How Many Pairs of High Heeled Shoes Have You Got?

[Heelfan]

Firefox created this interesting title on the "For The Girls" Thread. However, as usual, the guys have started cluttering it with their guys-in-heels postings, so as a street-heeling guy myself, I'm now creating the same title here on "For the Guys" in the hope of preventing the girls from feeling swamped. I'll kick off by repeating an old posting of mine depicting my collection, as it's valid for the current topic:

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Hi Street-heelers!

Despite periodic clear-outs of excess shoes, I've now exceeded eighty pairs of street-heels for the first time, so I though you might like to see some of them. Ruthy, a forum member from the Bristol UK area visited me one weekend (in great silver 4" stiletto sandals) and kindly took the photograph.

Remember these are all strictly street-heels that I wear regularly out-and-about and on the Heel-Meets etc., as I've never been into poncing round the house in them for my own amazement! I've been publically street-heeling for 47 years, so some of these pairs are twenty or thirty years old (but still going strong!) and others are brand new.

Notable Favourite pairs of mine include:

Table, Far Row, 5th from left: Faith "Sabrina" 4.5" blade ankle-boots.

Table, Far Row, 3rd From Right: Little Shoe Box 5" stiletto ankle boots.

Table, Far Row, 2nd From Right: 5" patent courts.

Table, Far Row, Extreme Right: 5.5" stiletto courts.

Floor (under table), Extreme Right: 5.5" stacked-heel brown ankle boots.

Note: No cheating - not a platform in sight, even on the 5.5 inchers!

Additional 5" stiletto ankle boots bought from Ernest's on our 2004 Paris Heel-Meet.

I would be most interested to hear about (and see) other street-heelers' collections.

Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[TXT-1]

believe it or not I only have ONE pair of heels! they are a pair of Tony Shoes (inc.*), style "101", 6" "Exotic Dancer" platforms! they are black PVC/patent on a black plastic unit I plan more heels but they will also be "exotic" too infact they(hopefully) will be even MORE "exotic" than these! * I think there is more than one Tony Shoes, one makes all kinds of shoes the other makes "exotic dancer" shoes! later, TXT-1

[genebujold]

I USED to have between three and five pairs of heels, depending on what I grew tired of wearing...

Now, I have more, and will share all of them with you, one by one, by way of a not so little story:

Evidently, my wife picked up some sort of a virus as she's read through your this site's various comments on men wearing heels, for she recently bought a few pair for me - and her taste in heels is somewhat different than mine!

She's been very supportive from the beginning, despite her initial hesitancy when I suggested the cheaper $20 Payless option to the doctor-recommended $300+ orthopedic men's lift shoes (which were uglier than sin) to help with my ankle degeneration problem (blew it out playing soccer in the 90's). Although I eventually located cheaper elevator shoes (about $90), by that time I was sold on women's shoes (I've a very narrow foot which means they fit well, and after a while I grew to like their style).

In the meantime, both to accomodate her as well as assuage my own hesitancy about wearing what I used to consider "women's shoes," I initially only bought heels that looked very much like men's shoes, such as my 3 inch Chunky and Frumpy heels, from Payless:

Frumpy is in a dumpster (poorly made, several hotspots), but Chunky still does cool/cold-weather duty, usually at the grocery store or other daytime and public/family outings where the sensibilities of others may be offended - and usually with thick socks, as this one seems to be made for people with very wide feet!

Around the house, however, I prefer sandals, particularly in warmer weather. In addition, several years ago I began wearing skirts one day... All my pants were in either the washer, the dryer, or at the cleaners. When I complained about this to my wife, she threw me one of her ankle-length elastic-waisted skirts and said, "here, wear this until your pants are done." I was surprised to find that it fit me, but more surprised at how comfortable it was. I wore it the rest of the afternoon, even after my pants were done, just to spite her for not leaving me at least one pair (or at least not doing the laundrey more often than once every two weeks). After dinner she asked, "you're not going to begin wearing that all the time, are you?" "I might," I replied. "Well then," she replied, "get your own, 'cause that one's mine!"

