The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[mlroseplant]

19 hours ago, KneeBooted said:

I don’t recall if you’ve ever mentioned this before, but in the snow/ice conditions, have you ever considered getting some wedge boots that have a more traction friendly sole? You could still achieve a 3-4” heel height and hopefully have better traction in less than stellar walking conditions.

I did have a pair of Dr. Martens wedge boots at one time which would have been ok for snowy/icy weather, but I got rid of them a long time ago. It's been so long ago that I can't remember why I got rid of them. I wound up wearing a pair of cheap rain boots to the grocery store which have a slight wedge to them, maybe a little over 2". I just bought some clogs that are wedge heeled, and I wore those out yesterday, except to church, where I wore my giant Nine West platform loafers. Got some comments on those to the effect of "You're an idiot for wearing shoes like that in these conditions." Eh, it wasn't so bad.

I probably won't make a wedge boot purchase for this year, but I might consider it in the future. The only thing about wedges is that they don't leave very attractive footprints in the snow. It just looks like a person with freakishly small and oddly shaped feet has passed that way.

[mlroseplant]

It's not much to do with heels, but my younger son just had his first school band concert last night. I didn't figure going to listen to 128 beginning wind players play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" would be all that thrilling, and I wasn't too disappointed--it really wasn't all that thrilling. However, I think my wife liked it better than she likes my performances, judging from her reaction. My son, who is not visible in this picture or any other, unless somebody took one with a drone, is theoretically where the arrow is. He got to wear his new Cole Haan dress shoes, mentioned several posts above this one, Women's size 8, which fit him just fine. I think I misspoke before--they are not oxfords, but rather derbies. He was the only boy with decent looking shoes in the whole band. His saxophonist friend did outdo him by wearing a jacket, but the boys just don't dress up anymore for anything. The girls looked quite a bit better, and there were quite a few heels, believe it or not. Remember we're talking 10 to 11 year olds here, but I'd estimate that about 10% of the girls had some sort of heel on their shoes or boots. There were a lot of booties, but not all. They were all block heels without exception, and looked like they ranged in height from 1 1/2 - 2 1/2". One girl actually had on sandals with a heel. In January. Even I didn't do that! I wore my DVF wedge heeled clogs.

[RonC]

It seems like the young girls wear more heels than adult women these days!

[Puffer]

21 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

... He got to wear his new Cole Haan dress shoes, mentioned several posts above this one, Women's size 8, which fit him just fine. I think I misspoke before--they are not oxfords, but rather derbies.  ...

I don't think the shoes are the 'Derby' style, and certainly not 'Oxford'.   The punched overlay on the toecap indicates that they of the 'brogue' style, generally referred to in the UK as a 'full brogue' and in the US as a 'wingtip'.   

[mlroseplant]

1 hour ago, Puffer said:

I don't think the shoes are the 'Derby' style, and certainly not 'Oxford'.   The punched overlay on the toecap indicates that they of the 'brogue' style, generally referred to in the UK as a 'full brogue' and in the US as a 'wingtip'.   

I suppose there are endless possibilities to disagree about terminology, and I will cite but one example. I always thought 'brogue' referred to the little holes that are punched in the leather of the shoe, whereas 'oxford' and 'derby' referred to whether the doohickies that hold the shoelace eyelets (that's the formal term for them) are sewn underneath the vamp, or they aren't sewn underneath the vamp. So to my mind, they are indeed brogues.  .  . which also happen to be derbies.

[Puffer]

11 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I suppose there are endless possibilities to disagree about terminology, and I will cite but one example. I always thought 'brogue' referred to the little holes that are punched in the leather of the shoe, whereas 'oxford' and 'derby' referred to whether the doohickies that hold the shoelace eyelets (that's the formal term for them) are sewn underneath the vamp, or they aren't sewn underneath the vamp. So to my mind, they are indeed brogues.  .  . which also happen to be derbies.

