Shoe hates

[mlroseplant]

I have managed to get hold of what might be legitimately considered a "stiletto" wedge. Which, despite being a contradictory terms, sounds nicer than "meat cleaver" wedge. I will probably continue with the meat cleaver terminology, as it makes me chuckle, and that's important.

I bought these supposedly vintage Bakers mules for a very reasonable price, and as it turns out, they beat the above contestants for thinness of the wedge by a noticeable amount. The thinnest part of the wedge narrows to a mere 3/8", or <10 mm, which is indeed true stiletto territory. Even the heel cap itself widens to only 7/16", which is stiletto gray area. See a comparison between the new narrow Bakers and the Bruno Magli wedges I posted before.

It is a little bit strange to be writing this in "Shoe Hates," but that's where the discussion started, and I don't think it merits a whole nuther thread.

[Puffer]

Nice mules, and I like the narrow back of the wedge heel.   But (as previously stated), it should not be called a 'stiletto wedge' as, proportions aside, anything resembling a stiletto has to have a slim 'spike' appearance and a wedge heel, which has a continguous sole from front to back, cannot be likened to a spike/dagger/stiletto.   A meat cleaver, or maybe a machette, seems apt.

[Cali]

'Stiletto Wedges' was a stlye in the 2000's. Marketing would never let them be called meat cleaver nor stiletto 'ice picks'.

Proud owner of a Victoria's Secret 'stiletto wedges'.😁

Edited January 13 by Cali

[Shyheels]

Oh, I totally agree that "meat cleaver' is never going to be a winner as far as marketing imagery goes! I don't blame whoever is marketing these for coming up with the term "stiletto wedges", but beyond this applied term I can't see them as stilettos.  

Edited January 13 by Shyheels

[Puffer]

'Marketing' is to blame for a lot that is wrong in society.   My definition: 'The dishonest misrepresentation of goods and services that people rarely want or need'.

That said, would a 'cleaver wedge' or a 'chopper wedge' be any less acceptable to the marketeers than a 'stiletto wedge'?   We already have a 'scoop wedge' and doubtless others.

 

Edited January 13 by Puffer
typo

[Shyheels]

Yes, marketing and advertising, along with social media - which is often just a variant form of marketing - drives a lot if what is wrong with today’s society.

[mlroseplant]

I have been getting this persistent advertisement in my social media feed for the last couple of weeks. It is a 30-something woman telling me that the staple of my shoe collection should be kitten heels. Every so often, it seems to happen that somebody, somewhere, thinks that the kitten heel is the greatest compromise ever, and that the fashion vs. function problem has finally been solved once and for all.

Luckily, hardly anybody falls for this nonsense. I submit that the kitten heel is the worst of the worst. Not because they are actually the worst looking style ever, but because they pretend to be something that they are not. Yes, Crocs look way worse on an absolute scale, but at least they have no pretense of being anything other than what they are. A 2 inch spike heel has no place in this world. If you need to wear a 2 inch heel, get shoes with block heels, pretty please!

[Jkrenzer]

I agree 100%.

There is no balance to the shape. Anything under 3 inches should be blockier. The heel tips must wear very fast. Higher heels carry a lower percentage of weight on the tips. Walking heel to toe the shoe is already level before all the weight is transferred from the other foot.

Another pet peave, people who say more than 100%. There is no such thing. 

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

I agree 100%.

There is no balance to the shape. Anything under 3 inches should be blockier. The heel tips must wear very fast. Higher heels carry a lower percentage of weight on the tips. Walking heel to toe the shoe is already level before all the weight is transferred from the other foot.

Another pet peave, people who say more than 100%. There is no such thing. 

"I agree with you 1,000%." I had a guy at work who would say this on a fairly regular basis. I pointed out to him several times that this was impossible. I think he understood on some level, but continues to this day to say 1,000%. I think he just likes saying it.

It was very much in style to say "give 110%" a few years ago, at least in the U.S.  Although this is also theoretically impossible, as an industrial electrician, I can make this one work, and teach a valuable old man lesson at the same time. Most industrial facilities are heavily based on electric motors. Of course, the customer always wants to use the smallest motor possible that will still do the job. Unlike internal combustion engines, most electric motors are designed to run at 100% of their rated capacity continuously. This is why you can replace a 5 hp rated Briggs & Stratton small gasoline engine with a 3 hp electric motor, and whatever it is will probably work better with the "reduced" power.

However, electric motors are always rated with something called a "service factor", or "SF" on the nameplate. This is a rating which tells you whether a motor can be pushed beyond its rated capacity briefly. A typical service factor for an industrial motor is 1.2, meaning that for a short period of time, you can overload this motor by 20% without damaging it. Put another way, it can give 120% for short periods of time, e.g., on startup, when the loads are temporarily higher than they are at full running speed.

