I don't notice any more!

[Gige]

Hola Amigos! 

To borrow a line from my favorite columnist Jim Anchower (Author of "The Cruise" and at the time of his last article was en route to jail), "I know it's been a long time since I rapped with you..." but honestly, I have not had much to say. Recently, however, I have been experiencing an unusual phenomenon which is that although I know I am wearing heels it does not feel like it whatsoever. Given that by 9:00am on days I am at the office I have finished by third cup of coffee (reminder to self...switch to caffeinated) about an hour later, it is break time which usually necessitates a trip to the washroom. What I have noticed is that when I am wearing a pair of heels, regardless of the height of such, I do not even seem to realize that I am wearing a pair of heels. I can hear and feel the heel striking the ground followed by the footbed, but yet, it does not feel as if I am wearing heels. I suppose it might be that my stride and cadence has become so smooth from wearing heels just about every day, that this is a reflection of how it has evolved, or just my confidence in doing so. Yesterday, for example, I was wearing a pair of delightfully beautiful 4" (~10cm) Noe (Brand) ankle boots and as I was walking around my office building, one of the members of my fan base said, "I love your heels..." I had to look down at my feet to confirm I was, in fact, wearing heels. I cannot quite explain why such is the case, but in a minor and weird way, being so comfortable in heels to the point where I do not even notice such takes the enjoyment out of wearing them. Perhaps I should start wearing flats more often to appreciate wearing heels. Uh...no, that will not happen. 

Edited April 18 by Gige
Clarification

[pebblesf]

  On 4/17/2025 at 11:50 PM, Gige said:

Hola Amigos! 

To borrow a line from my favorite columnist Jim Anchower (Author of "The Cruise" and at the time of his last article was en route to jail), "I know it's been a long time since I rapped with you..." but honestly, I have not had much to say. Recently, however, I have been experiencing an unusual phenomenon is that although I know I am wearing heels it does not feel like it whatsoever. Given that by 9:00am on days I am at thee office I have finished by third cup of coffee (reminder to self...switch to caffeinated) about an hour later, it is break time which usually necessitates a trip to the washroom. What I have noticed this that when I am wearing a pair of heels, regardless of the height of such, I do not even seem to realize that I am wearing a pair of heels. I can hear and feel the heel striking the ground followed by the footbed, but yet, it does not feel as if I am wearing heels. I suppose it might be that my walk stride and cadence has become so smooth from wearing heels just about every day, that this is a reflection of how it has evolved, or confident I am in doing so. Yesterday, for example, I was wearing a pair of delightfully beautiful 4" (~10cm) Noe (Brand) ankle boots and as I was walking around my office building, one of the members of my fan base said, "I love your heels..." I had to look down at my feet to confirm I was, in fact, wearing heels. I cannot quite explain why such is the case, but in a minor and weird way, being so comfortable in heels to the point where I do not even notice such takes the enjoyment out of wearing them. Perhaps I should start wearing flats more often to appreciate wearing heels. Uh...no, that will not happen. 

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I hear you for sure!   I know I am feeling totally comfortable/confident when I "almost forget" I am wearing boots

[Shyheels]

I too find that when wearing my chunky heeled boots I can completely forget I am in heels. Not so much with stilettos since I do not wear them so much, but with 3-4” block heeled boots I wear them without thinking.

I'm nearly always in knee boots of some sort - either heeled or not heeled - and it has become my regular look in the eyes of my fellow boaters. The other day I was walking along the road, off to town to buy supplies, and unusually for me was wearing my hiking boots. One if my boating neighbours, who owns a van, stopped to give me a lift and said he almost didn’t recognise me without my tall boots. 

[mlroseplant]

I also have noticed this phenomenon. For me personally, the height at which heels begin to feel like heels is somewhere around 3 1/2". At 4 - 4 1/4", they definitely feel like heels, but they seem very natural. By 4 1/2", I'm really at my limit, and on some days beyond it. I do not take wearing 4 1/2" heels lightly, especially if I'm going to be on camera. But yeah, I get it. We have trained ourselves to the point where the unnatural feels natural. To be sure, there are some times when you had better notice that you're wearing heels, so's you don't do something silly like step onto some grating as if you were wearing flats.

