Tacchi Alti

They are small - fortunately not too tight for me. I now have three pairs - I need to get 'acceptable' heels while they're still available, and these were a third of the price I paid for the first pair. My wife says she likes the buckles, so I won't bother cutting them off the next ones I wear. My first ones still have plenty of wear in them, and I've walked a lot of miles in them.

It went fine, as I thought it would. I wore my wedge boots (like my avatar only black) and I know several noticed them, but no comments, as usual. One guy we know quite well had a good view of them at close range, as a heel got stuck on the seat as I was trying to wiggle onto a bench right next to him (lunch was at a table with picnic-table-style seats). One interesting thing will be photos - will anyone comment that I'm suddenly taller than my wife?

OK. I don't think most people in the company are judgmental, and I don't really care about the rest. There will be a handful of close friends there, and several of the company top brass, one of whom I know quite well, but most of the rest are people I've never seen and likely won't see again.

On 10/20/2017 at 3:23 PM, FastFreddy2 said:

People who like to gossip, will gossip, it's what people do.

Those who aren't phased by that sort of thing, will take it in their stride.

 

"Best practice" would be:

You ought to confide in your line manager. Inform them you have found a way to ease a bad back, in the slightly unorthodox method of wearing a raised heel. Tell them you have some boots with concealed heel, but you have found it better for your feet to wear wedge sandals. Also say you have tried lifts in regular shoes, but these are uncomfortable, so you have resorted to women's shoes with a reasonable heel. Ask if there would be a problem (with them/the company) or would there likely be a problem with colleagues if you wore a wedge shoe. Assuming neither the company, the line manager, nor colleagues would have a problem, the door is "open". 

Some companies have rules on shoe types. A company I know won't let anyone walk around in open toes shoes, and much prefer employees to wear safety shoes - and in some areas, safety shoes are mandatory. 

 

Fortunately I'm not an employee, so I'm not bound to any dress code. We are network marketers so self employed, and the company is fairly relaxed. I doubt anyone would be offended but even if they were there wouldn't be any disciplinary action. I'm wondering actually about wearing some cowboy boots with wide heels just under four inches. The reason I haven't worn them much is that they have very long toes, but actually those are back in fashion and they would mask the shortness of the foot in heels. I think my wife is OK with those.

It's her day - she's collecting a car she's worked for for years. It has the company logo plus her own contact details, and is available via an extremely good lease agreement subsidised by the company.

I've worn them in cuban heel shoes - about an inch. They made my ankles project a bit higher but were comfortable enough. I wouldn't say you need the shoes/boots to be tight although of course the insert makes them tighter anyway. One thing it's likely to do is mess up the shoe's insole.

It's also in business settings where I need to get other people comfortable with them. Last evening I went with my wife to a business meeting with about 60-70 there. I wore my concealed heels - I have no idea if anyone noticed, but I wondered whether I could have worn something with a visible heel. I hadn't been to one of these meetings for several years but I know a lot of the people who were there. I was glad I wore the heels as I was standing chatting for nearly an hour afterwards. However, as it was so long since I'd been to one of those meetings I'd never previously worn heels. But again, would anyone have cared?

Another challenge is going to be a visit to head office next week. Concealed or wedges? I'll be with my wife and travelling by train. The wedges would be far more comfortable and I've worn them across London before, but again, I'll be meeting people I've known for a while, none of whom have seen me in heels.

9 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Dark, and cobbled and stilettos sounds like an uneasy mix to me...

Cobbled and stilettos sounds fun to me, but not dark too! I love the helpless feeling but would want to see where I'm treading.

On 19/10/2017 at 12:11 AM, FastFreddy2 said:

Te following comment seems without empathy, but be assured that is very much not the case .... 

You were/are fully aware, this situation was inevitable, given your completely understandable choice of wearing what you are comfortable wearing, rather what the social norm demands. You are a crusader of sorts, and there is always a price to pay for being a crusader. Hopefully, this situation will not lead to your martyrdom too. 

You have a fall-back position; your bad back. A boot with a hidden heel (aka lift) while being something of an innovative medical solution, happens to be something of a contributor to why the boots are worn. As politicians will agree, tell a lie often enough, even the liar will believe the lie is the truth. Under no circumstances, falter from the company line!   

