The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[mlroseplant]

2 hours ago, higherheels said:

I see that this topic is in the "for the guys" forum, I'm sneaking in because I got marked by @Shyheels

I hope it's OK for you all if I post here?

 

The availability of good quality heels with a 11+ cm heel at a reasonable price is very bad in my opinion. Every pair of this height I own is more on the expensive side.

It's really sad. I don't want expensive designer brands for everyone of my pairs, anything with a good quality is fine for me, but this only really exists in the mid-heels range.

It's also sad that even Louboutin doesn't make the Hot Chick 130 anymore. I definitely wouldn't go for a cheap knock-off one. The 13 cm heel itself is enough of a challenge, I wouldn't wanna have an extra struggle with bad quality 😉

 

Guys are not allowed to post in the girls forum, but there is no rule against girls posting in the guys forum, and there never has been.  There is no rule because such a rule is not necessary--women evidently know how to behave themselves better than men do.

5 minutes ago, Puffer said:

It was not clear from mlr's comment if he was referring specifically to 13cm Hot Chicks, but there are Chinese clones of these available too, along with many other styles of 13cm (and higher) heels.   And it is purely speculative to say that wearing any of them must be dangerous, although no doubt some are poorly made or poorly fitting and pose a hazard - but only someone who has tried a particular pair could comment on that.   And, as I understand the many online comments by genuine Hot Chick owners, the real thing is not easy to wear, comfortably and safely, either.   I have also read that, although they are discontinued, Louboutin will still make the 13cm Hot Chick as a 'special order' - at a hefty price, of course.

 

I am done buying shoes that are shipped directly from China. I've had a 0% success rate with them. @Jkrenzer swore by Hey Si Mey brand, which is shipped directly from China, but is not super cheap. However, both of the pairs I bought have a toe-length-to-foot-length ratio that does not match my feet. If a Steve Madden or an Aldo or a Nine West would make a 130 mm shoe, I would buy it. Or heck, if they'd even make a true 120 mm shoe, I'd buy it.

[higherheels]

1 hour ago, Puffer said:

And, as I understand the many online comments by genuine Hot Chick owners, the real thing is not easy to wear, comfortably and safely, either.   I have also read that, although they are discontinued, Louboutin will still make the 13cm Hot Chick as a 'special order' - at a hefty price, of course.

Yes, they're not easy and comfortable to wear. But that is simply due to the heel height and shape of the toe box. They're very well built and therefor I don't consider them "unsafe" because they offer good stability.

I didn't know that they're still made as a special order, that's cool! I looked up the price and apparently it's about double of what I paid for them back in the days...

 

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

There is no rule because such a rule is not necessary--women evidently know how to behave themselves better than men do.

Oh, what a pity...but I certainly can't complain about you guys 🙂

[Shyheels]

1 hour ago, higherheels said:

Oh, what a pity...but I certainly can't complain about you guys 🙂

I'm so glad to hear that.

[Puffer]

22 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I’ll defer to an expert who actually wears Louboutin Hot Chicks that the added height of a 13cm heel is challenging enough without adding poor quality fit, manufacture and materials into the mix. 

Agreed - but one cannot assume that a copy Hot Chick (or any other footwear) is of 'poor quality fit, manufacture and materials' without actually inspecting and trying it.   If there was universal condemnation (at least in the UK/US) of Chinese footwear imports, it is most unlikely that they would still be actively marketed there, which is clearly not the case although of course there are both good and bad reviews.

[mlroseplant]

Oh, I think you can ABSOLUTELY assume that the quality of direct Chinese shoe imports is going to be low, because that assumption is usually correct. If it turns out to be incorrect, that's a pleasant surprise and a bonus! Here is one example of such a surprise below, and I can also catch up on church outfits at the same time, as I'm a couple of weeks behind.

