The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[Mr. X]

Those boots look very similar to mine. And you wear them just as well as I do.

[mlroseplant]

Happy Easter to those who celebrate, but alas, I have no Easter picture to show. To tell the truth, my heath took another turn for the worse last week, and I'm still getting over it, to the point where I had to beg off my hymn leading duties to another person because my voice would not tolerate that much use. I put everything I had into the choir anthem, and that was all I had. When I got home, all I wanted to do was take a nap. Which I did.

I wore a traditional men's suit in a sort of light gray/silvery fabric with a purple shirt and tie, then boring old black oxfords with 4 1/4" stiletto heels. They are some of my oldest shoes, and to think when I first got them over 10 years ago, I thought they were incredibly steep, almost to the point of not being able to walk in them normally at all. I had higher at the time, but nothing that high with no platform. Today, of course, they are a little bit of nothing.

The only thing of interest that can be told with no pictures is a conversation I had with another church member whom I know somewhere between acquaintance and friend. She has a son who plays in the school band with my son. She is one of those people who often wears heels to church, but not by our definition. We're talking the 2 - 2 1/2" range block heels. On this Sunday, she approached me after the service while I was tearing down equipment and said, "I'll bet I have taller heels than you do today." Both of us were wearing flared pants that more or less completely covered our heels, so I said, "OK, let's see what you've got." We both pulled up our pant legs, and what she had on were black suede ankle boots with about a 4 inch slim but not stiletto heel, and about a 1 inch platform.

She assessed my oxfords, and determined, "Nah, I guess I've fallen just a bit short of the mark. But I wanted to show you, because I don't wear these very often, and I'm not very good at walking in them." In actuality, she seemed to be doing just fine.

[Jkrenzer]

Great fun exchange. I love how she went in thinking she out heeled you only to be disappointed. 

Hope you feel better soon.

[mlroseplant]

I ran into the same woman last night at my local school's music contest. As is turns out, her son and mine were performing in the same ensemble. We were both wearing heels again, but toned down considerably from Easter Sunday. I elected to wear some 3 1/2 inch booties, and she was wearing what appeared to be her "normal" 2 1/2 booties. We did not discuss shoes in front of strangers. The kids played very well, and received top marks for their efforts.

I saw more high school girls in heels than I've seen in a long time. There had to have been at least 10. Zero stilettos, but hey, we can't have it all. At least not all at once. Top height was probably 3 1/2", so nothing crazy, which is probably good. These girls have a lot of practice ahead of them.

Edited April 2 by mlroseplant

[Bubba136]

It’s obvious that women today, while still wishing to remain fashionable, are no longer willing to endure uncomfortable attire which really high heels can be considered.  I believe that the grunge look is popular because it combines something feminine looking while  being comfortable to wear.  For dressing up, girls shoes can be “oh so sexy” and feminine with low heels and fancy adornments.  Block heels and over the vamp sandals are noticeable these days at church, weddings and other gatherings where being nicely dressed is appropriate because they maintain a genuine feminine appearance while being comfortable.  Now, if men were as foregoing, they would find suitable attire to replace the traditional suit and tie.

[Jkrenzer]

5 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

 Now, if men were as foregoing, they would find suitable attire to replace the traditional suit and tie.

I guess it's to us to push that envelope. 

[Puffer]

8 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

It’s obvious that women today, while still wishing to remain fashionable, are no longer willing to endure uncomfortable attire which really high heels can be considered.  I believe that the grunge look is popular because it combines something feminine looking while  being comfortable to wear.  For dressing up, girls shoes can be “oh so sexy” and feminine with low heels and fancy adornments.  Block heels and over the vamp sandals are noticeable these days at church, weddings and other gatherings where being nicely dressed is appropriate because they maintain a genuine feminine appearance while being comfortable.  Now, if men were as foregoing, they would find suitable attire to replace the traditional suit and tie.

