FastFreddy2

They look like a pair from the "SEXY" range, with the slim set-back heel. Could you add a picture taken side-on, to show the heel?

Sadly true.

How old are you? I will confirm, I don't find it as easy to walk in 5½ inch heels the way I used to 30 years ago. I too had a hiatus from heeling, but am doing all I can to 'cover lost time'. I think it's no coincidence, that it's younger people (girls) who wear higher heels, generally. As people get older, they tend to put on weight, and joints wear out. Older people are less tolerant to pain too. (Less tolerant to any irritation it seems.) I've a "walking friend" I've known for at least 26 years. She always wore a heel of some sort, even to work. Very 'girlie girlie' with long nails and into dressing well. Would seldom move from a tall size 10, and had a figure most men would be very happy to see (and women to have). Fast forward 26/27 years. She's a heavy size 12 at 5'7" or there abouts. Has already had one hip replaced, and recently found she needs the other replaced too. I've no doubt her weight (and height) haven't helped over her recent lifetime. Worse, and this is the pertinent bit ... Her feet are a mess. She has what I think the medical profession would call 'hereditary' bunions exacerbated by years of heel wearing. She has had several operations on her feet (one of two life-long high heel wearers I know with this history), and only one of the two bunion operations has been successful. When she was told about the hip needing replacement, she was also told her big toe joint with the bunion was now beyond recovery, and that too needs replacing. The consultant has put a request forward for her to have a hip and big toe joint replaced at the same time. While it's only one case, it would seem weight and heels fast-track joint wear. The 'other' girl I know who has wrecked feet through years of heel wearing, has stayed slim (currently a size 10 or less) and barely makes 5'3" in height, and no declared hip problems I'm aware of. I will ask next time I have some contact with her. Of course your joint problem could be gout? Might need to see the Doc if the other symptoms in the link fit.

I think paying that sort of money for a pair of 4" heels would be an act of foolishness, and I'd expect resale values to be minimal. (Unless you are part of the Chelsea set in which case you'd give them away not sell them on.) I've mentioned elsewhere I continue to search for a 4½ - 5 inch court in black leather, or comfortable style in PU that didn't fall apart on first use. [Points finger at SELECT courts.] There are 3 styles nominated at the moment, ranging from £60 to £95, and none really likely to join the collection due to poor fit. I have looked at the Chinese PU offerings, and if wasting money on the wrong size wasn't an issue, I'd invest. In fact I'm warming to the idea of some leather (not PU) courts from Pleaser. Come in at around £75, with either a low looking 5 inch heel, or a short-walk-only six inch heel - that actually measures 5½ inches. I'm seriously looking at some 420's with the higher heel.

That would take me about two days to do. I'd like photo's of my collection, but it's quite a way down the list of "must do" things I need to get done yesterday or the day before.

I had in mind, you might invite her over on some dodgy pretext, like asking what you might buy your son for a birthday or Christmas present .... ? While I have enough pairs of heels to not be fully aware of every style I own, I'm always aware of where they are. Always. Given you were wearing 3½ inch wedges during your guest's visit, and he found another pair you owned up to wearing as well, chances are he knew the (stripper) heels were also yours. Decorum (face-saving for you both) meant he had to give them to your wife. I have had a similar reaction to my heels at the local cobblers. He kindly refers to my shoes as 'hers', but I'm 100% sure he knows they are mine. Saves us both a bit of awkwardness, though sometimes it might be easier if I just blurted out the shoes were mine. Maybe not so easy for him, so the size 8's are "hers" as well as the size 6's I take in there. On balance, I would suggest these are not the innocent accidents they seem? You might be remiss enough to 'forget' a pair of boots hidden somewhere almost derelict, but a second pair? You seem too intelligent to be that .... inept? Maybe you are too busy to keep track, in which case you need a better 'system' to control your ... ahemm .... 'hobby' investments. Or are you looking to come out as a high heel wearer to everyone you have contact with? You certainly have pushed the heels agenda significantly further than I have, and I'm not exactly at the back of the queue for getting it out there. Your good lady wife must be getting close to having to draw a line under your heeling activities. Here at Maison Freddy, there is reluctant acceptance, but I'm very careful I don't ruffle feathers if it's avoidable. My pointy-pointy M+S boots are saved for busy places where the points aren't overly visible to others, but I STILL get comments from Mrs Freddy every time I wear them. (Brent Cross last Sunday for example.) I try to make light of it so both of us aren't too uncomfortable. As she would prefer me in less pointy shoes, I generally oblige. We never meet people we know with me in a heel. Many of my older girl-friends and one or two male friends know, but few have seen me out in them. I honestly believe me coming out as gay would be more socially acceptable than being a high-heel wearer. A gay-couple I know (through my walking friend) even take the piss out of my high-heel wearing.... I'm lucky at home, in that I have plenty of shoe storage. Most of my 'extra' shoes are in bins that are the same shape as the bins I use for clothing. But Mrs Freddy is fairly confident I've lots of shoes (I mostly don't wear). I seldom wear a heel in the house, and the single exception is some boots I cut the shaft off, that I wear to help me reach the upper corners of walls when I'm decorating. Put another way, Mrs Freddy isn't getting constant reminders I'm into wearing a heel, and when she is reminded, it's generally when we are doing something entertaining as a couple. Even more succinctly, I keep her exposure to my heel wearing on a positive note. This isn't a lecture BTW, it's me offering a benchmark that works here.