I believe that we humans have a Service Factor also. We can, in fact, give 110% (SF of 1.1) for short periods of time when necessary. However, if we are asked to give 110% on a regular basis, guess what? Just like that electric motor that is overloaded too often, we're going to burn out, and we will have to be rebuilt or replaced. Hopefully not after going down in flames.

[Puffer]

I'm not sure I can agree that saying (for example) 'Give 110%' is wrong, albeit frequently misused.   If someone is working or producing something at a certain level or pace that is considered to be the acceptable standard (so '100%'), then asking him to do a little more (say, to 'give 110%') is neither an impossible concept nor illogical, even if it is unreasonable or unrealistic.   No different from the 'motor' example, really.   Unless one can be sure that a particular measurement can never be bettered or exceeded (e.g. the speed of light, or absolute zero), it must be possible (in theory anyway) to vary it, up or down, by some stated percentage.

[Cali]

On 4/19/2024 at 5:01 AM, Jkrenzer said:

I agree 100%.

....

Another pet peave, people who say more than 100%. There is no such thing. 

I agree 100%!

[Bubba136]

32 minutes ago, Cali said:

I agree 100%!

I agree 110%.  Who is offended:

1)   Not those who feel they have to prove they feel,treat, try harder or their remedy is more affective thanyone elses. (As in advertising)

 2) Those that recognize others failing to understand that there is no such thing as more than 100% of anything. 

In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter because we all know what is meant and that there is no such thing as more than 100% of anything.  So, as they say “down south” if you’re offended: “Go scratch your mad place!” 🙂

 

 

Edited April 21 by Bubba136

[Cali]

1 hour ago, Bubba136 said:

 2) Those that recognize others failing to understand that there is no such thing as more than 100% of anything. 
 

 

The value of my house has increased by 300% over the last 10 years.  If I had bought Apple stock at $10/share, I think it would have now be worth 10000%. And I think @kneehighs hopes his bitcoin investments will be worth more than 100% of what he paid for them.

[Puffer]

On 4/19/2024 at 1:01 PM, Jkrenzer said:

I agree 100%.

There is no balance to the shape. Anything under 3 inches should be blockier. The heel tips must wear very fast. Higher heels carry a lower percentage of weight on the tips. Walking heel to toe the shoe is already level before all the weight is transferred from the other foot.

...

Does not walking 'heel to toe' put an initially large weight on the small tips of high stilettos, as they are the only item in ground contact?   Conversely, walking in low heels, where the foot is placed almost flat when walking, would surely distribute one's weight more evenly?   I can see that, if standing still, more of one's weight goes forward as heels get higher, but wear when stationery is minimal so not really relevant.

[mlroseplant]

10 minutes ago, Puffer said:

Does not walking 'heel to toe' put an initially large weight on the small tips of high stilettos, as they are the only item in ground contact?   Conversely, walking in low heels, where the foot is placed almost flat when walking, would surely distribute one's weight more evenly?   I can see that, if standing still, more of one's weight goes forward as heels get higher, but wear when stationery is minimal so not really relevant.

I suppose we'd have to do some sort of a test or experiment to find out for sure, and I'm not sure who'd be willing to do it--buy and wear kitten heels, that is.

On a more serious note, I am not sure whether the tips would in fact wear out significantly faster than a more normal height stiletto heel. So much of that would depend on exactly how you walk. I have changed the way I walk in heels over the last 12 years quite a bit, to the extent that my heel tips on average now last anywhere from 150 - 200% longer than they used to (see what I did there?). This appears to be true for any style of shoe, from stilettos to chunky heels. I now put far less force on the heel at first contact than I used to. This is a conscious effort, but increased ankle flexibility might cause me to do this a bit more naturally than I used to.

Theoretically, putting one's heel down very gently should be much easier in kitten heels than higher heels, then very quickly, the whole shoe will be touching the ground, and although more weight will be on the kitten heel as opposed to the normal heel, unless you are doing some sort of odd wiggle as you step, the shoe shouldn't move, and therefore shouldn't wear hardly at all.

On the other hand, such factors as heel flex and shank flex could blow that theory out of the water, causing quite a bit of wear when both toe and heel are touching the ground. If somebody wishes to conduct such an experiment, more power to him, but don't take video of it--I do not need to see any more kitten heels, ever.

[Bubba136]

How would the material that the heel cap is made from affect the wear? I would guess that a heel cap made of metal would outlast any heel cap made of a less sturdy material regardless of how a person walked.