The skirt in the picture is a long blue jeans ankle-length skirt with belted waist (Land's End, LL Bean, or similar store), and the heels are 4-inch heeled Pelle Moda Manilyns I bought late last summer/early Fall (don't you just hate that name, "Manilyns?" But the shoe is quite comfortable):

Alas, I've been informed by my wife that while it may be comfortable, it's not very stylish...

Then, while shopping with my wife at Nordstroms at the Fashion Show Mall here in Vegas last Fall, I spotted a pair of Franco Sarto boots on the rack. I loved the way they looked, particularly it's lines and rounded toe.

Although they didn't carry my size, the sales lady mentioned I might find them online, as they carried the full range of whatever was available in any of the Nordstrom's stores. I ordered a pair, and they've since become my favorite out on the town heel. Although at 4 inches they're at my upper limit, they're quite comfortable. And, because they're ankle boots, they're quite stable, too. Besides, they're black leather (well, PU, anyway), and when worn with long black pants at your average casino, it's very difficult for people to see that you're wearing a heel.

Along the way, I bought two more skirts (linen ankle-length sandal skirt and a shorter, knee-length jeans skirt for inside-only wear) and a jeans jumper. The latter looks just like overalls, but with one large tube at the bottom instead of two pants legs. It's more comfortable, too. My wife even bought me a simple knee-length shirt dress - so plain, in fact, it looks more like a knee-length polo shirt than a woman's garment.

Although I've worn my akle-length skirts in public a few times, I've not worn the shirt dress. At any rate, when I wear a skirt in public I drop my pony tail and take some time to "soften the look," usually with a touch of makeup, but not so much that it looks like I'm wearing any.

It's not that I'm trying to pass! Rather, it's that I don't want people to see the contrast between Cro-Magnan man and the clothes. Even if people still recognize me as a man, it's not like they're seeing Lou Ferigno. Rather, it's more like that flop that stared Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo. I never saw the movie, but I did see the covers - Let's face it - Pat and Wes were NOT IT. But John - he had enough of the right facial features. Bottom line, if he walked though the lobby of your local casino wearing a skirt and heels while made up as he was in the movie - no one would bat an eye. But if Pat or Wes did so, eyes would be batting all around!

It's just not the kind of attention I like to draw, so even though I really don't like make-up, if I'm going out in a skirt and heels, I let my wife apply enough to hide the male beast, so to speak.

Besides, I've got Italian in me, so I have the classic darker hair and arched eyebrows, high cheekbones, etc. And due to a hormonal problem, I never really developed traditional masculine bone structure, so it really doesn't take much for me to begin looking more like my sister than myself.

You know, sort of like this:

Alright! I'm kidding! - I'm nowhere near that "pretty," even with makeup!

But my hair is about the same color and length, and I'm that slender (minus the curves up front and at the hips, of course). And my wife will probably tell you that I really am a looker, although she'll also tell you she married me for my heart, not my looks, if she's in the right mood... Still, she's a good sport about everything - so much so that last Halloween that photo was the one she used to make me over into a modern-day witch. The only problem was, it worked too well - I was barred from one party at the Venetian for not having a costume! It wasn't until I showed him my ID that he finally said, "this is you? You're kidding!" and let me in...

In the last year, however, she's become a lot more open to the concept of total clothing rights. She's still as at home in jeans as she is in a dress, and I've never heard her hint that she'll be wearing men's work boots or shave her head anytime soon. But the way she thinks about men's fashion has changed significantly.

Take for example a dinner we had last month with an Indonesian couple. It was at his place and he was wearing something like a sarong. I knew he would be, as he usually does at home. So, I made sure I brought along my sand-colored, linen, ankle-length sandal skirt, which I wore with the Pella Moda's shown above (he knows I wear heels as I once wore my Franco Sartos once when we double-"dated" our wives to Bellagio. Although he was a little surprised, he didn't make a big fuss, and when he invited us to dinner a few weeks later, I knew it wasn't an issue with him.

