The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[Pierre1961]

Shall I understand that I have to leave my 5” shoes at home during my next trip to Argentina? 

[Cali]

It's up to you, but have your worn them in Argentina?  I wore my 2" Cuban heels. Some of the streets are "old" so it also not heel friendly.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Cali

[Puffer]

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

...

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.

...

 

I wasn't aware that this expression* was used in the US!   But I have little doubt that 'a load of old cobblers' have themselves dispensed that dubious advice over the years.   I believe that some ballroom dancers apply ordinary lubricating oil to the (soft leather) soles of their dancing shoes to make them less slippery - which seems counter-intuitive but I suppose that the oil/leather combo is slightly sticky rather than slippery.

*Cockney rhyming slang:   'cobblers' = cobblers awls = balls = nonsense/rubbish/crap etc

[Pierre1961]

No @Cali never been there yet. But I have to go. As soon as that virus crap allows us to travel.

I was wondering how the peuple there would  a guy in heels. I have some Cuban heels that could be better accepted. But they are 5’5’’ !! 

[mlroseplant]

14 hours ago, Puffer said:

I wasn't aware that this expression* was used in the US!   But I have little doubt that 'a load of old cobblers' have themselves dispensed that dubious advice over the years.   I believe that some ballroom dancers apply ordinary lubricating oil to the (soft leather) soles of their dancing shoes to make them less slippery - which seems counter-intuitive but I suppose that the oil/leather combo is slightly sticky rather than slippery.

*Cockney rhyming slang:   'cobblers' = cobblers awls = balls = nonsense/rubbish/crap etc

We don't use this expression. Few in the U.S. would have any idea what I was talking about except by inference. When one says it in context, it is pretty obvious what it means, init? It was just too perfect for the subject matter to pass up.

As to the ballroom dancers, that's a whole different animal. Even the stylized walk out to the dance floor before performance, though incredibly graceful, would seem very odd indeed, if one walked like that in the real world. I should backpedal a little bit. In my own personal experience, the slipperiness of the sole of the shoe makes very little difference, as I tend to walk fairly aggressively, and every time I have slipped, it is invariably because of the heel, not because of the sole.

20 hours ago, Cali said:

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

Hence, the need to document which shoes are not to be worn to places with polished floors. This, of course, does no good when it comes to snow and ice! 🤣

[Pierre1961]

every time I have slipped, it is invariably because of the heel, not becauseof the sole.

me too 

[chesterx]

Went back to the same store today to pick up a prescription that was ready. No problems at all. seems they have the humidity issues sorted. I walked at least 3 times the distance of last weeks trip in that same store, & it was quite enjoyable, even got a couple of compliments, so hopefully that  will be a one  off experience...

[mlroseplant]

12 hours ago, chesterx said:

Went back to the same store today to pick up a prescription that was ready. No problems at all. seems they have the humidity issues sorted. I walked at least 3 times the distance of last weeks trip in that same store, & it was quite enjoyable, even got a couple of compliments, so hopefully that  will be a one  off experience...

There is no question that walking in a strange way, even stranger than wearing heels in the first place, is extremely tiring. Anybody who has ever broken a heel or shank far from home can attest to that! Now the question is, what will you do when it happens again? Because it will. I am curious as to this floor, however. How were flat-footed people dealing with it? Was is actually that slippery, or was it your stiletto heels that were causing the problem?

My local Walmart has recently been remodeled They got rid of all the asphalt tile (and practically all of the cashiers, as well), and polished the concrete underneath, as seems to be in fashion these days in large retail outlets. I don't think Walmart ever invested in floor wax to the extent that Hy-Vee (regional supermarket chain) does, but I should think that the polished concrete should be considerably less slippery than the asphalt tile was. This gain may be somewhat offset by the fact that the newly exposed concrete is so out of level as to make me somewhat dizzy.

I'm glad to hear that the subsequent outing went much better.

[chesterx]

19 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

How were flat-footed people dealing with it? Was is actually that slippery, or was it your stiletto heels that were causing the problem?

I didn't see anyone having issues, but I was quite focused on myself. I could see where the glare hit the floor that people were leaving footprints, that's how humid it was. I never actually slipped, it just felt like I was going to if I wasn't careful with my steps. It was the standard tile surface, it was just a perfect storm of factors is all I can say. I wore those same heels many times there with no issues at all...

