2008 - The Summer of HappyFeat

[HappyFeat]

I have decided that this is the "Summer of HappyFeat" - at least in my world. To celebrate, I am going to take one day per week and go heeling. I have been inspired by several threads on this site recently and some of the adventures many other members are enjoying. My plan is to take a day and try a new place and just enjoy a quiet outing - while wearing heels of course - then share my experiences with the board. Kind of my way of sharing and thanking everybody for their support, stories, etc. Today's trip - Shopping in Pittsburgh at a suburban mall Today's outfit - Gray/Brown Clayborn Sweater; 1971 American Eagle Jeans Today's shoes - 3 inch Rampage Pumps, Chocolate brown w/ patent trim My first stop was at Macy's. On my way to the shoe department, I stopped and looked at handbags in a clearance bin. They were not very busy, and had a lot of people working. I was asked twice by different people if I needed help, but declined. After about five minutes an older sales lady asked if I was looking for a small handbag. I know she had seen my shoes, but didn't seem to care. I said that it was a small bag I was interested in, but the colors on sale were not what I was looking for. I really wanted something in red. She of course led me to a rack where they weren't on sale so I pretended to be interested and thanked her for her help. Next I went to the shoe department and headed straight to the clearance rack. Unlike the rest of the store, there was a good old fashioned feeding frenzy going on in ladies shoes. Once I found where the 11's were (and they had quite a few), I grabbed a beautiful Nine West open toe pump, slipped off my shoe and tried it on. The two women who were also shopping didn't even flinch. They were far to absorbed in their own shopping. I also tried a pair of CDBG blue patent pumps, Carlos Santana copper open toe pump, and a pair of 2 inch faux alligator pump. All were too small. I was very, very tempted to get the Nine West, but have sworn off any new black shoes. Come on, how many can a guy own? I know that at least a dozen people saw me trying on shoes, but nobody took a second glance, as least as far as I could tell. Next, I headed into the mall to go to a self-serve store called "The Shoe Department." For those of you not familiar, this chain sometimes caries some decent brands at reasonable prices. The store was basically empty, with a couple of women working. As soon as I walked in, the younger woman spotted my shoes and kind of giggled. She welcomed me to the store and then walked to the other employee and pointed out my shoes. Later the younger woman came over and offered me help. I said I was just looking and went about browsing. After 10 minutes and finding nothing of interest, I left. The younger woman old me to come back again. Next, I ate. In the restaurant, again I could tell people noticed, but there were no huge reactions. The woman setting across from me (who was wearing a beautiful pair of navy and white spectators) and I made eye contact and flirted a little. She did not notice my shoes until I left. Here eyes became huge with surprise when she saw them as as was walking out. I just smiled and gave her a little wink. When I got outside, I turned around and she and three other ladies were standing at the window staring as I walked to the car. Their looks seemed to be more of admiration than novelty. My final stop for the day was at the Bath and Body Works. The store was pretty busy but a sales girl came right to me to offer help. I was looking for some lip balm that they sell that I like. She took me to where it was then began recommending products. She insisted that I try this peppermint lip gel, so I did. She even squirted it out of the tube onto a stuck so I could try it. I loved it! So she began offering me some that was tinted, so I tried it as well. I bought a tube of the clear gel and when she went to throw away the sample sticks, she dropped them right next to me shoes. I am pretty sure she was just wanting to bend over and get a good look. She was very nice and I am pretty sure she got a kick out of my "look." On the way home, I stopped to buy gas. When I went to pay, the sales clerk winked at me as I left. Nice way to end a pretty fun afternoon. As I have said, my goal is to have an outing every week this summer. I will keep everybody informed. Please post any comments, ideas, etc that you wish.

[JeffB]

Remarkable! Sounds like you had a great time from start to finish. From what I read, your outing was pretty incredible, shopping in many venues, especially in the shoe stores as you tried on whatever you wanted without any trouble. I partically enjoyed the restaurant portion of your adventure. All things considered, you related just the sort of story that can give encouragement to others wanting to venture out, you showed that a man can wear women's shoes in public without any calamity, and have lots of fun too. Bravo to you, my friend!

[Trinity]

It certainly sounds like you had a good time, and shows that we can go out in heels. I think this will prov inspirational to us all. Thank you, i can feel my confidence is up a notch already.

[shyguy]

Thanks for sharing your days events with us, sounds like you had the perfect day in your heels. Looking forward to your weekly bulletins, hope they're all as pleasant as this one.

[t-strap lover]

That has to be the best story of heeling so far. Just reading it made me wish itwould have been me. Thanks for sharing your outing.

