Seen out and About

[Shyheels]

Vlad the Impaler had his own stern fashion code. When emissaries from the Ottoman sultan refused to remove their turbans in his presence he had their turbans nailed to their heads 

Edited March 8 by Shyheels

[Shyheels]

Not actually seen out and about, but rather a cautionary tale that was related to me by a friend of mine - a rather chic French woman who is an expert in high heels. She was seated on a bar stool at a nice cocktail bar and had, thoughtlessly, hooked her stilettos over the crossbar between the stool legs - and even more thoughtlessly forgot to un-hook them when she went to stand up. Apparently she did a full body-length face plant in the bar, an otherwise very elegant woman about six feet tall. I’ve no idea what expletives she came out with at the time, but she could see the humour of it hours later when she mentioned it to me in an email.

[pebblesf]

1 hour ago, Shyheels said:

Not actually seen out and about, but rather a cautionary tale that was related to me by a friend of mine - a rather chic French woman who is an expert in high heels. She was seated on a bar stool at a nice cocktail bar and had, thoughtlessly, hooked her stilettos over the crossbar between the stool legs - and even more thoughtlessly forgot to un-hook them when she went to stand up. Apparently she did a full body-length face plant in the bar, an otherwise very elegant woman about six feet tall. I’ve no idea what expletives she came out with at the time, but she could see the humour of it hours later when she mentioned it to me in an email.

This will happen to most all of us at some point, just glad she was not hurt and able to laugh about it later...

[Puffer]

21 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Not actually seen out and about, but rather a cautionary tale that was related to me by a friend of mine - a rather chic French woman who is an expert in high heels. She was seated on a bar stool at a nice cocktail bar and had, thoughtlessly, hooked her stilettos over the crossbar between the stool legs - and even more thoughtlessly forgot to un-hook them when she went to stand up. Apparently she did a full body-length face plant in the bar, an otherwise very elegant woman about six feet tall. I’ve no idea what expletives she came out with at the time, but she could see the humour of it hours later when she mentioned it to me in an email.

The word 'merde' comes to mind!

[Shyheels]

I suspect she was probably a bit more colourful that that!

[CrushedVamp]

On 3/8/2025 at 5:39 AM, 5150PLB1 said:

The US military also has its rules regarding hats. The Army and Air Force require you to salute an officer or superior officer indoors weather you are wearing a hat or not. The Navy on the other hand requires you not to salute indoors or while not wearing a hat. The Navy also required you to remove your hat when entering a sickbay or medical facility.

I think that got carried over for the police as well, at least in the United States. Typically, when they enter a person's home to talk to the occupants, they remove their hat before entering.

On 3/16/2025 at 7:17 AM, Shyheels said:

Not actually seen out and about, but rather a cautionary tale that was related to me by a friend of mine - a rather chic French woman who is an expert in high heels. She was seated on a bar stool at a nice cocktail bar and had, thoughtlessly, hooked her stilettos over the crossbar between the stool legs - and even more thoughtlessly forgot to un-hook them when she went to stand up. Apparently she did a full body-length face plant in the bar, an otherwise very elegant woman about six feet tall. I’ve no idea what expletives she came out with at the time, but she could see the humour of it hours later when she mentioned it to me in an email.

In a similar situation, but different I watched a woman talking on her phone, absentmindedly doing heel play with one of her heels. All was good until it fell off... and she was on a bridge over a river!

The look on her face was priceless when she realized she had to walk home with one heel on and the other lost to the watery abyss. It was the look of pure shock!

[Shyheels]

That would have been priceless indeed! 

[Cali]

At a meeting today, two 4 inch stilettos, two 4 inch block heels, one kitten stiletto, two 2 inch block heels, five tennis shoes.

[Shyheels]

Sounds like an interesting meeting. No such sophistication here in the rural north of England although I did see a woman sporting knee boots with 3-inch heels in the local grocery store the other day. the first time I've seen heels in town...

[HappyinHeels]

It’s been a while since I sat on a stool and hooked my stilettos on the crossbar but yes that is a thing to mind. I’ve worn stiletto heels various places but only once was I seated on a stool. HinH

[Cali]

1 hour ago, HappyinHeels said:

It’s been a while since I sat on a stool and hooked my stilettos on the crossbar but yes that is a thing to mind. I’ve worn stiletto heels various places but only once was I seated on a stool. HinH

I don't wear my stilettos enough, but I've hooked my stilettos on a stool's crossbar many times. 

[mlroseplant]

I must have done so many times, but you know, I really can't remember, in the same way that I do not remember stepping on the brake pedal when I parked the car last night. I shall have to pay more attention next time, should I find myself seated on a barstool again some day.