[mlroseplant]

It's supposed to snow here in the next couple of days, and it looks like it will be cold enough that the snow might stick around for a while. This will put us die hard heelers to the test. Not so much the walking on snow part, that's easy. It's the walking into a store from a slushy parking lot part that can be a bit dodgy. It definitely helps to have a shopping cart! Not to mention the possible shoe damage from merchants who zealously over-salt their premises.

[Bubba136]

Looking forward to hearing how you handle this wearing your clogs!

[mlroseplant]

9 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

Looking forward to hearing how you handle this wearing your clogs!

That depends entirely upon how much snow we get. We're 36 hours out, and they're saying a few inches Friday night. Which means either we'll get a little bit of nothing, or we'll get a foot.

In the meantime, it has been unseasonably warm the last couple of days, and should be again today before the snow hits, and speaking of clogs, I just got a new pair yesterday. I guess you could call them clogs, but really they're sandals with wooden bottoms. They appear to be a number of years old, and the heel tips not perhaps as pliable as they once were, though they are far from worn out. I went to the  grocery store with my boy last night very quickly for one item. I did what I never do, and wore the new sandals untried and untested. In the three minutes I was there, I thought of @chesterx and decided to test out the floor in a place I knew to historically be once of the slipperiest spots, since logic and observation told me that these heels ought to be slippery, but my body was telling me that they were just fine. So I put the heel down in a giant step, and WOAH! Yep, that's slick right there. I didn't fall, or even come close, but there was a slightly uncontrolled 1/4 second.

So I said to my son, "I guess these shoes are slippery after all." He said, "Nah, it's just slick right there. I can feel it even though I'm only wearing regular shoes." [his words, not mine] It did seem to be true, as long as I refrained from walking recklessly, it was just fine. Soon, I'll put the new shoes up in the New Shoes section.

[mlroseplant]

I had the chance to visit my best friend, the tailor, and faithful shoe buddy, this past weekend. It was her daughter's 14th birthday, and I had bought the daughter a present. My friend presented me with a new mask, which she made a big deal about making especially for me. What do you think?

[RonC]

That's pretty nice!   And fits you well, in more ways than one!  lol

[mlroseplant]

I have a mystery of sorts. Yesterday, out on my deck, I discovered these footprints in the snow. I really should have taken a picture right when I noticed them, because the picture posted below shows the snow rather more melted, and the footprints are not so clear as when I first saw them.

The footprint in the lower part of the picture is mine. I can even identify which shoe it came from. However, the footprint in the upper part of the picture is from no shoe that I own. Who has been walking on my deck? I'm guessing they are female, wearing at least somewhat high heeled boots. Nothing has been disturbed. Not that anyone would want any of the old junk that's currently residing on my deck.

[Cali]

Your son????

[Shyheels]

The Case of The High Heeled Prowler - sounds like  great title for a Nancy Drew mystery

[Puffer]

Are you sure that the upper print is not also yours?   It looks rather like the lower one, except that a little more snow has melted away from the edges, suggesting a larger shoe.   

Sherlock Holmes would surely have written a monograph, identifying more than 2,000 high-heeled boots from their prints!

[Cali]

Don't you mean Melrose Holmes?

[mlroseplant]

Upon further reflection, it must have been me, even though I can't identify the boots or shoes that made the print. It must have melted in such a way to alter the appearance. The reasons I say it must have been me are 1) the chances of somebody besides me walking on my deck, given its location, are very small indeed, 2) now add to those already small odds that somebody was wearing heels, and 3) whoever was walking on my deck evidently knew to avoid the top step coming up from the back yard, as it has rotted, and is likely to give way at any time.

Perhaps I am too eager to find evidence of somebody else besides me wearing heels in ordinary, everyday life. Although I did see a lady at Costco on Saturday wearing heels, though it stretches my definition of heels. They were probably not quite 3 inches high, and were chunky/block heeled combat style boots. But it's better than nothing.

[RonC]

That was my first thought, just a slightly different melt rate.  I also saw a pair of heels in Costco the other day, though like your sighting, they were relatively tame.  A pair of Michael Kors black patent leather loafers with about a 3.5" chunky heel, like these.  I recognize them as I have desired a pair for myself, but the size 11 runs rather small and were too tight on me, and that is the largest size.  Anyway, the lady wearing them had paired them with black leggings and sheer black nylons.  She looked quite nice in them.

[Puffer]

RonC shows us an almost perfect example of a man's shoe that was stolen by women and embellished for their own selfish purposes - and we want them back!