[mlroseplant]

I have never tried metal tips. Frankly, I'm afraid to. Oh, they'd be fine on concrete and such, but the second you skated into anything with a polished floor, watch out! I personally prefer hard rubber, Vibram or something along those lines. They meet the two requirements of being both long lasting and slip resistant. True, you don't get quite the clicky sound, but that's not all bad.

But @Bubba136, you're the one with the 60-some years experience. What do you use?

[Bubba136]

I have never worn or owned a pair of heels with metal heel tips. When ever the heel tips on my shoes need replacing, I either did it myself using a set of tips that came with the shoes when I bought them or took them to the local shoe repair shop. Same for my wife’s shoes.  As for what the tips were made of,  I really don’t know for sure.  Hard rubber or some sort of rubber/plastic compound, I would guess.  Don’t know what I am going to do now since the only local shoe repair shop has closed.  The closest one that I have found is 50 miles away from me.

 

On 4/19/2024 at 5:37 AM, mlroseplant said:

I have been getting this persistent advertisement in my social media feed for the last couple of weeks. It is a 30-something woman telling me that the staple of my shoe collection should be kitten heels. Every so often, it seems to happen that somebody, somewhere, thinks that the kitten heel is the greatest compromise ever, and that the fashion vs. function problem has finally been solved once and for all.

Luckily, hardly anybody falls for this nonsense. I submit that the kitten heel is the worst of the worst. Not because they are actually the worst looking style ever, but because they pretend to be something that they are not. Yes, Crocs look way worse on an absolute scale, but at least they have no pretense of being anything other than what they are. A 2 inch spike heel has no place in this world. If you need to wear a 2 inch heel, get shoes with block heels, pretty please!

My wife and both daughters loved kittens heels.  My wife tried to get me interested in them,too.  But I managed to put her off without without expressing my opinion on how hideous I thought they were.

Speaking of kitten heels, I opened a commercial browser a couple of days ago and saw a advertisement for women’s shoes which featured a pair of Penny Loafers with square toes and kitten heels.  Now I love my Penny Loafers.  I have two or three pair that are my favorites.  Especially the black leather pair with 4” block heels.  I just laughed out loud when I saw the pair in the picture.  I can’t imagine anyone buying them.

Edited April 23 by Bubba136
Mixed up reply.

[Puffer]

6 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

I have never worn or owned a pair of heels with metal heel tips. When ever the heel tips on my shoes need replacing, I either did it myself using a set of tips that came with the shoes when I bought them or took them to the local shoe repair shop. Same for my wife’s shoes.  As for what the tips were made of,  I really don’t know for sure.  Hard rubber or some sort of rubber/plastic compound, I would guess.  Don’t know what I am going to do now since the only local shoe repair shop has closed.  The closest one that I have found is 50 miles away from me.

...

Replacement heel tips (top pieces) in suitable material are readily available econominally online in a variety of sizes and are quite easy to fit with a minimum of tools.    The size of the fixing pin can vary, as of course can the size/shape of the tip itself; the latter is not difficult to trim/shape to suit.   I suggest that you give such DIY repairs a try, regardless of the availability of any local repairer.

[Shyheels]

I too have never worn metal heel tips nor would I want to for just the reasons mentioned above. Why trash your nice wooden floor or carpet, or somebody else’s?

since most of my boots are block heels anyway it’s not an issue I worry much about.

And I too dislike kitten heels - they’re neither fish nor fowl as the saying goes. If you’re going to wear stilettos they should be long and thin, like the blade of a dagger - not like the blade of a jackknife. 

[Cali]

As a kid I had metal taps put on my dress shoes. Hated those metal tabs. I also had to endure arch supports, which caused uneven wear. In the 50's early 60's that's part of what they did to control uneven wear on my shoes.

The real problem was that my foot is very different from a 'average' man's foot, so all those those things they did to me was to try to force my foot into a boy's shoe. I now understand the damage it did to my knee and ankles.

Women's heel is like wearing slippers compare to any ill-fitting men's shoe.

[Bubba136]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:25 PM, Bubba136 said:

I have never worn or owned a pair of heels with metal heel tips. When ever the heel tips on my shoes need replacing, I either did it myself using a set of tips that came with the shoes when I bought them or took them to the local shoe repair shop. Same for my wife’s shoes.  As for what the tips were made of,  I really don’t know for sure.  Hard rubber or some sort of rubber/plastic compound, I would guess.  Don’t know what I am going to do now since the only local shoe repair shop has closed.  The closest one that I have found is 50 miles away from me.