Hello and welcome. I don't know that's completely true ... The other site has more traffic, so people often prefer to post there. But it's seldom the case post here go unresponded to?

For me, it's about 'the look' of these. That pencil thin shaft accentuated by it's position maximises the look of a truly high 'stiletto' heel. Since I don't ever expect to wear them, other than the occasional stepping into them to check they still fit, they will likely stay in a box. I wouldn't mind them being framed, and used as art .... But not while I live in a building site.

A little update ..... So far, STILL no joy with OTK boots or thigh boots. I have seen some tall boots by KG this season, that don't have a heel, but they looked like they might be a good fit. More on those and A/W 2016/2017 on another thread. While Zara haven't released an identical style of OTK/thigh boot as 2015's, they do have something similar. Actually, two styles. The long sock at circa £60, and a leather version at £160 if memory serves. The patent Office shoes are still here, and I'm happy about that. Sadly so are some of the others I have tried to dispose of. I might have to give them away, or at least take pennies instead of pounds for them. I am still struggling to find a black leather court. The Office 'Trouble' style, which should have gone on sale/reduced some time ago, hasn't although a sales assistant thought they should have. They still sit at the original £72 price. I know where there is a pair my size, and they are hidden stock. If the price ever reduces, I will buy. The same might be true of a red patent style too. There are 3 brands with leather courts, possibly 4 if I include Office, available this Autumn so far, but none I've tried are a good fit. Again, more on that with a 2016/2017 styles review. I might have to wait until early September before I can publish, as few brands have made great in-roads to the new season styles. Many shops still have racks of 'sale' shoes out, and have 'sales' showing online too.

Took the seller a bit longer than expected to get them dispatched, but the shoes did arrive, and in good nick. They might have been tried on once or twice, maybe even worn on carpet, but the fit is good too. The shoes are shown below. They are an 'all leather' court, with a heel slightly higher than 5 inches. Originally sold at £240 so a little more than half the price of the Louboutin's they might be pitched against. They don't have a great deal of room in the toe-box, but more than Pigalles. This is my second pair, and cost less than the first. I can almost guarantee I'll never wear either pair, but like some Loubie buyers, I look at these as an 'investment' purchase. Meaning I would hope to sell them for more than I paid for them. That said, given a realistic opportunity to wear them, I would. I can't imagine where or when, but they are not a traipsing (schlepping) around shops shoe. Rather a party or 'do' someplace, where a man in a heel would not start a ruckus. Albert Hall, Royal Opera House, or somewhere equally prestigious. Will never happen so ... And it's not like I can afford to own them either .... "Times" a bit hard at the moment. (Even harder than usual. ) But these were just too good an opportunity to miss. Not to everyone's taste, but a very high heel and surprisingly wearable. (Given the chance.)

