The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[CHRISPAP]

In pink at the left in the back

[Pumped]

The only person not wearing athletic shoes!

Well, maybe not the only one. 

This picture points out how relaxed we have become with clothing over the years. When I  was very young my mom would show up for something like this dressed well, maybe a nice top and dress pants and low heels. She wouldn't let me near the church unless I also was appropriately dressed. To this day athletic shoes are for putzing around home or going for a walk. Out shopping I still tend to dress up a bit, perhaps just nice jeans, nice button up shirt and nicer shoes, perhaps a pair of block heel booties.

[Jkrenzer]

3 hours ago, Pumped said:

The only person not wearing athletic shoes!

Well, maybe not the only one. 

This picture points out how relaxed we have become with clothing over the years. When I  was very young my mom would show up for something like this dressed well, maybe a nice top and dress pants and low heels. She wouldn't let me near the church unless I also was appropriately dressed. To this day athletic shoes are for putzing around home or going for a walk. Out shopping I still tend to dress up a bit, perhaps just nice jeans, nice button up shirt and nicer shoes, perhaps a pair of block heel booties.

It's a rehearsal, not church. Melrose's heels and attire are much nicer during service, right?

[Puffer]

Blimey!   I should think that a couple of 'hallelujahs' would be enough to blow the masks off!   (More seriously, isn't the effect noticeably muffled or spoiled by the masks?)

[Cali]

3 hours ago, Puffer said:

Blimey!   I should think that a couple of 'hallelujahs' would be enough to blow the masks off!   (More seriously, isn't the effect noticeably muffled or spoiled by the masks?)

Or could that improve their sound?

Just Kidding

[mlroseplant]

We thought about wear choir robes for this video, but decided against it because it would have wasted a lot of valuable time, and it was very windy that day. As far as the masks go, you'll notice that nearly all of us are wearing ASTM Level 1 disposable masks. They are much easier to breathe through than my usual triple layered cotton mask. So we did that on purpose. We were down on numbers by about half anyway, especially sopranos. It turned out all right, for what it is.

[Pumped]

16 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

It's a rehearsal, not church. Melrose's heels and attire are much nicer during service, right?

I am not picking on Melrose, he is wearing heels. I am picking on the rest!

Your comment does reinforce my point. It isn't church, just practice so who cares what we look like.

[p1ng74]

1 hour ago, Pumped said:

I am not picking on Melrose, he is wearing heels. I am picking on the rest!

Your comment does reinforce my point. It isn't church, just practice so who cares what we look like.

Melrose cares, he’s wearing heels

[mlroseplant]

On 11/11/2020 at 8:14 AM, Pumped said:

I am not picking on Melrose, he is wearing heels. I am picking on the rest!

Your comment does reinforce my point. It isn't church, just practice so who cares what we look like.

 

On 11/11/2020 at 9:46 AM, p1ng74 said:

Melrose cares, he’s wearing heels

To be fair, I had just finished recording hymns to be used in next week's video services, so I probably look a little bit nicer than everyone else. I know that many of us @RonC are very disappointed that casual clothing has now become acceptable in nearly every situation. I always like to say, "Comfort is overrated," as if I am saddled in some way by my clothes and shoes. I think that is not so much true, because I really don't feel uncomfortable in nicer, less casual clothing. Perhaps I perceive comfort in a different way than do most people. For example, I don't mind wearing a necktie, as long as my shirt collar is properly sized. I just seem to ignore it while I'm out and about. It's the same with the heels. Sure, I notice that I'm wearing heels, but I don't perceive them as being uncomfortable, they just are. I mean, assuming they're not rubbing a blister in the side of my foot or something, but that's a separate issue from what I'm talking about, and that has an easy solution--if it keeps happening, like @Cali always says, we just get rid of the shoes. I guess it all boils down to one question: Why is it necessary for every article of clothing to "feel like you're wearing pajamas?" That seems to be the ultimate goal of most people these days.

In spite of all that, even I have slid down the casual slide a little bit. When I first started wearing heels in public, I made sure that I looked several cuts above before I stepped out the door. I felt it necessary to make some sort of statement that I was not wearing the heels by some sort of accident, but that it was part of a total look. Therefore, I would not leave the house without my shirt ironed, my pants pressed, and looking the very best that I thought I could. Today my standards are much less strict. Today, I just have to keep my work t-shirts segregated from my "nice" t-shirts. No, it's not quite that bad, but it's true that I no longer feel like I have to get all the way dressed up just to wear heels to the grocery store.

