The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[inquisitor]

Love both pairs of those sandals!

[Mr. X]

Nice sandals miroseplant

[mlroseplant]

 Today was the primary for our local, state, and federal party nominees.  I figured this was a good outfit to show up in at the polling place.  I was kind of late showing up, so there was nobody there except for the election officials, no drama. 

[mlroseplant]

I went to a bar last night with a few friends and coworkers to see our friend and coworker play with his band. As usual, I debated heavily about what to wear. In the end, I decided upon skinny-ish, dressy-ish pants with a polo shirt, and Michael Kors Oksana sandals in black, sporting 5 inch stiletto heels. Unfortunately, no pictures showing the shoes were taken, but it's basically the same outfit pictured below.

Two of my coworkers had never seen me in heels before, but my reputation has preceded me, and one of them either didn't notice, or didn't react. At all. The other one, a female, expected and anticipated my appearance, and reacted enthusiastically. In fact, she was my "bodyguard" the rest of the night, glaring at anybody who reacted to me with anything but a pleasant face. I really didn't notice anybody myself, except for three youngish men, who appeared to disapprove of my appearance, but who knows? They could have been discussing something else. It's unimportant. They did not approach me in any case, even though they were seated at an adjacent table.

Upon entering the establishment, I was immediately approached by a couple of women in their 40s who asked me how I could possibly walk in those shoes. We had a pleasant, if overly earnest, conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity. I think that I educated at least two people about such matters anyhow. One of the women showed me a nasty scar, a wound received "the last time I ever wore heels in my life." Evidently, she had fallen while wearing stilettos, and swore them off after that. I can't help but think that somehow alcohol was involved. The discussion then turned to eyebrow tattoos, as my female coworker had recently had her eyebrows tattooed in. The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. 

I'm glad I decided to go with the heels, because every time I resign myself to flats, I always regret it. I don't ever feel right wearing flats. 

Also pictured below are my "bodyguard" and my pedal steel guitar playing coworkers. 

[Mr. X]

Sounds like you had a great time out.  Wel done!

[mlroseplant]

It's amazing how much of the world people don't notice. My wife and I were at a backyard barbecue recently. Because I knew I would be spending 95% of my time on grass, I chose to wear the Sbicca Tristan wedges pictured below. Many of the guests have seen me in heels before, so I got zero comments. No big deal.

There was one head-scratching conversation, though. My wife and I were talking with a lady who was probably in her late 50s. The lady complimented my wife on her shoes, which were busy, strappy, lace-up sandals (sorry, no picture). She asked my wife where she got them, but before she could answer,  my wife happened to turn her foot to the side, revealing a very low block heel, certainly no more than 2 inches. The lady interrupted her and said, "Oh, those are heels. I can't do heels. My style is more like his sandals (pointing to my feet). A couple of simple straps that you just slip on."

Neither my wife nor I said anything, and the subject quickly changed to something else. But I couldn't help but wonder how she missed the giant 4 1/2 inch wedges on my shoes. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but it must be the case. I wonder what else people don't notice, even when they're paying attention?

[Thighbootguy]

Without implying any comment on your wedge sandals (which I think are great), it occurred to me that this Gisele MacKenzie novelty tune might be something you and your wife would enjoy (and the lady that missed the 4 1/2" wedge might not get).

 

[mlroseplant]

It has been a mixed week, both in the professional world, and the heeling world. In the professional world, my job got shut down for the week because of safety concerns, and I have spent the last two days in safety meetings, trying to figure out how to solve the problem. No one at our site has had a serious injury, the worst was a broken finger, but several near misses were quite alarming.