The Outing: Unusually, I didn't leave late. I left later, but not late. Companion was collected, and we to Brent Cross for an en route meal. We were soon back on the road, heading toward the South Bank. Having made practice runs several times, we arrived without mishap. Again, unusual. The first space I'd hoped to use was full, but one further along was empty. Blue Badge on the dash, we were good to go. And this is where 'reality' hit me around the face like an old smelly fish. The car was parked in the same position to the van shown in this picture: In all the visits I had made previously, those covered market stalls had not been there. Worse, on the day, there was a row even closer to the car, where the empty space appears between the cars and the potted bushes. It was a busy pathway, with people stopping to browse. And the stairway seen in the background (that least ups to the RFH main entrance) was almost covered in people sitting, eating and drinking refreshments just bought from the market. Getting out of the car felt like getting out on stage in front of an audience, and in bright sunshine too. The reality was, courts were off the agenda, so thankfully I had not made a special purchase of red ones! Even after we had left the car, me in the boots shown in my avatar, I was reluctant to walk up through the sitting mass. We walked around to the rear entrance, the one I had used before. Walking past the venues dedicated Blue Badge parking, I could see all the bays were used. There was no way I could park closer, just cross the road. I had just not appreciated (i) how many people would be there, and (ii) how many would be sitting - watching the world around them. Inside the venue was slightly darker, noisier, with seated heads a little higher off the ground. Having found where we were to enter the auditorium, we had a quick post-dinner coffee. The cafeteria was like a furnace, so we went outside onto the busy balcony. Immediately I could see a woman, with two male companions with their backs to me had spotted my high heeled gait, so I kept my back to her. In doing so, one of a group of four girls standing by an adjacent table to the woman I'd spotted, told her friends about my shoes. After a quick look by some, they all went back to what they were doing. Apparently, I wan't as interesting as she may have thought. At this point, I was quite glad I didn't have slim heels on, and very glad they weren't red. My bladder is either super-efficient, or super-inefficient. Fluids almost fall through me. Back inside I made a visit to the toilet, and we into the auditorium and seated. There were some rather stunning couples in the audience, very well dressed and very good looking. Most looked like tourists though. One couple were very noticeable. Unfortunately, the fella with the camera hadn't switched it on as he thought, so no pictures.... (Duh.) The actual performance was superlative. We were seated very close to the stage, and pretty much at the best level too. He and the group of artists with him, got a standing ovation, and a well deserved standing ovation. All his concerts are sold out wherever he performs in the UK, with good reason. Once the performance was over, there was a terrific rush to get outside. Not sure why, but there was. Outside, it was as good as dark, and only then could I possibly been able to wear slimmer heels and gone almost gone unnoticed. I say almost, because even the shoes I had on got spotted by one person as I was about to leave the front of the building. Hey-ho. The car wasn't more than 40 or 50 yards away, and we made a quick journey homeward. Another time we might have hung around for a walk along the river as the weather was so good, but our senses were already humming from the gig.

Shoes: I had expected to wear red patent courts. Sounds a bit outrageous now, but at the time.... I'd gotten away with courts at the Barbican Centre, at least while inside, and the same was true of the O2. Given I expected to do no more than cross the road in front of the Royal Festival Hall.... Why not? The ONLY option I'd managed were some red patents, and while I like patent, I felt they would be a bit over-the-top, like wearing red courts wouldn't be bad enough.... I settled on wearing something I already owned. Initially, these: Worn at the O2. They were spotted, but not by many - as far as I know. During my second 'reccy' I had returned to my car and changed into these for a walk around, to see if I could cope in the cobbled areas. The walk was short. I could walk in them, as dangerous as that seemed, but I felt some pressure on my left toes and realised these shoes were not suitable unless some protection was added to the tops of one toe and the outside of my big toe. This was a surprise as these shoes aren't a snug fit, Maybe too loose? Anyway, I returned to the car before any skin was broken. The third reccy, had me try these: All PU and a Primarni UK7. I don't recall going far in them, but they were comfortable. In fact they were so comfortable I could have walked quite some distance in them. I did have one minor stumble, when a heel went somewhere it shouldn't, but the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that both stiletto heels shown here are protected with a couple of layers of heat-shrink. It did, and does work well. I have put this stuff on all the heels I might wear outside, since I have scraped several thin heels when they've found cracks or gaps in pavement. If I wore courts then, they would be these. On the day, I spent several hours coming up with suitable shoe/jean combinations. Oddly, these Primarni shoes looked best with some straight jeans, that covered the heel and almost all the (potential) toe cleavage. Meaning the lily-white top of my foot. I had 3 variations to take with me. My almost-always-wearing shoes (as avatar), some ankle boots with moderately slim heel, and the courts.

