Autumn/Winter 2015

[FastFreddy2]

This is the time of year I'm doing the pricing and sizing for the post-Christmas Winter sales.

There isn't much I would pay full price for, but the likes of Zara seldom buy enough shoes to satisfy demand, and this year seems to be no exception. The style with the biggest interest for me are the very slim leg Zara thigh-highs, mentioned elsewhere. I will continue to report about them on this thread (rather than continue to hijack the other thread). A reminder:

 

 

Currently have a pair of UK8/EU41 on order at £139. Being suede, and likely to be loose on my skinny legs, they probably won't be 'keepers'. However, Mrs Freddy intimated tonight (after I mentioned I had used her C/C while she slept) they could be my Chrissy present if I chose to keep them? (Bless!)

 

What else is on the agenda?

I mentioned in Spring, Office (shoes of London) were a good place to shop for courts, and they still are. All of these look good, though black leather is always a winner for me.

I have not seen the last pair 'in store', so might be a new addition. 

The middle pair, have a measured 5 inch heel.

 

As with the courts, I have not seen the last pair 'in store' yet. The other two pairs, are typical of those I already own. 

 

I think I may have mentioned the Carvela OTK boots elsewhere;

These have a peculiar purple/damson colour on the soles...

 

Lastly, today's surprise, from River Island;

 

These have already sold out in the size 9. Since RI often come up small (but not always) it might be the typical story that the larger size (actually UK8) have disappeared off the shelves almost immediately. While the blurb claims a heel height of 10.5cm, the pair I saw today were higher. These won't be making the sales in anything like my size, especially as they are a Limited Edition to start with.  

 

 

This isn't a comprehensive list by any means, but a taster of what's out there at the moment.

ALDO have nothing of interest, and the vast bulk of the KG/Carvela/Nine West range together with Steve Madden have been struck with a serious dose of mediocrity. At this moment in time, Office shoes, stand head and shoulders above the rest. Since I'm feeling a bit broke (money tied up in supplied materials etc) I'm dis-inclined to spend money on shoes at the moment. Meaning, money I expect to KEEP invested.  Given the choice, (money falling from the sky) I would own all three styles of the Office courts, and possibly the River Island ankle boots. Since the better part of £300 isn't expected, I will have to go without. Office are another outfit like Zara who don't over-stock, so "Sales" opportunities especially in larger sizes, are almost unknown. 

 

Ho-hum. 

Edited November 7, 2015 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

Sounds like you could have a very pleasant Christmas! Those are very nice looking boots, and in suede. I can understand why you would have been at such pains to chase down the size eight. I hope they fit you. 

[wetboot]

Those tall boots are beautiful, looks like they would fit my thin legs very nicely!

[FastFreddy2]

Not a great night ....

Visited a Zara store in the West End, and found 3 pairs (wrong size) in the long boot I have on order.

The 'long' bit, is practically a sock.  The heel is wonderfully high, over 4½ inches, but there is nothing to support the shaft save a leg inside them. The pairs I saw in store, were actually hung up, to show them off. More details when the boots arrive, but at £139 there is no way I'm keeping them even if they were a gift. 

That said, two trendy black girls practically pushed me over while reaching for them, and subsequently raving about how good they looked?  

[Shyheels]

I know the Jean Gaborit boots come with a high price tag, but they are beautifully made, come in a huge choice of colours and leathers and are made to your precise measurements - 13 measurements in all, not just foot size, but calf, ankle, instep, knee etc. And they are leather, not a sock. Obviously at these prices they are not the sort of thing one has dozens of pairs of, but for something special...they are hard to beat.

[FastFreddy2]

Zara passed me a Hermes tracking number on the 8th, that will be 4 days ago later today.

So far, the only comment is "Order raised". Not in transit, not even collected by Hermes. Could be the boots just turn up ..... ?

Or they were already out of stock when I placed the order?  Maybe I need to chase them up....

[Shyheels]

That's not very good. You may well find they were out of stock - or had sold out in the few seconds before you placed your order. I know how frustrating that can be,..

[FastFreddy2]

Update:

The Zara thigh highs are off the 'agenda' as they don't seem to exist. 

The Office thigh highs were nice, but a poor fit.

The Carvela (suede) thigh highs have a hidden platform and purple sole. Not for me.

 

I've enough high heeled ankle boots to literally last someone's lifetime of heel wearing. At least one pair for each year, that's 3-4 pairs for each year of my remaining life assuming I've got more than a couple left. A recent addition to the AW2015 'they look nice nice' list (that is already too long) is a surprise pair by New Look. Not seen any in stores, but here they are at ASOS:

 

And why are they not in New Look stores?

