Seen out and About

[Shyheels]

You could always say “you don’t know until you try!”

[higherheels]

On 12/7/2025 at 10:48 AM, Shyheels said:

8cm heels are fine for long walks, almost unnoticeable as heels. 

 

For me it's the same. For longer walks I always use such heels and they're really comfortable.

 

@mlroseplant Yes, platforms where everywhere.

Mine in the beginning were about 10 cm effective heel height or maybe a bit below, later they got higher. I don't have any of them anymore, but it was always fun. They gave such an height boost, it was crazy. And as you say, now they don't even seem high anymore. You really get used to it.

[CrushedVamp]

I think when it comes to the high heel height of what is acceptable to wear or not, I get the win for being the most dumb!

When I first met my wife, and found out she LOVED high heels, I wanted to get some for her as a gift. At the time, about 2012'ish, there were far more choices in stores, but the clerk working there was not a whole lot of help. So when a woman was there buying shoes I asked her what would be an appropriate pair for my wife to wear to church. She helped me pick out a pair and said something I will never forget, "just remember, for heels at church you never want to go over 3.5 inches (9 CM)".

My wife does have a few 10 CM's, and a very few 12 cm's, but when I buy her shoes I never go over 9 cm so she can wear them on dates as well as to church. But yes... my height standard for church was set by some literal random stranger in a store 14 years ago!

Yep; that is dumb!

(Edited after I found a picture of her in those first heels I ever bought for her. The lady in the post above helped me pick these shoes out. Just keep in mind this was in 2012).

Edited Tuesday at 08:31 AM by CrushedVamp

[mlroseplant]

1 hour ago, CrushedVamp said:

I think when it comes to the high heel height of what is acceptable to wear or not, I get the win for being the most dumb!

When I first met my wife, and found out she LOVED high heels, I wanted to get some for her as a gift. At the time, about 2012'ish, there were far more choices in stores, but the clerk working there was not a whole lot of help. So when a woman was there buying shoes I asked her what would be an appropriate pair for my wife to wear to church. She helped me pick out a pair and said something I will never forget, "just remember, for heels at church you never want to go over 3.5 inches (9 CM)".

My wife does have a few 10 CM's, and a very few 12 cm's, but when I buy her shoes I never go over 9 cm so she can wear them on dates as well as to church. But yes... my height standard for church was set by some literal random stranger in a store 14 years ago!

Yep; that is dumb!

(Edited after I found a picture of her in those first heels I ever bought for her. The lady in the post above helped me pick these shoes out. Just keep in mind this was in 2012).

2012 happens to be the year I started wearing heels, but I never wore heels to a church service until 2013. At that time, I did have a very conservative pair of very plain looking, block heeled oxfords. I believe they had 3 1/2" heels. So evidently one could find heels that low in 2012, but they were somewhat unusual, or at least unusual in my memory! The small platform definitely tracks. Everything had a platform then. I have to laugh a bit at the rule, because evidently I've violated it every Sunday for years.

[higherheels]

@CrushedVamp That's a funny story about your rule of height.

I'm not going to church usually, but the rule makes sense to me. At least I'd feel a bit wrong going to church with 12 or 13 cm heels, or massive platforms.

8 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

So evidently one could find heels that low in 2012

For sure. About 2010 I started trying lower and comfortable heels for everyday wear, and 2012 it was pretty much the same. At that time I had many lower heels with around 7 cm, they were widely available at that time.

[mlroseplant]

Here is a picture of me at church, wearing 11 cm heels, playing the alto horn (or tenor horn, if you are British). On Christmas Eve, no less, in blatant violation of the rule. The other flat-heeled guy playing the trumpet is my son. It wasn't my best outfit choice ever. What's up with those pants?

[Shyheels]

I think there are heels and there are heels - yours look quite presentable.  I can understand the basic idea of the rule though. In a lot of offices too 10cm would be the upper limit of what would be considered presentable in a work environment. 

Happily in my office I've declared 12cm to be pretty much the workplace standard!

[higherheels]

They definitely look presentable!

 

You've probably set the highest standard of any office 😀

In my office the standard is 0 cm, so I'm responsible for raising the average 😉

[Cali]

8 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

It wasn't my best outfit choice ever. What's up with those pants?

 

Where's the flood?

59 minutes ago, higherheels said:

They definitely look presentable!

 

You've probably set the highest standard of any office 😀

In my office the standard is 0 cm, so I'm responsible for raising the average 😉

I'm also responsible for raising my work place average. 😀😀😀

[Shyheels]

And I too personally raised the standard in my office - from not wearing heels to wearing heels, 8 to 12cm every day! 😊

[higherheels]

We're all responsible citizens, raising the standards 😀

[Puffer]

I was out and about in the London area on Wednesday, with much travelling by train and underground.   Although the predominant footwear for both sexes seemed to be the usual trainers/sneakers/plimsolls, there were a fair mumber of women in high-heeled boots of various styles - most often with a cuban or block heel of around 3" height, but higher and slimmer heels were also in evidence, including a few 4" stiletto boots.   I was briefly in a large shopping mall in West London at lunchtime and the mix among the shoppers was much the same.   Alas, there was little of real interest to see in the shoe shop windows, although dressy shoes and sandals with 4" stilettos were still in evidence.   

I ended up at 5.30pm in the City of London (the principal finance/insurance business area for those unaquainted) for an Institute carol service at one of the very old City churches.   Women working in the City have traditionally been more smartly (if usually conservatively) dressed and it was refreshing to note that a fair number of those enjoying an after-work drink outside the busy open bars around Leadenhall Market, or simply making their way homewards, were in high heels - typically courts or boots with a 3 - 4" slimmish or sometimes stiletto heel.  And several attending the carol service were similarly shod, with one woman in her 30s completely at ease in patent courts with a near-stiletto 4" heel and another in suede knee-boots with a true 4" stiletto.

[CrushedVamp]

That is great to hear @Puffer but atlas with my new home, all that is here is woman wearing much boots it seems. (Lots of fisherwoman).

But as the saying says, "what is seen in Europe, will be seen in the United States the following year.

I saw that myself. It was around 2008 when I was in Ireland and saw a new fashion trend I never saw before, the miniskirt worn with leggings underneath it so those who were more timid could feel a little more secure. I liked the look, and it was but a year later it was suddenly all the rage in the United States... in 2009!