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I can't add much to this discussion, but do suggest that 'graceful' and competent heel-wearing is not directly linked to gender or build. We have all seen a variety of women (and a few men) whose ability - or lack of it - to walk in public in heels is all-too-evident. This man seems to me to be perfectly competent in his Omano boots (allegedly 6" heels but I think a little less than that). He has other videos of him in similarly high heels and is obviously well-practised, but scarcely unique.

I completely understand. If I owned a pair like these, they'd never be off my feet, unless I was bathing or under the shower. Sadly, no longer available, which is just as well at £1100 a pair.

I always move over and respect you guys.

I spent a couple of hours in heels yesterday, and I’m feeling it in my thighs. I agree with you about being good training for cycling - I feel a little more power in my legs after any time in heels.

I assume you meant '... not a fetish thing ...'? I think you are right about girls, much more than boys, being in the 'genderless' spotlight. All part of the female striving for equality. Nothing wrong with that, if it cuts both ways - but men are still denied much that is supposedly reserved for women, including certain clothing I could mention.

While out shopping today, I noticed these. Reduced in store to something like £120. The heel is not as high as I would like, but the sort of heel that could be worn all day (if the opportunity arose.) What attracted me to them was the narrow-ish shaft, and small spacing between the lacing eyelets. It suggested the boots could be tightened to fit my very slim legs. Better still if the were higher, and covered calfs.

I quite like knee and over the knee boots - I’m not fussed about the heels. I have several flat pair of tall boots which I wear all the time during the winter and do not attract the least bit of attention.

Great job DWW, kids are more durable than we believe. It is best to expose them to your heels when they are very young. Like you say, they will ask a few questions but that is fine. They will grow up knowing that men in heels is perfectly normal, and won't be bothered by any other kid's (or stupid adult) comments..........

The best high heel continuity fail I've ever spotted, was with the 1992 Batman Returns film with Michelle Pfeiffer appearing as catwoman. In long shots, or posing, she wore these: (actual boots) (From >> here << ) When fighting or performing cartwheels, she was seen to be wearing flat boots, which shouldn't surprise anyone, but ... In one scene she is seen wearing the heeled boots, and in the same scene is also shown wearing flats. The director should have made sure the scene was edited in such a way (or shot in such a way) this fail wasn't possible...

Indeed. It is nice to find activity on this dormant site!

I hesitate to pour cold water on a brave venture, but I fail to see the appeal of the shoe styles so far shown by Cross Sword. The uppers are conventional (distinctly boring) men's styling which I for one would not wear, regardless of the heel type. And the heel (with a gimmicky insert) is rather too feminine. The price is going to put these out of reach for anyone but a fashionista too. Sorry! If CS (or someone else) introduced some more neutral loafers or ankle boots with a tapered toe and a plain cuban or stacked heel of (say) 3.5" for £100 or so in sizes above UK8, I guess there would be a fair interest. Until then, most UK male heel-wearers will buy women's styles (if they fit), have something custom-made (which need not be expensive) or go without.

Well, Jeremy, I hope you've enjoyed the welcome and the plethora of posts your entrance has generated! It is quieter in here simply because there are fewer members. There are just a handful of regular contributors here, but of course the site only thrives if we contribute! So please continue to post. I've never understood the perceived difference between transvestite and cross-dresser, as etymologically they mean exactly the same thing. However, according to those differences, I see myself very definitely as a cross-dresser - I've never been into the pretend female look although I experimented with it simply as seeing it as a means of wearing heels publicly with no stigma so long as I wasn't 'read'. I'm with Freddy on this! The cross-dressing desire has receded with me, as it was always the shoes that were the attraction, and I now wear them regularly in public, under long trousers. Also, my wife accepts that, while she hates me dressing in stockings, skirt, etc. The heels can fulfil some medical requirement (backache in flat shoes, no backache in heels), but other things are just feminising in her view, and I certainly wouldn't wear them in public unless it was to a specific event like a drag do, but then we're not party animals anyway.

