Aiming High - Practicing in Heels

[Shyheels]

I think the thing that makes the most difference is that we all genuinely love to wear heels and want to wear them well, so we experiment with different methods of training and practicing and get the most out of them. We care. We want to do well.

[CrushedVamp]

16 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I think the thing that makes the most difference is that we all genuinely love to wear heels and want to wear them well, so we experiment with different methods of training and practicing and get the most out of them. We care. We want to do well.

Yes, you are indeed right, but it is far more than that.

A person in high heels has an air of sophistication about them, and when worn well, they look confident, brazen and dominant. But look at any high school prom where the ones wearing high heels often look uncomfortable, unsteady and vulnerable, and the same pair of shoes can give an entirely different look.

It is all about how well the shoes are worn and not so much about the shoes (although I do understand quality has a lot to do with high heel wearing confidence).

It is why I have so much respect for everyone on here that wears high heels so often, as well as my wife who embraces them. There is a huge commitment to wearing them well.

Everyone on here should take pride… in their pride… on that!

[mlroseplant]

I do agree 100% on that point, it is really more about the attitude and carriage than it is about the shoes. Perhaps that is what makes it so intimidating for us. Almost anybody can get out there and stomp around in 12 cm heels, but to actually look like one belongs in them? Tricky business indeed. I trust that @Shyheels and I will know when we've got to the point when it's time to strut our stuff in the general public. @higherheels has a leg (or a foot) up on us, as she's already worn her 13 cm in public, just not for very long.

Speaking of which, I have some exciting news. As you know, I was looking for a pair of 12 cm heels in order to meet this challenge. Actually, I have one pair, but I think they are fairly ugly. I was debating about maybe getting something from Fuss, but being unemployed at the moment, I figure now is not really the time to be spending what amounts to over 200 USD by the time you get them to my door. The Highest Heels look interesting, but they are even more expensive, and I think they're not even leather, at least not all of them.

So I went on ebay and typed in "The Highest Heels." I found some black patent pumps, new in the box, for 50 bucks, delivered to my door. I believe them to be a non-current model. I had hoped that they were in fact the full 12 cm, de-rated and temperature corrected for my size 9. As it turns out, they are and then some, at 12.5 cm. And they actually fit. I have not yet really had time to mess with them yet, other than a few steps around the house, but I have a good feeling about these. I'll try to get some pictures taken in the next couple of days. I might wait a couple of days anyway, because the current temperature is -18º according to my thermometer, and by Monday it's supposed to rise above zero.

[Shyheels]

Wow! Congratulations on a great find! I would like to get another pair of 12cm boots but am a little stuck. Italian Heels was a good bet but they seem to have gone under and anyway, like you, cost is a consideration - the magazine world is not all it could be these days.

yes, I aspire to look like I belong in my 12cm stilettos, as though wearing them was second nature, but I am well short of that goal. I confess to a bit of awe at @higherheels abilities as demonstrated in how quickly she was able to move up from her “easy” 12cm heels to being able to go out confidently in 13+cm boots. I’ve got such a long way to go

[mlroseplant]

I still haven't had a chance to really try out my new shoes yet--I spent a good deal of the day yesterday at a jazz band festival with my son. I did wear 11 cm for a good part of the day, and walked at least a few hundred meters, total. I don't really know what I look like in 11 cm, but it does seem to be getting easier! I don't feel clumsy, anyway.

[Shyheels]

I feel quite confident - even a bit cocky! - in my 10cm heels but at 12cm, although I’m improving, I’m still tottery and looking like a beginner in heels. 

[mlroseplant]

I finally got a chance to walk around in a photograph my new shoes from Highest Heel. The weather actually approaced 0º yesterday, so I didn't feel like I was totally freezing every time I stepped out the door. The verdict is, I think they're quite attractive, and they seem to fit well. I cannot say that with 100% confidence because I never actually left my driveway, nor do I think this will happen anytime soon. Let's put it this way: No one but the across the street neighbor can watch me walk in them just yet, I won't allow it.