I had forgotten that I have actually had one good experience with stuff ordered directly from China, and that is my Onlymaker platform sandals. At least I think they're Onlymaker--the shoes themselves are unlabeled and unbranded, except for the size. The only reason I got them is because I thought they would be steep. I was promised a 15 cm heel with a 3 cm platform. Cool! 12 cm! At least they'd be good for practice. When the shoes arrived in a rather miniature shoebox, they looked pretty much like the picture, but had 3.5 cm platforms, so the total steepness is a mere 11.5 cm. I already have plenty of shoes with that gradient. Oh, well. However, despite being on the clunky looking side, I've become a little obsessed with these shoes lately, and I've worn them out several times. They are very shiny.  Pictured here is from October 12th.

The second photo is from last Sunday the 19th, featuring my BCBGenerations neutral colored strappy sandals. One thing about the Aiming High challenge is that these thin heeled but not quite stiletto sandals are a doddle to walk in, with their steepness being barely over 10 cm. I shall be interested to try my steeper pumps soon (up to now they have been put away for the summer), just to see if I have in fact made any progress.

[mlroseplant]

This week was a bit of a change from the normal for a Sunday morning. Once a year, we move our entire church service to the local college chapel and have a combined service with the students and faculty for their Homecoming weekend. Among other things that are different, I don't have to play for the service, but I do have to sing with the choir, which is a combined choir of the college choir and my church choir.

When I showed up in my gold Nine West Wilia3 mules, I immediately got some compliments from the college kids, and also from the college choir director, who was singing in the tenor section with me (our church choir director was leading the whole group). He said, "Those are some great back row shoes!" I had never thought of it that way, but it's true. At 5'5", or 165 cm, I need the extra height to be able to see over the taller sopranos. The tall ones always wind up standing right in front of me. That's just how it works.

I was very surprised at how many people commented on my shoes in the course of two hours or so. I would say that it's because I'm presenting myself to a new set of people, but that's not completely true. We do this every year. The student body completely changes every four years I realize, but the adults more or less remain the same. Anyway, it was a pretty good Sunday.

[Shyheels]

Yes, I think you’ve found yet another practical use for high heels! As “back row” shoes in the choir! And nice to be finding acceptance and receiving compliments

[mlroseplant]

PSA to those who live near oak trees and who are at a latitude where it is now autumn: Platform heels and acorns do not mix well.

[Shyheels]

I can imagine!

[at9]

I have a pair of "goth" style knee-high boots with 3" platforms and 5" heel. They are very comfortable and seem very easy to wear but even a small irregularity in the ground, such as an acorn, can be treacherous.

I don't often wear them but they are great for Halloween parties. And the price was right - I got them for free.

[Cali]

That goes ditto for eucalyptus trees and their pods.  Live with with both.

[Shyheels]

Conner’s in Britain wouldn’t be any fun either

[Puffer]

18 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Conner’s in Britain wouldn’t be any fun either

I think you mean 'conkers' (hoarse chessnut 🤥).

[Shyheels]

29 minutes ago, Puffer said:

I think you mean 'conkers' (hoarse chessnut 🤥).

Yes - autocorrect again 

[mlroseplant]

Come to think of it, pretty much any tree can shed hazards to platforms. I just happened to walk through some freshly downed acorns the other day.

[mlroseplant]

This Sunday it was back to our regularly scheduled program, and as usual, I picked out my outfit at the last minute based upon what was clean and what was ironed, then checking to make sure I hadn't worn the same exact thing in recent times.

The only thing of note this week is that I got many comments on my shirt, and zero comments on my heels. The shirt came from Vietnam, and I have worn it occasionally for many years. One of these days, it will become unpresentable. It has already lost some of the sheen it once had, but somebody always comments on it every time I wear it.

The shoes, on the other hand, have never really attracted that much attention. I mean compared to others, not on an absolute scale. They are Michael Kors, and their main claim to fame is that they are both black and tan, so theoretically they go with everything. Or, you can do what I did, and wear tan pants with a black belt. They're not quite stilettos, and they're not super high (to our eyes, anyway). Evidently, I wore them about two months ago. I did not realize this when I selected them for the morning. I'm of two minds about that--one the one hand, I hate to repeat stuff, but on the other hand, I'm always saying that there are some things in my collection that do not get enough love. I guess I can't have it both ways.