 

I don't know that Mrs R-I-B is going to let you put it out of your mind, but a 'united front' may well help with any fall-out, if there is any. I have my doubts much will come of this openly. We Brits have a taste for discretion, keeping things in closets, and burying anything that might be embarrassing. If you get any response to this event at all, it'll be third hand and like a Chinese whisper, barely discernible. In America, I'm sure there would be a family-wide intervention. In the UK it'll be; "You know Russ, he's always had a thing for shoes," End of event.

 

I agree with your empathyless comment. I really want them to know and accept, so am trying to break them in gently rather than rub their noses in 'women's' shoes. I think the younger generation are generally more accepting anyway. It's interesting talking to my younger son about problems he's come across, and he says things have changed even in a few years. He's now 26 and works in schools as a music teacher, and organises tours etc. One thing he had to sort out was an issue with a 14-year-old girl who wanted to be a boy, 'trapped in the wrong body', as the saying goes. At school this has to be respected, and the parents are kept in the dark about it. Apparently she'd come out to them a year or so previously and they'd hit the roof. My son had to organise a trip where the kids slept several to a room, but he had the problem of which sex to treat her as! In the end she had a room by herself. He had to liaise with the education authorities to make sure everything was done by the political correctness book. What he says is that it's a non-event to most of the other kids, while just a few years ago she'd have been mercilessly teased and probably victimised and assaulted.

I wear my concealed heel boots with him and his girlfriend around, and I know he's noticed my wedges too. I wore them to drive him to the station a few months ago, and he was glancing at my feet. He doesn't know my 'bad back' reason but he might not even care anyway. His girlfriend is one of the loveliest and most open girls I've ever met, and she wears heels regularly so would probably empathise with me wearing them even if only as a fashion statement. I have an idea from one or two things that have been said that she'd quite like to dress a man in a skirt. Who knows - she might do that regularly with my son??? Perhaps he wears heels too??? They share a flat so could be getting up to all kinds of things...

I have similar ones I've bought off Ebay - up to nearly 2 inches. Fine in boots but there's a limit to the height you can wear in shoes as obviously they start to look like mules!

I'm not worried about it but it would be easier if things were out in the open and they were OK with it. Those boots are a bit hot indoors... It's possible they already knew anyway, as my nephews and niece are contemporary and friendly with the youngster who discovered a pair of six inch sandals last year. I told that one I wore them for the sake of my back but I'm not sure those sandals were in the 'sake of' category!!!

I have a new pair of 4.5 inch block heel boots off Ebay, which are comfortable and amazingly quiet to walk in. Not sure what my wife would think, as I've got a couple of new pairs recently that she's seen - identical to ones I wear a lot; getting them when I see them. I've pretty well worn out my second pair of my favourite wedge boots (as in my avatar but dyed black) and am glad to have three pairs in reserve! I'll walk home from work in my new ones later - about a mile.

My wife told me my nephew definitely saw my boots were built up inside, as I knelt down to open a cupboard and the back of the boots was clearly visible. He looked at her and then looked away. No doubt the rest of the family will also be informed, although it's quite possible they already know, seeing I wore them at their house last weekend.

I've taken to wearing formal shoes with 2 inch cuban heels for church etc where there are likely to be people who would be genuinely offended by what they would perceive as feminine shoes. They don't do a great deal for my back problems but at least they get people used to me being taller, so higher ones wouldn't be so obvious if they saw me in them. I've been wearing the concealed heel boots (discussed elsewhere here) a lot with family around. At least they're not immediately feminine and they are getting the family used to what they MUST have noticed without causing any offence or embarrassment, particularly with children around. We went to my wife's sister's last weekend, and I wore them all the time when I wasn't wearing the cuban heels. One of our nephews (16) is staying with us at present, which limits me for style but I'm in the boots all the time. Yesterday we went to Brighton Marina and walked about two miles. My back would have been quite painful in flat shoes but was absolutely fine in the boots. I think they'd be good footwear to have on if family or close friends asked why I was wearing them, which they haven't yet. I bought another pair (as per discussion elsewhere) so my wife knows I have them. Actually, she likes the buckles so I won't bother cutting them off this time. I also have another pair tucked away, that I bought soon after the first ones in case they disappeared from the market, so I should be well supplied for a while. The original ones are still in very good shape despite the mileage I've done in them.