[Shyheels]

I’ve not worn stilettos while seated on a bar stool but I can see where it would be awfully easy to hook them thoughtlessly on the cross bar if the stool and forget that you’d done so when you went to get up.  Unless of course it was something you did regularly.

i used to have the old toe clip pedals in my bicycles and because I used them all the time I never once forgot to take that into account when I dismounted

[Puffer]

I imagine that any heel of at least modest height (say 2.5"+), not just a stiletto, would be at risk of catching on a stool or chair crossbar.   After all, cowboy boots traditionally have high heels for just this reason - to keep one's boots anchored behind the stirrup crossbar.   (No doubt more than a few cowboys have failed to allow for that when on a bar stool after a couple of whiskies!)

[mlroseplant]

Yesterday, directly from work, I went to see and hear my son (yes, the Oldsmobile guy) play in three different small ensembles for a high school music contest. He did just fine, as he pretty much always does. He hasn't yet had the experience of crashing and burning like his Old Man has.

His first group was a brass choir. It was about 15 members, and I counted six girls. The amazing thing was, four out of the six of them were wearing heels. The trombone section in particular is about half girls, and almost all of them wear heels for dressy events. I have noted this in the past. The lone female bass trombonist was wearing boots with 3 1/2" block heels, the highest I saw that evening. His second group was a clarinet ensemble. Slim pickins there. One girl had on orange sandals with 2" block heels, and that was it. His third group was a trombone ensemble, and it was a repeat of the mixed brass group, on account of the same girls being part of both ensembles. On the way out, a flute group was assembling, and I counted four more pairs of heels. My son did not play in the flute ensemble, mainly because he really sucks at the flute. As do I. Why  I own two of them, I have no idea.

In summary, it would appear that heels are not dead with GenZ. However, their appeal still appears to be limited to dress-up events. If there are a few who wear heels casually, I don't see it. Also, the heel of choice is definitely an approximately 3" block heel of substantial width, and it's usually attached to a single band across the toes sandal with a closed heel and ankle strap. Only one girl wore traditional black patent pumps with a 3" slim (not stiletto) heel, but that was the lone exception. There were a few boots, but 75% wore the block heeled sandals. Included in this post is a picture of the clarinet ensemble, mainly to show off the giant contrabass clarinet my son was playing. Many people have asked me, "What in the heck IS that thing?"

Edited April 2 by mlroseplant
Typo

[CrushedVamp]

Nice to hear, and good for your son in doing so well with his music.

Myself, I dislike music for my own reasons, but atlas you may get a kick out of this: my eleven year old daughter wants me to buy an Alphorn for her to learn how to play. YES one of those... think of the Ricola Cough Drop Commercials here. What the heck do you say to that request?

I mean I want to support her, but can you imagine the awful noise as she is learning to play it... miles from the house even?

[at9]

At least she doesn't want to learn the bagpipes! Somebody once said of the bagpipes (presumably the Highland Pipe, there are many others from all over Europe) that it's the only instrument that sounds as bad when you've finished learning to play them as when you started.

Some rather good Northumbrian piping.

 

[Aly]

I guess one must have some Scots blood running through their veins to appreciate the skirl of the pipes - nothing touches the soul quite like the pipes!

[Shyheels]

I don’t mind bagpipes!

There is the old joke - why are bagpipers always marching? It’s harder to hit a moving target

[at9]

I like the German word for a bagpiper: Dudelsackpfeifer

Also one of the French words for bagpipes: cornemuse

It seems that bagpipes are found well beyond Europe too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes

 Has anyone seen bagpipes being played by somebody wearing high heels?

[Shyheels]

Yes. There is a young woman on Instagram - American, not Scottish - who plays hard rock numbers on the bagpipes. She does an amazing version of Free Bird on bagpipes. 

[mlroseplant]

22 hours ago, CrushedVamp said:

Nice to hear, and good for your son in doing so well with his music.

Myself, I dislike music for my own reasons, but atlas you may get a kick out of this: my eleven year old daughter wants me to buy an Alphorn for her to learn how to play. YES one of those... think of the Ricola Cough Drop Commercials here. What the heck do you say to that request?

I mean I want to support her, but can you imagine the awful noise as she is learning to play it... miles from the house even?

I'll tell you exactly what to say to that request. "Um, I think not." Let me tell you why, for a reason you may not have thought of. Assuming that she took to such a thing, and became competent at it, where on earth is she ever going to play it? I doubt there is an Alphorn consort to play in. There are very few people who are content to play instruments by themselves for very long. This is why so many people say, "Oh, I played trombone in high school, but I haven't taken it out of the case in years. I really should!" That's because they don't have a built in place to play anymore.