[Shyheels]

Because I work from home I try to make an effort to look at least smart-casual, so that I feel that I am in a work environment and not just slobbing around at home. It sets a tone. If I was the sort who naturally wore ties I woud probably wear one. I'm not and so I go with nice jeans and a jumper, collared shirt and, since one wouldn't turn up to the office barefoot - a pair of boots. In winter months I tend to go with a very elegant  pair of Jean Gaborit heavy suede otk boots with 3.5" cuban heels - combining comfort and style since the tall boots keep my lower legs warm, no small consuideration on damp blustery days such as today! 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Shyheels

[Cali]

8 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

 

To be fair, I had just finished recording hymns to be used in next week's video services, so I probably look a little bit nicer than everyone else. I know that many of us @RonC are very disappointed that casual clothing has now become acceptable in nearly every situation. I always like to say, "Comfort is overrated," as if I am saddled in some way by my clothes and shoes. I think that is not so much true, because I really don't feel uncomfortable in nicer, less casual clothing. Perhaps I perceive comfort in a different way than do most people. For example, I don't mind wearing a necktie, as long as my shirt collar is properly sized. I just seem to ignore it while I'm out and about. It's the same with the heels. Sure, I notice that I'm wearing heels, but I don't perceive them as being uncomfortable, they just are. I mean, assuming they're not rubbing a blister in the side of my foot or something, but that's a separate issue from what I'm talking about, and that has an easy solution--if it keeps happening, like @Cali always says, we just get rid of the shoes. I guess it all boils down to one question: Why is it necessary for every article of clothing to "feel like you're wearing pajamas?" That seems to be the ultimate goal of most people these days.

In spite of all that, even I have slid down the casual slide a little bit. When I first started wearing heels in public, I made sure that I looked several cuts above before I stepped out the door. I felt it necessary to make some sort of statement that I was not wearing the heels by some sort of accident, but that it was part of a total look. Therefore, I would not leave the house without my shirt ironed, my pants pressed, and looking the very best that I thought I could. Today my standards are much less strict. Today, I just have to keep my work t-shirts segregated from my "nice" t-shirts. No, it's not quite that bad, but it's true that I no longer feel like I have to get all the way dressed up just to wear heels to the grocery store.

Why does there have to be this distinction between comfortable and nicer clothes?  I opt for comfortable good looking clothes. I want to feel good and look good. Just like shoes, life's too short for ugly clothes (unless you're working in mud or other muck).  It makes no sense to walk around in envious heels and ugly clothes.

Edited November 13, 2020 by Cali

[mlroseplant]

Hey all, to add to @Cali's trend, I just wanted to share another 4 inch heel sighting! It's getting pretty bad when one's adventures as a man in heels become less exciting and important than seeing an actual woman out in the real world in heels these days. I was putting fuel in my car a couple of days ago, and a woman stepped out of a little SUV wearing actual, factual high heels! Don't get me wrong, they weren't stilettos in the classic style, but they were sleek, pointy toed pumps, worn with what I would call "office casual." They had substantial block heels, far higher than necessary for mere professional appearance reasons.

I really wanted to snap a picture, but I don't do that anymore, and I thought maybe it wasn't the best idea to shout across the parking lot, "Hey! You! You're the only chick I've seen in actual high heels in months, let me take your picture!" So I didn't, instead.

[Shyheels]

Probably wise...

[mlroseplant]

So uh, howdy there folks! Somebody mentioned in another thread about lifting heavy objects in heels. This triggered a memory from several months ago, involving lifting a heavy object.

My wife sells egg rolls at the local farmer's market, and she has become fairly successful in this endeavor, to the point where our cheap Chinese meat grinder had failed catastrophically from constant use.  To replace it, my wife found this ancient Hobart meat grinder for sale, I think it was made in the 1940s, but it still grinds the heck out of meat. It suits our needs perfectly, without having cost us the thousands of dollars that a comparable new unit would cost. Thing is, this thing is bloody heavy! I mean, it's heavy! One evening, my wife wanted me to move the unit from our kitchen to the garage, because she was finished with her grinding duties. I went to pick the thing up, and I said, "I really don't think I'm up to this tonight." Then, I realized I was wearing heels. I had forgot. I slipped off my shoes, and picked up that 106 pound (48 kg) meat grinder, and moved it out to the garage. Sometimes, heels really are a handicap. But, we love them still.

[mlroseplant]

A couple of nights ago, I had a conversation with an old friend of mine from college. I had to scroll back quite a few pages to make sure I'm not repeating myself, and I was about to. Funny how that is beginning to happen more and more often these days. Anyhow, she is the college friend who always wore heels when it was necessary to dress up for something, but didn't love it. A quick recap, she rarely wears heels today (at age 52), and the heels she does wear occasionally most of us here wouldn't even consider heels. However, she's one of those fashionista types who has an absolutely enormous number of clothes, and she never wears exactly the same outfit twice. She actually documents what she wears daily to make sure that doesn't happen! Many of her shoes are, in my estimation, not worthy of the outfits she creates, mostly to wear to work, where she is a sales associate for a major clothing store chain.