But she didn't even bat an eye at his sarong/skirt. She even mentioned how she believed on some men, skirts look good! Hope she wasn't flirting...

Sorry - I digress...

So one day about a month ago my wife says to me, "honey, you know I love you, right?" "Right..." "And you respect my opinion, right?" "Right..." "Well then, would you listen to my opinion about your current collection of heels?" "Sure, honey!"

And she proceeded to tell me that while my Franco Sartos were quite nice, Chunky and the Pella Moda Manilyns were not, and that I should consider getting something that better suited my style.

"My style? What style?"

"Precisely! So may I help you pick your next set of heels?"

I promptly gave in, as she usually has very good taste in clothes. Unfortunately, I forgot that "set" doesn't mean "pair." I came home one day and she'd been all over town, buying heels. She then pulled a few boxes she'd hidden in the garage from orders she'd placed over the Internet.

"Don't worry, honey - if you don't like them we'll just return them."

"Like them? I haven't even seen them, much less, tried them on."

Well, you're not here to listen to a soap, so I'll just talk about the heels, one at a time, courtesy of my wife, who, when she saw Heelfan's collection post, said, "I'll take the rug rat for a while - why don't you type up something about your new collection?

Swell.

Well, here goes:

This first is from Payless, of the Fioni brand. Don't know the style name, as I decided to keep it and threw away the box. It has a 4 inch heel, with a strappy ankle wrap/tie. It's darn near close to the most comfortable shoe I've ever had, in part because the heel is rock solid, and the heel is coupled to the instep via what appears to be a shank, but from the ball of the foot forward it's flexible. All this makes it very stable, as well.

I really like this heel! In addition to it's comfort and stability, it's indeed a looker, and I've always liked elegant-looking (not slutty) heels, even on myself. The only problem is, it's rather too elegant, as in the feminine kind of elegance. Although I'm now brave enough to wear this out, I probably never will, since the main reason I wear heels is for the ankle relief. Nevertheless, I might consider it on a dark night wearing long black pants...

You know - like these:

Well, that was the first pair she took out of the box. Then came these, a pair of Franco Sarto Jewel Sandals with about a 2-5/8 inch heel:

Unfortunately, the instep band was painfully tight! I thought about ordering a larger size, and if the shoe had the same design, but without the feminine rhinestones, I would have. But heels are feminine enough without the frills. It's like wearing skirts - most of you wouldn't, you're into heels, not skirts. And even though I like skirts, I would never weary a lacy or frilly skirt. I can get away with wearing a skirt in public because of the way I look. Add some lace to it, however, and I'd have to either complete the look with a lace blouse and padding up top, nails, etc. For me, that's just too much work! All of this could be somewhat dangerous to my business if I ran into a well-connected client who frowned on that sort of thing. Wearing a conservative heel, however, would probably be tossed off as a quirk.

Then came the next box, again from Payless. These were a very nice-looking pair of 3-3/4 inch heels, and I hoped they would fit well, if for no other reason than so I could wear them around the house.

Unfortunately, they were as uncomfortable as walking on sharp rocks, so back to Payless they went!

Next came these pair of 4-inch banded two-strap heels, this time from Fredericks of Hollywood (also in the Fashion Show Mall here in Vegas) which I already posted elsewhere on this board:

While they were reasonably comfortable, the designers at Fredericks really don't have a clue how to make heels either comfortable or functional. My wife agrees, citing the poor quality of clothing she's has purchased at Fredericks from time to time.