You are right in that a brogue shoe can have various types of closure, including that of a derby  (quarters and eylet tabs on top) or an oxford (eylets underneath).   But your son's shoes appear to have no  visible eyelets, so are they truly derby-brogue shoes?   Maybe they are a combination of styles that defies precise categorisation - or perhaps they could be called a 'coventry' as that city is midway between Oxford and Derby!   (Incidentally, despite Derby being an English city, in the UK we generally call the derby shoe a 'Gibson'.   Don't ask!)

[mlroseplant]

I just dropped off my wife and son at the airport. They will be in Vietnam for three weeks. For the first time ever, I will not be going with them. My job presently will not allow the freedom to take that much time off all at once. So, on the one hand, I don't have to have my Annual Farewell to Heels post, but on the other hand, I won't be able to report about heels in Asia, either. Incidentally, I did not drop them off at the airport in heels, but rather snowboots--it's THAT kind of weather, and I had to move 200 pounds worth of luggage. Luckily, they got really lucky and got out of here between snowstoms.

[SF]

Two Hundred pounds of luggage??  Wow.  How many pounds of that were her shoes??  Smile....   sf

[Cali]

I bet their clothes were just a fraction of the 200 pounds. That's just four 50 lb bags. A 50 pound bag is easy now that they have wheels.

I took 40 pounds of summer clothes to South America for my daughter and came home with 40 pounds of winter clothes.

[mlroseplant]

8 hours ago, SF said:

Two Hundred pounds of luggage??  Wow.  How many pounds of that were her shoes??  Smile....   sf

 

4 hours ago, Cali said:

I bet their clothes were just a fraction of the 200 pounds. That's just four 50 lb bags. A 50 pound bag is easy now that they have wheels.

I took 40 pounds of summer clothes to South America for my daughter and came home with 40 pounds of winter clothes.

You are right, 95% of the weight was gifts for friends and relations, as is expected in Asia. This gift giving business is a nice sentiment, but thankfully, I don't have to be a part of that nonsense this year, except for the brief use of my muscles to get the packages on the scale at home (some of us are prepared and do NOT bring overweight luggage to the ticket counter), then into the truck, and then onto the cart at the airport. We quit using suitcases years ago, now opting for heavy duty cardboard boxes. They have a much lower tare weight, and you don't worry about the airline trashing your nice luggage, probably busting one of the wheels off in the process.

 

And now, here's a sight you won't often see: Me wearing boots. Since it was so freaking cold today, and since I have two pair of perfectly nice kneehigh boots, I figured I'd better wear them. So I did. I had to clean all the spider webs off them, though.

[RonC]

You look good in those boots - should wear them more often!

 

[Bubba136]

200 Lbs of luggage on board an airline bound for Vietnam at today’s prices for excess baggage?  No wonder you have to work overtime. ;-)

[mlroseplant]

1 hour ago, Bubba136 said:

200 Lbs of luggage on board an airline bound for Vietnam at today’s prices for excess baggage?  No wonder you have to work overtime. ;-)

Oh, no! That's included in the ticket price. 2 tickets (Mama and Son) x 2 checked bags each @ 50 lbs each = 200 lbs. Normally, with me going as well, we take 300 lbs of luggage!

3 hours ago, RonC said:

You look good in those boots - should wear them more often!

 

What I should have done is to have worn my other pair of knee high boots. This particular pair is absolutely TERRIBLE on the ice. The other pair, which cruises on ice much more easily (seems to have a grippier rubber sole and heel), is looking a bit ratty these days. 

[Cali]

And you get the checked bags from start to finish on many International carriers. There are airline that do charge for international luggage on some tickets.

[Bubba136]

It has been several years since I last flown commercial anywhere.  The last time was to Chicago to attend a funeral.  I packed light for my three day trip.  One suit bag and a small carryon hand bag.  And. The airline wanted to charge me  $25.00 each to check them so I carried them with me.   Admittedly Atlanta to Chicago isn’t as far as your wife and son were traveling but I am surprised at the large amount of luggage they are allowed to carry.

[p1ng74]

US domestic and international flights are essentially two completely different products, and even the airlines they do both have to distinct policies between the two in order to adequately compete in both.  US domestic is like a bus, international is like an overnight train.  They make it a point to make the experiences different because that is what the market will bear.  