[gwl1]

Bravo! You did very well. The choice of those pumps was excellent. They look great - not too feminine for your frame and yet quite clearly are high heeled pumps. The jeans are the right length, too, in my opinion. The fact that the pumps are a "menswear" style wasn't lost on you! My only suggestion (and this is just my view) would be to wear dark brown or black stockings to subdue the light skin showing. Dark hosiery is classy looking on men as well as women. Did you wear sheer hose or go barefoot? Were your feet tired at the end of the day? Anyway, you look great, and we look forward to next week's installment. GWL

[docs41]

Sounds like you had a great outing. More power to you!

[roniheels]

HappyFeat... I am so happy for you! I hope some of my stories of my public heeling have inspired you because you have sure inspired me. Where I live, we have a big Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I have been temped to go in there wearing high heels. After reading your latest venture, I am going to do it and I will let all know how it goes. It is always fun reading the stories of others who wear high heels publicly and it is great to observe all of the different reactions that we all get from people seeing us in high heels. I have to go to the DMV next month. I am going to wear high heels in there and see what reaction I get. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. You are an inspiration to us all.

[radiodave]

Sounds like a terrific outing! I've been itching to do more public heeling this summer as well. I've got vacation to use, and giving some thought to going someplace where heeling wouldn't raise too many eyebrows, bring lots of pairs with me, and wear them as I please.

[BobHH]

Where do you find Macy's with sizes greater than 10? Not in Southern California that I have found! Not that it matters, since I would need 13 at least.

[johnieheel]

Great time HappyFeat! Were you in Belden?

[sabotalot]

The car needed a muffler. "No problem" I thought. Thinking it would take a half hour, I went into the repair place wearing 3" heel pumps. Turns out, I needed a lot more work on the car than expected. Being forced to sit there 2.5 hours in hh, conversing with other customers, in retrospect, was:smile: a worthwhile experience. And, oh yes, the service manager remembers me!

[HappyFeat]

Where do you find Macy's with sizes greater than 10? Not in Southern California that I have found! Not that it matters, since I would need 13 at least.

In the Pittsburgh area. There is one thing I have noticed about Macy's, they often have tags on the bottom of their floor samples that give a size range, which is almost universally sizes 6-10. However, I decided to ask a clerk one time if there was any chance they came in an 11. She kindly checked and they did have the ones I was looking for. So, now I will ask! She explained to me that they only get a few 11's and they go fairly quickly. Also, Macy's has a pretty good inventory control system and they can check if there are any stores in the area that have the style in any size. I have even had them call another store and hold them for me.

Of course, in Southern California, this may all be moot. Pittsburgh may simply have larger people or something.

[HappyFeat]

Great time HappyFeat! Were you in Belden?

No, I was in Pittsburgh last Tuesday.

[Bootking]

In NY Macy's on 34th Street and the one in Yonkers both stock size 11. I bought a beautiful pair of Nine West black leather "Gallivant" knee high stiletto boots in the Yonkers store.

[JeffB]

In NY Macy's on 34th Street and the one in Yonkers both stock size 11. I bought a beautiful pair of Nine West black leather "Gallivant" knee high stiletto boots in the Yonkers store.

I can only say one thing about that picture:

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!

Those gorgeous black boots had me positively drooling, and the way you wore them, with jeans tucked into them was downright stunning! And those boots were in 11 too! I'm so-oooooo jealous! More power to you, my friend, you looked terrific!

[flavio]

In NY Macy's on 34th Street and the one in Yonkers both stock size 11. I bought a beautiful pair of Nine West black leather "Gallivant" knee high stiletto boots in the Yonkers store.

This is what I call heeling!

The look is perfect. My mouth still open because of the boots.

Congratulations!!!

[Bootking]

Those boots are the ones that I wanted to wear over the jeans as in the pic on the drive to Florida last week but I wasn't alone to do so as my wife came with me. Otherwise, I would have gone to the restaurants, gas stations, motels, etc. just like that!

[fastfreddy2]

I have decided that this is the "Summer of HappyFeat" - at least in my world. To celebrate, I am going to take one day per week and go heeling.

Good for you.

Although only weeks from mid-summer over here, the winter rains have failed to stop. Although temperatures are heading upward into the 20's, France is sending us another weekend of wet weather.

Your heeling report is welcome on two fronts.