The heels were slightly unstable due to a poor footbed construction, and were uncomfortable because of the pointed the toe box, or rather, the floor of what would have been the toe box, leaving one's toes hanging out over the edge. After walking around in these for a while, the bottom of my toes began to ache from pressing on the edge all the time. If I'd spent the last 10 years of my life cramming my foot into a pointed shoe one size too small, my toes might very well have rested within the ridiculously small confines of the sole of this shoe! Fortunately, my toes are quite healthy, so they hung over the edge and caused pain. Since I plan to keep them healthy, this one went back, as well.

These next ones give an audible slap to the floor when you walk, even though the heel itself is very quiet. In fact, I'm wearing them right now:

The thing I like about them is their comfort, even though they have absolutely no curve from the heel to the ball of the foot. The lack of support makes me appreciate the support I have in all the other shoes I've worn. I'm surprised it's not found in these. Nevertheless, the heel is very comfortable at 3-3/4 inches, and although I've found the ankle-wrap style straps are usually not particularly good at keeping your heel correctly positioned on the shoe, these seem to do the job much better than most. Besides, they look great with my jeans and jean's skirts, so they're definately keepers.

Besides - with the inevitable pair of long black pants, they blend in quite well with the crowds:

This next shoe is a pair of very comfortable loafers by Sudini, courtesy of either Zappos of Nordstrom. They're so comfortable (and conservative) I thre away the box and began wearing them to work. No box, no receipt - which is why I can't remember where my wife bought them:

Definately keepers, and may very well replace my Franco Sartos as my heel of choice while out on the town (but only after my boots fall apart...).

The next pair are from Linea Paolo, and I must say this gent (?) deserves a medal for designing one heck of a fine high heel! They're all leather, and among the most comfortable pair of high heels I've ever worn:

In addition to their comfort, they're very un-noticeable as heels when worn with black pants, even higher ones, in part because their styling below the cuff in the picture just doesn't say "woman's shoe." Even the heel is a tapered block, rather than the recurve that usually says "female:"

And it's dark and thin enough to get lost in the darker carpets of most casinos. Others, with lighter flooring like the marble found in the Venetian, however, would both show the heel and probably make quite a racket.

The next pair are also from Fioni (Payless), and although they're all man-made construction, they're quite comfortable with the 2-5/8 inch heel. Unfortunately, this is the lowest heel I can comfortably wear given the condition of my ankle:

Still, it is nevertheless a good heel for comfortable wear around the house.

So far, all the heels I've listed have a heel height of 4 inches (the maximum height I can comfortably wear) or lower.

But there were still three shoe boxes, so I said, "Ok, sweeheart, what are those?"

"Well, I'm not sure you want to try them on. They're more or less not really what you'd wear, anyway."

Always the stupid, encouraging sort, I said, "that's ok, honey - bring them on over here and let's see them."

The first was a heel I'd never have picked for myself, as it appeared just too high to be comfortable, and at 4-1/2 inches, it was. Nevertheless, I agreed to try it but only on the stipulation that we were sending it back.

It was another Fioni (Payless) creation, but I found it to be surprisingly comfortable with it's well-padded footbed. I didn't think the ankle strap would keep my heel firmly in place, but Fioni got the design right, and my heel remained in the right spot:

I liked the way they looked beneath a pair of pants, but the first night I work them my ankle hurt a bit, so I stayed away from them for a day and worked my way up to them again the following night, walking around in the other heels for about 20 minutes each until I ended the evening in these. I did it for about a week, and was able to wear these for longer and longer periods of time. By the time Saturday rolled around, I could wander in these for about two hours!

Here's a shot of them beneath a pair of pants:

The next two were from Fredericks, which immediately set alarm bells in my head. Nevertheless, I have this streak of being "fair and impartial" in all situations, so I gave both heels a full workout.

The problem was, it was more of a work-up on my part than a work-out on the shoe.

Once I was able to walk in the previous 4-1/2 inch heels for at least two hours without serious discomfort, I set about trying to master these two beasts.