Parking: For those of you who have experience of travelling around our (ahemm ... great) capital in a car, you will know parking anywhere 'legal' is mega expensive, and parking anywhere else is expensive to the point of feeling like you've been held up by Dick Turpin. 'On the night' I had access to a Blue Badge holder, so costs were minimised. That said, my plan was (originally) to park on Waterloo Bridge, which -I know now- was permissible after 6.30pm right up until around October 2015. I found the hard way on the first of my 3 'reccies' for parking/walking in heels dry-runs.... I'm familiar with the South Bank, and have visited often in heels. I used to park on Waterloo Bridge because it provided easy access to a place that has little or no free parking at any time. On very adventurous days, as happened on my first visit to the bridge in 2016, I would park on the North of the river. With enough of the evening left to do it in a casual manner, historically I might walk across Waterloo Bridge, or use one of the Golden Jubilee foot bridges. On the Outing night, time wasn't going to allow that as "free" parking starts at 6.30pm, and the performance started at 7.30pm. Too little time for a 'comfortable' walk across the river on foot. Plan B then, was to use the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) facilities, and Blue Badge (BB) parking is free. Yay! But the RFH car parks are currently being refurbished leaving only one small BB parking area. If it was full on the night .... So the first visit to the RFH for a reccy got me nowhere. In fact I parked up on the North of the river, and had a pleasant afternoon out with Mrs Freddy. If I remember, we ended up at Covent Garden instead of walking across bridges on what was a very hot day. The place was very busy, full of tourists looking for something interesting to photograph. Cobbled streets not so nice for someone wearing heels, but it was otherwise a nice afternoon out. The second visit had me better prepared. I knew about the bridge, and I knew about the BB parking next to the FH. On arrival, I managed to find a BB bay around the corner from RFH, and a bay that unrestricted length of stay. Most are 4 hours max until 6.30pm, when they become unrestricted. Once out of the car it wasn't hard to find the RFH parking for BB holders, it being almost across an access road. While there, we went inside the RFH had have a look around. I asked once of the security staff a question, which he didn't understand at all (didn't speak very good English). I was pointed toward another fellow and asked him the same question. This was a week before the gig, and I wanted to know how we should access the venue for the gig. Apparently there are three places people can perform, and multiple entrances. This fella wouldn't help without seeing sight of a ticket... We had a walk around, and then went off past the London Eye and reached Westminster Bridge before turning back. I was surprised how busy the place was. Back at the car I changed into some courts shoes, and had a short walk. They were too uncomfortable, so the walk was brief. The third reccy had me without the BB holder, but again on the South Bank in the evening, just past 6.30pm. Amazingly, I found some unrestricted parking close to the venue. As long as got to this spot close to 6.30 on the night, I had 3 options in total, and the hope one would have an empty spot for my car. Since i would be on the South Bank, walking in a heel with whatever height or style, I might only have a 50 yard walk to the venue. Not only a short walk, but one that wouldn't take up a great deal of time.

As mentioned already, tickets were booked a couple of months in advance to go see Ludovico Einaudi, at the Royal Festival Hall, on London's South Bank. He is a popular Italian composer/pianist, amongst those who know his work. He is also popular with TV Directors/Editors. A week seldom passes, where I don't recognise his work being played during something I am be watching (usually on the BBC). The Executive Summary, (for those of you used to reading formal reports) is that the evening went well, as did the performance. What I wanted to wear didn't happen, where I initially planned to park didn't happen. Practice 'runs' were a bit mixed .... Details to follow.

The event came and went. It'll be written up under The Outing IV, coming soon!

I have myself noticed, a seller of this brand recently. I was tempted by these: Starting price was in the 'affordable' price range, with only one bidder so far. Tempted/tempting ...

I would hope he would speak to you first .... If I have the right son, maybe arrange a visit by his girlfriend, with/without him. If he's shared it with anyone, he will have shared it with her...

I hadn't bought anything for a while having had that disappointing experience with the Office shoes .... Succumbed on Saturday to a pair of courts. More on those if they arrive, and if they are in good shape.... "Epilogue" to the Office shoes .... Whoever bid higher didn't like what was sent. The shoes are back up on sale, and at a higher price. Mules look to be reasonably at the moment, or open toe ones are.

Have we seen a picture of these?

New season boots haven't arrived yet but doesn't look promising.... Last Sunday (17th July) Mrs Freddy and myself went to Londinium for the day, shopping for some 'wedding' shoes for her friends (3rd round of) nuptials in August. Given we were shopping for her shoes, which have to be wearable for around 10 hours on the day, readers won't be surprised it was a little boring at times. Since I got to try on a couple of pairs, 'apparently' I must have had a good day too. The good bits were wearing very high heels for 6-7 hours, and the banoffee cheesecake at John Lewis. More of the bad bits were discoveries that Carvela/Nine West/Steve Madden are now using manufacturers that don't expect buyers to have toes. 6 years ago, Nine West boots in US 10W had my feet flapping around inside them, Not in their court shoes on Sunday. Both myself and Mrs Freddy each have a fairly good range of Carvela/KG shoes that fit. I have been listening to herself remark their shoes had been getting more and more uncomfortable ... me thinking perhaps her feet were growing? Well, I tried some myself, and finding not only can I get in an EU40 court of theirs, my foot falls out too. But where was the space for my other two toes? Steve Madden has for some time, been a favourite, with generous sizing. But a new style of court I tried on, had me struggling to get in an EU41, and no room for all 5 toes. Yet a style they've had hanging around for over a year, I can get into (and fall out of) their EU40. In summary, length doesn't seem to be a problem, but 'width' is. Odd, given I have reasonably slim feet ...

