high heels and half-inch-itis

Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
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Daryl
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Re: Reaching the top shelf

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shadowfax wrote:One advantage of succumbing to half-inch-itis, is that I can now reach the top shelf at the supermarket when I'm wearing my 3 1/2" heels.
The other day, a lady alongside me at the supermarket, couldn't reach an item on the top shelf so I did the gentlemanly thing and asked if she needed help. She was glad of my assistance. :)
Doing my bit for male skirt and kilt wearer's reputations. :wink:
Excellent, excellent. Maybe we can start also reporting weather conditions in the upper atmosphere.

The extra height has been amusing. With 2.5 inch heels I am now 6' 4" and I notice it. For one thing, the floor is further away and I am bending at the knees more now to pick things up.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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Pdxfashionpioneer wrote:Those of you who aren't fans of stiletto (back in the day they were called spike) heels might like Naturalizers.
I've looked at those and at least in Canada they don't seem to support larger sizes. I am a 12W in women's shoes.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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Caultron wrote:I started with 2" heels, then graduated to 3", and then 4". However, at 4", though, I found it extremely hard to find anything comfortable. Most 4" heels seem to have straight back stiletto heels and that shift too much weight onto the balls of my feet and my toes. They also make be bend my ankle more than I find comfortable. I do have one pair at 3-1/2" and one at 4" but again, I find these very hard to find, so for the most part I stick to 3"

The easiest heels, at least for me, have forward-slanted heels that meet the ground directly below my shin bone (tibia), that don't squish my toes, and that have a top strap. A heel that meets the ground behind the line of the shin bone shirts more weight to the balls and toes and that creates problems for me. The strap keeps them from falling off my feet.

Lace-ups are also more comfortable because they direct some of the weight onto the top of your foot.

I find it important for heels to fit my feet firmly but not to the point of discomfort. Heels are hard enough to walk in comfortably without having you foot slide around inside them. If necessary, wear a no-show sock ("footsie") to tighten the fit. My left foot is a half size bigger than my right, so unless the shoes have adjustable straps I often wear a footsie only on my right foot, or one of the left and two on the right.

Stiletto heels are a little harder to walk in than block but not a lot. Stilettos just requires a bit more stiffness in the ankle.

Every now and then I'll get the question, "Why are you wearing heels?" and I've found the most universally-accepted answer to be, "I'm just goofing around."

Above all have fun with it, and every now and then you'll get, "I like your heels!"
As I reported elsewhere I've already had one such positive interaction.

"I'm just goofing around" is almost true. I often say that wearing skirts is something I do as much for fun as for comfort. The idea of clothing being "fun" as well as functional is almost alien to male-gendered discourse around fashion.

Good observations about heel shape and location. I am already noticing differences between the two different boots I've bought with heels, and the straight block heel is not as comfy as the one with a forward slant though the one with the forward slant is actually almost a half inch higher.

I have long suspected that narrow heels might not really be that much harder to walk on than wider ones. I hope I can find some with a good heel location because at this point I think it's inevitable that I will try some, as well as some heels higher than 3".

Right now I'm on the lookout for some moderately high (like 2") slip-on shoes, probably wedges, for padding around home in. I have discovered that after wearing my 2.5" heels all day I don't like "coming down" and I feel like just keeping my feet used to elevated heels will prove to be most pleasant. I've also pretty much figured out that my knees feel so much better when I'm in heels because I "spring" the load on them more rather than locking them back a lot when standing. This will come as a surprise to my doctor perhaps but I definitely now consider heels therapeutic as well as fun. I will be amused to hear what he thinks about that theory.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

Post by rockpup »

Yea, I’ve worked my way up to 4” heels without much problem, and 4.5” if I’m not walking too far. Yes, thicker heels are easier :)
Sorel has wedges that are great for all day wear, and I have Adidas and Nike wedge sneakers that do not attract attention.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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I think at my tallest I reached about 5'6 maybe 5'7' with old age I am shrinking down to about 5'5 .I love wearing my heels Things look different from 4 inches higher :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

Post by FranTastic444 »

I'm nowhere near being able to buy / wear heels at the moment, but if I were I think I'd like to try a pair like this. Not that I could imagine them suiting me (I can't even think what sort of an outfit you would match them to) but they just look real fun to try out :-)