Over the last couple of days, I've spent several hours each day in 11 cm shoes, but these 12.5 cm are a whole different level. To be fair, I didn't feel like I had it together anyway yesterday. I was not walking well in the 11 cm, much less the higher ones. I guess it was just one of those days. I was walking just fine at the jazz festival on Saturday in the same shoe (same model, different color), and I walked just fine at the grocery store on Friday in the same exact 11 cm shoes, but I could not seem to find my feet yesterday.

Here's the specs: Model name of this shoe is Hottie (I wonder if it's a nod to the Hot Chicks), they are not real leather, but appear to be of reasonable quality, with a similar look and feel to my Steve Madden patent pumps. The actual heel height measures 13.3 cm, and when I run it through my 0.94 formula, I get the 12.5 cm equivalent to size 38. These are labeled size 9 USW. The heel width is 8 mm. Pretty narrow, but not super freaky fetish narrow.

Here are some photographs: 1) A closeup, 2) the shoes with an outfit, and then for comparison, 3) the 11 cm shoes I actually wore to church with the outfit. Except for the height difference, I think the shoes are almost a dead ringer for the shoes I've already got.

[Shyheels]

It’s funny how you can vary day to day in walking in our challenge heels. Some days I feel like I’m really getting there, and then a couple of days later and got no obvious reason feel like a little kid borrowing his mothers high heels. Maybe not quite that bad, but a long way from graceful. I think this is where your long walks and high mileage really comes into play - or @higherheels years of experience in lofty stilettos. You guys have built up a foundation that I lack.

Edited 20 hours ago by Shyheels

[pebblesf]

You look great in those kick ass pumps.  They look to beyond my skill level for sure, so envious of your skills.  D

[HappyinHeels]

As with mastering any new skill practice is the best conduit to success. Success is constructed with confidence gleaned through self-esteem and positive input from those around you. 
That practice can take the form of walking around the house/yard then doing tasks. Drive somewhere in your heels and practice in the real world. Once you can prove to yourself that you can do it better things are inevitable. HinH

[Shyheels]

Yes, doing this with @mlroseplant and @higherheels has really made a huge difference to me. They’ve become virtual colleagues and I think of them fondly whenever I am practicing, even if I am bringing up the rear in terms of my skill level. Their encouragement has been a great help

[mlroseplant]

Oh, I don't know if you can say with conviction that you're bringing up the rear. After all, you have only my word as evidence. I say that my standards are high, but you've never actually seen me walk. I might be terrible! My main concern in real life is to avoid looking like a complete idiot. I do not feel like I succeeded in that on Sunday. Yesterday (Monday) was an incrementally better day.

[Shyheels]

I just don’t get as much real world practice as you and @higherheels. This past year I have been more or less stuck in this very rural - albeit very pretty - stretch of canal for various reasons and have no place to practice short of walking a mile along a towpath first, changing into my heels, practicing, then changing back and hiking home along the muddy towpath. Not impossible but the commitment in time to do all this has seen me duck out and confine my practice to home. I do plenty of standing and a reasonable amount of pacing (and much sitting at my desk) but that’s no substitute for your long walks or @higherheels visits to Christmas markets. I’m hope this year the canals will be a bit more navigable and I can get to places where practice is as easy as stepping off the boat 

[pebblesf]

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

Oh, I don't know if you can say with conviction that you're bringing up the rear. After all, you have only my word as evidence. I say that my standards are high, but you've never actually seen me walk. I might be terrible! My main concern in real life is to avoid looking like a complete idiot. I do not feel like I succeeded in that on Sunday. Yesterday (Monday) was an incrementally better day.

I have oftened wondered the same thing about myself.   Just wish there was some way of recording my stride in boots to get a true idea of how I look.  I might be very disappointed, or perhaps I would learn how to improve...