Ditto, Pointyboot. I like high heeled boots too and would similarity like a pair of those. Alas I am quite sure they do not make them in my size, although of course if I had the kind of money she had I would simply have them made and be done with it. But those are very stylish boots. I covet...

Definitely not 7-8 stone! Almost exactly 12st, although I hope and expect to be 11st 7lb n the not to distant future. Our kitchen floor is a fairly hard laminate - not really wood flooring. I would expect my stilettos to have plastic tips - the ones I have been browsing certainly have plastic tips - and with the rubber protectors I think (hope) I should be fine. To be honest when I am in the kitchen wearing them I will mainly be working at the kitchen table, seated in front of a laptop, with intermittent treks across the kitchen to brew coffee or to make lunch - not a lot of walking, at least not on the kitchen floor anyway. I’ll do my practicing on the outside walkway. I like the idea of my wearing stilettos to work, of having such a flamboyant dress code in my office...

My handicap is cash too! I know what you mean about the pleasure of ownership. Unlike some of my fellow pros, who seem happy to use their camera bodies to pound tent pegs, I take it easy on my gear as far as possible. Rrsearching more this morning - leaning towards the 5D IV now. Seems less of a one-trick pony...

wowsers!!!

I liked the sign I saw once in a wildlife park in Tasmania - "We have defibrillators on hand; if you need one please ask a member of staff..." I just love DIY defibrillation...

I was on the bridge of a ship a few years ago, in Helsinki, and watched the captain neatly parallel park his 300-foot vessel along the wharf, tucking it in between two giant Baltic ferries. It was the neatest piece of parking I have ever witnessed.

oh, and there's guaranteed to be some gorgeous foreign totty on show, many of them in stilettos

Yes, those Schwalbe marathons pluses are brilliant. I ride a great deal during the winter and the last thing I feel like on a nice brisk early morning run is to stop and repair a puncture with frost-reddened hands, or in cold pouring rain. Happily I ride out in the mornings confident that it won't happen. It never does. They are brilliant tyres - the tourers and commutes gold standard. I intend to get back out there and get fit and trim once more.... Nobody might ever see me in my PVCs but I will know I belong in them much better...

https://bblpgg.tumblr.com/post/131806903552/leather-trimmed-cotton-hoodie I suspect that this overall look would find much approval here! I have to say that I like it myself, particularly below the waist as the top is not really something I would choose to wear. Whether I would get away with the trousers and boots in public is a moot point - my wife would definitely NOT approve! Perhaps it is only good for under-30s?

Well, my influence with TfL clearly worked then. The additional closures and works were put in place to discourage Freddy (and others) who prefer to use the car to travel into London. Travelcard, anyone?

¿Qué?

Now you know the reason why I wear boots.... ;-) I'd heard a similar expression substituting Harwich and Frinton, BTW.

Agreed; thank you; and I'm sorry if you have felt that anything here was destructive when that is alien to both of us. I do look forward to sharing more DIY-related issues with you, however; I think we both have skills and experiences that are worth sharing - and politely debating where necessary. And I'm glad neither of us is working on the Sistine Chapel, whether on original or repair work.

Looks like I may have kept the inner dimension a little too tight when I had the washer made. Fortunately the parent material being aluminium, meant filing out around a half a mill' wasn't a long or hard job. My favourite goo, Plumbers Gold was used extensively to ensure a good water-tight seal against the mating faces of the washer and sink. The thread on the waste was wrapped with PTFE tape (a whole reel) for the washer to butt against, and help seal the thread inside the washer. More PG was added for good measure.... Although the bend on the trap is in poor shape, it looks to be capable of working for another 3-4 months, so that wasn't replaced. More PTFE tape has helped keep the worn/damaged seals working. Bottom line, there are no leaks, and we have the sink back. Within days the sink proved useful, in fact I've used the sink for cleaning tools almost every day since, so I'm glad I spent the £16 repairing the waste.

