Shoe hates

[Chorlini]

19 hours ago, RonC said:

While I agree on most levels with this comment, the current situation is rapidly becoming a total wasteland when it comes to heels, as they are disappearing rapidly.  As stated above, when freaking flip=flops become clubwear, things are deteriorating rapidly.  Seems like we are headed to jeans and t-shirts as being the everyday clothing choice, with sneakers and flip-flops owning the footwear world.  I personally believe this is the worst I've seen in my 69 years.  Yes, the 70's had some garrish selections, but even in the years where heels pretty much disappeared (late 60's to mid-late 70's), the ladies still wore dresses, skirts, and dress shoes, even if the heels were low and chunky.  Now, we see few skirts and dresses, and if a dress is worn, sneakers have become the go to shoe, with flip-flops right there with them.  Sad.  In my opinion, it is a poor reflection on society as a whole.  Studies in schools have  shown that better dress equals better behavior.  People just seem to act differently when dressed better.  

We live in the age of You Go, Girl! Have you seen that new video by Cardi B. where she talks about her wet intimate parts and shakes them harder then a pornstar at a Legalporno set? And it gets lauded and celebrated as empowering and stunning. Vox even made comparisons to Shakespeare. We live in the degenerate age in every sense of the word and god do I feel like an old fart yelling at them stupid kids. Or maybe I now understand those old farts better. Still doesn't excuse the 70's though for having opened the door to bad taste.

[RonC]

I have not seen that, and don't think I want to....lol.  Degenerate age for sure.

 

[mlroseplant]

I simultaneously agree and disagree with the last few comments. Cardi B doesn't bother me, and by the way, she wears heels, at least in her public persona. Who knows about her private life, and who cares? The only reason I even know what you're talking about is because some minor news/opinion commentator in the U.S. got bent over this latest release, and I had to go watch the video to find out what in the heck the controversy was about. My first reaction was, "Oh, you can't play this thing live. There's like 97 layers of slick production in it." And that's my whole beef with it. And any other commercial pop/rap anything. It's all done on computers now, and there are about 12 producers on each song, each adding their own electronic layer to the mix. Technologically, it's amazing. Musically, it's crap. OK, maybe I'm falling into the category of Old Fart like the rest of youse, but if me and my friends can't stand in front of you and play something live, it's really not all that impressive.

Edited August 20, 2020 by mlroseplant

[Cl0setheels]

Many here will not agree, but I absolutely hate pointy-toe heels.:)

[mlroseplant]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:50 AM, Cl0setheels said:

Many here will not agree, but I absolutely hate pointy-toe heels.:)

OK, along the same lines, I really dislike this trend of pointy-toed sandals. The contrast of a bare foot with this triangle-shaped thing sticking out in front of the toes is a bit jarring, to say the least. For the same reason, I also dislike very square-toed sandals.

[RonC]

On 8/23/2020 at 7:27 AM, mlroseplant said:

OK, along the same lines, I really dislike this trend of pointy-toed sandals. The contrast of a bare foot with this triangle-shaped thing sticking out in front of the toes is a bit jarring, to say the least. For the same reason, I also dislike very square-toed sandals.

I'm with you on both of these sir, though I can tolerate the square better than the pointed sandals.  I very much dislike that.

[Chorlini]

On 8/21/2020 at 1:50 PM, Cl0setheels said:

Many here will not agree, but I absolutely hate pointy-toe heels.:)

I reckon it depends on how pointy. A relatively short point, like on a Louboutin So Kate, is perfectly fine. If its a long point, yeah, then its instant dislike.

[RonC]

2 hours ago, Chorlini said:

I reckon it depends on how pointy. A relatively short point, like on a Louboutin So Kate, is perfectly fine. If its a long point, yeah, then its instant dislike.

We are talking sandals here, not pumps.  Pointed toe sandals.

[Cali]

It does not matter to me. I have high volume feet so to me POINTY = PAIN

[Pumped]

3 hours ago, RonC said:

We are talking sandals here, not pumps.  Pointed toe sandals.

I don't see where the conversation is for sandals only. Sandals were mentioned, but not restricted too.

 

[HappyinHeels]

I think I'm like Cali in that I have larger feet so I never pointed toe shoes. My pumps all have a rounded toe. HinH

[Chorlini]

18 hours ago, RonC said:

We are talking sandals here, not pumps.  Pointed toe sandals.

Nothing changes as far as my reply is concerned. But I have to admit pointy toe sandals look even more ridiculous.

[mlroseplant]

23 hours ago, Chorlini said:

I reckon it depends on how pointy. A relatively short point, like on a Louboutin So Kate, is perfectly fine. If its a long point, yeah, then its instant dislike.

I agree with keeping the point a reasonable length. I think them witch toes look ridiculous. But then, who am I to tell anybody they look ridiculous?