It all depends upon what one regards as truly 'feminine' in appearance.   On the basis that most of the present clumpy and ugly footwear is rarely worn by anyone other than a female, they can indeed be regarded as 'feminine' in style and appearance.   But that doesn't make them automatically attractive, let alone pretty or elegant, in the way that most 'feminine' apparel is designed to be, even if (such as lingerie) it is not intended to be on show.   Leaving the truly grungy and the light and strappy aside, few of the prevailing female footwear styles are attractive to look at and I doubt they are particularly comfortable either.

[mlroseplant]

I didn't think any of the girls looked particularly "grungy," but this is not a normal situation. The kids were told in no uncertain terms that this was a dress-up occasion, and the only participants were those in the concert band who are motivated on their instrument(s). This was a voluntary event. Therefore, you kind of had a better class of losers show up. There were a few thick soled boots with dresses, but not that many. Most girls wore normal flat dress shoes, either ballerinas, mary janes, or something like that. My son wore a suit and tie, but not every boy went that far. Many did.

[Bubba136]

Reading from posted responses to my remarks,I realized I had missed making my point which was nicely made by mlrose above.  The purpose of my reflection on changing female dress habits was to underscore the point that women are more likely to attend minor social events not as formally dressed as they would have been thirty years ago.  It is relieving to know that there are still individuals out there that are willing to set required standards that have to be met if you are going to participate.

The “grunge” aspect was ment to demonstrate how much choice girls have these days in appearing publicly wearing clothing that in the past would be worn by the “lesser advantaged or lower loser class”  Any girl wearing a nice party dress with combat boots 30 years ago would raise a question about the girls mental association with the “hippie culture” carryover from the 60’s , which in my opinion, is responsible for the entire lowering behavioral standards and lack of respect for anything or anyone, these days.

Edited April 3 by Bubba136

[mlroseplant]

I blame Janet Jackson for almost singlehandedly ruining pop music, but that doesn't make it so, init? In other news, I have completed analysis of the shoe inventory data. I'm thinking about doling it out a little bit at a time, in an attempt to create more traffic on this forum. Or am I thinking crazy? If that is a dumb idea, I'll just dump all the numbers at once this weekend, when I have more time.

As a movie trailer equivalent, I'll recap from above and confirm that indeed, I have 106 pairs of high heels, but add the recent revelation that 60.4% of them are sandals. That is an incremental increase from last time, but not a dramatic one. It's not surprising, being as you don't catch me in an enclosed shoe from May to December.

One more interesting statistic--I decided to quickly count how many pairs I hadn't worn outside in over a year, and came up with 15.7%, so therefore, if I feel the need to thin the herd, there's about 1/6 of them right there.

[Shyheels]

That’s quite a lot of pairs! I’ve about a dozen pair of boots and feel rather extravagant for having so many. Mind, I gave much more limited living space than you and a dozen pair of tall boots takes up a lot if room.

I do try to make certain they all get worn regularly though.

I can’t imagine trying to wear regularly 106 pairs of heels 

[Puffer]

On 4/3/2024 at 2:01 PM, Bubba136 said:

... the “hippie culture” carryover from the 60’s , which in my opinion, is responsible for the entire lowering behavioral standards and lack of respect for anything or anyone, these days.

23 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I blame Janet Jackson for almost singlehandedly ruining pop music, but that doesn't make it so, init? ...

I can certainly identify with Bubba136's view that a lot of civilisation went downhill from the mid-60s, as the rock-n-roll era was replaced by the hippie culture.   And recovery has been impeded by the fact that (i) the majority of the hippies are still with us; (ii) the next generation or two have been directly influenced by their hippie ancestors.   However, we must be careful if trying to establish a causative link: arguing post hoc ergo propter hoc ['after this and therefore because of this'] often results in a fallacious result.   But I still blame the disciples of flower power!

[mlroseplant]

13 hours ago, Shyheels said:

That’s quite a lot of pairs! I’ve about a dozen pair of boots and feel rather extravagant for having so many. Mind, I gave much more limited living space than you and a dozen pair of tall boots takes up a lot if room.