I only mentioned 'sideways tipping' to emphasise the application of the c-o-g 'plumbline'; I agree that it is not directly relevant to our current considerations - although it is not something to be totally ignored when standing or walking - in heels and sober or otherwise! I won't comment further on hypotheses or experiments as I believe we are both essentially saying the same thing, albeit reaching it by slightly different routes.

I had a really nasty experience with one of their stewards coming back from Budapest last year. The guy was really aggressive. All I did was ask what the alternate sandwich was, a simple query, politely asked. I am always polite to cabin crew. But clearky he was in no mood fir any oassenger interaction whatsoever. He went off his nut and threw a sandwich at me, literally. It was astonishing. Other passengers gawped open mouthed. In well over two million miles of flying all over the world I never encountered anything like it, before or since. So my enthusiasm for BA has cooled considerably. The other members of the alliance - Qantas, Emirates and Cathay, are wonderful.

I have all the supermarkets (except, alas, Aldi) within easy reach and absolutely no store-loyalty. We have little brand-loyalty either; we avoid most branded items unless they have demonstrably better qualities than own-brand or unbranded items. My wife and I shop wherever is cheapest at the time for certain items, balanced by overall convenience - we don't go to three or four places in the same shopping trip but would take advantage of best buys when in each shop or area. A quick (but not slavish) check on a website such as http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/ (recommended, but not infallible) gives a good invitation as to the preferred source. And of course any sensible discount coupons (such as £5 off a £40 spend) are taken into account, with immediate needs bolstered by non-perishable extras for future use if a target has to be reached. (I pride myself on adding up the cost of items in my head as I walk round, and usually stop when I reach the 'target'. I am rarely wrong with my total at the till, unless something has been mispriced - in which case I may be prompted to query it - or can only be estimated until it is weighed.) If all this sounds like a Scrooge-like fetish, it is justified not only by the real savings that can be made but also by the useful mental (and physical!) exercise required. My wife does not have quite the same nose for, or pursuit of, a 'bargain' as I do, and sometimes deludes herself when shopping. By that I mean that she will buy something that we need (or she thinks we need) because it is 'on offer' without thinking about the real worth of what she buys as well as alternative sources that might be better/cheaper. I can't really blame her for falling for the first trick in the seller's portfolio but it would be better if she considered the bigger picture. The above considerations apply similarly to non-supermarket purchases. Brand-avoidance may be more difficult (or dangerous) but a little research pays dividends, especially when buying consumer durables - everything from an electric kettle to a range cooker, or a TV or a car. Here, ease of use/reliability/longevity are key factors and the game is then to find the best price for the preferred item, allowing for any advantages or otherwise in the seller's location, service etc. What I will not do is to spend money without thought on any non-trivial impulse buy, however flush I may be. Or buy something that may be both good and desirable in itself but which is so expensive that I could never regard it as giving a worthwhile 'payback'. So, the YSL boots at c£800 will never be mine, however much I may admire them, and however big the likely discount. (That said, if I saw a pair at £100, I would probably surrender!)

An acquaintance of mine (not a member here – yet) has a few pairs of HH boots and has recently bought some from YSL, which is offering several similar unisex styles for both men and women with heels of a nominal 30,60 or 85mm. In fact, the comparable boots for men and women are almost identical, as shown here: The women’s boots (on left) have a heel that is very slightly thinner and higher and the shaft appears a little taller too. When he went to try and buy at the YSL shop, he was shown the boots for both sexes without any suggestion that they were sex-specific. As he wears a UK8, he was able to buy the women’s model in a python leather, which he preferred, and which was a little cheaper than the men’s equivalent – if one can use the word ‘cheap’ in relation to something costing £760! I am told that the heel on these in UK8 is actually 95mm (3.75”). I have seen a pic of him wearing them (fully exposed below normal length narrow trousers) and they look great, and totally acceptable for a man to wear in public. It is interesting that YSL should introduce these unisex styles and I wonder how popular they will be, regardless of the high price? But it seems that several sizes are already sold out, which suggests there is some demand. Could we hope for some affordable high street copies? (Of course, one could get Miguel Jones to make a made-to-measure boot of very similar style for something in the region of £120.) Here is a better pic link to the women’s boots: http://www.mytheresa.com/en-gb/embossed-leather-ankle-boots-458700.html The other men’s/women’s styles can also be found online, e.g. http://www.farfetch.com/uk/shopping/men/saint-laurent-french-85-boots-item-11101784.aspx And here is a YSL pic of a male wearer: http://mesuive.tumblr.com/post/115224070462/saint-laurent-85-french-zipped-boot-in-black

