The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[RonC]

Interesting as I was a a funeral myself this weekend and there was but one pair of heels, and they were a maybe 2 3/4" heel pump.  The rest of the women were in flat to maybe 1 1/2" shoes and boots.

[Puffer]

5 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Funerals are always the best place for heels, followed by weddings then church.

Something about looking good for God, although not he cares. 

I suspect that the nearest many women will get to heaven will be while wearing high heels.

[mlroseplant]

To address everyone's concerns, both past and present, concerning the state of heeling in this country, as well as my state of mind wearing sandals in the snow, I present this picture of my friend, taken very recently. Not only does she still wear heels very regularly (at age 46), but she is also the only other person I know of who would wear high heeled sandals in the snow. I'm not sure the quality and angle of this picture will allow you to see that, but it's true!

[mlroseplant]

I have come to the conclusion that it's time for me to take a little vacation from HHP.

[Jkrenzer]

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

I have come to the conclusion that it's time for me to take a little vacation from HHP.

I hope it's only a short one.

[RonC]

You are a primary contributor here.  I hope it is a very little vacation, as I will miss your postings.

 

[jeremy1986]

Ditto what the others are saying.  I enjoy your contributions here, but certainly understand the need to disconnect once on a while...

[Pumped]

Likewise. Hopefully just a bit of vacation and nothing permanent!

[Cali]

@mlroseplant usually travels to Asia in the spring, so this could be that he's missing his normal HHP vacation.

[mlroseplant]

Well, howdy there high heeled people, it's Melrose again, and today we're going to talk about repetition. Sometimes it's a good thing, and sometimes it just gets you stuck in a rut. Repetition is good for things like practicing an instrument or ballet, or a sport for the sake of maintaining the physical skill to do the thing. Repetition is not so good when it comes to more artistic and creative matters. For example, in a forum like this, how does one come up with new things to say on a regular basis? How much is there really to talk about when it comes to high heels? There doesn't really need to be an answer, but I need to ask the question. As I get older, I find that the questions are often far more important than the answers.

In other news, I have once again discovered the pitfalls of not taking regular walks in heels. I feel it's an essential part of being able to hack wearing them all day without much trouble. I had not logged too many miles in the last couple of months, it being winter and everything, so when I was afforded the opportunity to do so in relative comfort, I took off in my Nine West Sizzle oxfords (4" net heel height) with the intent of doing a couple of miles. Luckily, I only did a one mile loop, because when I went to do the second mile, my right ankle thought otherwise and I had to abort. I decided I'd better give it a rest for 48 hours, then I went with lower heels. Over the next two weeks, I was able to build back up to where I did walk over two miles in the 4" heels. There is sometimes no substitute for repetitive practice.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.

[p1ng74]

For me, being mostly stuck at home over the last year has been starving me of sources of inspiration and things to talk about, which come when I am with other people, experience their cultures, seeing what they wear, and shopping at stores.  I'm blessed to live on a ranch, and to stay active my wife and I have been taking 2.5-mile walks on the trail every day, and I usually wear my cowboy boots with 3" heels.  We can take different trails every day and see different animals and watch as the trees, grass, and weather change every day, but it's still more repetitive than what I am used to.  Like you, often on these walks what keeps me going through the repetition is thinking that this is just practice, preparing for the day when I'll get to walk 2.5 miles through a shopping mall again, an airport, along a beach, or wherever.  

To get a glimpse of what is going on in the rest of the world I'll check the internet, and occasionally come across something wild and cool, like this:

Lars LaLa 👡 (@larslala) • Instagram photos and videos

But it's not quite the same as being out and about.  

 

[Pierre1961]

Totally agreed. Wearing heels is a kind of sport and needs a regular practice. Flexibility,muscles strength,balance,proprioception ( not sure it’s a English word) and..... confidence. Which is only possible if all others factors are there. 

[Shyheels]

With travel off the menu I’ve been going out on my bicycle before dawn each morning and exploring the little lanes and byways here in Sussex and have found it so interesting and diverse I really haven’t missed travelling at all. I miss the interaction with people when I’m on an assignment and of course I miss the income, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much travel one can do in a twelve mile radius of home.

I did try on a pair of 120mm stiletto boots having not worn them for months and my calf muscles were on fire...

I should probably start wearing them more often to get my legs in better shape for the summers cycling!

Edited March 19, 2021 by Shyheels

[Puffer]

4 hours ago, Shyheels said:

With travel off the menu I’ve been going out on my bicycle before dawn each morning and exploring the little lanes and byways here in Sussex and have found it so interesting and diverse I really haven’t missed travelling at all. I miss the interaction with people when I’m on an assignment and of course I miss the income, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much travel one can do in a twelve mile radius of home.

I did try on a pair of 120mm stiletto boots having not worn them for months and my calf muscles were on fire...

I should probably start wearing them more often to get my legs in better shape for the summers cycling!

Why not combine activities and wear those stiletto boots whilst cycling, with a few interludes for an increasingly long stroll in heels along the lanes?   And, if you are really daring, cross the border into Kent and frighten the natives there.   I shall be on the lookout ...

I shall be out for a short shopping trip later this morning, walking (but not I hope mincing) in my ASOS Recite boots with 3.9" block heels.   Not quite getting into East Sussex however.