I do try to make certain they all get worn regularly though.

I can’t imagine trying to wear regularly 106 pairs of heels 

Well, you really can't. As you see, I've got 15% of my collection that I've gone over a year without wearing. Maybe, MAYBE if I worked an office job and wore heels truly full time, I could juggle 100+ pairs, but you've got to figure, I go outside in heels about three times a week. Church on Sunday, choir on Wednesday, and one other miscellaneous time per week. Maybe more in the summer. I suppose the math theoretically works out in that case (around 150-200 wears per year) , but not in real life. I'm not going to put on 12 cm patent leather pumps to go pick up a few pork chops at the grocery store. Especially not in the summer.

There's another statistic I guess I could pull--dressy heels vs. casual heels. A bit subjective, perhaps, but not too much so.

The statistic of the day is that 34.9%  of my collection are stiletto heels. That percentage might be rather higher if I didn't have an affinity for wooden heeled sandals and clogs, which make up a mere 27.4%. There is no real way to measure, since shoes do not have odometers or hour meters on them, but I would guess that the 27.4% gets worn in the real world several times as much as the 34.9%.

[Shyheels]

Me, on the other hand - all of my heels are boots, and very much on the casual side of things. I've never been one for the corporate look, no suits or ties or even men's dress shoes for me. I've always been the outdoorsy writer/photographer editors sent to remote places - not the one they wanted covering politics or the billionaires' gabfest at Davos. When it came to buying my first pair of heels I veered well away from the iconic stiletto pumps. That corporate look was more alien and unsettling to me than the heels.

I have a couple pair of stilettos but they are knee boots and by definition smart casual, especially with skinny jeans. All my others are chunky or slender heels, from about 2 inches to about 3.5 inches. I like owning a couple of pairs of stilettos, but it's the chunky heels that get worn the vast majority of the time. they are more me.       

[Bubba136]

On 4/4/2024 at 5:57 AM, mlroseplant said:

I blame Janet Jackson for almost singlehandedly ruining pop music, but that doesn't make it so, init? In other news, I have completed analysis of the shoe inventory data. I'm thinking about doling it out a little bit at a time, in an attempt to create more traffic on this forum. Or am I thinking crazy? If that is a dumb idea, I'll just dump all the numbers at once this weekend, when I have more time.

As a movie trailer equivalent, I'll recap from above and confirm that indeed, I have 106 pairs of high heels, but add the recent revelation that 60.4% of them are sandals. That is an incremental increase from last time, but not a dramatic one. It's not surprising, being as you don't catch me in an enclosed shoe from May to December.

One more interesting statistic--I decided to quickly count how many pairs I hadn't worn outside in over a year, and came up with 15.7%, so therefore, if I feel the need to thin the herd, there's about 1/6 of them right there.

At one point about midway into our marriage, after clean out one of our clothes closet, my wife told me that she would be embarrassed telling one of her friends that her husband not only owned more pairs of heels than she did but that he wore them more frequently and for longer periods of time.

4 hours ago, Puffer said:

I can certainly identify with Bubba136's view that a lot of civilisation went downhill from the mid-60s, as the rock-n-roll era was replaced by the hippie culture.   And recovery has been impeded by the fact that (i) the majority of the hippies are still with us; (ii) the next generation or two have been directly influenced by their hippie ancestors.   However, we must be careful if trying to establish a causative link: arguing post hoc ergo propter hoc ['after this and therefore because of this'] often results in a fallacious result.   But I still blame the disciples of flower power!

Good comment. 

 

Edited April 5 by Bubba136

[mlroseplant]

Being as it's Saturday, I guess it's time for a more substantial statistics dump. I did try to do an estimate on how many of my heels are dressy vs. how many are casual. I have decided that this is too subjective and difficult a task to get an accurate number. I think it is clear that clogs can never be dressy, but how about wooden heeled sandals? I think usually not, but my Alaia sandals surely come close. Can a wedge sandal ever be dressy? Yes, but under what circumstances? Anyway, that's a fool's errand, so I all I can say is that roughly 40% of my shoes you might call "dressy," and the other 60% are more "casual."