[HappyFeat]

Well, it seem that my self declared summer hit a couple of snags. There is always something that seems to come up, but I finally go to make it out again last Tuesday! The place - The South Hills shopping area in Pittsburgh The outfit - a white Brandini pullover shirt and black Clayborne linen slacks The shoes - Black Nine West d'orssay "Hilderoo" that I got from e-bay I selected the shoe because I thought that I was going to have an extended outing and thought that they would be comfortable. The round toe and three inch heel, I felt would be conducive for walking. But since it was so hot recently, I went without knee highs and did wind up with a blister or two. Plus the ankle straps were a pain when I tried on shoes. My first stop was Macy's since they were having a pretty big sale. The clearance rack was huge and there were plenty of options in size 11. I must have tried on ten pair! I settled on a pair of platform pumps in brown by Alfini (I am pretty sure that is a Macy's store brand; correct me if I am wrong) in brown sues with brown patent trim. They have a round toe and I figured they would be great for my next outing. Their platform is about 1/2 incl and the heel looks pretty close to five inches. I passed up a great pair of Bandolino alligator embossed loafer/pumps with a 2 inch heel however. The Allfini's were only $12 so I went with them. I may go back for those Bandolinos though. I went to the men's department and bought a couple of pair of slacks. As stated above, it was a great sale! I probably spent an hour shopping in the men's department and I am pretty sure nobody noticed my shoes. After that I went to the Boscoff's shoe department, Marshall's, Khol's, and TJ Maxx. At each place I tried on shoes in each place in full view of other shoppers, just as I had done at Macy's. And again, it drew no overt attention from anybody. I knew that many people had to see, but it seemed to me that there was absolutely no reaction out of the ordinary. I ended my day at Border's. I bought a book, even spent half an hour reading it in the store. Again, nobody noticed, or at least didn't react in a way that I could notice. One caveat however. I think the lack of attention was due to my outfit. The round toe of the black shoes isn't as overt as a more pointed toe. The pants covered the shoes pretty well. Also, I have a lot o confidence when I am in heels and tend to make eye contact with passers by. In any case, the day was pretty uneventful, but it sure felt great to get out again. There are several places in that area that I still want to check out so I will likely return there for my next outing. Maybe those Bandolinos will still be there and be marked down a bit more.

[fastfreddy2]

I settled on a pair of platform pumps in brown by Alfini (I am pretty sure that is a Macy's store brand; correct me if I am wrong) in brown sues with brown patent trim. They have a round toe and I figured they would be great for my next outing. Their platform is about 1/2 incl and the heel looks pretty close to five inches.

I've checked (while looking for your new shoes) and "Alfini" is indeed Macy's in-house brand name. Didn't spot any shoes to match your discription amongst those on offer, so any chance of a look at your new shoes?

One caveat however. I think the lack of attention was due to my outfit. The round toe of the black shoes isn't as overt as a more pointed toe. The pants covered the shoes pretty well. Also, I have a lot o confidence when I am in heels and tend to make eye contact with passers by. In any case, the day was pretty uneventful, but it sure felt great to get out again.

Excellent post, thank you.

I've been giving this sort of situation some thought recently. I've been out a number of times during the last couple of weeks, and just about the only people who 'twig' my footwear are under 10's. Possibly because their ears are physically closer to the ground, and they are (still) naturally inquisitive about everything. My footwear is not overt, [hidden] and I wear long trousers that mostly cover the heels of my boots.

To a degree, I'm a little disappointed.

During a day at Bicester [Designer outlet village], I eventually became bored waiting for 'herself' to try on some more clothes in yet another shop. In one called Studio Moda, I managed to find some entertanment for myself, when one of the girl assistants was so bored she asked if she could help me. That might not be surprising, if she hadn't already seen me walk in with my wife, and watch her go into the changing room to try on a couple of pairs of 'designer' jeans.

I caught her looking at me again minutes later, (I was meandering around the store) and thought that possibly, the way I'd walked might have alerted her to my heels. She had what I believe to be a French accent, and was put together rather well. English, she wasn't.

Having decided then she was 'interested/curious', I sat down on a bench close - but not next to, the changing room. I'm aware sitting reveals my heels by the way. It wasn't long before she came over in my direction, smiled as she approached <then looked at my boots> before standing off to one side and looking <blankly> out of the shop. If I were paranoid, I might think she expected I was up to no good, but I was sitting away from stock, and I didn't have any bags with me. [Nowhere to hide something taken.] Before my wife came out of the changing room, I caught her looking at my boots again. "Good" thought I, just as expected.

As we left, I turned around as I walked out of the store entrance, expecting to see the girl watching me leave. No, that wasn't the case. She was already indicating to her colleague, using her thumb and forefinger, the approximate height of my heels. I had to be (verbally) restrained from going back in to the shop to show them both what the boots looked like "up close and personal".

I think I can quite confidently say, it was the first time that shop assistant had seen a man wearing heels.

It begs the question, are we HH wearers basically unsatiated extroverts?

....