Edited January 21, 2020 by p1ng74

[Cali]

I have had two 50 pound check bags for each of the international trips including the domestic portion, while my niece had a carry-on only ticket on Norwegian Air - a very low cost carrier. I fly Southwest mostly now since my skis fly free.

But I also get a "shopping list" when I visit my family in foreign lands, so I need the space.

[SF]

I find it is so much easier (and enjoyable) to just drive....   sf

[Cali]

Driving is one thing, but it's the bridge toll that gets you when you drive to Asia and Australia.

[Shyheels]

On 1/21/2020 at 3:27 AM, Cali said:

Driving is one thing, but it's the bridge toll that gets you when you drive to Asia and Australia.

Experienced travellers use the tunnel 

[mlroseplant]

I have finally found some full length leggings that actually fit me, in other words, the legs are not too long. They are Jockey brand, and they're 8% spandex, 92% cotton, size small. I do not know whether they have a model name or number, but I am happy. I have also bought a lot of other cute shit last week. I have a big problem posting decent pictures, so I might post some crappy ones soon. Then again, I might not get around to it. That is all.

[Cali]

I'm laughing as I read this.  I just unpacked two pairs of legging  (denim perfect lift) I got on sale. They are size 10R. I have a pair of 10S in the same style and wanted something longer. The 10s are great for my knee high boots because it doesn't how long/short your leggings are. But the 10R are TOO long....  Congratulation @mlroseplant  for finding leggings that are the right length, it's tough.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Cali

[mlroseplant]

As tentatively promised, here is a crappy picture of one of my new outfits. I wore this to go to the Post Office, the bank, and a local place called Theisen's to get new tires put on my son's car. I got quite a few looks, all from little girls and old ladies. The reason why I decided to post is because my 80 year old father came over to my house in the middle of my errand running, and needed help figuring out why his tire pressure light on his car dashboard was on. I have an old-timey gas station tire inflator (in other words, nice) and a fairly nice air compressor system, so I was able to help him out. He complimented me on my new hat and coat, and the boots as well. He was actually enthusiastic. I figure that's worth something. My 20 year old son told me a few days ago that these particular boots suited me. We'll see if y'all agree.

Wool coat: Giacca. Cotton sweater: American Eagle Outfitters. Hat: no-name Chinese. Leggings: Jockey. Boots: Calvin Klein "Prairy." With 4 3/4" tapered block heel and 3/4" platform.

I had a friend say that I look like I should be walking hand in hand with the Morton Salt girl. I found the comment rather amusing.

[mlroseplant]

A very cute girl wearing my boots. Which are way cooler than the boots she came in on.

 

[jeremy1986]

12 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

A very cute girl wearing my boots. Which are way cooler than the boots she came in on.

 

For sure!

[HappyinHeels]

Nice looking boots mlroseplant. Kitchen looks familiar. The girl is a new addition HinH

[mlroseplant]

23 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

Nice looking boots mlroseplant. Kitchen looks familiar. The girl is a new addition HinH

Because of the Hanoi Connection, the girl has been around since 2014, but sporadically. What do expect from a sorority girl? She doesn't want to hang around with OLD people all the time! I should add a sorority girl who graduated from college summa cum laude, when English is not her first language.

She has been fully Americanized when it comes to high heels. When she was 18-20, I don't believe I ever saw her in flats, like any Vietnamese girl of a certain social class. Haha, that is FAR from the case now! She won't wear actual heels without a very good reason these days, and remarked when she tried on my boots (which were a full size too big for her) that they are way higher than anything she wears regularly, but she liked being tall!

On 1/28/2020 at 2:34 AM, kneehighs said:

love her hair.

Yeah, she's got nice hair, but it's processed within an inch of its life, and it's not going to be very pretty in a few years if she doesn't quit that! I've seen that happen too many times.