[pebblesf]

  On 4/18/2025 at 9:05 AM, mlroseplant said:

I also have noticed this phenomenon. For me personally, the height at which heels begin to feel like heels is somewhere around 3 1/2". At 4 - 4 1/4", they definitely feel like heels, but they seem very natural. By 4 1/2", I'm really at my limit, and on some days beyond it. I do not take wearing 4 1/2" heels lightly, especially if I'm going to be on camera. But yeah, I get it. We have trained ourselves to the point where the unnatural feels natural. To be sure, there are some times when you had better notice that you're wearing heels, so's you don't do something silly like step onto some grating as if you were wearing flats.

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So true.   4.5" heels seems to be my comfort zone also when it comes to walking at a relatively normal rate and being comfortable.  

[Mr. X]

I think we all experience this at some point, me included.  There are definitely times when I forget that I am wearing heels until someone else mentions something to me.

[Gige]

4" is probably the upper limit of heel height that I really will not notice but above that, I do feel the height of the heel as I am walking. 4.5" is the maximum in which a can walk in "normal" stride. Above that, my steps and pace are much abbreviated. 

[mlroseplant]

I always say it depends upon your definition of "walk." I have a fairly narrow definition, and sometimes I cannot live up to my own definition, even in 3" heels.

[NrthEastHeel]

I noticed this also sometime ago, my go to heel height for comfort and all day wear is 4.5" , which is high for my size 5uk foot, but it feels so natural. Oddly i was wearing my 4" wedge heel boots recently and they almost felt like i was wearing flats (strange phenomenon 🤣). 5" heels without platform is my upper limit, can only wear those for a few hours. The 4.5" arch is the sweet spot for me 😁

[Shyheels]

For me 3” to 3.5” is very “unnoticeable”, especially in chunky heeled boots 

[CAT]

I like the single soles, 5" for my norm, I do have some 3 and 4" that work out good.  My 6" are still doable! I do have my Steve Madden Dejvue's with the hidden platform are my all time favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AlexC94]

I also realised this yesterday while I was walking in my sultry boots (5 inch heel and 1 inch platform). When I was in them it was very easy and not any trouble at all.

[pebblesf]

  On 4/21/2025 at 12:06 PM, CAT said:

I like the single soles, 5" for my norm, I do have some 3 and 4" that work out good.  My 6" are still doable! I do have my Steve Madden Dejvue's with the hidden platform are my all time favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I like single soles also.  5" is your norm, that is so cool.   What size shoe do you wear?   I still feel that men with larger feet have an easier time with taller heels because the angle of your foot from heel to toe is less than someone with a smaller foot

[CAT]

  On 4/21/2025 at 2:10 PM, pebblesf said:

I like single soles also.  5" is your norm, that is so cool.   What size shoe do you wear?   I still feel that men with larger feet have an easier time with taller heels because the angle of your foot from heel to toe is less than someone with a smaller foot

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I’m in an 11 in heels.  Wish it was a comfortable 10 as so many shoes only go to a 10.   Prob better for me.  Less money spent ! 

[pebblesf]

  On 4/21/2025 at 3:23 PM, CAT said:

I’m in an 11 in heels.  Wish it was a comfortable 10 as so many shoes only go to a 10.   Prob better for me.  Less money spent ! 

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Same here, usually between 10-11 in boots.  I do have one pair of 5" booties that do fit and feel comfortable walking in though.   My nine west black ankle boots,  feels so good to be able to handle them well...

[Gige]

  On 4/21/2025 at 12:06 PM, CAT said:

I like the single soles, 5" for my norm, I do have some 3 and 4" that work out good.  My 6" are still doable! I do have my Steve Madden Dejvue's with the hidden platform are my all time favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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OK - you win on this one! I could do 5" (6" w/a platform) but the reason I do not is simply that I have nowhere to wear such towering heels. I have a few 12cm heels that I would love to wear out but I'd have to be in ChiTown for that. Around here, there just is not a place to do so. 

Edited April 22 by Gige

[CAT]

  On 4/22/2025 at 12:11 AM, Gige said:

OK - you win on this one! I could do 5" (6" w/a platform) but the reason I do not is simply that I have nowhere to wear such towering heels. I have a few 12cm heels that I would love to wear out but I'd have to be in ChiTown for that. Around here, there just is not a place to do so. 

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time to come to ChiTown!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shyheels]

  On 4/21/2025 at 2:10 PM, pebblesf said:

I like single soles also.  5" is your norm, that is so cool.   What size shoe do you wear?   I still feel that men with larger feet have an easier time with taller heels because the angle of your foot from heel to toe is less than someone with a smaller foot

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Shoe size doesn’t make any difference in terms of the angle of your foot - at least not with the better makes of shoes and boots. When they market a model of shoe as having, say, 4” heels, that will be the base line height for a base line size, say, a size 6. As the sizes go up or down the physical height of the heel will vary so that the lines and proportions are identical right across the range of heights.

