FastFreddy2

We have warm weather back for a couple of days, Thursday through to Saturday. Probably busy at that pub 'disco' Friday, so no heels then. Mrs Freddy back tired from her week away, so early nights leading up to Friday ..... Be a shame to miss out on Saturday night too. I'm wondering if going without music Friday and spending the evening in heels might be nicer? [For me at least.] Mrs Freddy is working (again) the day after, so she won't be drinking anyway. As in, possibly not any alcohol at all, and it's not like I drink either. Maybe fate will step in and help me decide? If we had a long warm/hot/dry summers, I could take these warm evenings for granted, but it's been 3 or 4 years since we've had a good summer. Or is it longer? Consequently, when the sun is out, I like to make the most of it. Not the sun as such, but the warm evening that sits behind it. In previous years, driving down to London [restaurants - shopping - riverside views] has been the order of the day. But the general "tightening of belts", costs of fuel, and lack of opportunity has meant this hasn't happened much at all this year. I have to keep reminding myself ...... So many shoes, so little time.

Spotted today in Dorothy Perkins. Bright red patent court, at £17 in size 8. [i like a red shiny shoe.] Something slightly racy about red shoes.

Link works fine. About a year ago it occurred to me, the buyers who used to work for the now closed shoe chain "Faith", are now usefully employed at NEXT. Heel heights at NEXT, were not that high - as I remember them anyway. More recently, their heels seem to have gone skyward! As a shoe brand they've become MUCH more mainstream as a trend follower. On your link there is definitely a Lypsy concession button, and they are an uber high heel girlie centred brand, which at last is including some size 8's in it's catalogue. The shoe range growth at NEXT 'concession' ranges, also includes, pages and pages of Dr Martin styles, and pumps/trainers. I've mentioned before, it's becoming harder and harder for 'shoes only' retailers to exist. ALDO and Kurt Geiger being the two most notable exceptions, though both do ranges of additional accessories too. NEXT seem to understood this, and they are probably intending the inclusion of several market-leading-shoe-brands, will attract new (clothing) buyers into their stores. This seems to be a well trodden route used by New Look. I've yet to see a NL store where the shoe section wasn't at the back of the store? It can only be for one reason .... Girls will browse shoes even if they don't buy. If you get them to walk past clothing on the way to the shoe section, you might pick up additional clothing sales. ("Honey" trap? ) Thinking about it, this is also a theme used by River Island, and possibly Top Shop. I'd have to say New Look carry a disproportionately large shoe section in some stores, like the Watford brand I visited last week. Didn't use a tape measure to check, but the Watford shoe section seemed larger than the shoe section at their flag store in Oxford Street? I won't mind at all if NEXT follow this example of complimentary sales, with a priority given to footwear. As the link from Heelman500 shows, NEXT just like bigger clothing and grocery chain Marks and Spencer, seems to offer a 'Wide' [W] range of shoes. It also looks like they include a range of size 9's in shoe styles. Good for us men buyers. Not to forget Priceless, which like New Look, have catered for the size 9 owner for some time, and even have the occasional size 10! . You have to be quick to buy though, as these sizes seem to go first. The brand seems to have largely [but not completely] moved away from high street retailing. See example here >> Priceless courts <<. They have a sister company especially for the woman with larger feet >> here << called the Big Shoe Boutique, catering for up to size UK 11. They like Priceless, are part of the Barratts group, which recently got into financial trouble for the second time in 2 or 3 years. Many Barratts shops have already closed. It seems their business may be driven [by costs] to become internet based, with a handful of flagship stores scattered around? >> This particular style << .... seems to be a classic stiletto court style in patent, and comes up in a UK9 and UK10. Pays to read reviews on each style though, because Barretts/Priceless sizing can be all over the place. I've bought 7's 8's and 9's to fit me in the past. If anyone here was looking to buy from a store, there's still a Barratts at Westfield White City. Obviously, check for stock first before making a journey to buy. I've found sizes claimed as 'out-of-stock' on-line, sat on shelves in-store in the past, so sometimes worth a call. ....

Well in my defence, (M'lud ), I only passed comment because you seemed to be tilting your taste toward higher stiletto's? Like the ones you nearly kept from NEXT - and tried in public? New Look do seem to be moving in the right direction again. I think their styles over the last two years have been disappointing to say the least. NEXT on the other hand, seem to go from strength to strength. Looks like they are also carrying the Lypsy brand? Unless I clicked outside their web site catalogue by mistake? The pumps I mentioned earlier, were from New Look, but don't seem to work for me. Think NL were not expecting toe-nails like mine. The covering material of the toe-box is rigid. 30 minutes of wearing them, is likely to see my toe on the outside of the shoe? (I have toe-nails that can cut glass. ) Tried today: ...........

And another pair from the auction site....

Adding these as I saw spotted them looking for something else. Larger sizes no longer available from New Look. From New Look >> Fuchsia Sequin heels <<

Links 1 through 4 work fine. The new ones, 5 and 6, give me the same error message I had from the OP's 2-4 links? Not usually critical, but those style are a bit sedate for me. I've the luxury of getting into Size 8's, and some 7's, so maybe my choice is wider. That said, I've seen a black flat heeled slip on [slipper] pumps somewhere at £16, that I'm finding hard to resist. I'd been looking for some flat shoes to wear, to get from/to my home location without drawing attention, that could be put into man-bag or handbag while I'm out. I've looked at New Look, Next, and River Island for a link to them with no success. I'm sure they are in New Look, perhaps I'll make a visit and take my own photo, providing I have the right source. P.S. Sedate, but 1, 2 and 4, are very very very wearable anywhere.