[mlroseplant]

I don't have much ruminating this week, but I do have news, and that is that my wife and younger son will return home from Vietnam in just a few days. I kind of went a little nuts while they were gone, buying a lot of stuff on Poshmark that I'd wanted to experiment with, but hadn't really wanted to deal with all the static from my wife about why was I wasting all this money on silly stuff. So I feel somewhat guilty about that, but you know, it's really small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, and I have discovered some interesting things.

No. 1: I have been looking for winter hat ideas for years. It seems there is nothing so utilitarian for keeping one's head and ears warm as a stocking cap, but it's a very casual style that doesn't go well with nicer coats and heels. I managed to find a couple of alternatives that are acceptable. I bought a wool beret that can be pulled over the tops of one's ears, and that's ok for short periods. But more significantly, I found a lined sort of stocking cap with a hard bill/visor in front that pretty much serves the same function as a stocking cap, but with a much more polished appearance. I have gotten several compliments on it, as pictured several posts above. I now have the same cap in bright red and mauve as well as black.

No. 2: I now own a couple of what you might call dresses. They don't seem like dresses in the usual sense, they're basically really long sweaters. My intent was to get a couple of sweaters long enough to reliably and consistently cover my private area so that I could wear leggings as pants out in public without creating an image I don't care to create. 'Nuff said. However, what I wound up getting in a couple of cases is something considerably longer than necessary to satisfy the aforementioned requirements. And you know what? They don't look bad! As long as I pay attention, stand up straight and engage my core, that is. I'm not saying I'm fat, because I'm not, but my abs aren't what they once were, and it's very easy for me to look 4 months pregnant. Maybe I'm just nitpicking myself in the mirror, I don't know.

No. 3: I now need to figure out whether I'm going to become a handbag guy. My latest purchases have no pockets, and although my pocket requirements are very minimal, zero pockets ain't gonna work. It may be that I will decide to dial back everything because of this pocket problem. I am not at all sure that I really want to go where I'm heading, 'specially once the wife gets back. There is always that to consider in the grand scheme of things.

No 4: I'm going to have to figure out where to put all my new shoes. I don't have enough room presently. And my new sweaters. And my new coats. And my new hats. And my old hats. Right now, they're sitting on the basement floor. That is not a great place to keep them, especially once the spring rains come. Looks like I will be building more shelves soon.

Have a great week, everyone! Thanks for tuning in.

[p1ng74]

Glad to hear that your family is safe and well in their travels!  

It’s funny how experimentation works.  I also had the idea to try some shirt dresses and wear them as a top layer, and wound up trying something longer and liking it enough to keep it too:

 

Same thing happened Friday when I was out looking for an overall-looking layer... I’ll take some proper pictures of them later.  
 

Man bags are in.  They can really complete an outfit.  Just for fun, I grabbed a camo bag to use in this photo to match the jacket, and I think it makes a statement!  
 

 

 

 

 

[mlroseplant]

15 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

Glad to hear that your family is safe and well in their travels!  

It’s funny how experimentation works.  I also had the idea to try some shirt dresses and wear them as a top layer, and wound up trying something longer and liking it enough to keep it too:

 

Same thing happened Friday when I was out looking for an overall-looking layer... I’ll take some proper pictures of them later.  
 

Man bags are in.  They can really complete an outfit.  Just for fun, I grabbed a camo bag to use in this photo to match the jacket, and I think it makes a statement!  
 

 

 

 

 

I'm spending a rather long time looking at the first picture (with the dress), trying to decide whether I like it or not. I mean, for myself. You look just fine! I think my objection, and this is a difficult one to overcome because of what's generally available, is that the neck opening is way bigger than I would wear. In this particular case, you would be showing boobies if you weren't wearing a shirt underneath it. Many of the women's tops I like have this same problem--I can't wear them unless I put something underneath like you have, and that's not so great in the summer. In my case, it's because I'm too hairy, and I don't really care to add YET ANOTHER thing to shave. That's why you will always find me in crew neck shirts, even in the summer.

As far as the bag goes, I'm kind of with @Cali on this one at this point--I don't want to carry something else with me if I don't have to. Sounds like something I would accidentally leave laying someplace.