She asked me at one point, quite directly, that if I worked in her job, her hours, her situation (on her feet fairly continuously for 8 hours), whether I could and would wear heels. And I answered, "Oh, absolutely! It wouldn't even be a question." Then the conversation went the usual way you'd think. How? Just.  .  . how? And the answer is.  .  . I really don't know for sure. But I do know that if the heels are less than about 4 1/2", it would be no problem.

Actually, I probably do know how I do it. Some of it is lucky genetics, I am sure. But the other part of it the thousands of miles I've walked over the years, and the thousands of hours I'm sure I've spent standing in heels over the years. As everybody knows, it's the standing that gets you. So, I had to dig out the old story that many of you guys have heard before, but that she had not, where very early in my heeling life, I chose to wear a pair of boots to the shopping mall that were a bit beyond my skill level at the time. In the grand scheme of things, they really weren't that steep--somewhere less than 4 inches difference between front platform and heel. Maybe 3 1/2? I don't remember for sure, but what I do remember is wondering which would happen first:  Was I going to make it back to the car, or was I going to die? Oh, MAN! I don't think my feet ever hurt so badly, before or since.

I remember being terribly discouraged, the trip to the mall couldn't have been more than two hours, and I felt like I failed miserably. Maybe this idea of wearing heels all the time, every day, was mere fantasy. I don't think I wore heels for a week after that. This was in early 2013. For some reason, I couldn't stay away for long, but it was a good while before I wore heels to the mall again. It wasn't until several months later that I hatched this plan to walk 1,000 miles in heels, I definitely cut the heel height a little bit at first, but I believe that this plan was the secret to my success. Thinking back on it, I can definitely remember getting better, poco a poco.

I tried to explain to my friend that I wasn't bragging in any way, it took a lot of hard work to get where I am today, both physically and mentally. I am sure there are people out there who can out-walk me with far less training, but I don't know. It's never really come up, believe it or not! There's only one gal I know personally who has the reputation of being able to walk 5 miles in high stilettos easily, but I haven't actually witnessed this, and now I'll probably never get the chance to find out, because she moved to Germany several years ago.

Completely on a different subject, I took this picture yesterday to see just how odd it looks to wear sandals with otherwise winter-like clothes. You might have a different opinion, but I'm ok with the look.

[Cali]

I certainly know I can stand and work in heels for 16+ hours straight. Used to before the pandemic. While for some it takes practice to work up to that long in heels, another part is your mind set. If you go into it with the thought it's going to hurt, then it's most certainly will.  I think you @mlroseplantgo into it as it going to be an enjoyable experience and it turns out that way.

It took me about 1 minute to find my balance and walk in 4 inch heels and at 5 minutes it was second nature. I had switched to only women's shoes about 4 years earlier because of fit, 1 - 2 inch heels. It took me a few days practice in 1 inch heels (I'm laughing at myself) before I was confident enough to wear them to work. Currently, my podiatrist wants me to wear at-least a 2 inch heel. Part is genetic; a higher heel absorbs my high arch and stabilizes by ankles. And I have narrow heels that make typical men's shoes feel like clown shoes.

[Pierre1961]

I have personally never been able to feel comfortable in heels less than 5”. But at the beginning that was only possible during a short time. 

In other words for me the improvement was only how long but not how high. And also what kind of surface. 

[mlroseplant]

On 11/29/2020 at 1:22 PM, Pierre1961 said:

I have personally never been able to feel comfortable in heels less than 5”. But at the beginning that was only possible during a short time. 

In other words for me the improvement was only how long but not how high. And also what kind of surface. 

Let me try to understand you better. I know English is not your first language. Are you saying that you physically can't wear heels of less than 5" without feeling discomfort? Or is it that you have never wanted to wear anything lower, so you practiced until you can wear the high stuff more easily?

For me personally, I can wear 2 or 3 inch heels if I want to, but I don't want to. I've said it before, if somebody told me that I could only wear 3 inch heels or lower, I probably wouldn't bother with heels at all.

[Pierre1961]

@mlroseplant

sorry not being clear enough 

that’s right English isn’t my native language. So I am not surprised not being always well understood .Sorry about that  

I mean that  I don’t feel comfortable in low heels. My steps are awkward.

i can’t tell the reason why  

13 cm ( shoe size W US 12 ) is the minimum for me to feel good. 14 is the best. 15 a maximum. Not so much difference,I know. 2 cm. But a big difference for walking.  