The more normal statistics are heel height and footbed steepness. For absolute heel height, as measured up the back of the heel, but perpendicular to the floor, we have the following:

Less than 4": 14.2%

4" to including 4 1/2": 31.1%

Over 4 1/2" to including 5": 28.3%

Over 5": 26.4%

Over the past several years, there has been a shift from the third category to the second. This is because a smaller percentage of my shoes are platforms than was the case before, so absolute heel height has shrunk in certain categories. However, in the next batch of numbers, you can see that this has caused the number to shift in the footbed steepness category even more dramatically. Steepness, for those of you who don't know, or who use a different definition, I measure steepness by subtracting out the height of the platform, if any. For example, my Nine West Plantera pumps have an impossibly tall 5 1/2" heel, but they also have a 1" platform, so the total steepness is a less impressive 4 1/2". I started at 3 1/2 inches because that is where to my mind that heels start feeling like heels.

Less than 3 1/2": 15.1%

3 1/2" to including 4": 28.3%

Over 4 to including 4 1/2": 46.2%

Over 4 1/2": 10.4%

As you can see, there is a big increase in the more than 4 to 4 1/2" category. If you included steepnesses that were right at 4" in that category, the number would be even more overwhelming. I guess this is where I like to be, but there is a variation even within this category. With 4 inch or less, I can just slide/pull them on and go. With 4 1/2 inch, that is highly inadvisable without preflight.

As always, if I have a shoe which has no footbed liner or cushion, which is often the case with wooden heels, I "discount" the heel/platform height by 1/4" so that we are comparing heights more equally.

Edited April 6 by mlroseplant

[Bubba136]

14 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Being as it's Saturday, I guess it's time for a more substantial statistics dump. I did try to do an estimate on how many of my heels are dressy vs. how many are casual. I have decided that this is too subjective and difficult a task to get an accurate number. I think it is clear that clogs can never be dressy, but how about wooden heeled sandals? I think usually not, but my Alaia sandals surely come close. Can a wedge sandal ever be dressy? Yes, but under what circumstances? Anyway, that's a fool's errand, so I all I can say is that roughly 40% of my shoes you might call "dressy," and the other 60% are more "casual."

The more normal statistics are heel height and footbed steepness. For absolute heel height, as measured up the back of the heel, but perpendicular to the floor, we have the following:

Less than 4": 14.2%

4" to including 4 1/2": 31.1%

Over 4 1/2" to including 5": 28.3%

Over 5": 26.4%

Over the past several years, there has been a shift from the third category to the second. This is because a smaller percentage of my shoes are platforms than was the case before, so absolute heel height has shrunk in certain categories. However, in the next batch of numbers, you can see that this has caused the number to shift in the footbed steepness category even more dramatically. Steepness, for those of you who don't know, or who use a different definition, I measure steepness by subtracting out the height of the platform, if any. For example, my Nine West Plantera pumps have an impossibly tall 5 1/2" heel, but they also have a 1" platform, so the total steepness is a less impressive 4 1/2". I started at 3 1/2 inches because that is where to my mind that heels start feeling like heels.

Less than 3 1/2": 15.1%

3 1/2" to including 4": 28.3%

Over 4 to including 4 1/2": 46.2%

Over 4 1/2": 10.4%

As you can see, there is a big increase in the more than 4 to 4 1/2" category. If you included steepnesses that were right at 4" in that category, the number would be even more overwhelming. I guess this is where I like to be, but there is a variation even within this category. With 4 inch or less, I can just slide/pull them on and go. With 4 1/2 inch, that is highly inadvisable without preflight.

As always, if I have a shoe which has no footbed liner or cushion, which is often the case with wooden heels, I "discount" the heel/platform height by 1/4" so that we are comparing heights more equally.