Next time you attend for correction, Freddy, you will leave with glowing testimonials. I assume you refer to one 'Kym Marsh' (not 'March')? I had no knowledge of her (carnal or otherwise) before your introduction and am content to preserve that status quo.

Had to read this 4 times before I understood it .... My defence is; working late last night, eating later still, (hence my grammatical faux pas on the original comment), followed by a slow morning. (In the 'mental agility' sense. ) I've remedied my grammatical error, with a different word (care of a Thesaurus) that is more appropriate on about 3 levels I can think of, despite my suffering from a dose of the 'morning after the night before', without the dubious benefit of the 'night before'.

I've never been big on holidays, ever. I have too many times, watched people struggle through 50 weeks of the year, to ensure they had a good time for their two week holiday. Not for me. I prefer 50 weeks of having a good time, and two weeks of wall-staring (if it came to it). "Life" is a holiday to me, even when working. When we're away and Mrs Freddy is doing her sun-lounger work-out, book in hand, I'm either exploring the (usually desolate) sea-bed when snorkelling, or seeing how far I can walk without being missed. The canal holiday doesn't involve long queues or security checks. Nor being somewhere two hours before I do anything useful, and avoids 2-4 hours of enduring the irritating passenger in front of me having reclined their chair into my face, 5 minutes after I sat down. The narrow boat (or not so narrow boat) idea got far enough this year for me to have priced up one or two, with a view to making a purchase. A good bit cheaper than a second (brick) home .... "Nail on head". For at least one year, we had three holidays, and for a long period, two a year. Ibiza in September (and sometimes May), Lanzarote in February. These days, air travel is so unpleasant, I just don't want to go. It's never been a pleasure, though I like airports, (so romantic) but air travel has never been enjoyable at all. While Mrs Freddy used to try to entice me with; "Where d'you want to go? I'll pay!" Even a free one is unattractive when you have to go through the security procedure. There were some periods when 'work' involved air travel (my brother travels extensively to the Far East every other week), were that the case now, I'd be looking for employment elsewhere. Root canal work, is quicker and less painful.

Almost all of my travels for a good many years now - or at least a very high percentage of my travels - have been for work. I am increasingly becoming a homebody in my down time, quite happy to explore the lanes on my bicycle or sit in the back garden and improve my mind with a Mickey Spillane or Perry Mason. I like being in interesting, far off places - sometimes - but I do not like travelling there, the exact opposite of my youth when it was all about the journey, and the feeling of liberation I felt when I started off. The destination was nearly irrelevant. Nowadays the journey - typically by air - is deeply unpleasant as a rule. I can still enjoy settling in for a long train journey, up to Scotland, say, or a sea voyage (not on a glitzy cruise ship, never been on one of those, but on an expedition) but those opportunities do not come up often. Generally it is air and a trip to the airport has become to me like the halo before a migraine.

Nice! Could we please change the thread title to simply 'Kelly Brook'? Apart from the fact that (mercifully) she is not wearing platforms in any recent pics, the words 'lovely' and 'platforms' do not readily go together imho. Indeed, I spy an oxymoron (and I don't mean Kelly).

