sscotty727 Posted April 8, 2004 Posted April 8, 2004 Hi, I am planning on buying this pair of Franco Sarto shoes for work. The feedback says they run a size bigger, but mostly women are giving the feedback. Do you think the same would apply for men? Anyone have any experience with this pair? Thanks, Scotty
Bubba136 Posted April 8, 2004 Posted April 8, 2004 Scotty, why wouldn't it apply to men? If the shoes were made for women, I'm sure the shoemaker doesn't know if the shoes he's making are going to be worn by a man. So, convert your man size to a woman's size and then make the same allowances that any woman would make. That's what I do. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
Firefox Posted April 8, 2004 Posted April 8, 2004 Maybe because men's feet are generally broader compared to their length than those of women, you would need to go at least a size up, depending on your breadth. I know some women who go up two or even three sizes from what they require in length, to get enough width becasue they have broad feet.
sscotty727 Posted April 9, 2004 Author Posted April 9, 2004 I just ordered a pair from Nordstroms. They were actually cheaper and they had 10M, so I got them (they also had a 10N which I think is narrow). I will let you know how they fit. Scotty
loveheel Posted April 11, 2004 Posted April 11, 2004 I don't have these, but have several other pairs from Franco Sarto. So far, all of the ones I have had seem to be rather true to size. From looking at these, the instep may be a problem if you have a high instep on your foot. The shoe seems to come high up on the foot. In general Franco Sarot shoes are well made with decent leather that will allow some stretch. I have loafers from them in various heel sizes. The lowest ones I wear EVERY day. I recently had to order a new pair. The midsize heels (2 1/2) I wear in the evenings to restaurant and shops. These shoes are the ones you can easily get away with. Great choice. i hope they fit. Note that Nordstrom often offers larger and wider sizes than zappos in many shoes. If you live anywhere near a Nordstrom store I would just go and try them. They typically have very professional staff.
sscotty727 Posted April 11, 2004 Author Posted April 11, 2004 I just bought these shoes on Ebay, "NINE WEST WOMENS 2" HEELS LEATHER PUMPS SHOES 11", what do you all think?
Heelfan Posted April 11, 2004 Posted April 11, 2004 Well, this the ideal sort of non-heeled high heel shoe to give a non street-heeling shy, shy, shyguy the courage to become a slightly less non-heeling shy, shyguy prior to taking the plunge to venture from the bedroom into the hallway, before (when nobody's looking) sneaking outside into the back garden at 3am on a pitch-black starless night having failed to pluck up the courage to boldly cringe around the side of the house (where a stray cat might see the heels!) in order to put out the dustbins using the side-gate as a screen against further prying eyes, having of course, before doing any of this, donned a pair of flared, ground-scraping jeans to hide the footwear completely! Another way of approaching this would be to pitch straight in with 3 1/2" chunky heels and to find, like the rest of us have, that no-one pays the slightest attention, and you immediately wonder why you ever held back and cowered around in anything lower. It is only when our heels get noticeably higher and slimmer than that (4" or 5" plus) that the odd person starts to notice and stare, and even then it's no big deal. Go for it! life's to short to stay locked forever in neo-men's shoes! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan Onwards and upwards!
sscotty727 Posted April 12, 2004 Author Posted April 12, 2004 Hi Heelfan, I agree not the ultimate turnon for a heel-wearing guy. I got these for work (like the ones listed above). They supposidly have a 2" heel which is higher than the ones I have now. For casual I have 3" boots and thinking of going higher if I can convice the Mrs. Scotty
loveheel Posted April 12, 2004 Posted April 12, 2004 Even though they are not exactly high heels, they are nice shoes. But I agree. I went out with my wife shopping today wearing 3" heel boots (higher during the day makes her a bit uncomfortable, and I am not pushing the issue, as she has been very supportive). Nobody cares. If I wear pants that are wide on the bottom, they attract more attention than my shoes.
