Heely shopping experiences

[Van]

Brussels, last week. Stopped at a shoeshop selling end of series, just opposite the Anderlecht market. Nice moroccan sale lady. Asked her if she had anything in size 43, she looked around, said that it was not that common although she does occasionnally have, showed ne a couple of pair in 42, including a nice pair of high heeled sandals that I tried. I must say that i was wearing pumps and nylons, which made it clear that i was buying shoes for myself She just took me as a customer like any other. Same experience in Madou (metro Station), a end-of-series shoes outlet managed by a very friendly african lady. We had a friendly chat, she even recommended a shop in the neighborhood. In the same shopping area I tried ôn and bought a pair of very feminine black slacks. The girl (moroccan) was quite friendly, showed me different models and let me tried them in the cabin, she even advised me on some adjustment to do to lengthen the pants foot slightly. On Saturday, i paid a visit to Chausseur Jacques, "le roi du talon Haut" , close to Place de Brouckère. They're having a huge sale before renovation. It might sound unbelievable to those who never did it but buying high heels in Brussels is as simple as buying a pair of sneakers. Be relax, cool and polite. Cheers Vanessa

[terayon]

i bought a pair of knee boots on ebay today....they have 2.5inch heel...not very big, but i figure they will be a good first pair to start wearing outside, and they look nice

[Phil]

I've had good experences with the Naturalizer store near me. Most of the folks in the store are rather frendly and have stated that there are a few men who buy shoes there. They've even suggested or pointed out styles to try. Though most of their styles are no higher than 3.5" they are confortable for daily wear. However I have been in other store where the sales staff look right by ya.

[Dr. Shoe]

I was driving through Southgate (N. London) a couple of years ago, on the way to the mother-in-law's !

My eye was caught by the thigh boots in the window so I parked the motor and went in. The guy behind the counter was in his late fifties I would say and it became apparent that he was the proprietor (He bore striking resemblance to my pattern cutting tutor at college). He had no problem at all with my trying boots on and even suggested styles that had a generous fit so that 8s would fit.

As I left, he adopted a Mona Lisa smile and suggested that I check out the web site http://www.ultimate-shoes.com/ . Lo and behold there he was in full TV regalia. No wonder he didn't turn a hair when a man wanted to buy heels, it just goes to show that you never know if the assistant is a fellow enthusiast or not.

[ShockQueen]

....and you thought the surprises were only doing ONE way, hm? You never know which shop owners are the really cool ones until you try! Nice to know there is another shop owner who has a nice open mind.

[Beeblebrox]

I went through some old topics and found this one. Since the last post 26 May 2002 I bet there is plenty of new storys to be told. During the heelmeeting 5-6th of November 2004 I tryed on a couple of boots and had no problems at all with the sales person. In fact most of them were very helpful.

[Nate]

On halloween weekend, I finally gathered the courage to walk into a Payless in Spokane, WA and browse through the women's shoes. I've been fairly lucky so far, in that I manage to get into the stores when there aren't too many people around. I'm somewhat of a newbie when it comes to buying women's shoes, even though I spend quite a bit of time looking. I was not so lucky this time -- there were a few customers, which in general is too many for me. Something inside of me snapped. My normal backup plan is to meander my way to the men's section, casting sideways glances at the women's shoes. I wasn't going to walk away from this one empty handed, and I thought it was about time to stand up for something that I believed in -- I should be able to try on and buy whatever shoes I want. The months and months (perhaps even years!) of time I've accumulated just staring at the beautiful heels sitting on the shelves just waiting to be worn, grew together to form something that was stronger than my human inhibition. So, I did it. I marched right into the women's section, sat down on one of those small benches with the "foot" mirrors, and proceeded to try on every pair of high heeled boots I could get my hands on that I liked. It was my first time trying heels on in the store, and I imagine that you all can understand my apprehension. I finally selected a nice pair of fairly-chunky 4" high heel boots -- tried them on, and took a few steps. So absorbed was I in my own bravery, that I didn't notice a few askance looks I was receiving from the women (and their accompanying men) that I was sharing the aisle with. Similarly, however, so absorbed was I in finally standing up for something I believe in, that I paid them no heed. I sat back down, removed the boots, put them in the box, and bought them. Nobody said a word. I received a few strange looks, but thats it. In retrospect, I believe I may have enjoyed the looks that I got more than anything else. My courage served me two-fold that day. Not only did I buy my very first pair of high heeled boots, AND try them on in the store, but I also believe that by having people see me try them on, they were subjected to the very change that I would like to see in the world. (After all, didn't Ghandi say, "Be the change you'd like to see in the world.") Ill see if I can't post some pics of'em. I'm going back next weekend for more! :-) -Nate

[JinxieKat]

That is awsome Nate! I bet that you missed some of the other looks too, the people puzzleing it out, the younger folks thinking of just how 'cool' you looked, and the others that didn't even notice. It is funny, all the years I spent in a big city and I never once noticed a man in heels. I cannot imagine I never came across one, I never noticed. Funny huh? Jinxie

[Firefox]

I've noticed very few men in heels Jinxie and believe me I look at shoes all the time. I'm quite interested even in the mens styles, and if I have seen them on sale.

It's so easy to buy though. Here's a (clickable) pic of Beeblebrox in Egoshego, Portobello Road last weekend. We both bought some sale western style boots for £5.00:

I think Beeblebrox is displaying good style in this pic. Very good length trousers and smart casual clothing. And he came in the shop wearing 3" Western boots which shows he was a serious customer without him saying a word.

I also bought some shoes in this store. The same as BB, but pink. I wanted black but they only had pink in size 41. The sales girl said they were funky on me, but I think she was being polite. I'm going to dye mine black.

However, the strategy of boldness worked best here. We wore heels into the store. We wanted shoes and we bought them. No hanging around in the mens section or corners, be forthright and confident, try the shoes, buy the shoes. Smile and be polite. Works every time.

[Nate]

Ill see if I can't post some pics of'em. I'm going back next weekend for more! :-)

-Nate

I finally managed to snap some pics off of my boots -- I'm not the best photographer in the world, but I wanted to share. People seem to enjoy pics. :-) Here are the boots that I bought the first time I ever ever tried on the shoes and bought them myself in the store.

One thing I can say, is that these things are LOUD! I should have taken them for a test-run around the store, to try them out on harder surfaces. If they weren't so loud, I might just have to wear them out and about. :-)

[Epi Cene]

Nice looking boots, Nate. Those type boots just look good on either gender, with jeans, and the heel height pushes the "moderate" range just enough to be interesting. I'd guess some folks will notice, but wonder. That's a good reponse, for you, and all heel wearing guys.