I suppose £250 would have been OK for first-quality AS items not on clearance, but I would normally expect a good mid-range suite (i.e. inc bath) for that money! Still, it was good that you were able to salvage the WC cistern. 13 years ago, during a bathroom refit at home, I chanced upon a complete spa-bath suite (i.e. bath with fitted jets, pump, blower, basin/pedestal, cc WC, taps, traps) being sold ex-display at B&Q for £250. It was slightly marked (customer abuse) and a couple of the spa bath control knobs were found missing after I bought it. The spa bath manufacturer was very helpful with some technical info and supplied the missing bits at nominal cost - which B&Q refunded cheerfully. The price new would have been nearly £1,000 and the whole set-up worked well, so I was pleased (as was the wife). The marks (mainly odd scratches in the bath) were of little consequence as they would have appeared anyway after a period of use, but I diminished them with some Perspex polish and elbow grease. Let me know how you get on with the mains issue - 'no pressure'!

Another film outing tonight. Last Witch Hunter at my local odeon. Changed into stiletto boots in the car, then strolled into the foyer for tickets, a costa coffee & the movie. No stress, no agro. Lots of fun. The heels were mostly hidden but visible to anyone observant. on another topic, I was out last night with a few friends. One girl, new to the group, said at one point "I'm really out of practice wearing high heels" . She was wearing Tiny kitten heels - barely noticeable. It always makes me smile to know I can wear heels higher than many woman would dare.

I know what you mean. In a perfect world I would have oodles of space indoors for presenting my bikes as the works of art they are, but alas. One of my tourers has more miles on it than many cars do. I am hoping one day when my ship comes in - presuming same ship is not a garbage scow - to have it stripped down, the rusting old drop-outs replaced with new stainless steel ones, and then resprayed. It is a bicycle that deserves that attention and money, given where all it's taken me. It is very personal bit of mobile art! My other two are 5 and 7 years old. Not as high mileage but well used and loved. Glad to her you're riding again though!

Don't know if you've spotted these ..... >> here << or if they would be of interest.

Freddy - I have just seen your correction in post #109 re 'iron' gas pipe. You are of course correct that the fittings are cast iron, either galvanised (essentially for outdoor/damp conditions) or 'black iron' finish, which is I think the result of a chemical process (oxidation?) during the casting process and gives a certain amount of natural corrosion protection. As to the pipe, it is not cast iron (at least in small supply pipe sizes) as this is far too brittle. Although often referred to as 'malleable iron' (meaning it can be bent), it is I think usually/normally drawn mild steel these days and is again in galvanised or black finish. Such suppliers as I have identified do say that it is steel. I don't think that corrosion is a real problem in iron/steel gas pipes/fittings, given their wall thickness. As you say, iron resists rusting better than steel. Interestingly, the only gas leak I have ever experienced was from a 'black steel' pipe inside my house. It had been installed only about 5 years earlier by British Gas to supply the meter, which was in the bottom of a cupboard but quite close to (damp) earth below the floor. I was not impressed and insisted on a repair FOC, using galvanised. In those days (1978), if not now, it was usual to run gas in steel pipe wherever this was not an eyesore (when copper was used). Better for resisting damage but not necessarily corrosion. A further thought regarding your re-plumb in copper. You may well find that your local scrap merchant sells brand-new copper pipe (and fittings) at a good discount. Mine certainly does. I don't know where it comes from - although obviously 'leftovers' from a job somewhere - and don't ask! Although the pipe is invariably straight, clean and undamaged, it is of course worth checking, especially if the bundle has been made up from different sources. The fittings (usually there by the bucket-load) are particularly cheap as sold by weight - a handful costs almost nothing. Until recently, I too would not touch plastic pipe. But I have since used it (although not for gas!) and am quite impressed - although I avoid joints in visible locations. One location where (white) plastic 15mm pipe is handy is in the upstands from below the floor into the rad valves - no painting necessary! If necessary, they are joined to the (horizontal) underfloor supply pipe with either a plastic or a brass compression elbow.