[Shyheels]

It would be too easy to put a stiletto heel into the front mech - not a good look. 

[Cali]

Toe clips Shyheels, toe clips.

[Shyheels]

2 hours ago, Cali said:

Toe clips Shyheels, toe clips.

Er...no, wouldn’t work unless you had them really tightened up like you were on a track in a velodrome and that would not be wise on the road.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Shyheels

[mlroseplant]

Typically, this thread seems to do a lot better when we go way off topic. Although I am impressed--this latest gambit hasn't completely thrown the subject to the wind. While we're on this subject, I still have never tried the high heel/bicycle combination, at least not seriously. And by seriously, I mean not more than a couple of blocks to test out some adjustments I have made, or something like that. I have said in the past that I absolutely refuse to wear high heels on a bicycle, because even women do not do this. The only time I have ever seen it is Asia, though I hear it's common in some parts of Europe.

Now that I'm sitting here in the comfort of my living room at the start of cycling season, I'm thinking, "Hmmm.  .  . maybe." Not for actual riding for the sake of riding, but for things like going to the grocery store or the hardware store to pick up that one little thing I forgot. And not on my "serious" road bike, but my around-town, 1980s Gitane beater with the upright handlebars and the triangular shaped seat with two springs in the back. Like that. Any one of my new mid-heeled sandals would be perfect for the job. It's just a thought.

[at9]

In London I've occasionally seen women riding bicycles in HH. Near where I live in an outer London suburb I used to see a woman riding in boots with what looked like a 3" platform. Not been seen for years now.

[Pierre1961]

10 years ago in the Nederland,as I was waiting in the car for the green  light, I had the chance to admire a bunch of young( 15/17?) girl riding their bike to school wearing what seems to be 3or 4 inches ankle boots.

never again since that day  

 

[Isolathor]

Well, i have the chance to see my wife with heels on her bike, because she is doing that frequently. 😀

 

[Puffer]

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

...

I have said in the past that I absolutely refuse to wear high heels on a bicycle, because even women do not do this. The only time I have ever seen it is Asia, though I hear it's common in some parts of Europe.

...

 

8 hours ago, at9 said:

In London I've occasionally seen women riding bicycles in HH. Near where I live in an outer London suburb I used to see a woman riding in boots with what looked like a 3" platform. Not been seen for years now.

When cycling was more common as a cheap means of local transport (as distinct from for leisure actvity), it was by no means uncommon to see women cycling to and from work or for shopping etc wearing their normal clothes, which would often include high heels (even stilettos).   I am referring to activity in  S E England in the 1950s/60s; the position is rather different nowadays

[Shyheels]

Those bicycles were typically city bicycles with skirt and chain guards, not road bikes.

I too have seen (but only a couple of rimes) women in stiletto boots cycling in London - but again, on city bikes.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Shyheels

[Puffer]

8 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Those bicycles were typically city bicycles with skirt and chain guards, not road bikes.

I too have seen (but only a couple of rimes) women in stiletto boots cycling in London - but again, on city bikes.

Yes, they would have been.   What you call 'road bikes' were not at all common in suburban areas, and certainly not for women's daily runabout use.   This discussion was clearly centred on urban sightings of conventional 'city bikes' - what we used to call 'push bikes' in England.

[mlroseplant]

Well at any rate, I may or may not be riding in heels this summer. Either way, it doesn't really matter. It will only get a few miles a week on it. It's not like I'm a serious rider. In case you're wondering, I've got the vintage "rat trap" pedals, the all-steel kind with the little spiky nubs on them that absolutely killed your feet as a kid when you tried to ride barefoot.

[Shyheels]

12 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

Well at any rate, I may or may not be riding in heels this summer. Either way, it doesn't really matter. It will only get a few miles a week on it. It's not like I'm a serious rider. In case you're wondering, I've got the vintage "rat trap" pedals, the all-steel kind with the little spiky nubs on them that absolutely killed your feet as a kid when you tried to ride barefoot.

I ride thousands of miles each year on an old school tourer with those same style pedals. 

[mlroseplant]

We are beginning in-person church services again for the first time in what seems like forever. I was debating whether to go to Palm Sunday services yesterday, but I'm glad I did, as my pre-recorded video messed up, and I wound up being called out of the pew to do it live. I also decided to walk to church yesterday, 1 km there, and 1 km back. Those shoes, though! Really, they aren't that bad, my feet were tired but not hurting by the time I got back home.

[RonC]

Looking quite dapper!  I'd have been dying if I walked that far in those heels.  But I'm a long way from being the pro that you are!  Nice!

[Pierre1961]

I think ( not easy to see the details)  I love your shoes @mlroseplant

[mlroseplant]

15 hours ago, Pierre1961 said:

I think ( not easy to see the details)  I love your shoes @mlroseplant

Here is a little bit better picture of them, though not great, I admit. Nine West "Plantera" loafer/pumps, 5 1/2" heel, 1" platform. I've had them for about 8 years, and have worn them enough to have them reheeled. However, according to my records, the last time I took them for an actual walk was about 4 years ago, so there is a bit of a re-learning curve with the old calf muscles.

 

I have made good on my promise to ride a bike in heels. Well, sort of. If you can call those "heels." Söfft "Anita" mules in nude patent.