In the heeling world, I have gotten more reaction than usual, both positive and negative. It's been hot here. Very hot. I can't quite bear to put on long pants to go out in the world outside of work, where they are required. But then, at work, sweating profusely is almost a requirement. Certainly an expectation. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you want people to notice your heels, wear them with shorts. I got an unsolicited comment the other night from a lady who was watering her garden as I was walking by on the sidewalk in front of her house. She said she liked my shoes, and that they made my legs look fantastic. I didn't quite know how to take that, so I just simply laughed heartily and thanked her. Twice. I did not stop walking, so we didn't have any sort of true conversation. At the other end of the spectrum, within a couple of days after that, I was mildly heckled by not one, but several groups of people. But they were all teenagers, all in cars. It still bothers me a little, but not like it used to. All I can say is, my son better not be out and about behaving like that, or there will be hell to pay. Actually, I'm quite sure he's not.

I hope you all have had a great week, but I'll be honest--I'm glad this week is over.

[SF]

Unfortunately the world has its idiots who act like damn fools.  I too have been heckled a few (very few) times, but have had far more compliments than criticisms.  Just yesterday, I was browsing at the local DSW store, and was trying on a pair of ankle strap sandals with a 2 inch heel.  When I was putting them on, a clerk walked up, smiled and asked if I was finding everything.  She looked at my shoes and said, "hey those look nice on you."  As I walked to a nearby mirror a customer lady looked at me and just smiled very nicely.   

I think it is really nice Mr Mlrosepalnt that you get out in heels publicly and enjoy yourself.  I know that I do, a lot...   Have fun, enjoy your summer...  sf

 

[Thighbootguy]

2 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

 At the other end of the spectrum, within a couple of days after that, I was mildly heckled by not one, but several groups of people. But they were all teenagers, all in cars. It still bothers me a little, but not like it used to.

The last time I got a negative comment from folks in a passing car, I was walking on the sidewalk in Newport Ky wearing my thigh boots with 5" stiletto heels and shorts with a 1" inseam.  The guy yelled, "Put on some longer pants."   I didn't respond because I don't respond to folks passing in a car, and also because I was so dumbfounded at the comment that I had no idea what to say.

Stay safe at work! 

Do they make steel toed boots with heels?

[HappyinHeels]

mlroseplant,

Those wedges are like many wedges I have and the wedge style is my favorite of all shoe styles. I disagree the lady didn't notice though. She indeed did notice as evidenced by the comparison she made between your heels and your wife's. The conversation was focused on your wife but she had already acknowledges your sandals. She made you aware your style is more like hers without making you uncomfortable or paying you an overt compliment.  HappyinHeels

[Steve63130]

Heckling by teenagers in groups doesn't count for anything. Ignore it. You know they wouldn't behave like that if they were alone. They do it to impress their friends. Safety in numbers, so to speak.

Steve

[mlroseplant]

This week I reached a milestone of sorts. Not a statistical milestone, but definitely a symbolic one. A little over 4 years ago, I ventured out for the first time in heels into a truly public forum--Bike Night, which is a monthly motorcycle rally in our town during the summer months. I have told that story elsewhere on this forum.

Last Friday night, I actually wore shorts and heels to Bike Night, which was a big mental hurdle for me. I have no idea why I have such a hangup about it, but I know the look is not for everyone. Anyway, the worst I saw was some lady with her family laughing pretty hard, and it was pretty obvious that I was the cause of her mirth. I saw a lot of phones out, but when I looked discretely, I couldn't actually catch someone videoing me. Iowans are generally polite that way, lucky for me. I ran into a coworker who seemed to have no reaction at all to my attire, despite the fact that we conversed at great length, maybe 30 minutes or so. I've never seen him outside of work before, so either he really didn't care that much, or his surprise was dampened by previous reputation (some might call it gossip).

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. That's one thing that guys generally don't do--stop and take several dozen pictures of ourselves in the way that girls often do. My outfit was nothing really special, though. A simple turquoise colored t-shirt with plain denim shorts (about a 2" inseam) and Sbicca wedge sandals (about 4.5"). I didn't go all the way by wearing stilettos, but you could definitely tell I was wearing substantial heels. I got quite a few stares, but that's to be expected. So it was a nice outing.