The first has a 4-3/4 inch heel, which I thought was just too high, given my experience in heels. However, after a week of the others I would strap this one on for a short time. At first it was awkward, as I'd never worn (or tried to wear) anything that high. And the shoe really isn't very stable, either, like most of Frederick's designs. The only difference is that the ankle wraps on this one are fairly sturdy, which lends some stability. And in this shoe, at least, Fredericks seems to have partially (still needs work, though) fixed the problem where the heels in the larger shoes rack too far forward because they're designed for a smaller shoe with a greater angle along the heel line.

Nevertheless, they're going back - just too high, too uncomfortable, too unstable, and really not what I like to wear:

The second pair sport a heel that's a full 5-1/4 inches tall. Although this doesn't daunt some of you, remember that I'm slight of build and until a few weeks ago, couldn't wear anything over 4 inches without pain, and my preferred heel was 3-1/2 inches.

These were just way too unstable, almost as if the footbed were built out of thick rubber. It's not that they wobbled because they were high heels. Rather, the heel itself moved forward and backward at each step because there was no stiffness in the footbed from the heel on down towards the toe.

Nevertheless, on the third night after I mastered the previous pair I was able to stand up straight in them and walk (small steps) without hunching over from one end of the house to the other!

I tried them on too more times for kicks, then packed them back in the box as they were just too high.

Well, there you have it - my "little story" that encompasses my entire current heel collection.

By the end of Monday I'll be back down to eight pair of heels, which, until my wife went a little crazy last month, was three more than I'd ever owned:

As you may have noticed, I decided to keep the 4-1/2 Fionis, if for no other reason than to push the limit a bit, and comfortably, with my wear of heels. If all you wear is 4 inch heels, then after a while, even a 4 inch heel begins to hurt a little. One thing I noticed throughout all of this is that after trying on the 4-1/2 inch heels for a while, going back to my 4 inch Franco Sarto boots felt like sliding into a pair of slippers. I don't need to push it, though...

I do wish the designers would realize that a lot more men would begin wearing heels if they changed the styles around somewhat and re-engineered larger heels to take men's proportionally larger weight. Even though I'm only 145 pounds these days, I still wear a woman's US 11, and many manufactures are using the same thickness / stability footbed for a woman's eleven as they do for a woman's 8. Result - it feels like walking on rubber. I can't imagine how some guy (or gal) who weighed 180 pounds would feel walking in them.

The good news is that Harley Davidson increased the upper limit of their sizes to an 11. The bad news is that their boots, as good and as conservative as they would look under a pair of jeans or slacks, are nowhere close to being a match for my foot! I'm sure they fit some women, though - they seem to be selling well.

Hope you all enjoyed the show and tell!

[Robert]

I have 12 pairs. 6 pairs of kneeboots, 5 pairs of ankleboots, 1 pair of shoes. All between 2 inch and 4 inch. Some in size 43 Eur, others in size 44 Eur. That's around size 11,5-12 US or size 9,5-10 UK Robert

[dressboots]

Would have to count to be sure, but 5 pairs of knee boots that I wear on regular basis. Keep them at the front of the closet. Most others do not fit well or I do not like the style as much as I once did. Maybe 24 pairs total. Must get picture technolgy so I can share my collection with everyone.

[shyguy]

Wow Gene, what a great insight you give into your shoes. Now my turn, I have 2 pairs of womens shoes now, 1 pair has low heels but higher than most mens shoes (see "a short wearing story" thread for pics), 1 pair slightly higher but still only 2 1/2" or so slides (no pics yet). As wife is coming around to the idea hopefully this will change in the future

[Heelfan]

Gene - Congratulations! For me, that was by far the best and most interesting and most well presented posting that you've ever made on these forums. 10 out of 10 for that! Also 10 out of 10 for your wife - WOW - what a wife! Only one downer though: 0 out of 10 to you for rejecting the last two sexiest-looking pairs outright. They were a knockout and although too high could have been kept even if for the odd fleeting "fun moments". But overall, as I say, a fantasmogorical postings! Wahay! Emery - How could you do the opposite of Gene and casually drop in that you possess 84 pairs (about the same as me) with no description, no photos, no clues, nothing! How tantalising can you get? Come on Emery, take pity on us and give us the low-down, the griff, the nitty-gritty, the gen on your collection, Huh? That would be very kind! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[larry]

Hey Gene. What Heelfan said, Wow! What a presentation. Ok my collection consists of about 15 pairs of stilletos and three pairs of flats. I cant imagine my collection growing in the near future as I have almost as many pairs of heels as my wife and from time to time she reminds me of this.......Larry.