 

So it is was more how to get progressively able to walk longer distances on different surfaces than accepting higher and higher  heels 

As for you, if I would feel ok in 2 or 3 inches only and nothing higher I would skip the heels. 

Pierre 

[p1ng74]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

For me personally, I can wear 2 or 3 inch heels if I want to, but I don't want to. I've said it before, if somebody told me that I could only wear 3 inch heels or lower, I probably wouldn't bother with heels at all.

For me, some height is still better than no height.  Every time I go out I wear cowboy boots with 3.5” heels.  I enjoy wearing 4+” heels but my wife objects to me wearing “girls shoes”.  I’ll take what I can get - 3.5” is still quite a nice sensation over the low flats that everyone else wears.  

[Cali]

I started with 1-2 inch heels.  In the beginning it was about shoes that fit. When I discovered that my feet fit women's shoes and never really fit men's shoes. I think men's shoes contributed to my leg - ankle - feet problems and multiple surgeries. So my venture started with shorter heels, 1 then, 1.5 and a 2.5 inch heel. I still have them for travel to less high heel countries. The 4"+ came when I had to shorten my calf for an injury and my only viable solution was high heels. That led to pain relief and I never left 4 inches. Now with over 60 pairs, I'm in heels as much as possible and I haven't purchase men's shoes since. I prefer 3.75 to 4.5 but will wear 3.5 to 5+. My new boots are 4.33 inches and my new lace up stilettos are 3.9 inches.

[bluejay]

Heels are heels whether they are 2" or 6". I feel most comfortable in 2.5 to 3.5. However none are less than 2" or more than 4.5". That's my opinion on the matter. You guys that want to wear the 6 inchers more power to you!

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[chesterx]

On 11/29/2020 at 9:13 AM, mlroseplant said:

....... Oh, MAN! I don't think my feet ever hurt so badly, before or since.....

I had my 1st real experience with High Heel pain a couple of weeks ago. I have been trying to keep my legs in heel shape by wearing them for any little trip I take, even if its as mundane as running to the corner store to gas up for the week, as long term outings have not been available for quite some time. One such quicky was to Lowes for a flashlight replacement bulb & some batteries. I was wearing those Jessica Simpson pumps i adore so much, they are now nicely broken in. Spent about 30 minutes browsing after finding my bulb then left for home. I drive past a Walmart & decided i wanted a batch of their ranch wings, as i get a craving for them on occasion. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I parked at the furthest entrance from the deli section just to avoid dealing with the bell ringers, plus it would give me a little extra walking time. As soon as I stepped into the store i got that "Oh $%@" feeling, as the floor seemed slick as grease to my heels. I'm sure you guys have been in that situation before. The only way i could manage to stay upright was to walk stiff legged, with a shorter gait. As i made it into the deli i knew i was in trouble, & had to st down on one of the display tables for several minutes. I asked one of the deli workers what was wrong with the floor, she said they had been switching from AC to heaters & back again every other day & the humidity was nuts in the store. By the time i got back to my car my calves were done with me, i could not have gone another step. I spent several minutes rubbing the knots out of them. Good lord that was awful...

[hiddenheels]

22 minutes ago, chesterx said:

I had my 1st real experience with High Heel pain a couple of weeks ago. I have been trying to keep my legs in heel shape by wearing them for any little trip I take, even if its as mundane as running to the corner store to gas up for the week, as long term outings have not been available for quite some time. One such quicky was to Lowes for a flashlight replacement bulb & some batteries. I was wearing those Jessica Simpson pumps i adore so much, they are now nicely broken in. Spent about 30 minutes browsing after finding my bulb then left for home. I drive past a Walmart & decided i wanted a batch of their ranch wings, as i get a craving for them on occasion. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I parked at the furthest entrance from the deli section just to avoid dealing with the bell ringers, plus it would give me a little extra walking time. As soon as I stepped into the store i got that "Oh $%@" feeling, as the floor seemed slick as grease to my heels. I'm sure you guys have been in that situation before. The only way i could manage to stay upright was to walk stiff legged, with a shorter gait. As i made it into the deli i knew i was in trouble, & had to st down on one of the display tables for several minutes. I asked one of the deli workers what was wrong with the floor, she said they had been switching from AC to heaters & back again every other day & the humidity was nuts in the store. By the time i got back to my car my calves were done with me, i could not have gone another step. I spent several minutes rubbing the knots out of them. Good lord that was awful...