Edited December 21, 2020 by Puffer
typo

[CHRISPAP]

12 hours ago, Puffer said:

RonC shows us an almost perfect example of a man's shoe that was stolen by women and embellished for their own selfish purposes - and we want them back!

I'm agree with you

[mlroseplant]

13 hours ago, Puffer said:

RonC shows us an almost perfect example of a man's shoe that was stolen by women and embellished for their own selfish purposes - and we want them back!

We never really lost them. We just don't get the kind with the heels. Unless you have really small feet like me.

I do often wonder how much of this "stealing" is ordinary women, and how much of it is designers, who then influence celebrities. How do styles manage to catch on?

19 hours ago, RonC said:

That was my first thought, just a slightly different melt rate.  I also saw a pair of heels in Costco the other day, though like your sighting, they were relatively tame.  A pair of Michael Kors black patent leather loafers with about a 3.5" chunky heel, like these.  I recognize them as I have desired a pair for myself, but the size 11 runs rather small and were too tight on me, and that is the largest size.  Anyway, the lady wearing them had paired them with black leggings and sheer black nylons.  She looked quite nice in them.

Good choice, Ron! The heeled loafer is one of my favorite enclosed styles.

[Puffer]

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

We never really lost them. We just don't get the kind with the heels. Unless you have really small feet like me.

I do often wonder how much of this "stealing" is ordinary women, and how much of it is designers, who then influence celebrities. How do styles manage to catch on?

Good choice, Ron! The heeled loafer is one of my favorite enclosed styles.

Yes, I agree that the basic loafer remains very much a male shoe (and a favourite of mine).   What I meant was that women 'borrowed' that style and often embellished it (with heels etc) to suit their purposes and we, in turn, should be able to steal them back in their embellished form, heels and all.   Loafers are (imho) one of the few styles that still look good with a thicker, often stacked, heel (and a small platform if present) - making them much more acceptable for male wear than, say, a stiletto court.

[p1ng74]

9 minutes ago, Puffer said:

Yes, I agree that the basic loafer remains very much a male shoe (and a favourite of mine).   What I meant was that women 'borrowed' that style and often embellished it (with heels etc) to suit their purposes and we, in turn, should be able to steal them back in their embellished form, heels and all.   Loafers are (imho) one of the few styles that still look good with a thicker, often stacked, heel (and a small platform if present) - making them much more acceptable for male wear than, say, a stiletto court.

I say the same thing about cowBOY boots too.  Higher heels don’t automatically make them cowgirl boots...

Edited December 22, 2020 by p1ng74

[RonC]

I do recall the girls wearing flat penny loafers back in the 1960's when I was in grade and high school.  It was very common wear for them.  Not sure which sex actually wore them first.  If I could find a pair that looked pretty much like the ones I posted but in flat black rather than patent leather I'd snap them up quickly if they fit.  

[Shyheels]

I remember penny loafers as well. I don’t recall their being a girls shoe as such but rather a unisex one. I aspired to a pair of them, and a pair of go-go boots. One was achievable, the other was not 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Shyheels

[Bubba136]

On 12/21/2020 at 11:49 AM, RonC said:

That was my first thought, just a slightly different melt rate.  I also saw a pair of heels in Costco the other day, though like your sighting, they were relatively tame.  A pair of Michael Kors black patent leather loafers with about a 3.5" chunky heel, like these.  I recognize them as I have desired a pair for myself, but the size 11 runs rather small and were too tight on me, and that is the largest size.  Anyway, the lady wearing them had paired them with black leggings and sheer black nylons.  She looked quite nice in them.

I have several pair of this style.  One pair with 2” heels, a pair with 4” heels and a pair of brown suede with 5” heels.  The first two pairs are my “go to anywhere shoes and the 5” heels are worn on special occasions.

[Puffer]

8 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I remember penny loafers as well. I don’t recall their being a girls shoe as such but rather a unisex one. I aspired to a pair of them, and a pair of go-go boots. One was achievable, the other was not 

You are right - flat loafers were and still are definitely a unisex style, at least in the UK.   Worn by men as the more casual version of the slip-on shoe, by younger women ditto (when practical flat shoes are appropriate or necessary) and by older women as 'comfy' not-too-boring 'smart' footwear.   The main difference between the male and female versions seems to be that the women's are lighter, sometimes with a lower cut front and perhaps more embellished or colourful.   A man I know with rather small and narrow feet regularly wears women's flat loafers as they fit him better and look entirely appropriate - I don't know if he has any with heels!