Rob Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 during the late 'sixties or early 'seventies after seeing adverts in 'Exchange and Mart' for ultra-high heels, and even ventured to send for some catalogues. The shoes were expensive and money was tight, and in addition the companies advertising seemed a bit sleazy, ….. The catalogues are still slightly 'fetishy' in presentation, and I resent the implications, but being older and stronger (and even more determined!) I ignore that side of things and just enjoy the sensations I feel, and the admiring looks, and sometimes comments, I get while wearing such expressive footwear.. Hi Anne Louise, You posted the above in Lucy’s Story, and I wanted to pick up on the point without hijacking that thread. My girlfriend of around 5 months mainly wears 4 to 4.5 inch heels and is open to the idea of trying something higher. However she has been a bit put off by the occasional web site I have shown her. As you say, many retailers of very high heels come across a bit sleazy (the home page of http://www.leatherworks.org.uk/ is a good example) or the shoes can look cheap and nasty on some other sites. (She is, quite rightly, very particular about her shoes, normally buying from stores such as Dune, and dreams of Jimmy Choo’s.) Of course really I would like to take her somewhere to try on rather than risk mail order. Have you ever found any non-sleazy stores selling quality/designer shoes with heels above 5 inches in the UK? Or anyone else? Anywhere else in Europe (nice excuse for a weekend away)? Or does such a place not exist? Rob
JeffM Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 Hi Rob I have mentioned before numerous times for members to try www.bananashoes.com The are in Rotherham (South Yorkshire ?), any way check their web site. I have spoken to the owner, Sharon, on the phone a wonderful lady who really believes in customer service. She operates her business from home (ivy cottage) but some one from here I think Ruud has called her and had a personal fitting done. I would suggest you call her and see if she will do the same for you and your girl friend. Just tell her Jeff from Perth Australia sent you and she will look after both of you of that I am sure. Best wishes Jeff
GrayLion Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 Hi Rob, gimme about another 2-3 months and I am going to attempt to do exactly that - style and high heels in the 50's style. And my website won't be sleazy, I can promise you that. cheers Bernhard
new_look Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 i live in rotherham. apparently they havent got a shop or somewhere to openly visit, but im told you can make arrangements easily. They should be quite easy to find on the main moorgate street hope this helps daz
Heelfan Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 In response to the request for non-sleazy shops specialising in ultra-high heels, the best one answering that description which I have ever found is ERNEST is Paris. The five of us who attended the recent Euro Heel-Meet went there - see my report on these forums under "Real Life Meetings". Ernest is staffed by an elegant middle-aged lady called Collete, and the shop and all of its shoes are very respectable and elegant. They are on the Net and also they have their new 2004 catalogue coming out around this month or maybe next month (April). Collete told me that they supply a lot of high heels to the Paris haute couture fashion shows etc. The very opposite of sleazy! Good luck and cheerfully yours, Heelfan Onwards and upwards!
xaphod Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 HI, Daz, Funnily enough I was planning a trip to investigate Banana shoes in the near-ish future. My parents are buried in a churchyard up that way, so I thought I would combine the filial duty bit with some fun and dropping into Calv's on the return journey. Xa
Anne_Louise Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 I discovered Bananashoes about a year ago, and bought some from them - some summer mules, but only (!) 5''. They do quite a wide range, and sell Leatherworks shoes as well as cheaper non-leather ones, which I tried but didn't like. They're probably alright for occasional wear though. The trouble is, when you go to the website the banner for Bananalatex pops up, and that could give the wrong impression to anyone who is sensitive to such things. I'm old enough to regard them as merely part of the 'learning curve' and they only bother me to the extent that my own lovely elegant footwear could be regarded by some as fetishwear. In the end one has to learn to be broadminded and thick-skinned!
xaphod Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 Hi, A-L, Thanks for your impressions of Bananashoes. I know the Leatherworks and Imagine range from years ago. Their lasts were very narrow, which wasn't anything like correct for my size 5 EEE feet ! I think a little pragmatism is necessary when dealing with suppliers of extreme shoes. They are unlikely to be able to make a decent profit from selling good-quality 5 and 6" heels alone. To have sufficient turnover they will have to go into something related and relatively mainstream ..... regretably that is the tacky fetish stuff, for which a huge number of sites exist on the net, and from which I hope our merry band has a distinct separation. Xa
Anne_Louise Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 Xaphod, I take your point, and we shall probably have to live with things as they are if we are to satisfy our addiction! Well at least until the fashion gurus point the masses back to proper shoes again. I see from your profile that our interests overlap - do e-mail if you would like to.