Wow. I never understood why they make the floors slippery. I have the same thoughts when entering a store: "let's see how this is, and PLEASE, let me not slip".

[Cali]

Find a cart and use it as a walker.  Works every time.

[chesterx]

2 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Wow. I never understood why they make the floors slippery. I have the same thoughts when entering a store: "let's see how this is, and PLEASE, let me not slip".

That's the weird thing about it. I have been on that very floor many times, often in those very same heels, with no problems at all. this time though was a killer. Mt calves are twitching just thinking about that day...

 

17 minutes ago, Cali said:

Find a cart and use it as a walker.  Works every time.

Agreed.  When i 1st started heeling in public i always used a cart as it gave me a since of security. I have no explanation as to why it helped, but it did. All i was wanting was some wings for lunch, but it turned out I'm the one who's lunch got eaten that day!

[Pierre1961]

 1 then, 1.5 and a 2.5 inchheel. I still have them for travel to less high heel countries

@Caliwhich counties are you thinking about?

[mlroseplant]

8 hours ago, chesterx said:

I had my 1st real experience with High Heel pain a couple of weeks ago. I have been trying to keep my legs in heel shape by wearing them for any little trip I take, even if its as mundane as running to the corner store to gas up for the week, as long term outings have not been available for quite some time. One such quicky was to Lowes for a flashlight replacement bulb & some batteries. I was wearing those Jessica Simpson pumps i adore so much, they are now nicely broken in. Spent about 30 minutes browsing after finding my bulb then left for home. I drive past a Walmart & decided i wanted a batch of their ranch wings, as i get a craving for them on occasion. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I parked at the furthest entrance from the deli section just to avoid dealing with the bell ringers, plus it would give me a little extra walking time. As soon as I stepped into the store i got that "Oh $%@" feeling, as the floor seemed slick as grease to my heels. I'm sure you guys have been in that situation before. The only way i could manage to stay upright was to walk stiff legged, with a shorter gait. As i made it into the deli i knew i was in trouble, & had to st down on one of the display tables for several minutes. I asked one of the deli workers what was wrong with the floor, she said they had been switching from AC to heaters & back again every other day & the humidity was nuts in the store. By the time i got back to my car my calves were done with me, i could not have gone another step. I spent several minutes rubbing the knots out of them. Good lord that was awful...

Yes, I feel your pain on several different levels. First, I do not go out of my way to find the closest parking spot. If I drive down a row, and the first available clear spot is 100 yards away, so be it. I now enjoy the walk, although less so if it's super cold and windy. But as to the second point, slippery floors are the worst! It totally kills any enjoyment at all, and saps the confidence needed to do what we do. I have found that most of it has to do with the material of which the heel tip is made. Many informational videos made a big deal about scuffing up the soles of your new shoes with sandpaper, or by doing "The Twist" on concrete, or some such thing, so they aren't so slippery. What a load of old cobblers! It's all in the heel. If you've got a hard rubber heel tip, you probably won't have any issue. If it's plastic, could be a bit dodgy in some situations. If the tips are several years old, as in, you bought used shoes from ebay, watch out! I really need to make a documentation, JeffB style, of shoes that are NOT to be worn to my local supermarket until I have them reheeled. The difference in many cases is night and day once the heel tips are replaced.

An extra thought: The relative loudness of the heels when you walk seems to have little to do with how slippery they actually are. Conventional wisdom and experience says that plastic tips are louder than rubber, but total noise seems to have little correlation with how slippery the heels are. Case in point: I wore some BCBG clogs to the grocery store last night, and those thing are loud, making a noticeable Tok, Tok, Tok sound. Almost obnoxious. However, no slippage occurred. On the other hand, in my experience, if a shoe is nearly silent when you walk, it's probably polished tile friendly. A couple of weeks ago, I wore some older Nine West sandals to the same store, and I need to flag those as Not To Be Worn To Hy-Vee Until Reheeling Takes Place.

6 hours ago, Cali said:

Find a cart and use it as a walker.  Works every time.

It indeed does, but you feel a bit foolish when you're only there to pick up a loaf of bread!

[Cali]

8 hours ago, Pierre1961 said:

 1 then, 1.5 and a 2.5 inchheel. I still have them for travel to less high heel countries

@Caliwhich counties are you thinking about?

Argentina, Chile

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

It indeed does, but you feel a bit foolish when you're only there to pick up a loaf of bread!

But less foolish than slipping and ending up on the floor holding your loaf of bread.

[RonC]

55 minutes ago, Cali said:

But less foolish than slipping and ending up on the floor holding your loaf of bread.

And you can always say that you changed your mind and decided not to do a full shopping trip!