Certainly boots are easier, and look more passable as men's footwear, although I still have the problem of the need for shoes for certain occasions. I had a pair of sandals I wore a lot over the summer (is that some sort of mathematical mind-bender to our American friends?). I've ordered my pair of concealed heels, as per previous messages (identical to the ones I already have but a fraction of the price as obviously they're being taken out of production), and also a pair of boots with fairly wide block heels. I'm not sure about the public wear of these but I'll have to see when they arrive. I also have my eye on another pair of wedge boots like the ones I wear daily - second hand on Ebay. Again, I want to get these while they're still available. The only downside to them is a fairly thin heel but I don't see that as a real problem. They come in any colour you like so long as they are beige, so the black shoe dye is necessary. I dyed one pair dark brown but I've not yet worn them and am not too sure about the colour.

I haven't. I was just wondering whether someone here knew.  Tech sometimes seems to be very busy.

Is it possible to change my user name here? My wife has found my russ in boots persona online, with several fetish connections, and I had to close a few accounts!. I don't mind her knowing I'm on this site but I would prefer to leave my russ name behind as she would immediately be biased against the site if she saw it.

I intend getting a pair this week. The fit is snug. If they were available in a 9 I'd probably go for them but they are OK. Most of the time an 8 is my size and often 7 in sandals.

Sorry, I haven't been online for a while. Those are the ones I have, plus a spare pair. Perhaps I should order another pair just to make sure, while they're still around. I saw some brown ones in an 8 but not black. I've cut the bottom strap off mine.

Just looked up those trainers. Apart from price, main problem is they don't go up to my size...

I suppose with these people is that their custom doesn't come from people on high heel sites, so I could put a warning on hhplace etc but few potential customers would see it. Not sure what else could be done to warn people, but then of course most of their market is people who want to pretend to be taller.

Perhaps it's a general culture of deception. A few years ago I got a pair of Bertulli boots and the heels were nowhere near as high as advertised. I was told the height was an average. As the range went only two sizes above mine... I'm also looking at an Indian company whose products sound very good, but trying to get definite information out of them is proving difficult!

10 hours ago, Puffer said:

Russ:   I assume you read my note, with advice, on Wednesday; you haven't commented?   You should be able to recover the VAT paid on importation if and when you provide proof of the shoes being returned (i.e. exported).   HMRC can advise on this.   The fee paid to the carrier is probably not recoverable, at least from that source, but you could try to claim it as an expense from the US supplier.   Could we see a pic of the shoes before they go back?

Sorry Puffer. The topic bumped onto another page and I lost track. Thanks for your helpful comments, and I'll look into it next week. Market day today so busy. In my heeled sandals of course. I had a snotty reply from the company, Tall Men Shoes in El Monte, California. I'll reply to them in due course after ascertaining the legal aspects. It's a shame I bought them off their company website rather than via eBay. I only noticed they were eBay sellers after I'd ordered. I'd probably have more come back. They say they never refund postage, with no exceptions. I wonder... Anyway, worse things happen.

22 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said:

Gentlemen ....

I would tentatively suggest, wearing a ladies heel because it looks like a ladies heel, is likely to produce connotations of cross-dressing (androgyny) at best, and transvestism at worst. I have have few experiences myself in wearing an otherwise feminine heel, where I benefited directly from any aesthetic pleasure, save seeing a pointed toe appearing from time to time.

While I will agree -since I am as guilty as anyone else is likely to be- I like an attractive shoe, which almost certainly is going to have a high heel attached. But for me, function can surpass form. My Mars-bar shoes ('work, rest and play') are not attractive, but are really really pleasant to wear.

Russ has said his motivation is to wear some heels that would pass casual inspection at any event, and especially any family event. The rather obvious solution is a shoe with a hidden heel. It ticks his "bad back" box if the rise is sufficient, and hides or disguises the fact he is wearing a heel sufficiently to avoid cause for concern from his partner. Sadly, the 'lift' in the shoes delivered, fail the primary reason for purchase, despite his care in ensuring that did qualify as being suitable. 