A size 7 would have a 4.2” heel and a size 8 maybe 4.4” but they would still be sold as 4” heels as that is the standard for that particular line. A size 5 might have a 3.8” heel but would be sold as a 4” heel. It’s all about consistency and keeping the same proportions.

Italian heels even has a chart on their website giving the exact heel heights for 100mm and 120mm heels each shoe size. I have a pair of their 120mm stiletto boots. In my size the heels are actually 147mm to keep the correct proportions. I think in their case the heel heights are based in a size 38 as standard.

Other makers do the same. So having a bigger size does not change anything. Neither does having a smaller size. They keep all the proportions and angles the same

[Gige]

  On 4/22/2025 at 11:36 AM, CAT said:

time to come to ChiTown!!!!!!!!!!!

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An invitation or suggestion? 

Quite interestingly, I will be passing through Chicago this Friday as I will be on an Amtrak train from Springfield to Union Station, and then catching the Blue Line out to O'Hare for a flight on to Paris. Sadly, tight connections both to and from will make stopping anywhere else all but impossible. 

[pebblesf]

  On 4/22/2025 at 8:08 PM, Shyheels said:

Shoe size doesn’t make any difference in terms of the angle of your foot - at least not with the better makes of shoes and boots. When they market a model of shoe as having, say, 4” heels, that will be the base line height for a base line size, say, a size 6. As the sizes go up or down the physical height of the heel will vary so that the lines and proportions are identical right across the range of heights.

A size 7 would have a 4.2” heel and a size 8 maybe 4.4” but they would still be sold as 4” heels as that is the standard for that particular line. A size 5 might have a 3.8” heel but would be sold as a 4” heel. It’s all about consistency and keeping the same proportions.

Italian heels even has a chart on their website giving the exact heel heights for 100mm and 120mm heels each shoe size. I have a pair of their 120mm stiletto boots. In my size the heels are actually 147mm to keep the correct proportions. I think in their case the heel heights are based in a size 38 as standard.

Other makers do the same. So having a bigger size does not change anything. Neither does having a smaller size. They keep all the proportions and angles the same

Expand  

Well, I understand that shoemakers vary an advertised heel height slightly depending on shoe size.  I guess what I am saying is that for an actual heel height, having larger feet can make it easier because the angle between your heel and toes is less...

[Shyheels]

True - an actual measured 4” heel in a size 5 would be considerably steeper than an actual measured 4” heel is a size 12, but then you’d be buying and talking about completely different style of shoes, with differed billed heel heights.

The variations in heel heights according to size can be surprising. I was surprised to see that according to the chart on the Italian Heels website my 120mm stilettos (official billed height) were actually 147mm in my size. That’s a full inch variation. But it keeps the styling and proportions consistent with the 120mm in size 38 on which the design is based 

[mlroseplant]

Because I have so many used shoes from so many varied sources, when I say "4 inch heel," I mean actual, not nominal on a size 9 USW/40 EU. Besides that, you can't really trust every seller to measure accurately or even use the same method to measure. The Gold Standard for many people is 120 mm, and though I have several pairs of shoes that approach that height, I would assume that I would need 125-127 mm to equal the steepness of a "nominal" 120 mm. Judging only by sight, my Steve Madden pumps, though styled very similarly, are not quite as steep as actual Christian Louboutin So Kates. The Maddens measure in right at 118 mm, but of course on Size 9. At either 118 or 125, uh, yeah, I can feel that!

[bluejay]

  On 4/21/2025 at 3:23 PM, CAT said:

I’m in an 11 in heels.  Wish it was a comfortable 10 as so many shoes only go to a 10.   Prob better for me.  Less money spent ! 

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I too am a size 11 in heels but I have some knee boots that are size 12 because the brand in a size 11 is just too tight on my feet, however I have a couple pairs of size 10 heels that fit me perfectly. Figure that out!

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[mlroseplant]

Since the weather has gotten warmer, I have been wearing sandals sometimes. I have two pairs of the same model of True Religion peep toe mules. For whatever reason, there is a slight variation in heel height among the three pairs. The black pair is right at an effective 4" (5"/1" plat), but the brown pair is 4 1/8". It's not a night and day comparison, but they do walk differently, and I do notice it. While quite comfortable, neither pair feels like flats.