 

[Thighbootguy]

13 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

Iowans are generally polite that way,

But I'll bet you gave them something to talk about.   But maybe you also gave them something to think about.

In my area the stereotyped image of a motorcycle rally is not the family gathering you described and never having been to Iowa the only image I have of an Iowa town comes from the musical "Music Man".   However, if you can attend a gathering wearing Sbicca wedge sandals and only generate "quite a few stares" then both of my mental images are wrong.  Sounds like Iowa is a good place to be.

[mlroseplant]

13 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

But I'll bet you gave them something to talk about.   But maybe you also gave them something to think about.

In my area the stereotyped image of a motorcycle rally is not the family gathering you described and never having been to Iowa the only image I have of an Iowa town comes from the musical "Music Man".   However, if you can attend a gathering wearing Sbicca wedge sandals and only generate "quite a few stares" then both of my mental images are wrong.  Sounds like Iowa is a good place to be.

The "Music Man" is closer to the mark than one might think, at least in the small towns. "Iowa Stubborn" is close to my heart. It's largely accurate!

[SF]

It is cool that you get out in those wedgies.  They look very nice.  We need more guys like us getting out in our heels.  As for the midwest, the place has a bad rap (stereotypes ya know).  I have worn heels in several midwest towns with no problem at all.  I guess it just depends on where you go and how ya act.  Take care, have fun...   sf

[Steve63130]

Mlroseplant,

Good for you! No demons left in your head to scare you, brother!

Now that the people at that gathering have seen you, instead of "Whoa, look at that guy in heels!" next year it will be, "Oh, yeah, that guy. Saw him last year....no big deal."

Steve

 

[robbiehhw]

Congrats on your outing

[Bubba136]

On August 21, 2016 at 11:51 PM, mlroseplant said:

The "Music Man" is closer to the mark than one might think, at least in the small towns. "Iowa Stubborn" is close to my heart. It's largely accurate!

We haven't heard in a while you commenting on your wife's attitude on your openly wearing stilettos heels.  Has she accepted this or just reached the conclusion that there isn't much she can do about it?

[mlroseplant]

On August 24, 2016 at 6:11 PM, Bubba136 said:

We haven't heard in a while you commenting on your wife's attitude on your openly wearing stilettos heels.  Has she accepted this or just reached the conclusion that there isn't much she can do about it?

Probably a little of both. When we do have conversations about it, they're generally negative, but they are becoming increasingly rare. We're just happier in general these days than we were 4 years ago. That probably has a lot to do with it. 

[mlroseplant]

I went out for ice cream with my family the other night, wearing high heels with shorts (it's actually beginning to sound a little bit boring, isn't it?), and I witnessed the most amazing thing: Five teenaged boys sitting at a table.

...

...

...

...

OK, that wasn't the amazing part. The amazing part was that NONE of them had a phone out the entire time I was there. They were just talking and laughing with each other, and, as a added bonus, none of them seemed to be laughing at ME! I was mostly surprised about no mobile devices produced among five boys in about 20 minutes. You don't often see that these days.

[robbiehhw]

On 9/2/2016 at 3:51 AM, mlroseplant said:

I went out for ice cream with my family the other night, wearing high heels with shorts (it's actually beginning to sound a little bit boring, isn't it?), and I witnessed the most amazing thing: Five teenaged boys sitting at a table.

...

...

...

...

OK, that wasn't the amazing part. The amazing part was that NONE of them had a phone out the entire time I was there. They were just talking and laughing with each other, and, as a added bonus, none of them seemed to be laughing at ME! I was mostly surprised about no mobile devices produced among five boys in about 20 minutes. You don't often see that these days.

I would have had some concern that they were aliens and laughing about their plan to call the mother ship. Rare indeed.

[mlroseplant]

I haven't posted in quite a while because my life has been rather boring, yet at the same time stressful. I work long hours and have to do a lot of walking on concrete, so when I get home, I don't really feel like going anywhere unless it's absolutely necessary. I often fall asleep before 9:00, which never used to happen. Also, during this time of busy-ness, suddenly I've had a change in my attitude toward heels. For the first time in four years, I don't feel like I need to wear heels every second I get the chance. For the first time in four years, I've been going barefoot at home 95% of the time.