I would think under usual circumstances, purchasers of this 'lift' shoes, are going to be fellas who might feel height challenged, and are looking for a height boost - hence the accompanying platform with the hidden heel.

I too would like to find a shoe that had a hidden heel with a rise of over 4 inches, that might pass casual inspection in most social circumstances. Perhaps something like this: (but not these)

 

 

 

Thank you Freddy. You get the situation exactly. I've e-mailed the company concerned, copying into it some of our previous correspondence clearly setting out my requirements and their replies, which are misleading at best and untruthful at worst. As you say, most of their customers must be people who want to look taller - sometimes quite a bit taller as they have heels up to 5.5 inches - but I set out my requirements to them. Surely they couldn't have been unique, given the thousands of pairs of shoes they must sell. I have asked for a full refund for shoes, carriage and return carriage. I doubt I'll get the VAT and 'broker fee' back. My wife nearly cried when she saw the shoes! She said they looked like the shoes a 90-year-old family friend used to wear because of oedema.

However, I think, looking on the bright side, that this has highlighted to her the difficulty in finding 'suitable' shoes. She had to agree these were far from suitable, despite the effort and expense trying to get something universally acceptable. Ironically, one of her comments had been that I'd probably spend less on a pair of elevator heels than on all the other pairs I'd bought, most of which I wouldn't wear in public, let alone with close friends or family. In fact, I've just spend more on a pair of 'acceptable' but horrible shoes I'll never wear than I'd have spent on half a dozen pairs of my other shoes!

I'll just have to see how all this works out!

I'm going to have a chat with our local cobbler to see if he can suggest a solution. He's reheeled a couple of pairs of my shoes and must have guessed they were mine, so I'll see what he says.

BTW, awesome trainers/sneakers! I think I might have seen something similar on Ebay. If I could get some in black I'd be tempted!

5 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I don't understand the point of hidden heels. Isn't the point of wearing heels - or one of the big points - the visual appeal of high heeled boots?

If you go back to my original post on Monday you might understand.

Well, they've arrived, and they're horrible! Beautifully made, but ugly as sin to look at. They are so obviously built up inside and despite my specific question about the inside thickness of the sole they still come out at about an inch, so the actual rise is about 2.5 inches. I don't know whether to bother sending them back as I'll get only a fraction of what I paid for the shoes and the carriage and, most annoyingly, the import charges. I've tried putting a built-up insole in but there's no room without my heel sticking out the top!. I think I'll show them to my wife so that she knows I've tried. I find it difficult to make people understand that I'm not interested in being taller - the important thing is the angle of the foot, so a built-up sole is useless to me. I've wondered whether to rip the whole insert out and put my own in, but then you have the problem of a colossal toe box.

Waaaaahhhhh.

4 hours ago, wetboot said:

Of course you are joking about your son posting on facebook...

I'm thinking your kids are aware you wear heels and are OK with it, they just don't bring it up....

Well, he hasn't posted on FB yet, but I don't think he would anyway. He's very sensitive to people's feelings and wouldn't post anything for a cheap laugh if it would be hurtful to the person concerned. His girlfriend is a delightful girl and probably the first I'd 'come out' to as she's really open. At Christmas we were talking about me wearing a skirt - she started it - but unfortunately someone else came into the room at the crucial moment and we've never continued the conversation. I think she has a thing about that, as in a job interview she told the interviewer he'd look good in a skirt. She got the job!

Thanks for your kind words. Regarding extra height, this has never been a desire with me. If I could get heels that didn't increase my height I'd happily get them. I'm not tall (5'8") but have no desire to be taller except perhaps when trying to get things off high shelves!

I'll get my card out and very grudgingly pay UPS as it's more trouble than it's worth fighting, and I want the shoes. Regarding UK suppliers, they have a very limited selection of anything I'd be interested in, with typical lift of 6-7 cm. I need at least 9 for them to be beneficial to my back, keeping in mind the thickness of the sole. Also, even with all these extra charges they're cheaper than I'd get from the UK or EU. Let's hope the quality is as good as promised.

I've been told you're much less likely to be charged for goods from China etc.