The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[Jkrenzer]

7 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

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.

Hey Melrose, those pumps with a 4.5 inch rise are very high considering your feet are much smaller than Pierre's, not to mention the vast majority of other human males.

[mlroseplant]

15 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Hey Melrose, those pumps with a 4.5 inch rise are very high considering your feet are much smaller than Pierre's, not to mention the vast majority of other human males.

Funny you should mention that, because for many years now, I have considered 4.5 inches of rise to be my practical limit, but not all shoes are created equal. The pumps pictured just above are just fine to walk in, though pushing it for longer walks. I also have them in tan/brown. My Steve Madden mules that you like so well are also 4.5 inch rise, but with no platform. They are also no problem, despite their very tiny stiletto heels.

However, I tried out a pair of shoes last night for a recording at the church, and by the end of the hour, I was having second thoughts about choosing them. Pictured below are my House of Harlow oxfords. They also measure up at a 4.5 inch rise, but they feel steeper somehow. I have decided that church is not a great place to test out untried shoes. At first blush, it seems like it would be--you never have to walk a super long distance, and not fast. What I've failed to realize in nearly 9 years of public heeling, is that you have three things to deal with at my particular church: 1) Lots of stairs. Upstairs is no problem, downstairs is the worst. I could take the elevator, but that's for old people. 2) Squidgy carpet in the sanctuary. Not high heel friendly at all. We were going to have that 50 year old carpet replaced, but then the pandemic hit. I do not know the status of that at the moment. 3) A slight slope all the way from the door down to the street, where it turns to a steeper slope. No problem on your way in, very difficult on the way out if you're already at or past your limit on steepness. There was no way I could negotiate that last walk out to the car AND keep my knees gracefully straight. Luckily, I don't think too many people saw.

Which leads me to tonight's decision for Maundy Thursday service. What should  I wear? I should probably choose something more in the 4 inch range.

[Jkrenzer]

Those oxfords are tremendous. It's always easier going up stairs or inclines, even in training shoes. My normal rise is 5 inches, about the same as you relatively speaking seeing i wear an average size 10.5 womens. Today I'm in my 5.25 in boots, my limit, but still gracefully walkable provided no downhill slopes.

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Those oxfords are tremendous. It's always easier going up stairs or inclines, even in training shoes. My normal rise is 5 inches, about the same as you relatively speaking seeing i wear an average size 10.5 womens. Today I'm in my 5.25 in boots, my limit, but still gracefully walkable provided no downhill slopes.

Thanks, I appreciate that. It's one of those things I saw on ebay, and said to myself, "Yup, I'm probably going to have to have those." However, I'm a bit surprised that you like them. They're a bit platform-y for you, aren't they? I can see why you'd like the heel shape.

[Jkrenzer]

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

Thanks, I appreciate that. It's one of those things I saw on ebay, and said to myself, "Yup, I'm probably going to have to have those." However, I'm a bit surprised that you like them. They're a bit platform-y for you, aren't they? I can see why you'd like the heel shape.

These shoes are well proportioned. I don't have too many plats, but this ia a pair I'd wear.

[hiddenheels]

On 4/1/2021 at 3:28 AM, mlroseplant said:

Funny you should mention that, because for many years now, I have considered 4.5 inches of rise to be my practical limit, but not all shoes are created equal. The pumps pictured just above are just fine to walk in, though pushing it for longer walks. I also have them in tan/brown. My Steve Madden mules that you like so well are also 4.5 inch rise, but with no platform. They are also no problem, despite their very tiny stiletto heels.

However, I tried out a pair of shoes last night for a recording at the church, and by the end of the hour, I was having second thoughts about choosing them. Pictured below are my House of Harlow oxfords. They also measure up at a 4.5 inch rise, but they feel steeper somehow. I have decided that church is not a great place to test out untried shoes. At first blush, it seems like it would be--you never have to walk a super long distance, and not fast. What I've failed to realize in nearly 9 years of public heeling, is that you have three things to deal with at my particular church: 1) Lots of stairs. Upstairs is no problem, downstairs is the worst. I could take the elevator, but that's for old people. 2) Squidgy carpet in the sanctuary. Not high heel friendly at all. We were going to have that 50 year old carpet replaced, but then the pandemic hit. I do not know the status of that at the moment. 3) A slight slope all the way from the door down to the street, where it turns to a steeper slope. No problem on your way in, very difficult on the way out if you're already at or past your limit on steepness. There was no way I could negotiate that last walk out to the car AND keep my knees gracefully straight. Luckily, I don't think too many people saw.

Which leads me to tonight's decision for Maundy Thursday service. What should  I wear? I should probably choose something more in the 4 inch range.

Those, and the Nine West heels are awesome! I would agree with you, would have to have these...