[Jkrenzer]

58 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

I agree with keeping the point a reasonable length. I think them witch toes look ridiculous. But then, who am I to tell anybody they look ridiculous?

I used to have a pair of Rosas. Toes scraped when walking, wore through them quickly. Not good.

I had another issue with them. They come with flared heel tips, impossible to find. I contacted them about buying spate tips. Got the impression in very convincing manner that they wanted nothing to do with a guy wearing their shoes. Communication stop after a couple back and forths this instant i mentioned who i was.

[Cl0setheels]

On 8/27/2020 at 12:48 PM, Chorlini said:

I reckon it depends on how pointy. A relatively short point, like on a Louboutin So Kate, is perfectly fine. If its a long point, yeah, then its instant dislike.

I looked them up, nope..not a fan.  Round or almond toe it's for me, nothing else. Maybe the Daffodil as an exception but they are pointy-ish.

[Logjam]

Another non-fan of anything with very much of a pointy toe.

Logjam

[Shyheels]

I loathe pointy toes. 

[RonC]

On 8/27/2020 at 12:21 PM, Pumped said:

I don't see where the conversation is for sandals only. Sandals were mentioned, but not restricted too.

No restriction intended.  But mlroseplant specifically mentioned pointed toe sandals and I agreed with him.  Neither he, nor I, said that we didn't like pointed toe pumps.  All I was saying.

Edited August 28, 2020 by RonC

[pebblesf]

Well, I guess it depends on the boot design for me...Generally, I prefer pointed toe boots, but there are plenty of different boot designs with more rounded toes that look great also....

[Cl0setheels]

10 hours ago, RonC said:

No restriction intended.  But mlroseplant specifically mentioned pointed toe sandals and I agreed with him.  Neither he, nor I, said that we didn't like pointed toe pumps.  All I was saying.

But I did (my reply to the initial post of this topic) and thats what Chorlini replied to.  

[mlroseplant]

On 8/28/2020 at 6:12 AM, Jkrenzer said:

I used to have a pair of Rosas. Toes scraped when walking, wore through them quickly. Not good.

I had another issue with them. They come with flared heel tips, impossible to find. I contacted them about buying spate tips. Got the impression in very convincing manner that they wanted nothing to do with a guy wearing their shoes. Communication stop after a couple back and forths this instant i mentioned who i was.

I find that completely incomprehensible. I mean, they have such a tiny, tiny niche market, you would THINK that even one more customer would be important to them. Apparently not. How many years ago was this? Perhaps things have changed. Not that I care, since I posted them as one of my shoes hates, haha.

[Chorlini]

On 8/28/2020 at 1:12 PM, Jkrenzer said:

I used to have a pair of Rosas. Toes scraped when walking, wore through them quickly. Not good.

I had another issue with them. They come with flared heel tips, impossible to find. I contacted them about buying spate tips. Got the impression in very convincing manner that they wanted nothing to do with a guy wearing their shoes. Communication stop after a couple back and forths this instant i mentioned who i was.

What sizes do they sell? Because while there are a few guys with tiny feet, any heel brand that sells higher then EU42, and probably even including that size, will get a lot of male customers, because most men who want to wear heels tend to be in that size bracket. And if you sell those sizes then you know who most of your customers will be.

[Jkrenzer]

These fit me fine, not the problem. They were a 41 i think their max. It's been a few years, but I'm not kidding about the poor customer service.

[JeffB]

On 8/28/2020 at 6:09 AM, mlroseplant said:

I agree with keeping the point a reasonable length. I think them witch toes look ridiculous. But then, who am I to tell anybody they look ridiculous?

Don't worry, I'll say it: they look ridiculous! A retired co-worker at the place where I work called shoes like those "roach killers" for whacking those bad guys in corners!

[Puffer]

On 8/28/2020 at 12:12 PM, Jkrenzer said:

I used to have a pair of Rosas. Toes scraped when walking, wore through them quickly. Not good.

I had another issue with them. They come with flared heel tips, impossible to find. I contacted them about buying spate tips. Got the impression in very convincing manner that they wanted nothing to do with a guy wearing their shoes. Communication stop after a couple back and forths this instant i mentioned who i was.

 

On 8/30/2020 at 1:56 PM, mlroseplant said:

I find that completely incomprehensible. I mean, they have such a tiny, tiny niche market, you would THINK that even one more customer would be important to them. Apparently not. How many years ago was this? Perhaps things have changed. Not that I care, since I posted them as one of my shoes hates, haha.