Spotted on an internet auction site. Starting bid at £45, B.I.N. at £65. Size UK9/EU42. 5½" heel.

Me too, but I just don't see how it's possible? Girls complimenting girls, doesn't happen much around here. They don't like competition, and making the competition feel good isn't good for morale. Sure, close friends will praise another close friend, but seldom a 'competitor'. To most girls, (some I've met, others I've read comments from) high heels are an advantage they are not keen to share with men. Encouragement that may lose them some of their advantage, would be like an act of treason? I've mentioned a few times, the girlfriend (of almost 30 years ago - looking at the current year number), who travelled to London on the quiet, and bought me my first 'stupidly' high court shoes. She'd gone to what was a thinly veiled shop tilted toward transvestites. So, no small amount of effort on her part, I now realise, perhaps 30 years too late.... Anyway, the purpose of her getting me into heels was so I could wear them as and when. She worked with several gay men [hairdressers], and we would go out with them to 'questionable' clubs in London too. I might dress in like a girl, with tight trousers, heels and makeup. All this at a time when Boy George was on the cover of magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Androgyny was the norm at that time. We also went to fetish do's too. I can remember once dressing up to go out. Did the full bit. Skirt, falsies, makeup, wig. Nothing too overt, but definitely feminine. I had no hips to speak of, and was around a size 8. [24/26 inch waist.] Looking at the size of some of the bits I've kept, I can't believe how slim I was. Anyway, I'm dressed and ready to go out. I find my girlfriend crying, why? She said that I looked more like a girl than she did. [Absolutely not true.] But her perception was, that I did. I know for sure, mens psyche is fragile thing. I would offer, women are no different. They need to have a place [feminine maybe, mother maybe,] in society and culture. Us wearing part of their 'armour' usually used by them for securing their unique position, isn't likely to stimulate comments of support? In fact, I can fully understand resistance to us wearing them. I don't enjoy or like the resistance, but I understand the need for it. So back to my original comment: I'd like to hear positive feedback, I just don't see how it's possible. Mrs Freddy, as I've also mentioned a number of times, seldom wears heels when I do. She would say it's because we usually do a lot of walking when I wear them, and she doesn't want to ruin her shoes or her feet. Maybe like a lot of [older] women, her ability to cope with heel related foot pain, has diminished from when she was young? [she tells me of cut and bruised feet when younger.] Either way, my honest belief is, she (like most women) would rather not have the 'competition' of her man also in heels. I do get a lot support from Mrs Freddy, a lot. But compliments on my high heeled footwear? A place too far.

I'musing Win 7 Pro with Chrome browser. Also tried with IE. Neither would produce an image? Are you looking on a phone or tablet? I think the links may have been added via phone, is why I'm asking....

Ummmm, links 2, 3 and 4 don't work? No.1 works fine.

I have largely given up on a camera phone. Unless I spend a stupid amount of money, the ones I prefer are too much money. Looks like Christmas or just after, is the time to acquire one of these. Instead I'm in the market for a 'tough' camera, or better known as a waterproof camera. Fuji do them Olympus do them Panasonic do them Nikon do them. Vivitar do them Might be others but I've yet to read a review that didn;t highlight a problem. Fuji? Let water in. Olympus, older versions at least, are slow. Panasonic? Image quality poor. [Trying to squeeze too many pixels from small sensor.] Not usually this hard to spend money ..... I've still been taking pictures with my grainy Nokia phone camera. Got a few stored, so I'll upload these soon.

It helps if you follow your own recommended procedures. [Ref towel.] I don't know why I didn't move the towel, as it belongs in my car anyway? Lesson learnt.

How did this happen? Some other scuffing is evident lower on the heel, probably from a kerb or (sitting on) a stool.

These queries are a bit 'off thread' but ...... Are you new to wearing heels, or new to wearing them in public? And ...... When we say (when anyone of us here says) "wear in public", do we mean: Wear in public - to show off our footwear? Wear in public - to be in a social/inter-active situation wearing our preferred footwear? Wear in public - a mixture of both, or some other explanation? Why the deep question? I had until 5 minutes ago, always understood 'wearing in public' to be wearing amongst other people. Of course wearing heels anywhere outside -even alone at night maybe- is technically wearing in public. Hence the query over intent? On a scale of 1 to 10 of 'subtlety', that comment scores a 1. I have met, and enjoyed sexually aggressive women, but never experienced that reaction. I suspect the "let's get it on" switch from a single item of clothing, doesn't exist for women. [Men: Stockings? Men: Heels? Men: Corset? etc etc.] Although Mrs Freddy takes every opportunity to tell me how much she likes men in frock-coats. Perhaps as part of an ensemble, heels can contribute? [Looking taller - in my case. walking more elegantly?] But as a single switch, I'm tempted to suggest it's impossible? Even (as I recall) in my youth with girls looking/expecting sex at every opportunity, it wasn't me in heels that had them 'turned on', but what it did to me. [A direct quote from the girl who bought me my first stupidly high heels.] ....