The Perfect Shoe

[Jkrenzer]

Thought I'd ask everyone their opinion on the perfect shoe.

Mine varies over time but here is where I'm at right now. My perfect shoes is:

- single sole, closed toed, mild toe cleavage, open instep, low outer side, 5 inch stilleto.

Sorry for the image quality, taken from my phone at work.

 

[Pumped]

I like those, but may favorite is just a simple classic black pump. I personally can not do a five inch heel, I would love to but four inch is the limit for me.

[Isolathor]

The red pumps are very likeable!

But my perfect shoe is a classic pump, colour  depending on the other parts of the outfit .....

[RonC]

I think mine will always be the shoe in my avatar.  A single sole, black patent, low cut pump with some toe cleavage and a 4" stiletto heel.  Unfortunately some health issues are causing me to have foot problems and 4" heels are becoming quite uncomfortable for me.  Think I'm going to have to lower my expectations!

[Isolathor]

I like the shoes in Your avatar, these would be worth a few more pictures!

But i am sorry to hear about Your health problems and hope You will  get well again.

[Jkrenzer]

13 hours ago, RonC said:

I think mine will always be the shoe in my avatar.  A single sole, black patent, low cut pump with some toe cleavage and a 4" stiletto heel.  Unfortunately some health issues are causing me to have foot problems and 4" heels are becoming quite uncomfortable for me.  Think I'm going to have to lower my expectations!

 Sorry to hear about foot problems, may I ask what they are?

I rue the day I have to give up heels, it'll happen eventually. 

Your avatar shoes are very nice, they remind me of the old "Classic Shoes" site.

[RonC]

6 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Your avatar shoes are very nice, they remind me of the old "Classic Shoes" site.

Did you mean Classic Pumps site?  If so, you have a good eye, as they are the Rossi style from Classic Pumps (who is still in business btw).  

 

[Jkrenzer]

3 hours ago, RonC said:

Did you mean Classic Pumps site?  If so, you have a good eye, as they are the Rossi style from Classic Pumps (who is still in business btw).  

 

I did. After i exited i googled it and should have corrected myself. They haven't changed in 20 yrs, love their pumps, all made in Spain by Spanish Leather. Very high quality pumps. Just wished they would at least do 4.5 to 5 inch. I think their business would explode if they did.

[Isolathor]

8 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Just wished they would at least do 4.5 to 5 inch. I think their business would explode if they did.

Same here. While i don´t believe their business would explode with 5" heels, i still would buy some 5" from them.

[RonC]

15 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Just wished they would at least do 4.5 to 5 inch.

As I am happy with 4" heels, I think that is fine.  I will say this however.  I bought a pair of their Rossi style in both size 9 and size 12, the heels of which are stated as 3.5 inches.  Measured up the back, they were both 4 inches in height, and they do state that the heels tend to get taller as the shoe size increases.  So I would imagine that their 4" styles in larger sizes may well measure 4.5 inches.  You could always text Walt, the owner, as to the actual heel height in your size.  Shoes in the Lola/Lucy line might fall in that category.  They are wonderfully cut shoes in real leather.

[mlroseplant]

It goes without saying that my perfect shoe is not a classic pump. Not that there's anything wrong with classic pumps, but everyone knows I have to have a sandal, and most probably a mule. More than 50% of my shoe collection consists of mules, so if I had only one pair, it would probably be mules. Having said that, there is more than one way to interpret the original question. Perfect shoe theoretically, or practically? Is perfection based on just the way it looks, or how it performs in the real world? That might change my answer a bit, depending on the situation.

[Jkrenzer]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Perfect shoe theoretically, or practically? Is perfection based on just the way it looks, or how it performs in the real world? That might change my answer a bit, depending on the situation.

That's kind of the point. The perfect is in the eye of the beholder (wearer in our case), i.e. all shoes are perfect given enough interpretations. 

[RonC]

9 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Is perfection based on just the way it looks, or how it performs in the real world?

Seeing as how any heel I wear seems to hurt these days, that leaves me to choose by looks I guess....lol.

I would think the "perfect" shoes would need to be one that more than satisfies in both looks and performs.  For folks like @mlroseplant and @Jkrenzer that wear their heels all the time, I would think that performance plays a role at least equivalent to looks.  For me, given how rarely I actually get to wear my heels, I lean toward looks, though I will admit to trying to find something that I can wear more comfortably even if it means giving up a fair piece in terms of look.  Haven't found anything yet that is comfortable yet satisfies my need for the right look.  A while back I bought a pair of Clarks pumps like these.