If the foot bed has a varnish coating or two covering it do you consider that thickness, also?  

 

Edited April 7 by Bubba136

[mlroseplant]

9 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

If the foot bed has a varnish coating or two covering it do you consider that thickness, also?  

 

I made the decision long ago to stop at 1/8" increments. I should just go metric, as the millimeter is a finer increment than the 16th of an inch.

____________

Today is probably the final batch of statistics I have, and it's much simpler than heel height--it's shoe style. I can't think of any more useful information that I can draw out of the data I have collected.

Sandals: 60.4%

Pumps: 16.0%

Oxfords: 4.7%

Boots: 4.7%

Clogs: 10.4%

Other: 3.8%

_____________

Percentage of sandals that are mules: 73.4

Percentage of all shoes that are backless, i.e., mules and clogs: 56.6

Number of weeks that I am overdue for a pedicure: 2

Time to get the show on the road. It's supposed to actually be warm next week.

[mlroseplant]

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that my shoe collection is down to at most 105, possibly 104. I had two shoe failures over the weekend. First, a strap broke on my BCBGeneration Quintin wedge sandals. I might be able to fix it, I might not. This is not a super big deal because I only use them as house slippers, and there are usually more available on Poshmark or some such outlet.

The second failure, and this resulted in outright disposal, is my Sam & Libby Slashlin derbies. I had mentioned in an earlier post that about 15% of my collection hadn't been worn in over a year, so I decided to dig into some of the 15% and see if there was a reason why. 20 minutes before I was supposed to be at church, I pulled on these lace up shoes and they were very, very stiff, to the point where a substantial part of the fake patent leather started to peel off when flexed enough to get the shoes on. I'm editing out a large portion of the story, but I eventually decided to wear them anyway, one last time as a farewell. They weren't bad, and actually I caught myself on camera walking and carrying myself like I think I want to, the modest 3 7/8" steepness of the shoes probably aiding in that.

I got home just fine and snapped these pictures (more about that in a moment), but didn't change clothes right away. I had some errands to run, and I didn't want to change clothes just yet. I have always thought that the shanks were a bit weak in these shoes, and afternoon proved that to be true. At some point, the right heel completely buckled under, even though it is still firmly attached. Peeling finish or not, that made my decision for me. I am not that upset. There's a reason I haven't worn these much--they kinda ugly!

In other news, I got a new (to me) motorbike over the weekend. I have toyed with the idea of getting a maxi-scooter for years, and now I have finally pulled the trigger. It's a Yamaha Majesty 400, and so far I love it. My reasons for wanting such a machine are several: 1) Built-in storage capacity, making it much easier to commute to work and get groceries where I would normally have to use the car. 2) It's got a fairing, allowing me to ride in more comfort in more weather conditions. 3) It's a scooter. I can ride in heels again. I will miss shifting my own gears, but whatever. The only thing that remains to be seen is the fuel economy. By all accounts, it's supposed to get up there around 60 mpg, but that remains to be seen.

[Jkrenzer]

It's odd to find that my synthetic heels seem to need to be worn often to keep the material moist so it won't crack or peel. You wouldn't think plastics would react this way but they do.

[HappyinHeels]

Mlroseplant,

saw this post and it made me think about my shoes. Have only 8 pairs in Arizona which classify as such:

4” or less= 0

4-4.5”=0

4.5”-5”=3

5-6”=2

6” or higher= 3

Back home in Wisconsin I don’t know the exact number but it’s above 175 pairs none of which are under 4”. The bulk are 5-6” and the most common style is the wedge sandal. I’ll have to get an accurate picture when we get back there. In the meantime we’ll enjoy sandal weather here in AZ. First stretch days of 90F(32C) are coming. HinH

[mlroseplant]

This week's church OOTW. There is nothing notable about it, except for the fact that this is the first time this year I was able to wear sandals. It finally warmed up, but it's only temporary. By the end of the week, we're looking at lows uncomfortably close to the freezing mark.

