Who Has Bought Some New SANDALS?

[SF]

Both pair are “sandals,” to me at least.  Some may say they are a “mule” sandal.  

I like both styles, however the heel for me is way to high...

The color is your choice, enjoy your heels!!

smile...  sf

[Puffer]

Both are mules because they are backless, but more specifically sandals because they are both backless and open-toed.   Sandals trumps mules!

[mlroseplant]

Both pairs are definitely a type of sandal, I would refer to them as open-toed mules, but that's just me. The first pair definitely has some cloggy overtones to it, though. Which is not a bad thing. And I'd keep them the olive color.

[Pumped]

Ran across a deal on a pair of Steve Madden Brenna platform heels. Yep, another black pair of pumps!

Steve Madden Brenna

[Puffer]

5 hours ago, Pumped said:

Ran across a deal on a pair of Steve Madden Brenna platform heels. Yep, another black pair of pumps!

Steve Madden Brenna

They are definitely NOT sandals.   I am shocked that you would sully this thread by mentioning them here!   😆

[mlroseplant]

6 hours ago, Pumped said:

Ran across a deal on a pair of Steve Madden Brenna platform heels. Yep, another black pair of pumps!

Steve Madden Brenna

 

1 hour ago, Puffer said:

They are definitely NOT sandals.   I am shocked that you would sully this thread by mentioning them here!   😆

Yeah, c'mon man. What the actual?

Seriously, I think I know how this happened. It's the same process by which guys wind up accidentally posting in the girls' thread. We'll forgive you--this time. 😆

[Jkrenzer]

6 hours ago, Pumped said:

Ran across a deal on a pair of Steve Madden Brenna platform heels. Yep, another black pair of pumps!

Steve Madden Brenna

Yikes, the heels already look to be falling off in the manufactures photo. Way too far back and leaning.

[mlroseplant]

23 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Yikes, the heels already look to be falling off in the manufactures photo. Way too far back and leaning.

I own a number of Steve Madden heels, and most of them are junk, as far as quality construction. I really should stop buying anything with that name. There are a very few exceptions.

[SF]

The wedgie sandals shown are are by Steve Madden, the style is Drill, if I remember correctly.  They are about 10 years old, and I wore them a lot.  They got lost in the back of my closet and I sort of forgot about them until I saw these posts about Madden shoes.  These sandals are well made, and are my only pair of Madden shoes that I own.  I have looked since and Madden has not had any sandals that I like in my size.  If the quality has deteriorated, that is a shame.  Red china production maybe?  

As for these sandals they are comfortable to wear, with lots of cushion in the insole.  Being a wedgie shoe they are stable, easily slip on and off, and I have gotten a few compliments.  The wife never got a pair but my niece had a pair, we never wore them together, but we used to joke about our matching sandals.  

Now that I have rediscovered them, they will get a spot in the shoe wearing rotation this summer!  Enjoy your sandals!!  sf

 

[Pumped]

On 5/27/2022 at 4:51 AM, mlroseplant said:

 

Yeah, c'mon man. What the actual?

Seriously, I think I know how this happened. It's the same process by which guys wind up accidentally posting in the girls' thread. We'll forgive you--this time. 😆

Well, crap, I thought I was in the "new shoes" thread!

Getting old is a bitch!

[mlroseplant]

22 hours ago, SF said:

The wedgie sandals shown are are by Steve Madden, the style is Drill, if I remember correctly.  They are about 10 years old, and I wore them a lot.  They got lost in the back of my closet and I sort of forgot about them until I saw these posts about Madden shoes.  These sandals are well made, and are my only pair of Madden shoes that I own.  I have looked since and Madden has not had any sandals that I like in my size.  If the quality has deteriorated, that is a shame.  Red china production maybe?  

As for these sandals they are comfortable to wear, with lots of cushion in the insole.  Being a wedgie shoe they are stable, easily slip on and off, and I have gotten a few compliments.  The wife never got a pair but my niece had a pair, we never wore them together, but we used to joke about our matching sandals.  

Now that I have rediscovered them, they will get a spot in the shoe wearing rotation this summer!  Enjoy your sandals!!  sf

 

I don't necessarily mean to be hating on Steve Madden, but in general I have found the durability to be lacking. In fact, I've got a pair of Maddens at the cobbler right now, to see if they can be saved. On the other hand, there's a couple of models of Madden which have held up very well for me. I've just had much better luck with BCBG, which is of course defunct now. And older Nine West stuff. I've also had horrible luck with Michael Kors, a mid price brand adored by many.