Don't worry, I still won't be seen out and about in less than 4 inch heels, but I've just had fewer recordable adventures as of late. Stay tuned, as I've just bought some new shoes for the first time in several months!

[Thighbootguy]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

For the first time in four years, I don't feel like I need to wear heels every second I get the chance.

I understand this.  My desire to wear heels (and skirts) waxes and wains, but I'm always wearing boots when I go out (some of my boots have flat heels).  But I suspect, in your case, this be a result of exhaustion.  Stress will do that to you even if physical exertion hasn't gotten to you yet.  Take two aspirin and get some sleep.

[Puffer]

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I haven't posted in quite a while because my life has been rather boring, yet at the same time stressful. I work long hours and have to do a lot of walking on concrete, so when I get home, I don't really feel like going anywhere unless it's absolutely necessary. ...

I've never quite worked out why I like to wear heels - but then, unlike you, I've never had anything concrete to go on!  

[HappyinHeels]

Puffer,

Don't bother with the "why" and just accept it as something inherited to be managed and ultimately appreciated. It's like trying to figure out why some people can draw, others can write, and others can seemingly tear anything apart and put it back together again. It is a creative portal of your identity and will defy attempts to be categorized. Strap in and stride ahead!! You belong in heels and heels belong on you. Simple as that.  HappyinHeels

[mlroseplant]

I am done wearing mules with bootcut pants. It is my high heel history and heritage, I know, but I'm done with it. For some reason, I've always been attracted to mules, and my first several pairs of heels were backless clogs, and I always wore them with bootcut jeans, in order to be a little more subtle. No more. It is so much nicer to wear mules when you are not always worried about whether the hem of your pants is about to get trapped in the back of your shoe. I'll still wear bootcut jeans with.  .  . well, boots.

[Jkrenzer]

I agree it's annoying having your point leg getting between your foot and shoe. I have the same problem with slings too. Now when I wear open back heels it's with shorts only.

[mlroseplant]

Although this happened a few months ago, I never got around to telling it on this forum. Our choir director resigned some months ago, and when the new choir director started rehearsals, we spent more than half the rehearsal telling a little bit about ourselves, mostly for her benefit. So one of the questions was, "What is one thing that you've tried in your life that you'll never do again?" Of course, you got the usual answers like skydiving, or certain foods, that sort of thing. When it came to my turn, I answered, "I tried wearing flat shoes once.  .  ."

[mlroseplant]

I think I'm going to give another cobbler a try. After reading my "1,000 Miles" thread, I'm sure you know that I have a LOT of shoe repair done. After all, I'm walking a great deal in shoes that were not really designed to be walked in. It requires some maintenance.

I've been using the same cobbler for several years, and they do good work, but I have a couple of complaints. Number one, I don't see why it takes a week, or sometimes a week and a half, to replace heel tips (or top lifts, as they are known in the biz). Being as the shop is super busy all the time, I can sort of understand, but come on! Secondly, if I bring in more than one pair at a time, and they don't need identical repairs, it has happened that stuff doesn't get done the first time. I had a great idea to solve this problem, I wrote little note cards which I attached to each pair of shoes with a small, zip-type wire tie, detailing what needed to be done.

Can you believe it STILL did not solve the problem? I went to pick up my shoes yesterday, and one pair was beautifully re-heeled, cleaned up, and polished. The other pair? Re-heeled, check. Broken strap repaired, check. Obviously worn out leather soles still intact! With the card still attached to the shoe, saying, new heels, new rubber half soles, repair broken strap. They were apologetic, but how is this even possible?

There's a new cobbler shop on the south side that is run by a Mexican guy. Not too many reviews yet, but they are all glowing. I think I'm going to give him a try real soon.