Who Has Bought Some New SANDALS?

[Shyheels]

Indeed! I’m at London City Airport and they’re wondering what the disturbance is - they can’t hear the planes

[mlroseplant]

Oh, come now. It is no worse than the sound of pickleball.

[mlroseplant]

I wonder if anybody is still around to read this, but I guess I'll post it anyway. My Steve Madden "Dezzy" sandals, which are fairly new to me, are not really my style. You folks may know me as a platform guy, but usually within reason. This is my second pair of sandals that feature what I would call a "huge" platform. I call them my Southeast Asian Pageant Shoes, but with "only" a 1 1/2" platform, they fall rather short of that mark. Nevertheless, they seem huge to me.

Balancing that out is an equally giant 5 3/4" heel, which is somewhat cone-shaped and about 7/8" in diameter at the bottom. They are also my only pair of wrap-around ankle strap shoes, and the diameter of my ankles actually falls neatly into correspondence with where the holes are punched in the strap where you buckle it up. You can't really see the straps as presented here, but I didn't think of that when I took this picture yesterday. Sorry. They don't walk or wear too badly at all, believe it or don't. I don't feel like I'm wearing a 1 1/2" platform, though I have yet to step on a pebble or twig lying in the road. However, I feel like I now need to work on my ramp walk, and my full turns.

[Jkrenzer]

Nice post. They actually look good even with the platform. 

[Shyheels]

Those look really nice - and I say that as someone who does not care for platforms. Whoever designed those got the proportions right. They look great with flares too. I’m not into sandals or platforms, but I can see the attraction of those and would wear them

[mlroseplant]

Though these are not exactly new to me, I can't find where I have posted them yet, at least not descriptively. Nine West "How Rude" sandals. Which is a weird name, weirder than most, but that's what they are called. I really like the tri-colored gold theme, and the 4 3/4" stiletto heel with a whisper of a platform makes these shiny shoes have effectively a 4 3/8" height, which is not too steep to be practical. However, these are not comfortable for me personally. The strap that goes across the toes bites into my foot, especially my little toes, and after about 2 hours of wearing, I was ready to get them off of me. The buckle(s) is almost functional, but the adjustment possibilities are too coarse, and therefore not useful. I will give these shoes a couple more chances, but they're probably not going to be in my collection much longer, which is really too bad, because I like the look rather a lot.

Edited August 23, 2023 by mlroseplant

[Jkrenzer]

That's a shame that these are uncomfortable, they are attractive. 

I know someone who'd be willing to try them should you decide to move on.

[Cali]

@mlroseplant have you tried adding extra holes with a hole punch?

[mlroseplant]

15 hours ago, Cali said:

@mlroseplant have you tried adding extra holes with a hole punch?

I did not really explain what the problem is very well. The actual problem is that the buckles you can see in the picture(s) are merely decorative. Yes, you can undo the buckles, but it is not possible to get them to move to another hole because the two halves of the strap are actually permanently attached to each other independent of the buckle. So I guess I'm out of luck.

[flavio]

These are getting a lot of use at the office.

9cm heels, not too high for my big feet.

I even spoke in front of the audience with them one day.

A better picture from the store

[mlroseplant]

Once again, these mules are not necessarily all that new to me, but yesterday was the first time I actually wore them in public. So, in fact, they are new to you!

Charles David brand, model name unknown. I am sure I got them from either ebay or Poshmark, one. I am also sure I got them because I thought they were beautiful, which they are. I certainly did not get them because I thought they would be practical, which they are not. For one, they are real leather suede, which generally does not work well with Iowa weather, but it also turns out that they are hard to walk in. Something about them seems to be a bit unbalanced, I can't quite put my finger on it. I've also had this experience with my only other pair of Charles David shoes, they were the same way. Beautiful, but unbalanced. Create your own inferences about that.

The overly setback heel is 4 3/4", and though it's not obvious, there is a slight platform, so I'm giving it an overall pitch of 4 1/2". This is not beyond my skill set, but I do not like walking in these at all. I wore them for about 4 hours, and my feet didn't hurt at all, but somehow, these mules still suck. I can't really explain it. Sorry to be a bummer for two reviews in a row.