[loveheel]

Gene, Congratulations for an great collection of shoes (and to your wife for picking them out). Your feet look very good in sandals. I can see that you can pull off the look. Good luck with them.

[genebujold]

Gene, I hate to tell you, but quite a few of your last pictures came up with little red x’s.

Either the picture server was overtasked (I wouldn't be a bit surprised if our pics were prioritized lower than it's intended function) or there was a problem routing them from the server to your computer.

By the way, I don’t think you need to worry about heels in the Venetian – I spent most of a day there in the Franco Sartos that are my new avatar without comment or incident, and that included touring the whole Grand Canal Shops section. Also toured the main floor in the clogs I illustrated in some other thread.

Good for you! I'm no longer concerned about the reactions of 99.99% of the people who might see me wearing heels. I am, however, concerning about the 0.01% who might be a current or future client. Wearing heels is fun, but I still have to run a business, and as I mentioned elsewhere, although the tourists may expect themselves and others to push the limits, the locals are fairly conservative and well connected to one another. If one client dumped me in a big way, others may very well follow suite.

Another note: Linea Paolo is one of the many Nordstrom house brands.

Thanks for the tip - that's probably where my wife bought them, then, and not at Zappos.

Must get picture technolgy so I can share my collection with everyone.

Logitech's entry model, the QuckCam Messenger, sells for $49.95, but comes with a $10 rebate.

If you buy online from Tiger Direct, Amazon, or Buy.com, the net cost to you would be $30 + S&H (about $35).

Word of advice, though - just install Logitech's driver for the camera, not all of Logitech's application software (buggy and third-party contracted, so no worthwhile updates). Then plug in the camera. Then install Yahoo! Instant Messenger. Reboot and use Yahoo!'s IM software to take pics, do online IM, etc.

As for the accolades, thanks, guys. It was a toss-up as to whether I'd present the heels by themselves, complete with experiential stats (heel height, comfort, noise, ease of walking, etc.) then conduct a survey to get your feedback on which ones you liked the most and why, or whether I'd do the human interest piece.

I was feeling more relational than analytical that afternoon...

[Stilettoguy]

I'm afraid to count !! Must be in the 40 - 50 pair range....I will have to upload some pix as soon as I figure out how. Stilettoguy

[manus]

2 red hiheel shoes (4 and 5 inches) and 4 pair of boots (2 blacks and 2 reds) I prefer boots rather than shoes, I think they are more confortable and more suitable to be worn on the street...

[Heelfan]

Well Emery, I asked the question, and I certainly got the answer! Well done - very impressive. Thank you for the two photos and the descriptions of others. I hope you are enjoying your return to the world of active heel collecting and wearing! Oh, and thank you to all the others who have been describing their heel collections! Just a thought - we've now got over 1,300 members on these Megaforums. If their individual high heel collections average say, twenty pairs(?), then that's approximately 260,000 pairs of high heeled shoes = over a quarter of a million pairs! The mind boggles! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[larry]

So if the average is twenty pairs, That means that i'm still a light weight here. Well Duh, Maybe so. I can only wear one pair at a time but i'm still envious and admire you guys......What a great bunch. Sincerely....Larry.

[asdf174]

I have around 10 2 pairs 6" pumps The rest are various types of plats.

[Mickey S.]