Country of manufacture seems to have little correlation to ultimate durability. Most of my shoes, like most of everybody's, were manufactured in China. I also have shoes that were made in Spain, Brazil, and Italy. The more expensive shoes tend to be better looking, with higher quality materials and fewer rough edges, but this is not any great indicator of how long they'll last. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it all comes of wearing shoes that really weren't meant to be worn. Or perhaps more accurately, walking in shoes that weren't meant to be walked in. If you only wear your heels to church once a week, and maybe out to dinner every once in a while, they're probably going to last you a while, poor quality or not.

These Maddens shown in your picture are good looking! They look a bit like Dr. Scholl's with a wedge bottom. I have a soft spot in my heart for Dr. Scholl's. It brings back childhood memories.

[Puffer]

9 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

...

These Maddens shown in your picture are good looking! They look a bit like Dr. Scholl's with a wedge bottom. I have a soft spot in my heart for Dr. Scholl's. It brings back childhood memories.

Sandals like these are still available from various sources, but often at what seem excessive prices.   These are Berkemann Hamburg (from Amazon):

[mlroseplant]

I also, am going to bring out a pair from the back of the closet. Or more accurately, the bottom shelf, since my shoes don't fit in a closet. I'm reaching way back to 2016, when I was into Michael Kors. I probably had at least a dozen Michael Kors shoes at one time. Today, I have two. The reason is not because I grew tired of them, they are still really nice designs, but they all broke in one way or another. This is one of the two pair I have left that has not broken, This model is called Oksana, and believe it's a model probably from 2013 or 14 or something like that, because by the time I bought them, they were at a pretty good discount. I used to have two pairs, this one in tan, and another pair in black.

One of the reasons they have lasted over 6 years is probably because I haven't worn them that much. The now defunct black pair I wore quite a bit, but the shank bent on that pair. For some reason, the black pair had 5 1/8" heels, whereas this tan pair has full 5 1/2" heels. Why there was so much variation in the same model of shoe I have no idea, but these tan ones are noticeably steeper. With a 1" platform, that puts them right at the top of the range I can walk naturally, which is probably why the black ones got worn a lot more. Plus, at the time I rarely wore any shoe that wasn't black anyhow. Times have changed.

The only other thing to note about these sandals, other than their simple design, is that the heels themselves do not neatly fall into a category, as we've talked about elsewhere. Measuring 7/16" (11mm) in both transverse and longitudinal directions, they are probably ever so slightly too thick to be called stilettos, though their general shape and feel definitely makes them close cousins with the stiletto.

As far as how easy they are to live with, I wore them for about 7 hours straight on Sunday, which is not bad considering I hadn't worn them for several years. The leather was slightly dried out, but nothing that a little TLC couldn't fix. The 7 hours was probably 50% sitting, 40% standing, and 10% walking, or at least moving around. I did not experience any real discomfort during that time, except when I tried to ride my motorbike. I did finally get the hang of it, but I won't be doing that again. If it's a scooter, that's a different story altogether. My final thoughts about these sandals are that they are theoretically near the top of my favorites list, but a couple of things keep them on the shelf. One is the height. They are just a little bit too tall for everyday use, and I think that goes for the look also. I don't think I'd wear them with more casual clothes, but I have been known to change my mind. Two is that they just don't feel that sturdy when walking. They suffer from the same problem that every other Michael Kors I've ever owned suffers from. I think if pressed into hard use, that they're going to eventually break, just like the other ones did. However, I did enjoy wearing them again after all these years.

Edited June 1, 2022 by mlroseplant
Typo

[Jkrenzer]

Those fine looking heels. 

[SF]

Nice looking vintage Suzuki 350.  Early 70's model year?  Has it been restored or you just take good care of it?  I like them old bikes.  I have a 1970 Yamaha 175 Enduro that I bought in 1970.  

Cool sandals too.  Have fun with both...   sf

[Puffer]

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

...

The only other thing to note about these sandals, other than their simple design, is that the heels themselves do not neatly fall into a category, as we've talked about elsewhere. Measuring 7/16" (11mm) in both transverse and longitudinal directions, they are probably ever so slightly too thick to be called stilettos, though their general shape and feel definitely makes them close cousins with the stiletto.

...

 

 

Imho, they are far better candidates to be called 'stilettos' than many others seen advertised as such.   Nice sandals anyway.

[mlroseplant]

20 hours ago, SF said:

Nice looking vintage Suzuki 350.  Early 70's model year?  Has it been restored or you just take good care of it?  I like them old bikes.  I have a 1970 Yamaha 175 Enduro that I bought in 1970.  

Cool sandals too.  Have fun with both...   sf

WARNING: OFF TOPIC POST. SUE ME.

It's a '72 T350 Suzi, actual displacement 315cc. I bought it about 10 years ago because I was under the delusion that I was into a project bike. To answer your question, it is completely unrestored, the chrome you see is really in that good shape, the paint is fair but all there, the saddle is original, that's the whole reason why I bought the bike. It's a really well preserved, cosmetically, example of a 2 stroke street bike. It's just something that you don't see anymore, and I suppose I've always been attracted to that.

When I got the bike, the motor was seized. I bought it from somebody who also thought he wanted a project bike, but then gave up on it. He never did anything to it, including bothering to register it in his own name. As a result, I had to do some semi-shady stuff to get it titled in my name. I doubt anybody is going to make a fuss over a $600 vehicle after all this time. The extent of the work I did on it was to order what cosmetic stuff it needed and was available, chiefly a new taillight lens and mirrors. I also remember getting some new seals, and a set of piston rings to remedy the seized engine. After a week long soak in Berryman's and some mild violence, I finally got the pistons to come loose, put the engine back together, and that's about as far as I got with it. It sat for a long time, leaking oil and gas on my garage floor. I'd turn it over every once in a while, and put new kitty litter underneath it. Was looking to sell it to the next pretender.

10 years went by, actually 12, and my younger son grew from a baby into a pre-teen. From an early age, he showed mechanical aptitude, and a keen interest in all things old. A couple of years ago, he took up the project. I didn't really take him seriously, but I came home one day from work, and he had the silly thing running. It didn't run very well, and it leaked gas and oil all over the place, but it was more than I was able to accomplish.

To make a long story less long, over the last two years, my now 13 year old son, who evidently is a parts finding genius, has kept banging away at everything that was/is wrong with this silly motorbike, which was considerably more than I ever imagined when I bought it. At its worst, this involved a complete engine/transmission teardown. I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent on this machine, but it's now to the point where it's roadworthy enough that I sprung for new tires. Of course, on our first highway trip, while we were 15 miles from home, the thing vibrated something apart, and we lost the ability to operate the clutch, which resulted in some.  .  . interesting riding techniques to make it back home. Luckily, I was not wearing heels at the time.

Supposedly, that problem is fixed. I have not tested this out for myself, as this is the very next morning after as I write this. I can't imagine it will ever be a serious mode of transportation. At its best, it is a loud, coarse, finicky machine, and was when it was new. But it IS a lot of fun to ride, and gets people's attention in a good way. That was maybe way more of an answer than you wanted.

And now.  .  . back to our regularly scheduled program!

[Jkrenzer]

That bike is a metaphor for us buddy. Looks pretty good until you get closer. Age is catching up on us. The heels help keep us young.

[pebblesf]

6 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

WARNING: OFF TOPIC POST. SUE ME.

It's a '72 T350 Suzi, actual displacement 315cc. I bought it about 10 years ago because I was under the delusion that I was into a project bike. To answer your question, it is completely unrestored, the chrome you see is really in that good shape, the paint is fair but all there, the saddle is original, that's the whole reason why I bought the bike. It's a really well preserved, cosmetically, example of a 2 stroke street bike. It's just something that you don't see anymore, and I suppose I've always been attracted to that.

When I got the bike, the motor was seized. I bought it from somebody who also thought he wanted a project bike, but then gave up on it. He never did anything to it, including bothering to register it in his own name. As a result, I had to do some semi-shady stuff to get it titled in my name. I doubt anybody is going to make a fuss over a $600 vehicle after all this time. The extent of the work I did on it was to order what cosmetic stuff it needed and was available, chiefly a new taillight lens and mirrors. I also remember getting some new seals, and a set of piston rings to remedy the seized engine. After a week long soak in Berryman's and some mild violence, I finally got the pistons to come loose, put the engine back together, and that's about as far as I got with it. It sat for a long time, leaking oil and gas on my garage floor. I'd turn it over every once in a while, and put new kitty litter underneath it. Was looking to sell it to the next pretender.

10 years went by, actually 12, and my younger son grew from a baby into a pre-teen. From an early age, he showed mechanical aptitude, and a keen interest in all things old. A couple of years ago, he took up the project. I didn't really take him seriously, but I came home one day from work, and he had the silly thing running. It didn't run very well, and it leaked gas and oil all over the place, but it was more than I was able to accomplish.

To make a long story less long, over the last two years, my now 13 year old son, who evidently is a parts finding genius, has kept banging away at everything that was/is wrong with this silly motorbike, which was considerably more than I ever imagined when I bought it. At its worst, this involved a complete engine/transmission teardown. I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent on this machine, but it's now to the point where it's roadworthy enough that I sprung for new tires. Of course, on our first highway trip, while we were 15 miles from home, the thing vibrated something apart, and we lost the ability to operate the clutch, which resulted in some.  .  . interesting riding techniques to make it back home. Luckily, I was not wearing heels at the time.

Supposedly, that problem is fixed. I have not tested this out for myself, as this is the very next morning after as I write this. I can't imagine it will ever be a serious mode of transportation. At its best, it is a loud, coarse, finicky machine, and was when it was new. But it IS a lot of fun to ride, and gets people's attention in a good way. That was maybe way more of an answer than you wanted.

And now.  .  . back to our regularly scheduled program!

The best money you will ever spend!  Having your son break away from the usual social media distractions and discover something really fun to do is great, especially if you guys can spend time together on this project.  Good for you!  Once it is done, please post some pics of you riding this beast in your best biker heels!

[SF]

What initially caught my eye with your post were the sandals - nice - then the bike.  Nice times two.  

I figured it was an early 70's vintage model.  Your experience is similar to mine except that I have owned my 1970 Yamaha 175 Enduro since it was brand new.  It is a survivor, has never been stored outside and is in pretty nice shape, but has not run in 20+ years.  I hope to get it going some day, would be fun to ride it around town, maybe even in heels - ha ha.  

I would post a pic, except the bike is in pieces right now.  Here is a pic of an exact duplicate for reference.  I love that 2 stroke "ring ding" engine sound.  

My kids are all growed up, so I work on it solo.  Keeps me off the streets and out of jail.  

Enjoy your scoot as well as your sandals!  smile   sf

PS  Since I started this thread , permission is granted to go off topic whenever desired or necessary....  double smile...

Edited June 3, 2022 by SF
PS comment

[5150PLB1]

With gas in California over $6 and heading to $7 a gallon, go ahead and have him fix it up for you for your commute machine. You will save some $$.

[Bootslover29]

Sorry guys I love vintage bikes also, but I only have my new wedges to share with you! 😃

 

https://www.casimages.com/i/22053102573422178917910101.jpg.html

High but very comfortable!

Edited June 9, 2022 by Bootslover29

[Jkrenzer]

8 hours ago, Bootslover29 said:

Sorry guys I love vintage bikes also, but I only have my new wedges to share with you! 😃

 

https://www.casimages.com/i/22053102573422178917910101.jpg.html

High but very comfortable!

So I'm not the only grey beard in heels. Looking good. Heels aren't really too high with the platform seem to be about a 4 inch rise.

[mlroseplant]

18 hours ago, Bootslover29 said:

Sorry guys I love vintage bikes also, but I only have my new wedges to share with you! 😃

 

https://www.casimages.com/i/22053102573422178917910101.jpg.html

High but very comfortable!

I was going to make another post today, but I'll hold off, to see if we can get some more comment about this post. I have several pairs of wedges in this general style, and while I agree they tend to be quite comfortable, I find myself not wearing them very often, because every time I see myself wearing such shoes, the contrast between my slender legs and these HUGE THINGS ON MY FEET is quite jarring.

I think they look less that way on you, but the contrast is quite noticeable. Also, the contrast between short skirt, bare legs, sandals, then heavy layering on top (complete with scarf!) is.  .  . very Korean of you. I mean no disrespect by that!

[Bootslover29]

4 inches rise is still comfortable for me, but not far to my limit to walk easily.

@Mlroseplant, I mainly agree with you. The day I purchased those wedges was sunny but not so warm, this explains the jacket and the scarf. Wedges are less elegant than heeled sandals, but far more easy to walk on cobblestone, and we are used to have a lot of streets here in France with irregular ground. I had some heels nearly destroyed by cobblestone!

For sure, I prefer the look of true sandal, like

but I like also to have the choice

[mlroseplant]

20 hours ago, Bootslover29 said:

4 inches rise is still comfortable for me, but not far to my limit to walk easily.

@Mlroseplant, I mainly agree with you. The day I purchased those wedges was sunny but not so warm, this explains the jacket and the scarf. Wedges are less elegant than heeled sandals, but far more easy to walk on cobblestone, and we are used to have a lot of streets here in France with irregular ground. I had some heels nearly destroyed by cobblestone!

For sure, I prefer the look of true sandal, like

but I like also to have the choice

I sure do get it. Sometimes, practicality wins out over absolute style. We don't have cobblestones in the Midwest U.S., only the occasional street still paved with bricks, and even that is not too common. I do appreciate my wedges for some things, like dealing with grass, especially wet grass.  These are 2 inch wedges I usually wear to help my wife with her farmer's market tent. They are every bit as practical as flats, but have that just a little something extra.

[SF]

I have mentioned this before in other posts.  For me it is not so much heel height, but TOTAL height.  I am already tall, 6ft 2in., and I enjoy wearing heels.  Dilemma, how high do I go and not appear to be some "monster" looming over the crowd.  For that reason, I have kept my heel heights to 3 inches maximum, which is 6ft 5in in total height.  When wearing heels, some folks will comment that I am really tall, then they either notice my shoes or I tell them.  

Heels taller than 3in do not interest me for the reasons above.  I want to wear traditional classic heels and "blend in" as much as possible without creating a kerfuffle.  I have heels that vary from one inch to three inches, heels for dinner/social occasions and just running around.  Depends on the occasion and my mood at the time.  It is nice to have a selection.  

Have fun in your heels, no matter what height they may be...  smile...   sf

[StockingTop]

Bargain heels from Asos

[Jkrenzer]

Nice lower heels, well done.

[mlroseplant]

I saw an unusual pair of sandals on Poshmark, made a kind of a low offer, and the seller accepted it, so now I have yet another pair of sandals. They are Söfft brand, model name unknown. They are the strangest pair of Söfft shoes I've ever run across, and I ought to know, as I've owned over 20 pairs of that brand, and currently have 17 pairs. I may have to do a little segment about that one of these days.

The reason I say they're strange is because they do not seem to share certain material characteristics with the rest of that brand range. The platform bottom is constructed as a complete unit, in other words, the padding within the footbed seems to be contained within the actual platform itself, rather than laid over the top in an insole arrangement. The design of the sole is different than anything else I've ever seen. It must be an older design. I don't think it's a newer one. The heel itself is significantly higher than anything I've ever seen on any Söfft shoe up to now. At 4 1/4", it's a good 1/2" higher than any of my other Söfft "high" heels. With a platform thickness of 5/8", and I know it looks thicker than that, but I'm compensating for its strange design to accurately calculate a steepness of 3 5/8". This would make them the only Söfft shoes I've ever worn that actually feel like heels.

Another unusual thing about these sandals is their color. I know they might appear to be cherry red in these pictures, but I assure you they are not. They are some weird combination of fuscia and coral pink, I can't decide what color they really are, but it is striking, whatever it is. The platforms and heels are cork, but heavily lacquered cork, in a manner I've never seen before. Perhaps this is designed to complement the patent leather. The curved, slim heels, opposite of today's fashionable setback heels, look almost as if they thought they wanted to be wedges on their journey to the ground, but evidently changed their minds, and decided to come down as separate heels. Which, by the way, measure 11/16" across, putting them in that no-man's-land between stilettos and block heels where I seem wont to reside.

Comfort, as far as I can tell, is good. I haven't yet worn them any further than my own driveway, but I did have them on domestically for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, as the experienced among us know, that don't mean a thing, irrespective of whether it has that swing. I would promise to make a report soon, but first I'm going to have to figure out what on earth I'm ever going to wear these with. Possibly I have a couple of pairs of shorts and maybe a couple pairs of pants they might go with, I'll have to compare reality vs. my imagination.

One last feature of these sandals which is somewhat unusual for me is that they actually have a closed heel and an ankle strap. I think only one other time in my life have I ever owned sandals with a closed heel. The other pair I owned never did straighten up and fly right, and I had to use a bandaid with it every time to keep it from digging into my ankle. Hopefully, that is not the case with this pair.