New pair of boots starts me serious street heeling.

[Shafted]

Micha:

If memory serves, those are ankle boots Shafted wore in that pic, so wearing jeans over them is impractical. It looks to me like the cut of the jeans he wore presented the image of bulky boot shafts. I've had that happen to me when I wear jeans. No big deal.

You are absolutely right on this one Jeff, as a caught that same pair of jeans doing it to me a few minutes ago. It's definitely not the boots doing it as the shafts are not that high and the thin PVC shafts fit close.

[JeffB]

A-ha! Guess it pays to be observant! Heh! Anyway, I've found that wearing regular fit jeans, and not the "relaxed" fit variety can I eliminate that little problem. And, I wear my jeans good and tight with boots which also adds to the sleekness factor.

[Shafted]

A-ha! Guess it pays to be observant! Heh! Anyway, I've found that wearing regular fit jeans, and not the "relaxed" fit variety can I eliminate that little problem. And, I wear my jeans good and tight with boots which also adds to the sleekness factor.

Those jeans are regular fit, Jeff. That pair seems to want to crease around the knees a little wierd.

[Shafted]

Had an interesting experience today. Just so that anyone might think that I'm posting only positive comments here try this one on for size. I was coming out of a convenience store and just reached for the door handle of my truck, when I heard a male voice say "high heels". I came from a high school aged boy sitting in the passenger side of a nearby pickup truck. It was the stone cold way he said it that gave me bad vibes. I think that he didn't realize I heard him. Looked like a couple of redneck punks. I just left well enough alone and left with my head high. They weren't even deserving of a smile in my book.

[Dawn HH]

Shafted:-) I like the treatment that you gave those red-neck punks. The problem is totally theirs, not yours, and they need to deal with it or keep their mouths shut. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Shafted]

Well I got my Two Lips boots back from the cobbler with new leather half-soles and new heel tips.

http://show.imagehosting.us/show/607591/12244/user_12244/T0_12244_607591.JPG

My local cobbler rather enjoyed working on these as here in Maine, boots like mine are somewhat of a rarity. And yes, he is aware that they are mine.

I decided to take them for a spin at the theatre tonight. Had some teenagers checking me and my boots out once again. The conversation that followed went something like this.

Boy 1: Why are you wearing high heels.

Me: You think these are high?

Boy 1: Aren't those womens shoes?

Me: Yes they are, at least until I got hold of em.

Boy 1: But why are you wearing them?

Me: Because I want to.

Boy 2: I think they're really cool.

The entire group which was comprised of both boys and girls were rather startled at the ease which I handled them, not to mention the speed that I could move around in them.

I've heard many things about fear of teenagers on this board over time, but my experience in the presence of teenagers has mostly been encouraging.

[Bubba136]

I didn't realize that you had worn your boots to the point that they required re-soleing (thats a lot of miles). I think, once again, the positive way you handled the curious teenagers was just great.

[Dawn HH]

Shafted:-) You must have put quite a few miles on those Two Lips boots in order to have had to resole them. You say that your shoe repairman knows that theses boots are yours. To him evidently he is just repairing a pair of boots and it doesn't matter to him whether a male or female wears them. He is just tending to his business and satisfying the customer. Has he made any comments worth repeating here? Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Shafted]

Bubba, There was a lot of wear in the toe area of the boot which was allowing the upper at the toe to wear. I found that the synthetic soles wore quite quickly. I'm hoping the leather soles will last much longer. The heel tips were wearing pretty thin as well. This is my most worn boot, because so far it's my overall favorite for both style and comfort. As far as teeneagers go I find that they are definitely not afraid to express individual opinions of something like a guy in stiletto heels. They are also the most open, and are willing to ask questions about guys wearing heels. This is a behavior we should all encourage.

[Shafted]

Well Dawn, I've been in and out of his shop several times wearing high heels. If a cobbler doesn't notice what you're wearing on your feet, the rest of the world is a lost cause.