Rob Posted March 11, 2004 Author Posted March 11, 2004 Jeff/Daz, Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately Rotherham is a very long drive from here – I would guess 6 hours each way! Heelfan, I’ve just looked at the Ernest web site and it looks more like the sort of place I’m looking for. Also Paris is probably easier to get to than Rotherham thanks to low cost flights from Gatwick! Does the shop have many more styles than the web site, or does their site cover everything? Bernhard, I await your site with interest. Will you also be having a shop, or selling through any other (non-web) retailers? I’ve also added some comments to your "mildly commercial II" thread. Anne_Louise, Thanks for replying. Were not narrow minded – it’s just that the idea of shoes from a “fetish shop” (as many of these sites could be perceived) isn’t as appealing as shoes like these http://www.dune.co.uk/collection/display.asp?id=1062 from a bright fashionable store. (Incidentally, these shoes are stunning in the flesh, but the heel is around 3½-4 inches. Now something similar with a 5-5½ inch heel would make us both very happy!) The www.italianheels.com web site is a good example of a non-fetish supplier of very high heels – unfortunately they don’t have a shop or accept visitors (I have asked). (Their web site appears to be down at present.) Has anyone visited the Leatherworks shop/showroom? Does it have a dark and gloomy fetish shop atmosphere? I visited The Little Shoe Box about 5 years ago, and that almost looked like a junk shop full of shoes just thrown everywhere. Has anyone been there lately? I believe that the business has now been taken over by the son of the original owner. Thanks again for all your help everyone. Any other suggestions? Rob
JaBe Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 For all of us who live in The Netherlands, I can recommend Silhouette in Rotterdam. On the internet you can find them at www.silhouette.nl I've been in the store at "De Groene Hilledijk". They certainly have a wide range of shoes. Men and women. Low heels to high heels and fetish shoes. The best thing about this shop is that they are used to men coming in to fit women shoes. There is even a possibility to fit the shoes in the back of the shop. In my opinion absolutely not a sleezy shop. Good quality, and very friendly.
Arctic Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 Dinky in the Agora gallery near the grand place in Brussels is also a good place to shop for Central Europeans. A bit sleezy perhaps, though. I was in Düsseldorf for work the day before yesterday, and visited Buzios (www.buzios.de). Despite all the claims, they had only TWO boots in size 43 in stock, and terribly ugly ones too. What's all the fuss about?
new_look Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 we visited leatherworks on a meet. the shop doesnt appear fetishy as it is just a small room inside a factory for display, but i did get the impression of more fetishy content due to the majority of the shop being platform/extreme sandals. i would say that theyre ranges of more normal looking boots such as the 'gabrielle' leather knee boot, which is a quality boot. hope this gives a bit of insight daz
JayZee Posted March 12, 2004 Posted March 12, 2004 Try to have a look at: www.veronicas.com Used them three times on-line and works very good - nice quality shoes, and very sexy designs! My girl friend and I love them! JayZee "We don't stop playing because we get older - we get older because we stop playing" (with high heels - JayZee)
Heelfan Posted March 12, 2004 Posted March 12, 2004 Hello Rob! Yes, Ernest has a lot more shoe styles and models that are not in their catalogue, and anyway they are about to bring out their new 2004 catalogue. I bought a superb pair of 5" stiletto ankle boots that were not in their catalogue or website, and they have become my favourite pair out of the 75 pairs in my street-heel collection! I wore them during our Paris Heel-Meet, and will probably wear them on the next two or three UK Heel-Meets (see under the "Real Life Meetings£ section of these forums). I agree with Daz that the Leatherworks showroom is not too ftishy (or dingy or sleazy either). They have a good range of shoes and boots from the fetish end to good, tasteful, elegant plain high-heeled courts (which are my favourite). In any case, surely it doesn't matter if the any of these showrooms were a tad on the sleazy side. You're only in there for a limited time, but what really matters in purely whether somewhere amongst their selection, they have even just one pair that you really like enough to buy! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan Onwards and upwards!
new_look Posted March 13, 2004 Posted March 13, 2004 heelfan do ernest have a website we could look at?
DandyDude Posted March 14, 2004 Posted March 14, 2004 The www.italianheels.com web site is a good example of a non-fetish supplier of very high heels ? unfortunately they don?t have a shop or accept visitors (I have asked). (Their web site appears to be down at present.) Their website is gone, a placeholder/redirect is there. Shame too, they had such pretty, classic stilettos, like a 1950s Italian movie they were. "To kiss, pretty Saki, thy shoes' pretty tips, is better than kissing another girl's lips." -Omar Khayyam
Bubba136 Posted March 16, 2004 Posted March 16, 2004 Hmmmmm I checked the URL and found the out of service message. Now, if their internet service has been interrupted, how can they post the out of service message Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
DandyDude Posted March 17, 2004 Posted March 17, 2004 Hmmmmm I checked the URL and found the out of service message. Now, if their internet service has been interrupted, how can they post the out of service message I got a redirect to www.electrinet.com and there, a placeholder. And yes, they had some very, very pretty classic stilettos. "To kiss, pretty Saki, thy shoes' pretty tips, is better than kissing another girl's lips." -Omar Khayyam
hjt101 Posted March 17, 2004 Posted March 17, 2004 Yeah, http://www.italianheels.com works again! Proudly standing in my patent High Heels
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