[roniheels]

It begs the question, are we HH wearers basically unsatiated extroverts?

....

In my case, I believe the answer is yes. And the older I get, the more daring I have become to wear high heels publicly and anticipate the reaction. As I have said before, it is the other male members of HHP that, after reading their stories and experiences, have inspired me to explore more places to wear high heels in public. I used to get nervous of reactions. Now I live for them. I had a family member say to me in private just recently, "Oh Ron, grow up. You're too old to be wearing shoes like those." I said, " I have grown up and that is exactly why I'm wearing shoes like these." As we've said before, it's all in the attitude.

[HappyFeat]

I've checked (while looking for your new shoes) and "Alfini" is indeed Macy's in-house brand name. Didn't spot any shoes to match your discription amongst those on offer, so any chance of a look at your new shoes?

Here are a couple of pictures of the shoes that I bought on my last outing. They have a 1/2" platform and a 4 1/2" heel. They are suede with patent trim. Recently, I have begun to move away from the pointier toes to more of a rounded look and these were just waiting for me! They are high and, in my opinion, will be great for heeling!

If there are any outfit suggestions, please pass them along. I want to wear these out soon.

[Stilettoscot]

Great stuff, and thanks for sharing! Looking at the outfit (which looks good, BTW), I would be hard pressed, unless the shoes made lots of noise, to really have noticed. Still, good style top to bottom. Just, please try it (for us who are too chicken) with pointed toes next trip..

[Stilettoscot]

It begs the question, are we HH wearers basically unsatiated extroverts?

....

Food for thought, but once the "jitters" go away, it's a nice afterthought to have been noticed...

[fastfreddy2]

Wearing those over here, I'd be concerned about destroying the heel on cracked pavement or asphalt paths outside, so indoor 'function wear' only for me.

Obvious suggestion is black trouser [American speak: dress pants?] With either complimentary plum top or white [non-femme] blousy type shirt. [Loose sleeves but with tight cuff.]

I'm rather conservative with my dressing. The white top might look real good with 'rhinestone' detailing on the back, and I'd guess a cream stetson would be waaaaay over the top? No indication of your location in the US, so were you in Texas it would be completely appropriate.

Thanks for the pictures.

...

[HappyFeat]

Just, please try it (for us who are too chicken) with pointed toes next trip..

I may just do that! I have worn pointed to pumps on several occasions, just because I love them. However, pointy shoes do not really suit my body style as well as a more round toe. Since I am going for more of a total look, I just wear them less and less.

I am planning my next outing very soon and may even decide to go open toe!

As far as being "chicken" 9 times out of 10, I get very little reaction, no matter the shoes I wear. I have found if you heel with confidence, few people seem to notice anyway.

[billyb]

Happyfeet That is a great looking pair of pumps, I to have gone to wearing ether round toe or almond toe as it seems to draw less attention.

[roniheels]

Here are a couple of pictures of the shoes that I bought on my last outing. They have a 1/2" platform and a 4 1/2" heel. They are suede with patent trim. Recently, I have begun to move away from the pointier toes to more of a rounded look and these were just waiting for me! They are high and, in my opinion, will be great for heeling!

If there are any outfit suggestions, please pass them along. I want to wear these out soon.

Happy feet...

I would wear black slacks and a purple shirt/blouse of your choosing and think that might go great with those high heels. Black jacket optional. Good luck matching your outfit with your new high heels.

[HappyFeat]

Well today I got out again. I had hoped for an extended heeling experience, but just as the summer seems to go, something came up at the last second. I am hoping to make it out very soon for an longer period but I am keeping my fingers crossed. Today's outfit was a bit of a "throw together;" just something to put on so I could go out. The outfit - White Calvin Klein sweater and Clayborn boot cut jeans The Shoes - (Oft worn) Black Nine West "Lucero" Pumps (I LOVE THESE SHOES) I had to buy gasoline, so I went to fairly busy local station. Though there were many people around and the shoes make quite a bit of noise, I didn't turn a head. Most of the people were talking on cell phones or texting so I didn't expect to be noticed. I simply paid and left. Next I went to Starbucks and bought a drink. The place wasn't terribly busy since it was about 9:30 PM. I sat at a table and read a newspaper somebody had left. Since I was reading, I really didn't pay any attention to the two or three people who came in while I was there. When I left, I looked back to see if anybody was trying to catch a glance, and nobody by my observation. My last stop was at the grocery store to pick up a couple of basic provisions. The store was pretty quite except for a couple of families shopping with their kids (who takes kids to the grocery store at 10:30 at night?) and checked out without incident. All in all, it was a fairly relaxing couple of hours. I hope to make it out again very soon.