I felt like I wanted to wear tan sandals yesterday with wide legged trousers, but my first choice was at the extreme steep end of my wearable range. Due to some strenuous physical activity yesterday, I elected not to wear those, but went instead with what I call my "pageant" shoes. Their actual designation is Steve Madden Dezzzy (yes, that's with three z's), but their very high heel with thick platform reminds me of the pageant shoes that every southeast Asian girl wears in a beauty pageant. Of course the real pageant shoes usually have a somewhat thinner heel and an ever thicker platform, but you get the idea. I get a nearly 6 inch heel with less than 4 1/2" of steepness.

My son just bought himself a motorbike, and here I am somewhat awkwardly posing on it, at his suggestion. No, I did not ride the thing in those heels.

A few minutes later in real time---Now that I have actually loaded the photos, I notice that I wore a nearly identical outfit sometime last August, minus the tie. I think it's the same exact shirt, pants, and shoes. I guess you'll have that from time to time if you don't document things, and with outfits, I certainly don't.

[mlroseplant]

Another week, another church service. I was feeling rather more ambitious this week, and wore my @Jkrenzer approved shoes. I do believe that my Steve Madden Daisie pumps were the ones that got me started off with my smallish collection of traditional pumps. I do not often wear pumps, partially because I do not have that many venues really to wear them. Also, my budget does not include funds to buy real leather pumps, so my time in them must necessarily be limited.

Having said that, I spent about three hours in these yesterday between church and grocery shopping. As noted elsewhere on this forum, these are a little bit difficult on the polished tile floor of my local supermarket. A heel tip replacement to hard rubber would improve things markedly. However, after it was time to change clothes and shoes, I was not ready to take them off. They are actually quite comfortable for 4 5/8" stilettos. I am on the verge of being able to walk in them. I can fool most people.

One of the things about playing in the band at church is that, in time of need, I can sneak off to the bathroom during the first part of the sermon. I would estimate I do this about 20% of the time, depending upon how much coffee I have consumed on any given Sunday morning. The only person who can see is whoever is serving as liturgist that morning. Yesterday morning, I quietly opened the sacristy door to make my temporary escape, and the liturgist stopped me and whispered, "You're going to walk down those stairs in those shoes?" I whispered back, "I know! I'm taking my life in my hands, aren't I?" The stairs back there are very steep. Then she mentioned it again after the service. Well, you know, 12 years of more or less constant practice never hurt a thing.

[Jkrenzer]

You're I whole heartily approve.

[Shyheels]

Yes, a bold move to be sure.

In my world stepping off a boat onto a muddy towpath in stilettos is not something I fancy trying. 

[Mr. X]

Looks great!  Well done!

[Puffer]

17 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Yes, a bold move to be sure.

In my world stepping off a boat onto a muddy towpath in stilettos is not something I fancy trying. 

Thigh boots with heels (but not perhaps stiletto) would be of benefit in such an environment.   Why not push the boat out?

[Shyheels]

33 minutes ago, Puffer said:

Thigh boots with heels (but not perhaps stiletto) would be of benefit in such an environment.   Why not push the boat out?

I do wear OTK boots with heels (and without) and they are a benefit - especially on cold mornings, either inside or standing at the tiller. Stilettos though would not only be silly but dangerous)

[mlroseplant]

34 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

I do wear OTK boots with heels (and without) and they are a benefit - especially on cold mornings, either inside or standing at the tiller. Stilettos though would not only be silly but dangerous)

Yes, I quit wearing high heels in silly situations a long time ago. Some would argue that no, that's not the case, but you don't catch me mowing lawns or doing any sort of heavy lifting in heels anymore.  I seriously doubt that I'll ever visit Disney World or any of its iterations, but if I did, I'd probably wear heels. That is undoubtedly bordering on silliness, but silliness that I'm aware of and can deal with.

[Shyheels]

Yes that would just tire you out walking 20,000 steps - not the same kind of foolishness as heavy lifting, mowing lawns, or working locks on a canal (dangerous)