 

My wife and both daughters loved kittens heels.  My wife tried to get me interested in them,too.  But I managed to put her off without without expressing my opinion on how hideous I thought they were.

Speaking of kitten heels, I opened a commercial browser a couple of days ago and saw a advertisement for women’s shoes which featured a pair of Penny Loafers with square toes and kitten heels.  Now I love my Penny Loafers.  I have two or three pair that are my favorites.  Especially the black leather pair with 4” block heels.  I just laughed out loud when I saw the pair in the picture.  I can’t imagine anyone buying them.

If anyone is interested in these shoes, they are being sold by Nieman Marcus.  Look on their website.  

[mlroseplant]

17 hours ago, Cali said:

As a kid I had metal taps put on my dress shoes. Hated those metal tabs. I also had to endure arch supports, which caused uneven wear. In the 50's early 60's that's part of what they did to control uneven wear on my shoes.

The real problem was that my foot is very different from a 'average' man's foot, so all those those things they did to me was to try to force my foot into a boy's shoe. I now understand the damage it did to my knee and ankles.

Women's heel is like wearing slippers compare to any ill-fitting men's shoe.

It is a vague memory, but I remember that my pediatrician was concerned that my natural gait was too pronated. I had small lifts put in my shoes, underneath the inside parts of my heels. Not exactly arch supports, but something like that. I cannot remember them really feeling like anything. Whether they did any good, I can't say, but I will say that as an adult my shoes have always worn out evenly from side to side. What they should have done is put me in heels from a young age, then maybe I wouldn't have had a terrible looking walk for so many years.

Men's or women's shoes make very little difference to me, it's mainly the narrower width that led me to women's shoes, ever since my favorite boot company quit making work boots that were both narrow and short. Evidently, they thought the only people with narrow feet also had long feet.

[Shyheels]

My feet are narrow and long and I’ve always had trouble finding shoes that fit with any precision. Footwear manufacturers just do not seem to believe that anyone has narrow feet - any more than they believe there are any females with feet larger than a UK8

[Cali]

For me it is the girth of my toebox vs the narrowness of my heel. I have to use mens US 9.5 EEE to get my feet into most shoes, then have to deal with 1/2 inch of space on both sides of my heel.  Women's regular US size 10 (sometimes 11 on pointed shoes) fits great most of the time. I just have trouble with vamps, especially all pumps and shoes with toe straps that aren't adjustable.

I wish I had known this many decades ago and avoided numerous ankle and knee surgeries.

[Bubba136]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:25 PM, Bubba136 said:

I guess I must have fairly normal feet when it comes to shoes made by the the more popular brands.  Over the years I’ve worn heels manufactured by many different companies and although some fit better than others,  I can wear most styles without any problems.  It’s true that some brands have better arch support and are more comfortable for longer periods of wear, especially if you are walking any distance.  Over the past few years though, I’ve found shoes sold by Nine West seem to fit me better than other brands.  Their lasts seem to be formed perfectly for my feet and the arch support on their higher heels give me the comfort I desire.  I like their offerings.  Stylish and moderately priced, easy to wear.

 

Edited April 25 by Bubba136

[bluejay]

Bubba, I like Nine West shoes and knee boots. They fit me well and I have many pairs of each, from pumps, sandals, slides, knee boots, and ankle boots. It's a great brand for my feet.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, bluejay said:

Bubba, I like Nine West shoes and knee boots. They fit me well and I have many pairs of each, from pumps, sandals, slides, knee boots, and ankle boots. It's a great brand for my feet.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

I can't say that I've never had a bad pair of Nine West shoes, because I have, but overall it's a fairly solid brand, and I can pretty much count on a size 9 being a size 9. It's also the one brand from which I have bought several pairs new. One pair lasted me 11 years and 200 documented miles before it failed catastrophically. I still have several pair in my collection, though they don't dominate like they used to. Of course, I don't buy new anymore, both because of cost and because of style.

[Jkrenzer]

I agree about Nine West. When I buy or sell heels I'll often compare sizing to their heels. Nike is another. 

I'm a traditional 11 in Nine West but many 10's fit and some 11's don't. If I get a Nike or Nine West comparison I feel more comfortable when buying online. 

[Bubba136]

Speaking of Nike, I just read an article on U Tube where the star of the University of Iowa’s women’s basketball team, Caitlin Clark, signed a huge endorsement contract with Nike shoes worth over 50 million dollars, even to a point where Nike will produce a “signature shoe” with her name on it.  I am wondering if mlroseplant has any interest in getting a pair when they become available?  If he does, he might be setting a new trend by wearing a pair of women’s basketball shoes by men.  A new thing for sure, but it just might catch on.