[Jkrenzer]

It's a shame they don't wear comfortably as they look great. But I'm still of the feeling that set back heels are poorly engineered. They do it to give the impression the heel is higher, which it is, even though the shoe sole is not.

[mlroseplant]

On 8/14/2023 at 5:29 AM, mlroseplant said:

Although some of the items I may post on here in the near future may have been purchased some time ago, these were actually purchased fairly recently, in June. I got these Bebe (model designation unknown) wooden mules via ebay, for about 45 bucks by the time you include shipping.

I would say that these have effectively become my backup pair of walking shoes, but it has been a rather long road getting there. The specs would indicate qualification for such: 4 3/4" heel with a 1" platform, giving a rather shallow rise of 3 3/4". Put that on top of a 1" broad heel, and this would seem to have a great deal of utility. However, out of the box (or bubble wrap, as the case may be), the leather was so stiff that it caused minor injury for quite a while after about a mile. Finally, I have got them to where they will not cause me harm after a two mile walk. I even worked a farmer's market in them and they weren't terrible.

I have had to add foot cushions in them because they have stretched out to the point that they're a bit too big, but with that addition they seem to have settled down quite nicely into everyday shoes. But they are extremely loud. At 5:30 in the morning when everything is quiet, I would guess you can hear me coming from a block away. I would guess that this will change when reheeling is necessary.

I have got one new pair to share, plus a couple of updates. First of all, the Bebe wooden sandals (quoted here) that are good but obnoxiously loud have been reheeled. They now sound completely normal. The original heel tips, despite being nearly 1 inch square, lasted a mere 15 miles. That may account for a good deal.

Second, I broke out my JustFab "Loolah" gold mules over the weekend, featured in this thread about a year ago, but worn seldom. Nothing to report of great significance about the shoes themselves, but I wear them much more easily than I did a year ago. For such inexpensive shoes, they seem to be built solidly. To be fair, I only wore them about four hours, and the limitation was not my feet. My feet felt just fine after four hours--it was my ankles which were very tired and ready to be done for the day.

And now, for the actual subject of this post, my MDT "Mackley" gold mules. What makes these mules unusual is that although they are gold colored, they are matte finish, which you do not often see. Most people want their metallics to be shiny!

Stats on the mules are 4 1/2" heel, no platform, 3/8" stiletto width, and all man-made construction. I got these brand new online somewhere like ebay, I don't remember. I have put about three miles on them so far. They are weirdly easy to walk in, but not really that comfortable because whatever material they're made out of is pretty doggoned stiff. This has lessened a little bit with wear, but not much. They will certainly never become buttery soft.

[Jkrenzer]

Really like the pair in the upper photo. 

[SF]

And I like the pair in the lower picture...  Something for everyone!!  

Haven't been here in a while, just thought I would check in and see whats up.  

Nice sandals BTW.....   Enjoy your heels....   sf

[Bootslover29]

It'been a while not posting!

Here are my new sandals

 

[NrthEastHeel]

My first pair of sandals, by Kurt Geiger. Loved the patent oxblood color. Slim 4 inch heel

[Shyheels]

Very nice

[mlroseplant]

I have managed to avoid buying any shoes for nearly four months. I cracked on this pair for several reasons. 1) They are wooden heels. OK, they're not real wood, but close enough. 2) They are the third pair in my collection of this model. I'm not aware of another color, so I think I have all the colors now. 3) I bought this exact shoe in my first year of public heeling, then got rid of them, a decision I regret. 4) The price was finally right. 5) I don't think I have any other orange shoes, at least not with orange as the main color.

First, the specifications. True Religion brand, model name unknown. None of the five pairs of this model that I've bought over the years came with a box, and there is only a number inside the shoe. 4 3/4" heel, which tapers down to 3/4" width at the floor, and 1/2" platform. The heel and sole are made of some sort of composite material which appears to be quite durable in every way except against abrasion. Lose a heel tip without noticing, and your shoe is ruined beyond repair within a few hundred feet. Don't remind me of why I know this. The upper is fully leather, including the lining and the footbed. This is one of the reasons I like this model so much--it's easy on the feet for extended wearing.

