Oddities - Fun And Different Heels You'd Probably Never Wear

[Puffer]

6 hours ago, Shyheels said:

One would hope.

I know - know as a fact - they would be out on their ear if they did anything like that at the magazine for which I work.  Gone...

I didn't realise that Woman's Weekly was so strict.

[Shyheels]

Actually I shoot for Strict Woman’s Weekly. You don’t usually see us displayed on the stands - we’re shrink-wrapped and sold under the counter. 

Edited January 27, 2018 by Shyheels

[Puffer]

7 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Actually I shoot for Strict Woman’s Weekly. You don’t usually see us displayed on the stands - we’re shrink-wrapped and sold under the counter. 

Ah!   Now I see the interest in tight and shiny clothing.   I assume the 'we' means Freddy and you; mind how you go!  

[Shyheels]

No, I was speaking with the editorial “we”.

Shiny clothing naturally part of the office dress code, although it plays hell with the flash...

Edited January 27, 2018 by Shyheels

[FastFreddy2]

I might be tempted by a platform, (got one pair with hidden platform) but these are a tad too high/thick.

 

[Shyheels]

I never liked platforms of any sort. Especially with stilettos - they counteract; the stiletto is meant to be sleek, elegant, the rapier; not paired with a clunky platform sole.

[pointyboot]

6 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

I never liked platforms of any sort. Especially with stilettos - they counteract; the stiletto is meant to be sleek, elegant, the rapier; not paired with a clunky platform sole.

Something about platforms always seems like "cheating" to me. 

[Shyheels]

1 hour ago, pointyboot said:

Something about platforms always seems like "cheating" to me. 

I can see that point too. If I am going to be in four-and-a-half-inch stilettos, I want the full proper deal. But aesthetics are important too. Stilettos have an elegance that is blunted badly by platforms. 

Edited January 28, 2018 by Shyheels

[Puffer]

5 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I never liked platforms of any sort. Especially with stilettos - they counteract; the stiletto is meant to be sleek, elegant, the rapier; not paired with a clunky platform sole.

 

5 hours ago, pointyboot said:

Something about platforms always seems like "cheating" to me. 

 

4 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I can see that point too. If I am going to be in four-and-a-half-inch stilettos, I want the full proper deal. But aesthetics are important too. Stilettos have an elegance that is blunted badly by platforms. 

I agree entirely!   Platforms (or even just a thick sole) do nothing to improve the look of any footwear, especially when the platform is clearly an 'add-on', often of a different size/shape to the 'normal' sole and upper.   The fastest way to destroy the elegance of what would otherwise be a stylish shoe is to add a platform, regardless of heel height.

[FastFreddy2]

Although many of you will not be walking in the same places I might, there are times when a thicker sole is useful. I don't mean a platform, but a good 5mm-8mm of sole. I have worn thin soled (more élégant shoes) everywhere, and there are some places where they can be made very painful:

 

 

Perhaps you've seen them? Lumpy pavement texture to warn those with sight impairment, they are at a junction.

Very very unpleasant under thin soled shoes. 

 

[Shyheels]

A slightly thicker sole and a one-inch or greater platform are very different things. 

[FastFreddy2]

7 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

A slightly thicker sole and a one-inch or greater platform are very different things. 

Thanks for stating the obvious. 

My remark referred to the potential comfort from a thicker sole, nothing more.

[Shyheels]

Agreed - a thicker sole would make for greater comfort. Which is - frankly - kind of obvious. 

But we had been talking about platforms, not thicker soles. 

[FastFreddy2]

15 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

Agreed - a thicker sole would make for greater comfort. Which is - frankly - kind of obvious. 

But we had been talking about platforms, not thicker soles. 

No, several of you had been critical of platforms, but 'hidden' platforms come in the sizes I've mentioned. Just like the pair I own. They provide some comfort over thin soled shoes where walking on less than flat surfaces in high heels that put most of the body weight on the ball of the foot.  Something you may never experience.

