poll question.... not just "how obsessed are you with heels?" but rather "what type of obsession do you have?". Not that there's a right or wrong type of obsession, it's just interesting to see the diversity.

[AZShoeNut]

I voted fairly slowly because most of my collection has long term appeal. Since I wear size 12 there are a lot of styles that I want but cannot find so I will buy styles that are close. I can lose excitement over those more quickly or replace them as a closer approximation becomes available.

[mlroseplant]

I voted for very slowly, because I buy shoes for the long haul. However, there are some exceptions, because my tastes have changed over the last two years, when I started heeling publicly. I keep rediscovering shoes in my collection, and I often ask myself, "Why don't I wear these more often?"

Some of my older shoes have become "unloved sisters" for various reasons.

[JeffB]

I went with Fairly Slowly since I enjoy that "new shoe" feel.

[Bikergoth]

I voted very slowly, (but clicked the mouse very quickly!), as I can still get the same amount of excitement when I put on a pair of boots today as when I first purchased them over ten years ago. I love the anticipation & building excitement of slowly lacing myself into a favourite pair of thigh boots, (one pair takes nearly twenty minutes to lace myself into & to fasten all the buckles), & then the lovely feeling of satisfaction when taking the first steps in them again if I haven't worn them for a while. I have never lost that initial excitement when putting on a pair of boots.

 

A few words on my type of obsession for Mr SleekHeels:

 

My lady & I share our boot collection & are currently in the process of replacing a lot of our older PVC purchases with their modern equivalent in leather wherever possible. We both much prefer the feel, texture & smell of real leather over PVC. When I first discovered we had a mutual interest in boots I seemed to be buying at least one new pair every week - a case of quantity rather than quality. A lot of the 'cheap & nasty' boots I purchased years ago have now been replaced due to what I call 'natural selection', they fall apart or get damaged beyond repair. I tend not to buy as many pairs now, but the boots I do purchase are of better quality. My lady & I both enjoy seeing each other in boots, wearing them all the time at home & also tend to take a lot of photos of each other wearing our varied collection of boots. Primarily my obsession was to be able to not only wear boots with really high heels, (the higher the better), but to learn to walk properly in them too. Many a happy day has been spent doing 'runway training' under the tuition of my lady, I think thrills & spills would be the politest way to describe it. I even fitted slate tiles on our kitchen floor so we can hear the 'clip-clop' sound of our heels - the sound of heels on a hard surface is another thing I adore about wearing them.

 

I also tend to go for certain manufacturers when purchasing boots & remain loyal to them. I went through a stage a few years ago of buying all I could from Fantasy Shoes as I really like their styles, especially the 'Victim' platform soles. Unfortunately they went out of business about four or five years ago so they aren't readily available any more. The odd pair pops up on eBay now & then but people want silly money for new unworn examples. Second hand ones can be found but as in all things, it's a case of buyer beware - the soles can break down inside & start to disintegrate. Over the last few years I have favoured Topshop 'Brittany' or 'Barley' platform thigh boots & Jeffery Campbell 'Lita' ankle boots.

 

One thing I haven't come across on this site yet, or perhaps no-one has yet confronted it - does anyone get extremely upset when a favourite pair of boots/shoes/heels finally become too knackered to wear? I had a lovely pair of butter-soft leather platform thigh boots that I wore nearly every day for nearly nine years & the sole split in half as I was wearing them. I had no way of repairing them so they had to go in the bin. I absolutely adored this pair of boots & actually cried when they went into the bin. I was so upset I had to get my lady to put our other rubbish into the bin so I couldn't see my favourite boots abandoned & discarded in there. It took me a good couple of weeks get over loosing them.

 

I never buy heels I only half like as, along with most people, money is an issue at the moment & I don't see the point of buying something I don't fully like. Definitely not addicted to shopping for the sake of it. I actually hate shopping unless I'm out for a particular pair of boots!

 

OK, that was more than a few words. I hope I haven't bored you all too much & I hope someone finds it all useful. SleekHeels - if you need to know any more, please ask.

[SleekHeels]

Thanks for your thoughts Bikergoth, interesting reading. None of my heels take anywhere near that long to put on but I can imagine that does sustain the long-term appeal.

 

 

does anyone get extremely upset when a favourite pair of boots/shoes/heels finally become too knackered to wear?

 

For me that depends on how replaceable they are. I tend to be quite careful wearing my absolute favourite styles, but own some everyday heels that I'll wear more out and about and not be so upset when they wear out beyond repair. Sometimes it's a fit thing too, if I really like the style of a pair of heels but their fit isn't quite right then I won't miss them so much when the time comes to let them go.

 

Some styles seem to be easier to replace than others, but even with something like a pair of standard black patent courts there can be a lot of variety in the shape of the toe and vamp and the contour of the heel, it's hard to find an exact replacement. I usually find it ridiculous when magazines suggest one pair of heels and an alternative substitute that hardly bears any resemblance to the first pair. Maybe as heel enthusiasts we're caught up on the finest details that other people simply aren't attuned to,

[Bikergoth]

I always savour the moment when putting on my lace & buckle thigh boots. When taking them off the laces have to be undone nearly all the way, so with no ski hooks & careful Victorian-type lacing then the buckles, it takes on average ten minutes to fasten just one boot - Absolute Heaven!

 

I agree with all your above comments. I also favour my best boots & take extreme care when & where I wear them, while wearing my everyday boots more often & perhaps not being as careful as I should with them. My platform thigh boots that broke last month had passed from 'best' category into 'everyday' a number of years ago, but I didn't realise how much I would miss them until they'd gone - especially as they were a one-off & I can't replace them. Over the past year or so if I really get on well with a certain pair of boots, I've found myself getting another pair exactly the same in case my original pair ever get damaged.

 

I bet all of us can sympathise with your comment about magazines suggesting an alternative substitute that bears no resemblance to the original pair. You've only got to click on the 'View similar items' icon on an eBay page to enjoy the blood-boiling pleasure of trying to find one or two useful items among a massive selection of useless dross. 'Nuff said on that I think!

 

I definitely think you're right about the fine details - I sometimes appear very fussy about what I want to put on my feet, but it's got to be exactly right, as what I wear on my feet says a lot about me as a person. I'm guessing that a lot of you out there also feel the same way...

[Guest]

Because I wear them everyday it wears off pretty fast. Even though I may have heels on sometimes it's not enough. Not that I am wanting to dress like a woman or be one. It's really hard to explain.