[Dawn HH]

Shafted:-) I agree in what you said about cultivating the questions and remarks of teens. If they are interested in asking then we should give them the most honest and straight-forward answers that we can. Not having known beforehand, I also agree that the shoe repairman would obviously make note of your footwear when you enter his shop. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[jim]

Well you should get a few more miles out of your TwoLips now they've had a resole Shafted.

Compared to the old synthetic sole, do you think they feel or walk any better or at least "differently," with a leather bottom??

I like the idea of leather soles myself, but I've found they seem to absorb moisture alot easier when wet, altho I'm still not sure if they wear any less quickly than the plastic types.

As you have found, the sole at the very point of the boot wears extra fast. I have noticed on a number of new boots, a 1.5" hard rubber wear strip on the "point"...even if the rest is done in leather.

My shoe repair guy says that for $25 he can do the same and will inlet into the original sole a similar piece of hard rubber which should reduce the problem significantly.

Here’s the wear strip on a pair of boots with leather soles…

Btw..did you get plastic or metal heel tips fitted??

regards,

jim

[Shafted]

Jim, I really don't notice the dirfference in walking except for the leather seems to provide a little extra shock absorbtion. The hard rubber wear strip is an interesting solution. I have never seen that one before. The heel tips are plastic.

[dr1819]

I still can't believe how many guys like wearing pointed-toe, high-heeled boots. To me, they're the death-knell of enjoyment. It's not a matter of advertisement. I wear heeled boots, sometimes block, sometimes tapered, sometimes spiked. But if my toes are being pinched, I shuck the boots! And I've yet to find a pair of pointed-toe boots, even those several sizes larger than mine, where my toes aren't pinched by the forward-sliding action of my foot in the boot. In fact, the only boots where my toes aren't pinched are those with both roomy toe space and either zippered entry, lace-up uppers, or both. The "slide-in" boots are too loose in the instep, which almost invariably results in my foot sliding forward until my toes take the brunt of the stress. My most comfortable heel by far, and the one I've taken to wearing around the house almost exclusively, are my all-leather Clarks clogs, sporting a measured 3-1/4" heel (with no more than a 1/4" platform). Those would be followed closely by my all-leather wingtip granny boots, with a 3-1/4" heel and tapered heels.

[Ionic]

Jim,

I really don't notice the dirfference in walking except for the leather seems to provide a little extra shock absorbtion.

The hard rubber wear strip is an interesting solution. I have never seen that one before. <snip>

in the 'mods' forum, hart88 mentioned a product called 'Flash Black' for doing things like this and there may have been discussion about this pointy toe wear problem.

finding that stuff in the UK has defeated me, although instead I have just found something not too disimilar called 'Shoo Goo' which comes in clear as well as rubberised black. it should be available in USA and Japan. I'm still experimenting and will report back on it in due course.

after a new pair of your pointy soles has roughed up a bit but, before any significant wear, this product could be used as a preventative by coating on two or three thin layers. this can then take the wear and be re-applied from time to time. you could also try a 'Blakeys' metal tip if you like the metal noise or even do both - coat the metal tip with Goo to quieten it. There's a dozen or so different shapes and sizes for both toes and heels from Blakey's.

[micha]

I still can't believe how many guys like wearing pointed-toe, high-heeled boots. To me, they're the death-knell of enjoyment.

It's not a matter of advertisement. I wear heeled boots, sometimes block, sometimes tapered, sometimes spiked. But if my toes are being pinched, I shuck the boots!

And I've yet to find a pair of pointed-toe boots, even those several sizes larger than mine, where my toes aren't pinched by the forward-sliding action of my foot in the boot.

In fact, the only boots where my toes aren't pinched are those with both roomy toe space and either zippered entry, lace-up uppers, or both. The "slide-in" boots are too loose in the instep, which almost invariably results in my foot sliding forward until my toes take the brunt of the stress.

My most comfortable heel by far, and the one I've taken to wearing around the house almost exclusively, are my all-leather Clarks clogs, sporting a measured 3-1/4" heel (with no more than a 1/4" platform). Those would be followed closely by my all-leather wingtip granny boots, with a 3-1/4" heel and tapered heels.

Hmmh dr1819, I'm also a fan of pointy boots. Because I like the style together with long flare hip jeans. But there is still another reason. My foot size is EU 44/45. My feet are long and rather slim. Boots with a very long pointed toe-box are more comfortable for me than boots with a rounded or even a rectangular toe box (Eeeh :x I never liked this ugly fashion of the 90s). Some pointy boots are even matching for me in size EU 42/43.

If shoes with a rounded toe box should become fashionable again - like the boots on your avatar - my big toes and their nearest neighbours are hoping that our community has meanwhile grown enough for pretty offers in size EU 45.

At least I've just conquered from a german Ebay store stylish baby pink stiletto boots in my size. Naturally pointy, because I like this style. With these boots I had never any problem of toe pinching

[Ionic]

I've thought about this knotty issue a lot and I think it is rather a complicated problem and very much down to the great variability of foot shapes. I've had a load of attempts at getting pointy pixie boots like this - say 3.5 to 4 inch heels - most of which were a complete failure. All were too small and to narrow - just not enough 'volume' in the toe box. I've seen plenty of eBay sales where the gals have said they need to go up a size in this sort of boot except there's no next size for me (with rare exceptions). They are almost always very narrow fitting and the only reason I can think of for this is that they definitely look better when narrow. Now there is a limited trade off between width and foot length with pointy styles but this can't be pushed to far. Micha says he is rather narrow which is probably why he has found more success. With wider toes one pushes more into the V with the same length and tend to need a bigger size. There are some other factors, whether you have a foot shape with a long big toe or else long middle toes - the later are going to be more successful in pointy toe boxes especially if a bit wider. Whether your toes are long from the joint with a shorter foot or short toes and a longer foot up to the toe joints is also going matter. Micha mentioned problems with round toes style; certainly with full half-moon very round toes this is a real problem if you have your big toes as the longest ones. I find these a big problem because my toe line slopes back and my little toes are miles shorter than the rest, so if the big toe is comfortable in a very round toe then there's a huge empty void in the toe box. I tend to find the squared off toe easiest to find a good fit (sorry Micha). Someone else to blame, of course, is Sir Isaac Newton and the laws of physics... ...1st law of motion = 'for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction'. the forces of your body weight have got to be stopped somewhere. as a result I tend to like the feel of a firm close fitting vamp of a pair of boots rather than jamming of toes into a court shoe. another way of reducing those forces is to lose a bit of weight too!! I'm sure a 55kg woman gets less pain than someone heavier.

[Shafted]

As well as loving the style of a pointed toe, it's just a better fit for my foot. Square or round toe does not work at all for me because in the proper size I have too much room in toe. I can actually stand and wiggle my toes no problem in those pointy toed stiletto boots. It's simply the best design for my feet. Edited to add: I find that for any high heel that the shoe must fit the foot entirely. I think that my high arches give me a slight advantage when it comes to fit. The shoe must fit well to your arch as well as the heel and toe. With most closed high heels the arch is supported by the upper, not the sole. The narrow sole allows the upper to effectively form a sling to support the arch. This also helps keep the foot from sliding forward, thereby preventing crunching your toes. For me a high heeled sandal would probably not be for me to wear, as the shank curve by itself could not support my arch. Getting back to the pointed toe, some people just can't wear them because of their foot shape. But never make the mistake that just because one person finds them uncomfortable they must be that way on everybody. If I found them uncomfortable, I wouldn't wear them. It's that simple. One woman I know asked me if they crunch my toes, to which I responded, "Are they supposed to?"

[Bubba136]

Boots with pointed toes. I have two pair of boots with pointed toes that I have a real problem with. One pair, black Ninewest ankle boots with with 4" blade heels, that are a real "pain" to wear because the extra length of the pointed toes get caught in the carpet, on concrete or other types of flooring. The second pair is another pair of ankle boots with 4" stiletto heels and extremely pointed toes. The same thing with this pair, too. The toes get caught in the floor. If I try to walking, lifting my feet high off of the floor, I look like some really big footed goof trying to walk in those oversized shoes clowns wear. I don't have that problem with my J Lo boots that have pointed toes and 4½" heels. They're comfortable to wear and my steps are natural when walking in them.

[JSpikeheels]

Hello Everyone:

A special hello again to Bubba..this is "Charlotte Jim" from Jenny's back with you all again..

As many of you who know me know I have fooled around for years with five inch stilettos but only for brief periods of time and always around the house because I never felt right wearing traditional ladies' style heels in public..

But I just ordered and received:

http://www.fredericks.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=Holiday2002&category%5Fname=Shoes-Mules&product%5Fid=67916

and I am going street heeling as an earlier series of posting called it..it really did come down to the right boots that brought me to that "comfort level" that Shafted and Jeff spoke about..

Stay Tuned friends

JSpikeheels (Jim)

[Shafted]

Hi JSpikeheels, Those are great boots to start street heeling in. Those are some pretty nice boots, very much what I prefer for street heeling. Enjoy them!

[Dawn HH]

Dr1819:-) I must have the right shaped foot for this, as my foot is short and broad with the big toe the longest and all the other toes taper back from the big one. I love the pointed toe box with a 4" heel and have been wearng pumps and boots quite comfortably for decades now without a single bit of any problem what-so-ever. I think the pointed toe box is the most stylish design ever and it has been used for a long time now. I am quite comfortable in a U.S. women's 7.5 Medium width in a pump and a U.S. women's 8 Medium width in a boot. I do have a couple pairs of 9 Medium width boots because of the manufacturers way of using the size chart. But all of my shoes and boots fit me well enough that I have been in heels for periods of time up to 18 hours many times. JSpikeheels:-) Welcome to the Forum and I hope your stay here will be productive and enjoyable for you. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[BobHH]

My problem is with the arches. They are not high enough for my feet. The platform sandals and boots have a very curved arch which I find comfortable, but the boots without a platform have little curve to the arch. Even adding Dr Scholl's arch supports is very marginal, and not really enough shape. The uppers offer no support at all. The interesting thing is that the platform boots are very uncomfortable despite the high arches, and I'm not sure why. They really hurt the balls of my feet, even with extra padding. Platform sandals are very comfortable, though the base units are identical. Mystery.

[Dawn HH]

I have had an extremely high arch all of my life and maybe that is one reason that I have had such success in wearing high heels so comfortably for so long. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[BobHH]

I used to walk literally miles each day at work, and after years my feet/arches really started to hurt. When I finally got some high heels, for other reasons, I was surprised that they relieved that pain. Even now, not that many years later, I find that putting on a pair of heels after coming home with aching feet is very comfortable, and helps my feet recover.

[Shafted]

I used to walk literally miles each day at work, and after years my feet/arches really started to hurt. When I finally got some high heels, for other reasons, I was surprised that they relieved that pain. Even now, not that many years later, I find that putting on a pair of heels after coming home with aching feet is very comfortable, and helps my feet recover.

Funny you should mention this, as my experience is very similar. In addition to alieviating pain in my arches, heel wearing has virtually cured my lower back problems.

[Bubba136]

Hi Jim. Nice to see you again. Hope you find a nice location in the city to exercise your new boots.

Just as a word about the city. I happened to be in Charlotte two weeks ago (meeting with the Engineering Firm that I am associated with) and, on my way home, stopped at South Park and looked around for an hour or so before I headed back to Charleston.

I was wearing a pair of brown Ann Taylor penny loafer style shoes with 4" block heels (similar to these)

Admittedly, these shoes aren't your average stiletto heeled boots or pumps. However, they are women's shoes and if anyone really took a second look, they would easily recognize my shoes as woman's high heels. But, in the more than an hour I was in the mall, walking around in and around different stores and corridors, I didn't notice one person that paid particularly overt attention to my footwear. I guess my point is you should be able to wear your new boots anywhere without untoward attention. Please let us know your impressions and experiences as a street heeler. We are all anxious to hear about them.

Nice to renew your acquaintence. Hope to see you on Yahoo IM or in Jenny's chat room again, soon.

[dr1819]

Hmmh dr1819, I'm also a fan of pointy boots. Because I like the style together with long flare hip jeans. But there is still another reason. My foot size is EU 44/45. My feet are long and rather slim. Boots with a very long pointed toe-box are more comfortable for me than boots with a rounded or even a rectangular toe box (Eeeh :x I never liked this ugly fashion of the 90s). Some pointy boots are even matching for me in size EU 42/43.

Micha - I have the utmost respect for your choice of style or fit. My comments with respect to fit and fashion pertain only to my own humble opinion/needs. I would never expect others to feel like they have to agree with me.

My own feet are quite narrow. Shoes that fit my instep are too short, and shoes that fit my length are usually too roomy, unless it's a lace-up, which is why I like my lace-up wingtip granny boots so much. Mid-height heel, roomy toe box, and conforming leather - the utmost in comfort in a stylish, sufficiently stealthed heeled shoe!

Someone else to blame, of course, is Sir Isaac Newton and the laws of physics... ...1st law of motion = 'for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction'. the forces of your body weight have got to be stopped somewhere. As a result I tend to like the feel of a firm close fitting vamp of a pair of boots rather than jamming of toes into a court shoe. Another way of reducing those forces is to lose a bit of weight too!! I'm sure a 55kg woman gets less pain than someone heavier.

For kicks and grins, I dusted off my physics book (well, mentally, anyway) and calculated the loading (psi) differential between a typical female and male foot given average weights.

Sources:

Average shoe sizes:

http://www.genderweb.org/general/ave_bo.phtml

http://www.wonderquest.com/dinosaur-shoe-sidesaddle.htm#shoe

Shoe size/length conversion:

Payless Size Charts

Average weight:

Male-Female Average Weights

Here are the results:

Women Men

Average Size (US) 8 10.5

Length (in) 9.6875 10.8125

Width (in) 3.5625 4.0625

Proportional Area 34.51171875 43.92578125

Weight (lbs) 144 177

Ratio (ratio/area) 4.172 4.030

1/3 Heel (in) 3.20 3.57

Notes:

1. The proportional area is not a true measure of the contact area of the foot with the shoe. However, it's an accurate reflection of the relative difference between the contact area of women and men's feet. By itself, for each sex, it's useless, but we can compute a male/female ratio using it or anything derived from it (such as the ratio) and obtain a true measure of the difference between men and women's foot loadings.

2. We can accurately conclude that, on average, the loading experienced by women is 3.5% higher than that experienced by men, regardless of whether they're wearing flats or heels. This holds true, however, only for proportional heels.

It's long been noted by statistics garnered from the medical community that long-term wear of any heel higher than 1/3 the length of the foot tends to result in sharply increased problems for the wearer. More on this in another post...

The point is that the ratio of stresses on the ball of the foot compared to the heel is the same for a 3.2" heel on a size 8 (US Women) as it is for a 3.57" heel on a size 10.5 (US Men). You can compute your own foot loading using the links provided above, your size, your weight, etc.

[Shafted]

It's long been noted by statistics garnered from the medical community that long-term wear of any heel higher than 1/3 the length of the foot tends to result in sharply increased problems for the wearer.

This is something that the medical community seems to be divided on. Many foot and back physicians actually recommend 1 to 2 inches of heel for everyone with the exception of pregnant women. For the feet because it more evenly distributes the load across the entire foot and for the back because it promotes a spinal curve that puts a more even force across the entire surface of the discs in between the vertabre.

[Shafted]

Hi all!

I decided to get a pair of these to try, just for fun. I've never worn a 6 inch heel before and want to see if I'm up to the task.

http://allhighheelshoes.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fpage=1&productID=794&cartID=510240756&categoryid=101

If anything they ought to make my 5 inch heels seem easy.