Roger and Sarah Adams ('Rosa' shoes) were briefly members here.   They rapidly left when they realised the extent of male interest in their products, and in wearing heels generally.   Their business was originally in Brighton, not far from where I then lived, and I met them more than once.   Sarah sometimes wore her extreme heels around the town, and most of the videos are shot in that area.   A nice enough couple but clearly not supportive of our aims.   Their attitude towards Joe doesn't surprise me one bit, not that I agree with it.   The business seems to have suffered recently with the loss of its Italian shoemaker and remaining stocks are dwindling.   If they manage to find another source, maybe they should take a less restrictive view of the potential market - but I doubt it.

[mlroseplant]

3 hours ago, Puffer said:

 

Roger and Sarah Adams ('Rosa' shoes) were briefly members here.   They rapidly left when they realised the extent of male interest in their products, and in wearing heels generally.   Their business was originally in Brighton, not far from where I then lived, and I met them more than once.   Sarah sometimes wore her extreme heels around the town, and most of the videos are shot in that area.   A nice enough couple but clearly not supportive of our aims.   Their attitude towards Joe doesn't surprise me one bit, not that I agree with it.   The business seems to have suffered recently with the loss of its Italian shoemaker and remaining stocks are dwindling.   If they manage to find another source, maybe they should take a less restrictive view of the potential market - but I doubt it.

I think in general the company has a different aim than most of us here, whether they support us or not. It seems like many of the photos and videos are geared toward a certain type of fetish crowd. That's obviously quite different than what this website's aims are. So I'm going to put down another hate, but it's not a shoe hate. Hobble skirts. Who has the time to take 12" steps? Not only does it look dumb, I haven't got all day to get from Point A to Point B. And what about stairs?

[Puffer]

2 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

I think in general the company has a different aim than most of us here, whether they support us or not. It seems like many of the photos and videos are geared toward a certain type of fetish crowd. That's obviously quite different than what this website's aims are. So I'm going to put down another hate, but it's not a shoe hate. Hobble skirts. Who has the time to take 12" steps? Not only does it look dumb, I haven't got all day to get from Point A to Point B. And what about stairs?

I'm not so sure of the 'fetish' aspect.   When Rosa started (at least 25 years ago), its aim was to provide shoes to women 'who like the highest of heels' at a time when stilettos, let alone high stilettos, were not readily available.   The range was limited and there were quality issues.   Subsequently, a new supplier was found and the extreme pointed toes were introduced - and later the options of more rounded toes and platforms.   The impractical hobble skirts and other items seemed to be a spin-off; clearly, Sarah liked such skirts herself.   The marketing has always been restrained, letting the products speak for themselves.   Yes, some might call such shoes or skirts 'fetish' wear - but one person's preferred 'everyday' look (as liked and worn by Sarah) may be another person's fetish.  

[mlroseplant]

18 minutes ago, Puffer said:

I'm not so sure of the 'fetish' aspect.   When Rosa started (at least 25 years ago), its aim was to provide shoes to women 'who like the highest of heels' at a time when stilettos, let alone high stilettos, were not readily available.   The range was limited and there were quality issues.   Subsequently, a new supplier was found and the extreme pointed toes were introduced - and later the options of more rounded toes and platforms.   The impractical hobble skirts and other items seemed to be a spin-off; clearly, Sarah liked such skirts herself.   The marketing has always been restrained, letting the products speak for themselves.   Yes, some might call such shoes or skirts 'fetish' wear - but one person's preferred 'everyday' look (as liked and worn by Sarah) may be another person's fetish.  

Yeah, that's right! I had forgotten about those days, almost. Now that my present recollection is refreshed, I remember in 1995 when my ex-wife, who was a flight attendant at the time, came home with a pair of not-quite-stiletto pumps to wear with her uniform that had whopping 3 1/2" heels. We thought at the time that they were incredible, and shockingly high. HA!

[Puffer]

I had better spell-out my own 'shoe hates', namely:

Heels that have a significantly flaired base; high heels set right at the back; cone heels; platforms thicker than 0.5" (except perhaps on a rugged boot with cleated sole); very round or very square toeboxes; sandals with pointed open toes; shoes or sandals with thick or multiple straps; anything with a 'peep toe' (as distinct from an open front showing at least three toes and preferably all); lace-ups (except perhaps Oxfords with a high slim heel); flip flops in rubber or plastic (however expensive!); Crocs; Uggs; most Birkenstocks (apart from Madrid and Piazza styles, which I like and wear myself); wedges/espadrilles with ankle ties; anything chunky or clunky (such as Jeffrey Campbell Litas or similar).

In other words, I like footwear that is light, elegant and (boots aside) open or low-cut, with fully open or tapered/pointed toes.   Not necessarily with heels - that depends upon the item, its wearer and the occasion.

[Breeheels]

Most Fluevogs pointy toe designs. Well most pointy toe designs for that matter. Boxy square heels. Ide rather focus on what I love .