Furthermore, the Alphorn is not a chromatic instrument. In other words, you can't really play ordinary pieces of music on it, because there are many "in between" notes that the instrument cannot physically reproduce. I suppose in addition to traditional Swiss music, you could play army bugle calls on it, albeit a couple octaves lower!

I would suggest the tuba. Same range as the Alphorn as basic timbre as an Alphorn (though way more focused), same way of producing the sound, and she can join the middle school band and play with other kids.

[Shyheels]

My brother - not the nicest of chaps - decided on an idly vicious whim to drive his ex-wife to distraction by giving his young daughter (who lived with mum) a set of bagpipes one Christmas. 

[CrushedVamp]

On 4/2/2025 at 7:48 AM, Shyheels said:

My brother - not the nicest of chaps - decided on an idly vicious whim to drive his ex-wife to distraction by giving his young daughter (who lived with mum) a set of bagpipes one Christmas. 

The sad thing is... I considered giving my daughter an Alphorn just for that reason: she lives with her mother (my ex-wife).

On 4/2/2025 at 5:13 AM, mlroseplant said:

I'll tell you exactly what to say to that request. "Um, I think not." Let me tell you why, for a reason you may not have thought of. Assuming that she took to such a thing, and became competent at it, where on earth is she ever going to play it? I doubt there is an Alphorn consort to play in. There are very few people who are content to play instruments by themselves for very long. This is why so many people say, "Oh, I played trombone in high school, but I haven't taken it out of the case in years. I really should!" That's because they don't have a built in place to play anymore.

Furthermore, the Alphorn is not a chromatic instrument. In other words, you can't really play ordinary pieces of music on it, because there are many "in between" notes that the instrument cannot physically reproduce. I suppose in addition to traditional Swiss music, you could play army bugle calls on it, albeit a couple octaves lower!

I would suggest the tuba. Same range as the Alphorn as basic timbre as an Alphorn (though way more focused), same way of producing the sound, and she can join the middle school band and play with other kids.

It is a very valid point.

We do semi-have a place to play it as here I live on a river in a VERY rural town, in fact our town is 41 square miles in size with only 1100 people, so she could go down by the river and belch out her music. She also lives along a river with her mother, but in one of the most mountainous areas of the country.

But would she play it? The real good wooden Alphorn's cost $7000, but a cheap carbon fiber one is only $1500 so it is temping to get for her.

[mlroseplant]

1 hour ago, CrushedVamp said:

It is a very valid point.

We do semi-have a place to play it as here I live on a river in a VERY rural town, in fact our town is 41 square miles in size with only 1100 people, so she could go down by the river and belch out her music. She also lives along a river with her mother, but in one of the most mountainous areas of the country.

But would she play it? The real good wooden Alphorn's cost $7000, but a cheap carbon fiber one is only $1500 so it is temping to get for her.

The answer to that question is yes--for about a week or two. Then the novelty will wear off, and the thing will sit in the corner (or wherever you can store such a beast) and collect dust for all eternity. Why? Again, who is she going to play with? This is the fate of 99% of all people who have ever played or attempted to learn an instrument. If you have no group to play with, it's very, very difficult to get motivated, especially with a single note instrument, i.e., not the piano or guitar.

[Shyheels]

Yes, I could see such a thing being a very brief fad - intensely interesting for a time but then stored away to gather dust

[Puffer]

On 4/1/2025 at 1:51 PM, Aly said:

I guess one must have some Scots blood running through their veins to appreciate the skirl of the pipes - nothing touches the soul quite like the pipes!

My wife (without any Scottish heritage or connections) is a fan; I can see the appeal in moderation.

On 4/1/2025 at 2:00 PM, Shyheels said:

I don’t mind bagpipes!

There is the old joke - why are bagpipers always marching? It’s harder to hit a moving target

It is well-documented that Bill Millin, the official piper to Lord Lovat (commander of the British 1 Special Service Brigade on D-Day), played his pipes while under fire during the Normandy landings, and again (most memorably) as they advanced to and crossed the Pegasus Bridge.   It was said that, although twelve of his comrades were shot and killed at the bridge, Bill was ignored by the Germans as they thought him to be mad!  (Bill saw further WW2 action and survived to die in 2010 at the age of 88.)

[CrushedVamp]

What is the difference between an onion and bagpipes?

No one cries when you cut up bagpipes.

 

(Just an old joke I heard a long time ago. Bagpipes don't bother me, but my daughter learning to play the alphorn might). 🙂