Basic, not much to look at, practical heel height, considered to be a "comfort" shoe.  Something I thought I could wear and walk in in public.  Thought if I got an 11 wide they would work well.  Tried them on and proceeded to walk out of the left shoe, and while the right shoe seemed to fit nicely, standing in them for just a few minutes made my feet hurt.  So even when I choose performance over looks I can seem to win!

[mlroseplant]

On 4/23/2021 at 2:41 PM, RonC said:

Seeing as how any heel I wear seems to hurt these days, that leaves me to choose by looks I guess....lol.

I would think the "perfect" shoes would need to be one that more than satisfies in both looks and performs.  For folks like @mlroseplant and @Jkrenzer that wear their heels all the time, I would think that performance plays a role at least equivalent to looks.  For me, given how rarely I actually get to wear my heels, I lean toward looks, though I will admit to trying to find something that I can wear more comfortably even if it means giving up a fair piece in terms of look.  Haven't found anything yet that is comfortable yet satisfies my need for the right look.  A while back I bought a pair of Clarks pumps like these.

Basic, not much to look at, practical heel height, considered to be a "comfort" shoe.  Something I thought I could wear and walk in in public.  Thought if I got an 11 wide they would work well.  Tried them on and proceeded to walk out of the left shoe, and while the right shoe seemed to fit nicely, standing in them for just a few minutes made my feet hurt.  So even when I choose performance over looks I can seem to win!

I've been involuntarily participating in this thought exercise for the last couple of days, and if I had only one pair of shoes to wear for the rest of my life, it would probably be something rather close to your Clarks. Except I would probably choose something that same shape and heel height but in an oxford style shoe, since I've got the same problem you have with walking out of pumps. I'm pretty sure I could wear that style in pretty much every situation if I had to, even at work if they would let me.

On the other hand, if we let ourselves slip into fantasy land, I would prefer something like these Maison Ernest mules. I frankly don't know if I could even walk in these, but it's what I'd like to wear all the time if I had the chance. In any case, you have to love the ankle flexibility of the model in this picture!

[KneeBooted]

I’ll chime in here since no one has said they’d prefer a pair of boots yet.

Growing up, the iconic style I remember was that of a black leather knee high boot with a chunky heel, rounded toe, and no platform.

For some reason, that always stuck in my head as the must-have style. I don’t know that I saw them everywhere, but a handful of people I can recall had them, including my mom.

That being said, if I had to pick one pair and one pair only, I’d probably continue that idea with a black leather knee high boot. And since it’s our fantasy, I’d love to have feet that fit into Christian Louboutin boots for that matter! 

However, I don’t know that I’d keep the round toe and chunky heel. While that does make it easier to walk in and more comfy on my feet, I’d probably want to succeed in wearing pointy toe stiletto. Something like the Eloise boot they have now, which is a textured black leather and looks amazing.

 

[pebblesf]

1 hour ago, KneeBooted said:

I’ll chime in here since no one has said they’d prefer a pair of boots yet.

Growing up, the iconic style I remember was that of a black leather knee high boot with a chunky heel, rounded toe, and no platform.

For some reason, that always stuck in my head as the must-have style. I don’t know that I saw them everywhere, but a handful of people I can recall had them, including my mom.

That being said, if I had to pick one pair and one pair only, I’d probably continue that idea with a black leather knee high boot. And since it’s our fantasy, I’d love to have feet that fit into Christian Louboutin boots for that matter! 

However, I don’t know that I’d keep the round toe and chunky heel. While that does make it easier to walk in and more comfy on my feet, I’d probably want to succeed in wearing pointy toe stiletto. Something like the Eloise boot they have now, which is a textured black leather and looks amazing.

 

I'll chime in and agree totally.  I prefer classic stiletto boots also, with no platform...Those boots look great and are amazingly easy to walk in for sure....I love wearing my Sam Edelman stiletto boots, they look similar to these...My only issue is wearing out the heel tips quickly, I need to learn how to replace them myself...

[RonC]

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I've been involuntarily participating in this thought exercise for the last couple of days, and if I had only one pair of shoes to wear for the rest of my life, it would probably be something rather close to your Clarks. Except I would probably choose something that same shape and heel height but in an oxford style shoe, since I've got the same problem you have with walking out of pumps. I'm pretty sure I could wear that style in pretty much every situation if I had to, even at work if they would let me.

On the other hand, if we let ourselves slip into fantasy land, I would prefer something like these Maison Ernest mules. I frankly don't know if I could even walk in these, but it's what I'd like to wear all the time if I had the chance. In any case, you have to love the ankle flexibility of the model in this picture!