@Emery: Those black strappy shoes look just awesome! CU! -Mike

[raponchigo]

very interesting....hehehe well,i've got 8 pairs from my collection now.... 3 boots & 5 stiletto shoes My last girlfriend dropped to the trash my complete collection (there were like 20 other pairs) I've got some other 2 pair of boots (3inch chunky heel) that i use as a men's shoe... haven't taken pics,i'll post them later!

[genebujold]

I think we're all lightweights here, compared to Emery... Send me a pair of those in your Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:07 am post, howevere, and I'll call it even.

[gingerbombshelluk]

Hi everyone My running total stands at 90pairs of shoes and boots. I like others have kept a record of my purchases as they come and go and as the hiding places get more extreme.... In the past some 160 pairs have gone through my hands [cough] feet. My pair 'about the house' are a pair of neon yellow stilettos which have a 4 1/2inch heel.... In the next day or so they will change to a pair of White Stretch PU Knee Boots with a 4 1/2inch heel....

[genebujold]

Here, I'll send YOU to THEM - I got them right down the road from you, in the N-M Last Call in the Fashion Outlet at Primm this past January. I'm not sure I've ever been in a place where the shopping ladies were more cooperative about a man in heels. You should have heard the comments: "You've GOT to get those - you'll never find another pair!" etc. Matter of fact, the pink Pradas came from there, too. They seldom have many size 11's, but when they do, it's Gucci, Prada, Louboutin, Ann Demeulemeester - some of the real biggies that never show up elsewhere!

We've stopped there a few times, usually on our way back and forth to San Diego, one of our favorite vacation spots. I've not shopped for shoes, there, but I've wandered the outlets a few times.

I've also noticed that a lot of women in shoe stores don't blink an eye at the idea of a man wearing heels. You think it's because they're more used to it than we might think? Perhaps a lot more of their business than we realize involves men buying heels. Perhaps the reason we don't see it on the streets is that most men are still in the closet when it comes to wearing heels.

[docs41]

How many pairs in my collection?? I really don't know for sure, but it has passed the 100 mark. My stash ranges fom flats to 6" heels and in all styles. I guess my taste extends beyond heels, but they are all women's shoes. Do I wear all of them in public? Unfortunately my desire goes way past what my courage allows me to wear outside in this VERY redneck area of Pennsylvania. But I have become more daring and who knows, maybe someday I'll be able to wear anything I want just like some of you can! Until then I'm happy with what I'm doing.

[steph]

Mmmm...between 50 and 60 pairs with 2 more ordered on internet (should arrive in a couple of days...cannot wait any longer). Mostly pumps and sandals, some slides and mules but only 3 pairs of boots. Heels ranging from 3cm to 17cm...all stilettos!

[Lee]

Well, for sure I'm in the light weight category. Only 6 pairs... 1 platform, 1 sandal, and 4 pumps. But I love them all. Lee

[verngentleheels]

I feel like a piker - only 10 pairs but that is 40% of all the shoes I own! Vern

[w6ish]

i've been building a pretty good sized collection since 1996. i have 8 pairs of white 6 inch heels, 3 pairs of black 6 inch heels, 1 pair of white 7.5 inch heels (although that number is soon to rise drastically since i've discovered that's a look of extreme interest for me), 2 pairs of black 7.5 inch heels, 1 pair of white 8 inch heels, and two pairs of boots, both with 6 inch heels, and in black. all of them have platforms. sent 1 pair of 5 inch heel boots to the goodwill because they just didn't cut it next to a pair of 6 inch stilettos. like i said though, white 7.5 inch spike heels look incredibly fun to me and i'm planning on purchasing several pairs of those over the next few months.

