Strictures at an Exposition (Shoe Collection Blog)

[mlroseplant]

The concept of this blog seems very simple, but how to begin? At least I managed to come up with a wacky title.

I have been meaning to feature the following shoes for a long time because they are among the first heels I ever purchased with a serious intent to wear them in public. They have also turned out to be, thus far, my most durable pair of heels.

Though I have mentioned them many times in passing over the years, let me formally introduce you to my Nine West “Sizzle” oxfords in plain black leather. I purchased them on January 4, 2013. Going back through my records, I evidently paid $99 for them from Amazon. This was probably pretty close to full price, which is something I never do anymore. However, in retrospect, I can’t say that I didn’t get my money’s worth.

My motivation for buying these particular shoes has been lost to the sands of time, but I can tell you that this was my second pair of this model. The first pair I had was black patent, rather than just plain black, and was U.S. Women’s size 9. I always thought that they were a bit too tight, and so I got rid of them and got the instant shoes in a size 9 1/2. I did that often in those days, that is, bought stuff in 9 1/2 or even 10. I am not sure why, but I would never make that mistake today. I am pretty clearly and solidly a size 9. As a result, I have to wear thick socks with these oxfords. This is simultaneously a plus and a minus. I hate how the shoes are really too big, but on the other hand, the cushioning provided by thick socks may be the secret to why they are an any occasion, all-the-time shoe--in the winter, anyway. Just so you know, just so you do not doubt my proclivities, I never wear these, ever, from about mid-May to mid-October.

What would a Melrose expository post be without statistics? Here are the numbers: 4 3/4” heel, 3/4” platform, for an effective steepness of right at 4 inches. Diameter of the heels is about 3/4”. I have had them reheeled three times, and am very, very close to needing No. 4. I have walked 191 documented miles in these, plus any number of undocumented/incidental miles. I feel like they are going to fail sometime on the next reheel, and I will be sad when they do.

I think I have worn these in every situation that I normally encounter in life, and some that I don’t normally encounter. I have worn these with men’s suits to church, and I have worn them with jeans for my neighborhood constitutionals. I know I have worn them on at least one occasion to work the “big” farmer’s market, which involves standing for five hours. I have worn them on a walk that exceeded 5 miles, 6.1 to be exact. I have only ever done this with 3 pairs of shoes over the past 11 years. After all this use, they still shine up pretty well!

[Jkrenzer]

Those are very sturdy yet elegant heels.

[mlroseplant]

This thread is starting off like a herd of turtles! Part of it is because I just don't have a lot of material at the moment. It's cold outside now, it's a busy time of year in general. I'm not really stopping to take pictures like I have in the past.

However, I do have some news about the Nine West "Sizzle" oxfords in the original post. They have been resoled and reheeled (5th set of heels). I was beginning to think that the shank was giving out on the right shoe, but my cobbler thought it was all right, he said my soles were so worn out that he wasn't surprised that they felt a little "off." A 2 mile test confirms that they definitely feel way more solid now. Who knows, maybe they're good for another 200 miles! Not holding my breath on that one. I'm back to posting pictures from the top of my washing machine for now.

[Shyheels]

It's one to see your new thread launched! I shall certainly be following! I must admit I'd like to do something of the sort myself, but struggle to think of things to sat or write that might be of interest.

[mlroseplant]

I have reached another milestone in my shoe collection. I have a new "most durable shoe" since the death of my Nine West Sizzles, See directly above. I guess I never managed to write about that failure in this blog, but that's probably because nobody would have read about it anyway. The details are chronicled elsewhere. So.  .  . we'll try this thread again.

I present my True Religion, model name unknown, mules with a sort of wooden composite heel. I have them in three colors, as pictured below. The black ones are the ones that have the big mileage on them. I have finally passed the 200 mile mark with a pair of heels. I must have other shoes (such as work boots and hiking boots) with more miles on them than that, but I haven't actually recorded the mileage, so I cannot say for sure. I know people like to refer to having walked "hundreds of miles" in heels, but I can tell you from experience, incidental mileage does not add up as quickly as one thinks it does. That huge parking lot at the shopping mall is, in the grand scheme of things, really not all that big. I don't even try to guess at "incidental" mileage anymore. The 200 miles I've walked in these shoes has been purposeful exercise which has either been tracked and recorded with GPS or walked on routes of a known and established distance.

I have owned 5 pairs of this exact model in total. I still have 3. My story begins fairly early, and by "early," I mean in 2013 or 2014. I bought an orange pair of these within a year or two after I began heeling publicly. I bought them because I was drawn to the "Candies" style wooden heeled mules that I remember from my youth. As many of you know, I am still drawn toward wooden mules, and have around 20 pair in that general style. I would probably have even more than that if it weren't for the fact that most of the wooden heeled sandals you can get are rather on the low-ish side, and I have all the low heeled shoes I need.

Before I get too far off the subject, I will tell you that the orange mules did not last long in my collection back then. I'm pretty sure I donated them or sold them. Yes, I actually used to try to sell my castoffs back then. There were three reasons for this: 1) They were too high for me at the time, 2) They were orange, and I was very self-conscious, 3) I was impatient when it came to breaking shoes in. I can remember walking around the block in them for the first time and thinking, "These things are terrible! They're super tight and uncomfortable, they're loud (in both color and walking sound), and they kinda ugly." They were gone.

Fast forward about 5  years, and I ran across another pair on either ebay or Poshmark, I can't remember which one. This one was dark brown. Being more experienced by then, but still liking the general style, I decided to give them another try. The second time, it was a whole different experience. First, it was obvious that somebody had actually worn these a few times, because the break-in period was minimal. There was none of the squeezing in, little by little, that I had remembered from the first pair. Second, by then, I was used to the 4 inch effective height. And third, they were brown instead of orange. Love is evidently better the second time around. But all was not sweetness and light. Soon after I got the brown pair, I lost a top lift (top piece, heel tip) while on a walk, and I didn't notice it until I got home, by which time I had ground a full 3/4" of wooden composite material off of the heel. So those were trash.

Shortly after that, I went on a search mission and found the featured pair, the black pair. Like the brown pair, it had been worn before, and fit snugly, but not super tightly like my original orange pair. Within 6 miles, I lost a top lift off of the black pair. Luckily, on that occasion, I noticed right away, and walked home barefoot. I am now on my third set of heels after that, each set lasting somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 miles.

Fairly recently, I expanded my collection to re-include the brown and orange versions of this mule. Both pair have been worn not at all or very little, and have required patient break-in. My new brown pair is finally ready for regular use out in the wild, but wouldn't you know, the other day when I was out for a one-miler with them, I lost a top lift! This despite the fact that I stopped every quarter mile and checked to make sure they were still there. Sometime in the last quarter mile, one of them fell off without me noticing. You would think I would notice right away, but you really can't tell with these shoes until it's too late. Luckily, only a minimal amount of heel material got worn down, definitely not a hopeless cause. However, when I take them to the cobbler to get reheeled, I'm definitely taking the orange pair, despite the fact that the stock heels are practically brand new. The stock heels don't even wear all that badly, it just seems like they won't stay on for their entire service life! I'm not taking any chances.

Do I love these shoes? Not really. They are kinda ugly. For one thing, they are peep toe, and I prefer sandals that show at least three toes. The vamp comes up very high, and the contrasting stitching to me makes them look less than elegant. I have no idea how they have come to be the most used shoe in my entire collection, probably because they're comfortable and durable, and I don't really wear them to be seen.

I suppose I'd better put the stats. 4 3/4 inch heel, 3/4 platform, for an effective 4 inch heel height. 3/4" heel width where it touches the ground. I know this has been rather long winded, but it seems a shame to abandon the post since I've come this far.

[HappyinHeels]

Mlroseplant,

Always enjoy your material. Though you knocked this shoes aesthetic I think you just liked the way they were easy on + off hence all the wear. As I see Iowa has seen lots of rain I wonder if rubber boots can be far behind. 
Big heat dome over the East now. Was very hot in PA and in Quebec for days and hot as Hades in South Carolina where I’m visiting my sister. 
Wore some simple wedges posted here with jeans on trip down here. Stay dry neighbor! HinH

[mlroseplant]

15 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

Mlroseplant,

Always enjoy your material. Though you knocked this shoes aesthetic I think you just liked the way they were easy on + off hence all the wear. As I see Iowa has seen lots of rain I wonder if rubber boots can be far behind. 
Big heat dome over the East now. Was very hot in PA and in Quebec for days and hot as Hades in South Carolina where I’m visiting my sister. 
Wore some simple wedges posted here with jeans on trip down here. Stay dry neighbor! HinH

True, it has been very Hanoi-like here in Iowa lately--that is, rain alternating with extreme heat and humidity. Looks like we should finally come out of the heat tomorrow.

I addressed your very question in my "Ruminations" thread about what I'm wearing in the rain these days. It's on page 87, close to the bottom, if you care to look it up sometime. Try and stay cool. I have no idea how my dad managed to survive growing up in Central Florida with no air conditioning.

[Jkrenzer]

58 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

 I have no idea how my dad managed to survive growing up in Central Florida with no air conditioning.

He stayed thin. I still believe air-conditioned homes has aided in the fattening of America.