Well they certainly are hotter to look at than the pretty boring Clarks pumps.  I agree with you on the oxford style being much easier to deal with fit wise.  It goes back to the looks thing again, as I much prefer a low cut pump to a closed up oxford.  But like you said, if you had to wear them all the time, better to choose comfort over style.  But that would be boring....lol.

[mlroseplant]

18 hours ago, KneeBooted said:

I’ll chime in here since no one has said they’d prefer a pair of boots yet.

Growing up, the iconic style I remember was that of a black leather knee high boot with a chunky heel, rounded toe, and no platform.

For some reason, that always stuck in my head as the must-have style. I don’t know that I saw them everywhere, but a handful of people I can recall had them, including my mom.

That being said, if I had to pick one pair and one pair only, I’d probably continue that idea with a black leather knee high boot. And since it’s our fantasy, I’d love to have feet that fit into Christian Louboutin boots for that matter! 

However, I don’t know that I’d keep the round toe and chunky heel. While that does make it easier to walk in and more comfy on my feet, I’d probably want to succeed in wearing pointy toe stiletto. Something like the Eloise boot they have now, which is a textured black leather and looks amazing.

 

 

16 hours ago, pebblesf said:

I'll chime in and agree totally.  I prefer classic stiletto boots also, with no platform...Those boots look great and are amazingly easy to walk in for sure....I love wearing my Sam Edelman stiletto boots, they look similar to these...My only issue is wearing out the heel tips quickly, I need to learn how to replace them myself...

Believe it or don't, I can actually get behind those boots 100%. Those are pretty hot! I mean, for something that covers up your foot that much.

I have long quit wearing stilettos for actual walking just because the heels wear out so quickly. I know, I know, I can hear @Jkrenzer muttering to himself from 1,000 miles away, "That stupid son of a b**** has STILL not learned how to replace his own heels." It's true. I can't argue with that.

[pebblesf]

This stupid SOB can't replace heel tips either!  Which is a shame cuz my boots are super easy to walk in, even with 4.5" stiletto heels

[Isolathor]

Sometimes it is easy to replace heeltips and can be done with tools available to me. But there are also occasions when the heel is not willing to participate and a professional has to do the job. 😉

[Jkrenzer]

3 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

 

I have long quit wearing stilettos for actual walking just because the heels wear out so quickly. I know, I know, I can hear @Jkrenzer muttering to himself from 1,000 miles away, "That stupid son of a b**** has STILL not learned how to replace his own heels." It's true. I can't argue with that.

1000 miles, ha ha, not so much. I've got the propper tools, makes all the difference. 

[Cali]

I just can't find the tips that fit my boots. I have 3 pairs to fix but after many hours of looking at profiles I can find them.

[Isolathor]

I consider these perfect too:

 

[Jkrenzer]

20 hours ago, Isolathor said:

I consider these perfect too:

 

Those are beautiful. Heels are positioned well, not straight down from the back of the shoe.

[Pierre1961]

Agreed!

[Shyheels]

On 4/25/2021 at 4:50 PM, KneeBooted said:

I’ll chime in here since no one has said they’d prefer a pair of boots yet.

Growing up, the iconic style I remember was that of a black leather knee high boot with a chunky heel, rounded toe, and no platform.

For some reason, that always stuck in my head as the must-have style. I don’t know that I saw them everywhere, but a handful of people I can recall had them, including my mom.

That being said, if I had to pick one pair and one pair only, I’d probably continue that idea with a black leather knee high boot. And since it’s our fantasy, I’d love to have feet that fit into Christian Louboutin boots for that matter! 

However, I don’t know that I’d keep the round toe and chunky heel. While that does make it easier to walk in and more comfy on my feet, I’d probably want to succeed in wearing pointy toe stiletto. Something like the Eloise boot they have now, which is a textured black leather and looks amazing.

 

I am a big fan of knee boots. I like the elegance of stiletto knee boots and have a pair, but actually prefer the round toe/chunky heel ones. They are more ‘me’.

[Isolathor]

17 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I am a big fan of knee boots. I like the elegance of stiletto knee boots and have a pair, but actually prefer the round toe/chunky heel ones. They are more ‘me’.

Will this style float your boat or do You want an even chunkier heel?🤔

 

[Shyheels]

Very nice! Yes, most definitely a style I’d like.

[Isolathor]

I would prefer a thinner heel, but my wife loves these boots and can wear them for a whole day.

 

[Shyheels]

Those are very nice boots. I’d certainly like a pair like that.