Office courts are highly recommended. Their UK8 comes up a good half size small. Totter: 5" stiletto £72. Comes in black or red suede with leather detailing: Or the wear-all-day On To Point at £65 with 4.7" heel, available in many colours, of patent and suede: I have a style here, for much less money ... UK8. Brand new and boxed. If it isn't a 5 inch heel, it's very close. Currently £20 plus £3-50 delivery direct from Office, although they haven't any stock of this size left. I'd be happy to send for the same money if you are interested. I can email detailed pictures if you might be interested. I also have those boots in a UK7. A size 7, generous enough for me to wear (if I ever get around to it.) As you know, I have a couple of pairs....

Stiletto heels in general, or stiletto courts? I've done the stiletto heels in public many times, but not recently. I almost never wear them on paved streets now, having scuffed up at least two pairs of heels when they found cracks the heels sank into. I pair was terminally damaged. I now protect the heels with heat-shrink material (two layers) that has at least once saved a heel when it found a hole to fall into. My preference for a slim heel, is now shopping malls. No cracks, or holes for a heel to find. They are noisy places too, generally. I get spotted in shoe shops almost immediately in a slim heel. Maybe the way I walk, or more likely the sales staff looking for potential customers? (Or evidence of being a previous customer?) If I wear a slim heel, it's almost always going to be in the cooler months when nights are longer. Typically I leave home and return in the shoes I spend the day in. I would not risk getting spotted in a slim heel where I live, though coming home in the dark usually presents no problem. Having said that, I did -possibly- get spotted one night. I walked up to the house in a slim heel well after midnight, only to realise a neighbour was hanging out of a bedroom window smoking a cigarette. I have worn stiletto courts to a couple of gigs. One of them, I got to walk around the venue for ages in them, completely unintentionally. They were poorly made, though I thought fitted well. An inner seam eventually cut my foot which took some time to heal. Full details >> here <<. Later this month I'm hoping for something of a repeat performance: I'm going to see him again at the Royal Festival Hall. I also hope to be wearing stiletto courts, though my companion is less keen. Not a great place for a slim heel either, as the area has a significant amount of cobbled pathways. I certainly won't be walking around like I did at the Barbican either. I've checked for parking, and believe I've found somewhere that I can use without payment. Meaning I shouldn't need help to get out of the place, as before. Conversely, if you want to get noticed, try walking in a stiletto with a metal tip. Absolutely delicious sound.

A good summer shoe. With a long trouser, maybe even suitable for walking along a promenade somewhere? I've never managed to do the flip-flop thing, or anything else that involve separating my big toe from the rest. Mrs Freddy practically lives in them, so it must be a case of just getting used to that toe post? Your feet are in good 'shape'. I mean that quite literally too. When I first saw this, I thought the picture was yours.... Them's quite manly ankles (rather like mine). Turns out, that picture is the one from the New Look web site!! I like the style of the shoe, and the price is good too. It's close to something I've been looking for .... Can't be doing suede though, so I won't replicate your purchase. One day, I will own some mules that stay where they should, will be comfortable, and I'll get to wear them out in warmer weather.

£45 is a lot of money for shoes on Ebay unless they are retailed, and returnable. They are a nice shoe. Bit reminiscent of a Dune style I once nearly bought. I tried a size 8 in a store (might have been HoF) having asked a young (ethnic) man for the size to try. I don't suppose he saw many men wearing heels in his social circle, but he did well to avoid both looking shocked, and/or giggling. I'm sure the story made interesting 'banter' later... The shoe fitted well, despite Dune styles coming up a bit small for me. I couldn't make up my mind as they were quite pricey. If ever they went in a sale, I missed them. Good choice. Shame about the price.

As someone who likes (most) of the Royal Windsor family .... This seems pertinent regarding mothers-back-in-heels. It does however, rather support my notion that staying slim might be a factor in going back to a high heel. "Queen in waiting", Kate Duchess of Cambridge, is seldom out of a heel, I am pleased to say. She's just sooooooo elegant. More >> here <<