[Nicole]

11 pairs that I can think of. Here's the list. The numbers at the front are at the heel height. 3" navy leather pumps (from Payless- comfortable) 3" black suede sandals (ideal for the pedicure) Those 2 pairs are block heels; but the rest are essentially stilletos 4" black velvet ankle boots (from Miller's Outpost- a little too small for me, but they stretch fairly well) 4" white leather ankle boots (from Maya's of Hollywood- quite comfy) 4" green patent thigh high boots (a bit tight in the calfs, and in any case the California climate is not the best for boots) 5" black velvet ankle strap pumps (very comfy but on their last legs- they're from Frederick's; I've been very happy with all of my shoe purchases from Frederick's) 5" black patent pumps (from Maya's of Hollywood- a bit tight) 5" red patent ankle boots (from Frederick's I think- wonderful boots) 5" black leather granny boots (From Frederick's- my favourite heels when wearing men's clothes) 6" black patent pumps (from Maya's of Hollywood- these are in a 12, as opposed to my usual 11, but that's a good thing in this case; they fit very well) 6" black plastic sandals (One of my less inspired choices- too small, horrible crafting, almost unwearable and certainly unwalkable- oh and unreturnable) I've had more in the past, but for one reason or another they are no longer with me. Some of my favourites from the past include 6" blue leather pumps, 5" green patent pumps, and 5" pink leather pumps. I hope to get a couple more pairs soon.

[genebujold]

Well, for sure I'm in the light weight category. Only 6 pairs...

1 platform, 1 sandal, and 4 pumps.

But I love them all.

Lee

I'm more like you, although it's as much from being a penny-pincher and never allowing anything to pile up more than anything else. To me, heels are a means to an end, not the end itself, so it's easy for me to set limits (like what will fit without stacking at the bottom of my wardrobe), select the best, and give the rest to Goodwill.

[BobHH]

I don't want to know. Too many!

[Mickey S.]

Thought I'd contributed to that topic already. Wrong. So, 'kay, here it comes: I got 182 + 3 (the latter 3 are on their way to me) pairs. These are regular pumps from 4"..8" heels w/ no platform, platform shoes and boots (where the boots are amongst ankle, calf, knee-high, just overknees and thigh-high ones) with 1"..8" platform and up to 12" heels and 3 pairs of ballet-type shoes (ankle boots, 2x thigh high boots). So, I'm sort of equipped. If there wasn't always new styles that's interesting and tempting to spend some money on... CU! -Mike

[DeSalto]

Some remarcable collections here! I'm on the average: 22 pairs. 1) Strappy black suede sandals, 5" heels 2) Crystal clear stiletto sandals, 1/2" plat. 5" heels 3) Black wrap around ankle strap sandals, w/ rhinestones, 5" heels 4) White leather stiletto ankle strap sandals, 5" heels 5) Beige leather wrap around ankle strap sandals, 4 1/2" heels 6) White pointed toes wrap around ankle strap d'orsay, 4" heels 7) Brown suede ankle strap d'orsay, pointed toes, 4" heels 8 ) Black suede stiletto strappy sandals, 1/2" plat, 5 1/2" 9) Black leather ankle strap sandals, 2 crossed straps over toes, 5" heels. 10) Crystal clear stiletto sandals, 1" plat. 5 1/2" heels. 11) Red leather stilleto sandals, w/ red rhinestones, 5" heels. 12) Pink leather strappy sandals, blade 5" heels. 13) Light brown strappy wedge sandals, 1/2" plat. 5" 1/2 heels 14) White leather stiletto strappy (knotted) sandals, 5" heels. 15) Coral (light orange) leather stiletto ankle strap sandals, retro style, 1" plat. 5 1/2" heels. 16) Black leather wide ankle strap d'orsay shoes, pointed toes, 5" stilettos. 17) Black leather wrap around ankle strap sandals, 2" plat. 7" stilettos. 18 ) Black/Dark brown leather, wide ankle strap sandals, 1/2" plat. 5"3/4 stilettos. 19) White leather strappy stiletto sandals, 1/2" plat 5"heels. 20) Black satin stiletto sandals, metal chain ankle straps, 5" heels. 21) Gold crisscrossed ankle strap leather sandals, 5 1/4" heels. 22) Black suede t-strap d'orsay shoes, pointed toes, 5" stilettos.