[mlroseplant]

I have already found a practical use for one of the several low heeled (<3") sandals I have bought recently. Changing the liturgical flags at the church! It's basically wearing flats, I can't really tell the difference. Because I can't tell the difference, I wonder how much I'm really going to wear them. Time will tell.

[mlroseplant]

My Easter outfit. It's the first time I haven't worn a jacket to Easter services, perhaps ever, but I thought it looked better without the jacket. Shoes are Nine West Bellafina.

[Jkrenzer]

21 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

My Easter outfit. It's the first time I haven't worn a jacket to Easter services, perhaps ever, but I thought it looked better without the jacket. Shoes are Nine West Bellafina.

Excellent look. You have the highest heels at the service?

You are an elder at church, how large is the congregation?

1 minute ago, Jkrenzer said:

Excellent look. You have the highest heels at the service?

You are an elder at church, how large is the congregation?

Just notice you have some rot on the lower edge of your siding, looks like a summer project.

[RonC]

Looking dapper there

 

[mlroseplant]

23 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Excellent look. You have the highest heels at the service?

You are an elder at church, how large is the congregation?

Just notice you have some rot on the lower edge of your siding, looks like a summer project.

Eight years ago, when my heels were lower, and the general style of heels was higher, there were a few ladies who occasionally wore higher heels than me. Today, it is not even close.

For a small town, it is a pretty good sized church. Back in the day, membership exceeded 1,000, and you'd get maybe 250 to 300 on a typical Sunday among three services. Today, I'm guessing it isn't even half that, and that's pre-pandemic. We do not know what the future will bring. I know we've lost some people, but we might also gain some people. You never know. Everybody knows mainline protestant churches are slowly dying, pandemic or no pandemic.

That's been a planned summer project for several years, and you see the result! 😆😆😆

[RonC]

5 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Back in the day, membership exceeded 1,000, and you'd get maybe 250 to 300 on a typical Sunday among three services. Today, I'm guessing it isn't even half that, and that's pre-pandemic.

Yeah.  Our church is suffering the same issue.  Just got a new settled pastor and we're hoping that gets things moving in a better direction.

[RonC]

As mentioned by many of us, seeing a lady in heels is pretty much a rare sight these days.  Therefore Saturday morning was a rare treat, at the local golf course of all places (they do have many functions there, weddings, wedding and baby showers, etc.)  As I was loading up my clubs into my cart, I noticed a young lady about eight cars down the aisle unloading large gift packages from her trunk.  She had on a very nice dress, black nylons, and a pair of about 4" single sole instep strap heels.  A sight for sore eyes.  She was struggling some with large packages and I thought about going to see if she needed help but I was waiting for another golfer so I couldn't just take off.  Anyway, she managed to get both packages in her arms and close the trunk.  I watched her walk away and her grace in those heels was stunning.  Her stride was so smooth and confident.  Obviously an experienced high heel lady.  She sure made my day!

[bluejay]

Nice to hear that you saw a lady in heels. On Easter Sunday, I noticed a lot of the ladies in heels in church and shopping at the supermarket after. I would venture to guess that more then 50-60% of the ladies were in heels and dressed in their Easter finery. The church was packed considering the max of 50% capacity for Covid rules. Our church holds more than 1,000 people and there was at least 500 there so again I'm guessing maybe 200 or more women in heels. I probably was the only guy wearing heels, a pair of Naturalizer pumps, "Whitney Black Brocade" black with gold, red and blue trim. They have 3-1/2" chunky heels, which is a standard heel height for me. They went great with my natural color suit coat and tan pants, turquoise color dress shirt and co-ordinated tie, I did get a couple of compliments on my ensemble from the ladies.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[spikesmike]

RonC : You should be ashamed of yourself ogling and staring at that poor helpless woman struggling  in high heels that way . I thought I was the only one that did stuff like that .  Mike

[RonC]

Yes, but I refuse to apologize....lol

12 hours ago, bluejay said:

On Easter Sunday, I noticed a lot of the ladies in heels in church and shopping at the supermarket after.

While our church is much, much smaller, the only person wearing a shoe that I would consider as being a high heel was the pastor in a 3+ inch stiletto pump.  Maybe two others with a 2" heel, one a block heel on a younger lady and one with a narrower heel but a style that I see as being targeted to the more elderly population.  I thought maybe Easter Sunday would bring out a few more heels, but no such luck, young or old.