sscotty727 Posted April 12, 2004 Author Posted April 12, 2004 Well, I work on a military base as a consultant and currently sit in an open office with 5 other guys, 1 woman. 2 inch heels even no fem looking is going to feel high;)
Bubba136 Posted April 12, 2004 Posted April 12, 2004 Way to go, SScotty! While most of us would like to appear in life in high heels, some of us wear what our circumstances allow. While 2" heels aren't as high as 5" heels, and the heels on your shoes aren't stiletto heels0.....the fact that you are wearing "women's shoes" with 2" heels fits your situation just fine. I've similar shoes that I wear when appropriate and they work for me. Onward and upward. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
sscotty727 Posted April 12, 2004 Author Posted April 12, 2004 Thanks Bubba. Actually I only wear women's shoes all the time now. Even when I go to the doctors, I wear my mules (pictured below). One of the many positive things that came out of being on this board is I made a 100% switch from men's shoes to women's shoes! Scotty
sscotty727 Posted April 16, 2004 Author Posted April 16, 2004 Update on the Franco Sarto and Nine West: I am a bit disappointed in the Nine West. The ad stated the heels were 2", but they are more like 1 1/2". Also they are very tight for an a size 11. I will probably look at selling them or donating them since they don't fit me. Anyone interested? I took the advice and ordered a size 10 Franco Sarto instead of an 11. They are very snug, but I think they might stretch with wear. I would say go for your normal size in these. The heel also looked a bit higher in the ad but aren't that high. I still think might be a decent shoe for work, I just need to stretch them out for a bit. Scotty
sscotty727 Posted April 16, 2004 Author Posted April 16, 2004 I also just bought these boots on Ebay (someone else was offering something similiar I think). What do you think? Scotty
Bubba136 Posted April 17, 2004 Posted April 17, 2004 Most styles made by Nine West run about ½ size small. Thats why its wise to try them on before you pay for them. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
Heelfan Posted April 17, 2004 Posted April 17, 2004 Scotty, I think those boots are excellent for daily wear, and light years better than the 1 1/2" Nine Wests which always looked like 1 1/2" to me. As you say you need to keep things discreet, those boots will be ideal in conjunction with longish jeans/trousers. They have a great chunky masculine character to them, so when only the bottom 1" or so is showing, I'll wager that you could probably go through a whole year of mixing with your work colleagues, family, friends and neighbours without anyone so much as lifting in eyebow. And of course, unlike the Nine-Wests, you'll have the great feel of the heel-lift whenever and wherever you want to wear them which, in my book, is a most important component of street-heeling. Well done Scotty! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan Onwards and upwards!
sscotty727 Posted April 17, 2004 Author Posted April 17, 2004 I actually have another pair similiar to them that I used to wear to work when I was alone in the office. Since I am now in a more crowded office, I wear lower (2") heels. I got these boots cause they look like they might be slightly higher, but if not I can alway use another pair of boots. The reason I got the other two pairs of shoes were to replace the 2" Clarks which are getting grungy and I wasn't sure if they Clarks were made anymore (I actually found them again lastnight while searching for 4" boots!). I am kinda disappointed in the two that I did get in that they are not even as high as my 2" Clarks. I guess that is what you get shopping over the internet. Scotty
loveheel Posted April 23, 2004 Posted April 23, 2004 It is hard to make general statements about the sizing of vendors such as Nine West. Basically, they retail shoes made by other manufacturers under the Nine West name. I have had size 11 shoes there which were still too small, as well as as size 11's in which I can swim. Just go to the store and try them on. If they give you bad looks, go to another one. There are plenty of Nine West stores around. It is time we give bad sales people a run for their money.
sscotty727 Posted April 24, 2004 Author Posted April 24, 2004 My boots (pictured above) just came in! The are slightly higher than my existing boots, so I am anxious to wear them to the mall tomorrow! My wife also promised to help me look for 4 to 5 inch boots or shoes too! Scotty
sscotty727 Posted April 26, 2004 Author Posted April 26, 2004 I originally posted this in the "Help on Boots" thread, but it kinda changed to a new user (which is ok!). I didn't want to detrail the new direction of the thread so I figured I would repost my comments here. -------------------------- Hi Dawn/Bubba, Thanks for the advice and support. I actually didn't wear the boots today. They are actually 4 inch heels, my existing pair are 3 inch heels, but both boots have a platform toe, so I think they are more like 3 inch in actual feeling. I also have a pair of 3 inch heel shoes I got that don't have a platform toe. With the lifts I put in them, they raise to 4 1/2 inch, so I opted to wear them instead. I am not sure if it is normal, but the balls of my feet are killing me after walking the mall all day, but I did wear them and never got tempted to remove the lifts. I figured the more I wear them the more I will get use to them. I also went shopping and found some wood I plan on using on better lifts. Once I perfect them I will post a picture of them in the modification section. Also, my wife agreed to let me get a pair of shoes like the ones pictured below. We looked in the various stores, but we couldn't find anything similar. I can order them from the web, but would like a higher heel (the ones pictured are 3 inch heels) and lower platform, but same style. Anyone know where I could get them? Thanks, Scotty
Bubba136 Posted April 26, 2004 Posted April 26, 2004 sscotty, why are you still using hidden lifts when you are already wearing real heels in public? I realize you are trying to get the same feeling that you would get from heels but home-made hidden lifts are very uncomfortable and will make your feet hurt. Why not just chose a nice pair of medium heel woman's shoes or boots until you become more comfortable wearing the more feminine styles in public. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
sscotty727 Posted April 26, 2004 Author Posted April 26, 2004 Hi Bubba, When I am not at work, I agree and wear higher heels on the weekends/evenings. At work though (I am at a new customer where I have alot less privacy) I am not comfortable wearing anything other than 2" Clark shoes. I am working on the heel lifts for that. I wore them this weekend because the highest heels I currently have are only 3" (I just bought boots with 4", but they have a platform so they aren't that high either). 3" to me now feels like nothing so I was trying to raise them higher. The good side is they raised them higher without the discomfort. The bad side is I ended up raising them 4 1/2 inches and hurt my arches since I am not used to mall-heeling in that high a heel. Next time I will just wear the 4" boots until I am able to find a higher block heel shoe. Scotty
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