As for stating the obvious, perhaps I was following your lead? 

 

[Tacchi Alti]

I also think platforms are cheating unless the lift is the same as with a single sole. I certainly prefer the aesthetics of a classic stiletto court, but a platform adds a different dimension to walking due to the higher centre of gravity. With a platform over one inch I'm afraid of being tipped over sideways with no warning as you hit an uneven bit of ground, but at the same time it makes you very aware of the surface and has its own attractions in vulnerability - to me, anyway! A thin sole certainly can be painful on uneven ground. I prefer something a bit thicker, which is one reason I went for my latest block heeled boots. Not platforms but a sole of about 0.25 inch. That picture of a crossing epitomises this conversation - the bumps evidently do wonders for the blind but they make heels unsteady and they can hurt though a very thin sole. Platforms would bring their own problems to the situation!

[Shyheels]

My OTK boots have thick sturdy walking soles. They really are made for walking. One of my OTK boots, a biker style, actually has a Vibram sole. Again a lovely boot and the heavier sole goes well with the biker boot look. 

[Puffer]

I was not intending earlier to dismiss footwear with more substantial soles (as distinct from true platforms) as I can see that their better wearing properties and greater insulation (from both cold/wet and uneven surfaces) are beneficial and do not need to upset the style unduly.

I wonder however whether blind people make a conscious decision to avoid footwear that negates the useful warning given by tactile projections?   Come to that, would a blind person who is otherwise fully mobile consider (high) stilettos, platforms, loose-fitting mules etc to be too dangerous for wear except in very familiar or obviously safe ground conditions?   (Visions of an accompanying guide dog in high heeled bootees come to mind ...  )

[FastFreddy2]

38 minutes ago, Puffer said:

I wonder however whether blind people make a conscious decision to avoid footwear that negates the useful warning given by tactile projections?   Come to that, would a blind person who is otherwise fully mobile consider (high) stilettos, platforms, loose-fitting mules etc to be too dangerous for wear except in very familiar or obviously safe ground conditions?   (Visions of an accompanying guide dog in high heeled bootees come to mind ...  )

They are a bloody hazard to people with fairly good eyesight, so I expect the answer to be yes. 

If you wanted to unbalance someone, or introduce a slip hazard in the wet, just reduce the contact area their shoes have with the pavement.... 

[Shyheels]

I have never seen a blind person who was wearing stilettos. Mind you it is unusual enough these days to see sighted people wearing them, but I cannot recap ever seeing a blind person in stilettos. I’m sure it happens, but I shoukd think they’d want a companion.

[FastFreddy2]

Not shoes ......

But in what world could these ever be considered worth £25?

 

 

Or these US $38

 

 

Edited February 19, 2018 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

I don’t get it either. Not only does it look trashy, but I would think it would be irritating to wear as well.

[FastFreddy2]

"Emperors new clothes"? 

Taking shabby chic waaay too far.

I saw a couple of girls wearing not dissimilar jeans a couple of weeks ago, during a period it was really cold. The clever one was wearing leggings underneath, to keep her legs warm. Made the 'style' statement (old looking jeans) seem a bit ridiculous.   

[Shyheels]

And men in heels are absurd?

[FastFreddy2]

I see 'things' all the time, women I mean, dressed in such a way that me wearing a heel ought to be completely normal/acceptable/mundane.

Very obviously I'm biased .... And it's not like I haven't worn attire that would attract mirth with me labelled as 'fashion victim'... But some of the outfits I see in shopping malls and in media, leads me to believe there are others out there pushing the idea of avant-garde much further than I might care to. Some critics might even describe them as simply bad taste.   I couldn't be that unkind, even if I agreed. 

My wearing heels ought to be considered pedestrian, in comparison.    

[Shyheels]

Indeed. Ripped jeans, stupid shorts, arms covered with tattoos...all these things are the norm now, yet a neat conservatively dressed guy wearing heels is ‘weird’