[mlroseplant]

On 4/13/2021 at 11:03 PM, bluejay said:

Nice to hear that you saw a lady in heels. On Easter Sunday, I noticed a lot of the ladies in heels in church and shopping at the supermarket after. I would venture to guess that more then 50-60% of the ladies were in heels and dressed in their Easter finery. The church was packed considering the max of 50% capacity for Covid rules. Our church holds more than 1,000 people and there was at least 500 there so again I'm guessing maybe 200 or more women in heels. I probably was the only guy wearing heels, a pair of Naturalizer pumps, "Whitney Black Brocade" black with gold, red and blue trim. They have 3-1/2" chunky heels, which is a standard heel height for me. They went great with my natural color suit coat and tan pants, turquoise color dress shirt and co-ordinated tie, I did get a couple of compliments on my ensemble from the ladies.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

Since I was playing in the band on Easter Sunday, it is impossible for me to estimate how many women were wearing heels. We had a bigger turnout than I would have expected, which is good. From what I saw walking on the street after the service while I was loading my instrument and equipment into my car, there were quite a few wedges, quite a few block heels in the sub-3" range, and a frightful number of espadrille-style flatforms! I did not personally witness anybody in what I would consider a proper high heeled shoe. If I were to relax my definition a little bit, I could probably get the numbers up to something that's not so depressing. I thought the girls all looked rather nice, except for the fact that their shoes were too low. 😛

[RonC]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I thought the girls all looked rather nice, except for the fact that their shoes were too low. 😛

Yeah.  I had hopes that the beautiful weather we had that day and the loosening of Covid restrictions might result in some ladies digging out their real heels.  Alas, it was not to be in my suburban Chicago location.  I've seen reports that heels are selling well again, but I'm sure not seeing that in practice.

[mlroseplant]

Since I don't really have anything going on this week that is interesting to talk about, other than getting my second Moderna jab on Sunday, I will keep on the subject of church and heels. Last Sunday was confirmation Sunday, where youth who wish to join the church and who have gone through the better part of a year's worth of classes are confirmed as members of the United Methodist Church. This is typically in 8th grade, or 13-14 years old, more or less.

Usually there are 15-25 new confirmands each year, depending on the size of the class. This year we had six, which is a little worrisome, but it's been such an unusual year, I guess we can't really put too much emphasis on that isolated statistic. There were 5 girls, 1 boy. Just like normal, the girls looked great, the boy looked like crap. No, that's unfair, he didn't look like crap at all, but when a boy puts on an actual button down shirt, that now counts as getting dressed up. The girls were all wearing cotton, sort of unstructured dresses which hit about mid-thigh. One girl wore a black dress with knee high riding boots in this style, the rest wore white dresses with flat sandals. I wouldn't necessarily expect heels in 8th grade, but not even a hint of a heel in the bunch. What struck me is how similar they all looked. The same style dresses, virtually the same hairstyle on all of them. I guess kids really do create their own uniforms if uniforms are not provided. As my youngest is in 6th grade, I guess I'll get to observe stuff like this more and more in the near future.

[RonC]

I'm trying hard to remember my confirmation class from like 1966 I believe.  While all of the girls definitely wore dresses, I think only one or two had heels.  But every one of the boys wore a suit and tie.  I think the world was a nicer, much more well mannered, place back then.  I wore a coat and tie to church Easter sunday, and I have to say that is the only time this year that I have done so.  I'd be happy to go back to the days when ladies in dresses and men in coat and tie as expected dress in church.  

[Jkrenzer]

1 minute ago, RonC said:

  I'd be happy to go back to the days when ladies in dresses and men in coat and tie as expected dress in church.  

Not that i don't like better dressing at places like church, in those days even Melrose wouldn't be caight dead in heels.

I'm fine with how things are. At my Catholic church growing up, religious classes were held on wed evenings, us kids dressed like public school, cords and collared but not button down shirts. Girls, typically pants and blouses. Religious classes ended after confirmation. 

I always had to explain to my "born again friends" that confirmation was your approving of your faith and baptism when old enough to know better. Of course, had the best co-ed strip poker party on a retreat, priests and nuns downstairs.

[mlroseplant]

18 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Not that i don't like better dressing at places like church, in those days even Melrose wouldn't be caight dead in heels.

I'm fine with how things are. At my Catholic church growing up, religious classes were held on wed evenings, us kids dressed like public school, cords and collared but not button down shirts. Girls, typically pants and blouses. Religious classes ended after confirmation. 

I always had to explain to my "born again friends" that confirmation was your approving of your faith and baptism when old enough to know better. Of course, had the best co-ed strip poker party on a retreat, priests and nuns downstairs.

There is a lot to be said for the modern day, and there is a lot to be criticized about the modern day. And thus has it ever been. I may be making this up, but I seem to recall that archaeologists unearthed some scroll from ancient Egypt which read something to the effect of, "The younger generation is going to the dogs." It's absolutely true that there are some things that are pretty messed up today, but something that isn't messed up is that I can go to church wearing high heels now, whereas back in the day when men wore suits to church every time, it would have been truly scandalous. I am imagining walking down the street with groups of children following me, yelling and taunting. (Involuntary shudder)

My younger son had his first solo contest playing the tuba. "Contest" is probably not really the correct word for what actually took place, but that's what they called it. From the looks of things, most of the band kids participated in it, and the kids were told to wear concert appropriate clothing for their brief individual performances. I must admit that my son is exactly like the rest of the kids we criticize. He looks like crap 99% of the time, and my wife is of absolutely no help when it comes to rectifying the situation. Despite being rushed to clean up after I came home from work, I managed to get him in a shirt and tie at least. Luckily, he is now big enough that he can wear my shirts.