I had known her for about 2 years and did go out with a couple as friends but that didn't work and anyway she went back to her boyfriend. We kept in touch as she didn't want to lose me as a friend. I knew she wore high heels but she only had a couple of pairs. I asked her just before xmas if I could wear a pair of high heels at her place if I bought her a pair as well. I told her I wanted to see what it was like to walk in a pair of heels. Her answer was No. I left it at that. She had split up with her boyfriend by now. We started dating last week and she a wore lovely pair of high heel boots. She made the effort and we got on fine but another women caught my eye and I stared at her heels longer then I should of done. That did upset her and we went home early. Went out again the following day. She wore a pair of high heel sandals in silver but something happened back at her flat which caused us to split up but I don't think It was my fault this time. I was hoping be able to take some more photos of her high heel collection but that not going to happen now. She did seem to have a few more pairs then when I first met her. She is a very untidy person and I did have a close look at her heels! The moral of this story is to be careful where you looking when your dating.. I did manage to take a photo of this pair that she had laying around.Going have to up load photo later. To big

What a weekend! Not maybe heelwise, but wedding was just perfect. Wedding couple was so touched by the songs and the whole party was success to every minute of it. Unfortunately there was no one shooting with video camera so there is no videos to show. I didn't wear heels to wedding, even thou I was prepared with black leather ankle boots with 10 cm spike heels, but I decided not to. Next morning when we got to the hotel room of wedding couple, I put the heels on and showed them to the wedding couple and my wife, and sort of delivered the promise and dare to wear the heels for them. Other half who dared me for the heels, hugged me with tears of joy and said that she was sure that she can count on me... and for sure I will be wearing heels with them in short future, I know I have full support!

Jeez, you've got good eyesight! Best viewed at + 2m 50s during the final chorus. They are wearing heels earlier but you'll need to stop blinking or you'll miss the fleeting glimpses. Again, well spotted and great perseverance. Horrendous song! Best watched with the sound off!

I wish I could provide concrete answers, or opinions to your questions...There are so many variables, especially the build and swagger of the man wearing the heels... Anyway, I would agree that bare feet or hose/tights are best for heels, no socks.. Some guys, especially tall men, with long legs and a swimmer's build, can pull off most looks effortlessly....Then, there is the rest of us guys, who don't quite fit into that category. So, all I can say here is that what might work fine for one man, can not look so good on another...Wish I could be more concrete, but there are hundreds of variables that affect the look... To me, most guys look better in jeans with heels, but that is just my opinion...In any event, the jeans must fit correctly, and be the proper length, or they can really detract for his appearance in heels..Like FF has said, very loose jeans that are too short are usually a no no... Seasons, hmmm. Oh well, I'm sure there are seasonable looks, I just wear my boots and jeans the same way all year... As for "no nos", again the variables are so many that it is hard to even generalize...Again, usually only slender tall guys can pull off extremely feminine looks successfully. So, the rest of us kind of need to be able to blend our heels with more masculine attire.

I have seen plenty of women who have very strong ideas of right and wrong relating to dress and behavior, and little tolerance for any deviations from the "norm." My first wife was like that to a large extent. My second wife was totally accepting of me and what I wanted to do, and vice versa. She liked high heels and wore sexy ones when she was younger, and got compliments from other people. It was still trauma time to raise the issue with her, but she was totally accepting and even encouraging to me. We were very dedicated and supportive of each other and very happy together. But she is no longer with us. Sometime short girl friend, older, doesn't wear much in the way of heels. I gradually broke her in to mine, and when she saw me in stripper stilettos, she said they were very sexy. No problems there, but we are different in other areas. Two other lady friends, both very tall but no heels, are also very accepting, even to going in public. Basically, I would no longer get involved with anyone who is intolerant of variation from norms of dress or behavior. They have to be accepting of me and what I am, and I have to be the same with them. I feel sorry for those who don't have that tolerant, supportive relationship, but people seem to get into those situations a lot.

hi all i can say is dont dream just go for it, chances are all that is holding you back is in your own mind. from my experience people dont really care.sure you might get the odd look or stare or maybe even a laugh from the narrow minded people in society but why care what other people think,as long as you are happy and you are not hurting anyone else go for it. beleve me the more you do it the easier it gets good luck:smile: