HighBoots Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 I have the feeling that boots become more and more a feminine only fashion. For women you have all kind of boots available, from flat rising boots to outrageous high heels crotch high fetish ones. For men, the only boot type you can easily find is the paratroop/military style. Riding styles in regular shoe shops is often women only (=small sizes). Thigh highs and higher flat boots in mens sizes are inexistant in non fetish shops. So even without heel, this kind of footwear is focused to the female customer. WHY ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurieheels Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Why? Because politicians, old men, and oil companies run the world. The real reason is fashion has become a money making industry and is not about self expression. They expect women to spend spend spend and men should be paying for it, I suppose. Of course, we don't care what the fashion world will dictate. Just find a store with larger sizes, by the boots you like, and wear them! Many so called feminine boots are far too masculine for me, so they should be easy to turn into a unisex style. Heel or not, the boots out there today can double up for the genders. We still have this men are manly men mentality in society that prohibits the freedom of expression. It will take people who are willing to break that stereotype to make the world a better place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubberVicki Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Well said Laurie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5_Inch_Pumps Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Laurie, you ROCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highluc Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Hello highboot, there are flat thigh highs for men available from Jamin in the US. I just checked their site but this was unavailable (as many sites this weekend due to the 3day maintenance from Yahoo/Geocities. Check on them next week, the link can be found on my webpages. These are high quality leather non-fetish styles sold at competitive prices. Good luck. Be youself, enjoy any footwear you like and don't care about what others think about it, it's your life, not theirs. Greetings from Laurence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Laurie said it all. Get out there and find some boots. Who gives a toss who they were "supposed" to be for. When you buy them they are YOURS. On a slightly more practical note, if you are going to wear trousers then knee high and thigh high boots are somewhat wasted. I wear boots 90% of the time, but they are ankle boots. If you want to do skirts or shorts then knee or thigh highs would be a good buy. I've seen Xaphod wear knee highs outside trousers and it looks good. It's nice to experiment with sonmething which might suit you. Don't be a fashion slave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurieheels Posted May 4, 2002 Share Posted May 4, 2002 Thank you. I just try to say what needs to be said, and what we are all thinking. It's about time the world changed for the better, so why not encourage it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHeels Posted May 5, 2002 Share Posted May 5, 2002 Great statement Laurie!!! Absolutely agree. Inga HEELS are POWER the HIGHER the BETTER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted May 5, 2002 Share Posted May 5, 2002 Well said Laurie.....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShockQueen Posted May 5, 2002 Share Posted May 5, 2002 One thing the fashion companies need to be made aware of, and I know it's been said time and time again, is that if they make fashionable boots in larger sizes, then they will have a greater market since men who have larger feet will be able to buy them as well, thus giving the manufacturers more profit from making them for us as well! SQ.....still busting societal molds with a smile...and a 50-ton sledge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calv Posted May 5, 2002 Share Posted May 5, 2002 About the only boots you see for men, apart from the ones that look like they belong on a construction site are chelsea boots. One store here in the UK (Brantano) was selling a mens dress boot with about a 2 inch heel - shock horror. It looked like something from the 1960's, and didn't tempt me. Do your own thing. Don't be a victim of conformity. Calv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trolldeg Posted May 6, 2002 Share Posted May 6, 2002 hey, I love my doc marten type, steel-toed boots. they are the only type of footwear, besides heels, that go well with my clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamyam Posted May 6, 2002 Share Posted May 6, 2002 I've got a few pairs of no-heel boots, like my Doc Martins, a pair of sandy Cat boots, and a pair of smart ankle boots for work. I don't think boots are 'women-only', but then, I agree that they're not women's shoes, they're mine! Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShockQueen Posted May 6, 2002 Share Posted May 6, 2002 I agree, Yamyam! Once a pair of shoes or boots is purchased, it no longer makes them 'womens' or 'mens', but whoever owns them! I'm loving that my closet is growing with 'MY' shoe/boot collection! Wheeeeee! Time to build some shelving! SQ.....still busting societal molds with a smile...and a 50-ton sledge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted May 8, 2002 Share Posted May 8, 2002 While I've put my boots away until Fall, I see no reason why they should be considered "women only". You'd think that boots would be more gender flexible while pumps on the other hand are the classic "women only" shoe, a designation I ignore since I wear them at the office every day. And I agree, once you buy a pair of shoes, the gender switches automatically to the person who owns them. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurieheels Posted May 9, 2002 Share Posted May 9, 2002 Why should people fuss over shoes, anyway? If they are staring at your feet, there is something wrong. People shold be looking one another in the eye! As for gender, we have to break rules in order to bring about change. So let's do whatever we feel like doing to accomplish the death of the stereotypes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heelson Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Not so sure about the breaking the rules bit .... doesn't that imply that we recognise them, and their validity? Just ignore them completely and do what you want. Thinking about it, let's all vote for anarchy. (yes, joke intended). Forgive the above, I'm in a silly mood. I really like the idea that a pair of shoes/heels is neither "mens" nor "womens", it's "mine" just as soon as I've bought them. I'm going to use that line if anyone ever comments about *my* heels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 In a sense there is a an unwritten rule made for us by society. If you go into the men's clothing section you wont find any heels so you have to buy them in the women's section. Some people throw up their arms in shock horror but plenty of women shop in the men's section for various items, so what is the big deal? I don't think the manufacturers or shoe shops would have any problem selling heels for men but to make a fundamental fashion change like this requires some pioneers who are prepares to buck trends. If we ever do see heeled mens styles it will be "sensible" 3-4" block type heels. You can forget the stilettos or thinner ones, so you'll still havve to buck the trend to wear those! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurieheels Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 Tacit rules are still rules to some people. No one passed legislation abou fashion specifics, well, at least, not in Canada, but there are perceptions, I suppose. Smash them, stomp on them, be an individual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 Passed by a men's shoe store yesterday and was saddened by what I saw. Nothing but loafers and wingtips, all eitehr black or brown, nothing else at all. No style, no variety, zip city. Then I walked past a women's shoe store and it was like a smorgasbord! Pumps, boots, sandals, mules, slingbacks, you name it, it was there, and in every color of the rainbow to boot! Fabulous! It's a damn shame men have to be so distressingly limited in terms of footwear because society dictates that to be so. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 Smash and stomp; I like that Laurie. It's going to be my in-phrase for a bit, especially the stomping bit, very appropriate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShockQueen Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 I agree, JeffB! What IS up with the limited styles in the "men's" section, while the "women's" section is littered for miles around with every shape, color, style, and height you can possibly imagine! I think the fashion designers have resigned to the fact that most men don't want something fancy - just something that is functional. OK, folks...it comes down to this, and I'll put fresh batteries in my megaphone for this: WHAT WILL IT BE??? STYLE...OR SUBSTANCE??? and yes, I'm giving that same thoughtful look that the ladies did in "Too Wong Foo". SQ.....still busting societal molds with a smile...and a 50-ton sledge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man-in-Boots Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 who make up the rule that boots are for women only??? men can wear boots all they want...will that rule apply to pets??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 What it needs is for the main men's fashion companies to start selling high heeled shoes in their high street outlets........but to keep selling them and not pulling them off the shelf after just a season! I believe Burton or Top Man sold skirts a couple of years ago, but pulled them off the shelf after a season - probably because they weren't selling very many. But they have to persevere and eventually it will become accepted So many shoes & boots to buy in so little time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamyam Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 What it needs is for the main men's fashion companies to start selling high heeled shoes in their high street outlets........but to keep selling them and not pulling them off the shelf after just a season! I believe Burton or Top Man sold skirts a couple of years ago, but pulled them off the shelf after a season - probably because they weren't selling very many. But they have to persevere and eventually it will become accepted The trouble is that shops are in business to make money. They won't persevere with something that doesn't sell unless they are forced to. So we can ask them to make high heels for men, or skirts for men, or whatever we want, but they'll only do it if they see a market and then the items sell. So, not much hope just yet. Actually, I agree with Calv - I've spotted some shoes on the mens' side of the shop with slightly elevated heels, but they looked absolutely awful. If you put them on my corpse it'd take them off again! On that basis, I'm happy being able to buy what I want from the women's side of the shop But it'd be nice to have some more choice. Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 The Little Shoe Box, Leatherworks, Hayway, Divine and so on (just mentioning a few UK companies), and many more world-wide, seem to have viable businesses just selling stiletto heels to men. Maybe they ought to try getting some of their stuff into high street outlets. Hmm, I realise that United Footware have some stuff similar to this; but it is still marketed as ladies, even if some (lots?) of it is bought by the gents for themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamyam Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 My curiosity got the better of me a little while ago in Brantano, and I asked the assistant who was helping me if they had many men in buying heels. "Oh yes!" she said with a smile. Apparently, they have one or two a week! And that's just the Hull branch. I think that it's one of those situations where the people on the shop floor know what goes on, but they can't tell management. As jo said, there are any number of businesses selling heels to men, but I can't help thinking that the prices would be a little more sensible if it wasn't such a niche business. I'm always reminded of my trip to Transformation, where anything at all cost a small fortune! I'm fortunate in that I fit into off-the-shelf shoes, so I buy at women's prices, not men's prices. I save a fortune, but I wonder about those who aren't so lucky with sizing! Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 Transformation (Euston, London) is the most pushy and arrogant business that I have ever visited. Nope, I didn't part with any money. They must get a lot of shy and dithery customers, but that is no excuse for the staff attitute, which was utterly abysmal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katie Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Instead of going to transformation for shoes, just go direct to the manufacturer: www.hayway.demon.co.uk They're a family run factory in Leicester. They're really friendly, and you can shop at the factory to make sure you get the right sizes or mail order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 I have met the girls from Hayway, they are really friendly, and yeah as you say it is a nice little family-run business. They make a lot of stuff, mostly PVC, and a lot of it aimed at the TV/CD market, etc, but there is some stuff there that will appeal to most people here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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