When we got to the school, there were varying degrees of interpretation of what is "concert dress," as you can imagine. As expected, the girls tended to looked quite a bit more polished than the boys. I didn't have time to observe a lot, because I was trying to get Mickey and his 25 pound tuba to where they needed to be, but I did see one girl in the ubiquitous white cotton dress wearing the silver shoes pictured below, or something very, very close. So there is at least one 12 year old girl left in this country who evidently aspires to wear heels.

[SF]

I have that Naturalizer sandal in black, the style name is "Vera."  Wonderful sandal, the heel is a manageable 2 1/2 inches, very comfortable and fun to wear.  I like the minimalist/simple ankle strap style.  Would be a classy sandal to wear to a concert.  

[mlroseplant]

Today, I'm going to share some information about shoe durability. Up to now, my most durable shoes had been my Söfft "Belicia" sandals, in which I walked a total of 107.5 miles, or about 173 km. I had to throw them away after that, because the strappy leather pieces had become so stretched out that not only did they look quite unsightly, but they just didn't fit well anymore. Among other things, my little toes would stick outside the straps, and we can't have THAT. Still, 107 miles on a pair of heeled sandals, AND.  .  . AND on the original, out-of-the-factory heels to boot. I've never seen anything like it before or since. That was back in June of 2016. I'd had the sandals for approximately 3 years.

Last night I broke that record, in my Nine West "Sizzle" oxfords. Sizzle. What a dumb name, but that's what they're called. I've had these shoes for over 8 years, and they're been featured in this thread and many oxford threads a number of times before. While they have outlasted the Söfft sandals, They've been through three sets of heels in the process. The factory set lasted 21.2 miles, and the first replacements lasted 42.1 miles. The set that is on there now has outlasted the first replacement set and looks to have a few more miles left in it.

As a practical matter, the shoes probably have way more than 110 miles on them, because I only count recorded walks in my total. All of the trips to the grocery store or the shopping mall or church are not included. That would be a little bit weird if I did include such incidental trips, don't you think? That is probably the reason why the second set of replacement heel tips seems to have outlasted the first by a substantial margin. The first set no doubt had a lot more unrecorded miles on it. I don't wear the shoes a whole lot except in the coldest months of winter, but I used to wear them a lot more just to go out places than I do today. When I realized that they were within spitting distance of having the record, I've purposefully worn them for almost every walk lately, putting 25 miles on them in about the last 30 days.

Put some polish on them, and they still look like brand new, unlike the poor Belicia sandals by the time they got to this stage of their lives. They have 4 3/4" heels with a 3/4" platform, so they are neither very low nor very high. They are a good training shoe for a couple of reasons. Number One is because they are comfortable. Truth to tell, they are a 1/2 size too big for me, so I always wear them with the same socks I would wear for work, a wool blend type hiking sock. This is perhaps the secret to overall comfort compared to wearing shoes that require thinner socks. Second, they are high enough to get the benefit of working your high heeled muscles quite effectively, while at the same time giving aerobic benefits as well, because they are low enough that you can move along at a pretty good clip while you're doing your walking.

Pictured below is a very recent walk in said shoes. I really need to learn how to not look annoyed in my photos. I am obviously not cut out to be a TikTok girl.

[RonC]

I did have one pair of oxfords with a thicker heel of about 3 inches.  They were the most comfortable heels I've had as they were of sufficient width, and I think the lace up feature of oxfords does provide extra opportunity for comfort as it does create a "customizable" fit.  That, combined with the thicker socks you wear with those, I think makes for a better overall fit with less slippage of the foot within the shoe.

Btw, I don't think you look annoyed.  More like bemused...lol.

[Isolathor]

12 hours ago, RonC said:

Btw, I don't think you look annoyed.  More like bemused...lol.

+1 👍

[mlroseplant]

14 hours ago, RonC said:

Btw, I don't think you look annoyed.  More like bemused...lol.

You've no idea how many carrots I've had to peel in the last week. I'm definitely annoyed. 😆

[Cali]

5 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

You've no idea how many carrots I've had to peel in the last week. I'm definitely annoyed. 😆

Don't you have a son that needs to learn his mother's business? Have him start with the carrots.

[Puffer]

Carrots?   Maybe the root of all evil for you.

[Bubba136]

Carrots?  Better than onions!