Expansion of topics: 1) I have always liked wooden heeled sandals since I was a kid. Perhaps that's what was in style during my formative years. I never liked the huge honking wooden heels of the decade before, but was quite enamored of heels about the size and shape of the instant pair of sandals. I now have purposefully begun collecting more wooden heels in the last couple of years.

2) This is my third triple--These, my Steve Madden "Barbb" mules, and I also have three pairs of Söfft "Calvados" mid heeled mules.

3) I bought my first pair of this model, in orange, in my first year of public heeling. Everything else I wore at that time was black, black, or black, underneath boot cut pants. Also, the shoes seemed incredibly tight at the time, and required my toes to bend in a way that I was incapable of back then. Coupled with the fact that, "When am I ever going to wear orange shoes anywhere out in public?" caused me to divest myself of them.

4)I found another pair several months ago, but they wanted 75 bucks for them. Nah, I don't think so. These were 25, and they look to have been worn a mere handful of times.

5) I checked again. I truly do not have any other truly orange shoes. I've got some orange accents, but no true pumpkin shoes. They go well with my hi-viz shirts from work.

The only bad thing I have to say about these is that I wish the toe opening were one toe bigger. I prefer to have three toes showing, rather than only two. That's pretty much it.

 

[Shyheels]

They look nice and a pleasant shade of orange. I wouldn’t say they had a platform - the wooden sole would necessarily be thicker than a single leather sole. They’re quite nice sandals 

[Jkrenzer]

I like the autumn feel to these shoes.

Great re-addition.

[Puffer]

I can see the attraction - comfort with a lift.   I agree with Shyheels that they are scarcely 'platforms' but essentially a clog with the expected thickness of wooden sole.   Come to think of it, they could be described as clogs, sandals, mules or slides - according to one's prejudices!

[mlroseplant]

Come to think of it, they do feel quite a bit like clogs and less like sandals because there is not a lot of toe sticking out the front, and there is a lot of coverage way up the foot. Not necessarily my preferred configuration, but somewhat more practical than a barer or flimsier design. You're not going to be just kicking these shoes off casually. They have to be extracted from the foot quite purposefully, even after the break-in period is over.

Here are a couple more pictures of the orange mules/clogs. I wanted to see what they would actually look like with my hi-viz construction shirt, so I changed into some black skinny jeans and threw on a hat to hide my messy/greasy hair, and here you are! To me, this is sort of the definition of casual, and helps visualize my assertion that very few people would actually wear heels along with clothes that are this casual. Also, I think I got my pose backwards. In retrospect, I think you are supposed to put your hand on the hip that is sticking out, not the one that is folded in. But I could be wrong. I am not good at these things.

[Jkrenzer]

37 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

To me, this is sort of the definition of casual, and helps visualize my assertion that very few people would actually wear heels along with clothes that are this casual.

Casual or not, works for me. I'd be in 5 inch pumps with that look either way.

[bluejay]

Good color co-ordination , Mirose. I like to match the color of my heels with the top I'm wearing. Good look for a casual day.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[Jkrenzer]

1 hour ago, bluejay said:

Good color co-ordination , Mirose. I like to match the color of my heels with the top I'm wearing. Good look for a casual day.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

Me too, I have every color under the rainbow and some.

[chesterx]

Some new wedge heeled sandals i bought on Amazon. I have been goo about not splurging on shoes, so these are the 1st pair i have bought in over 6 months,but I couldn't resist how cute they look. No idea what I would wear them with, but i will figure that out later...

[Shyheels]

Definitely for spring, I’d say

[HappyinHeels]

Mlroseplant,

Love those platform sandals you posted on 21 August with the 1.5” platform and the 5.75” heel. I own a number of those and have worn them to different venues. The last time you saw me I was wearing some dark brown wedges of that same height with bootcut jeans.

chesterx, 

Those are a classic spring wedge sandal which I’d consider wearing shopping, visiting a friend, or attending some social function. It could work well with some nice jeans, slacks or even a dress if you like. I see a lot of sandals at weddings in spring and summer. Just some ideas for you. Don’t let them collect dust. HinH

 

[vinheel]

14 cm high heel Hey Si Mey mules customized as strappy sandals with long laces, for better support.

Edited December 30, 2023 by vinheel