The pair of 2 1/4 inch Rue ankle boots I got (but haven't yet been able to wear) from Payless look great, but I think if I were ever to go for such a style to wear all day I'd have to go for leather. Perusing the DSW site, they seem to have a number of styles up to size 13 including wide in leather.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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FranTastic444 wrote:I'm nowhere near being able to buy / wear heels at the moment, but if I were I think I'd like to try a pair like this. Not that I could imagine them suiting me (I can't even think what sort of an outfit you would match them to) but they just look real fun to try out :-)
Indeed they do! The more I experiment, the more I realise why women indulge such variety: it's just plain fun to wear fun things.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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oldsalt1 wrote:I think at my tallest I reached about 5'6 maybe 5'7' with old age I am shrinking down to about 5'5 .I love wearing my heels Things look different from 4 inches higher :lol: :lol: :lol:
I'm 6'1" but even 2 3/4" heels make the ground a LOT further down, I am finding. I think I will probably stop the heel-height experiment when I start needing to carry extra oxygen.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

Post by beachlion »

I still wear my heels in secret, just to break them in. I wear them on our second floor where is no action during the day time. I just noticed the a lot of stuff is lower than you expect, even with 3+" heels. Door handles and light switches are lower and I had to stoop more at the wash basin. You are so used to the height of those every day objects that just a few inches of difference is very noticable.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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beachlion wrote:I still wear my heels in secret, just to break them in. I wear them on our second floor where is no action during the day time. I just noticed the a lot of stuff is lower than you expect, even with 3+" heels. Door handles and light switches are lower and I had to stoop more at the wash basin. You are so used to the height of those every day objects that just a few inches of difference is very noticable.
Practice makes perfect. :wink: :)
You'll know when you've "got it" when you can walk backwards in high heels without falling over. :)
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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shadowfax wrote:...... Practice makes perfect. :wink: :)
You'll know when you've "got it" when you can walk backwards in high heels without falling over. :)
I have to break the heels in, not myself. I'm quite stable on heels, even walking backwards. ;) It is just the notion of objects out of place.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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beachlion wrote:
shadowfax wrote:...... Practice makes perfect. :wink: :)
You'll know when you've "got it" when you can walk backwards in high heels without falling over. :)
I have to break the heels in, not myself. I'm quite stable on heels, even walking backwards. ;) It is just the notion of objects out of place.
Cool. :)
Sorry, for my misunderstanding. :(
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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MOH was at work last night so I donned a skirt and went for a walk around a nearby lake [0]. When I say nearby, it's literally just about 4 minutes walk away. It was dark so I thought about some shoes that I have that have never seen the outside world while I have had them so I put on a pair of dark blue 3" strappies to see what they were like to walk in. I took a pair of flats just in case. Observations. I made about 3150 steps and by the end my feet hurt like mad. This was the result of walking mainly on the front part of my sole. I think that I've bruised the pad on the rh foot. Once I'd got off the footpaths and onto the lakeside path walking was not easy. The path is tarmac that has got broken up over time by roots so isn't flat. Picking one's way in darkness lit by widely spaced lights requires concentration. Plus the path isn't level but has a slight slope. This means that for a lot of the time the heel is not vertical and the heel of the foot tends to want to slide. At one point on the travel there is a dip where water is channelled and the bottom of it is concrete with raised parts in a grid, obviously to allow for traction for anyone walking on it when water is flowing. Walking on that with heels in semi-darkness was just about impossible. My stride was shortened due to the heels so I took a lot more steps than I would normally have done. Conclusion. Never again, at least not for a while. Walking in heels needs to be done gradually and I have immense respect for women who can actually run in heels of even 2" height. My feet still hurt a bit.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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Given a really good-fitting pair of shoes, I've spent all day (16 hrs) in heels and not suffered any adverse effects.

I still wouldn't tackle an unlit footpath at night. though. You just don't have the traction and if the heels are narrow or stiletto they can sink into the ground.

Fit is trickier with heels than with flats - you may find that only 10% of those you try are really comfortable. But even then, heels are made for style, not practicality.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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Re: high heels and half-inch-itis

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Caultron, the shoes actually fit very well and are comfortable when walking. There's no tightness around the toe are and the heel is held firmly in place. Even though I was only wearing tights my feet were warm enough. I have worn them round the house OK for an hour or so. In retrospect the heels forced me to walk more on the balls of my feet, even though I tried to step hell-toe, and I'm not used to that. Plus I tried too much for a first attempt. Stupidly I wanted to prove that I could do the whole journey and my pride wouldn't let me fail. Still, I should have had the sense to change into my flats half way. My feet were still sore today and I'm in a job where I can't sit down. It'll be a few days before I can try again.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
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