 

 

So £48 from ASOS (20% off for Black Friday).

Similar styles from Office (£90) and River Island (£75) are currently non-contenders compared to these.

 

I've had a lot more luck with court shoes, unfortunately.  I don't get to wear them out really, and have done only twice in public during recent times. (I don't include wearing them during my earlier years at fetish clubs in that count.)

My current court shoe collection looks like:

Primarni (£14) in PU that are quite wearable. Unworn.

Some Zara leather courts (£79) with a 5 inch heel. Unworn (by me). P.S. These are going.

Kurt Geiger Cilla (£240) with 130mm heel and no platform. Unworn (and never will.) Keepers.

Forever21 hidden platform court (£25) with ankle strap and 5½" heel. Worn once.

Heel less black suede platform court from Primarni (£12) with 6 inch heel. Unworn. (Likely to be sold on.)

2 pairs (beige and black) platform wedge sandals (£10) from Matalan with 6 inch heels. Unworn and on sale already.

Black PU 'barely there' PU sandal with 5 inch heel (£25) from Truffle. Unworn, boxed and on sale already.

Office black leather courts (£65) with almost a 5 inch heel. Unworn. Keepers.

 

Having found myself ordering up two pairs from Office that have come up a little tighter fit than the Office courts I already own, they look and feel great on my feet - much to my chagrin. I had hoped they would be a disappointment (much like the thigh boots) and could go back. Nope.

The courts are a bit narrow, but otherwise a good fit. The higher (Achilles) heel cover, may one day allow an ankle strap to be fitted to help keep a looser fitting shoe on my foot. Where would I wear them? Everywhere given the opportunity. These shoes have an almost 5 inch heel, but are easy to walk in.

 

The second pair are the patent shoes, with elastic cross-over to keep the foot firmly in the shoe. These, like the KG Cilla are over 5 inches with no platform. Harder to walk in, they are a stunning shoe. They come up as a 7 though, not the claimed 8.

Mindful the Pleaser range come in at less money, have a range of styles with the same height heel, including two with ankle straps, why keep these?  

 

I've another week or two to decide whether to keep or return either or both pairs. 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2015 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2]

 

Email from ASOS late yesterday; "Sorry but ..... Out of Stock."   Is there a conspiracy? 

 

River Island has a new style, but not for me .... Too loose on the shaft. Heels claimed at 4 inches, but looks unlikely.

 

£120 from >> here <<

 

Zara web site indicates their thigh boot is back in stock .... Am tempted ....

 

Edited December 7, 2015 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

Go ahead. Make your day.

 

[FastFreddy2]

1 hour ago, Shyheels said:

Go ahead. Make your day.

 

 

I won't keep them, not at £140 for what is essentially a shoe with an elasticated sock shaft. (Or feels like one anyway.)

There is another possibility though. A pair like the £100 Nasty Girl boot with a claimed 5" heel too, but £40 and from the UK.

If I do one, I'll do both. 

[Shyheels]

Go for it!

not boot season here in Africa. Hippos snorting outside my tent... 

[FastFreddy2]

6 hours ago, Shyheels said:

not boot season here in Africa. Hippos snorting outside my tent... 

Not many will believe it, but rather you than me.

There's not a single 4-legged animal in Africa scares me at all... It's the 6, 8 and no-legged creatures that bother me (so I won't ever be going ). That and some of the two legged.... 

Some 20 years ago I worked with a (then) 40-something fella who had left S/A where he was born, and brought his wife and family permanently to the UK to live and work. When I asked why, he gave me a long frightening story about car-jacking. The bottom line to it was this: While car-jacking there had been a problem for some time, the jack-jackers had grown to realise a dead body was often easier to get out of a car, especially if the owner might be armed. I decided there and then, if those born there didn't feel safe, how could I?

Since that time I was partner in a business to someone who wanted to retire there (probably with some of 'our' money - though I didn't know that at the time). He even went on a house building course, where there used straw as a building material for when he went there. I've met another, who's family has land there, which he travels to as often as he can to hunt. I also have friends, who have friends with family and business interests there. I suppose it's all down to perception. 

I rather like the idea of listening to hippo's snorting outside the tent I might be resting inside, but the thought of mozzies trying to suck my sweet meat-free blood dry, is a stopper. 

 

Stay safe.  

 

 

[Shyheels]

Hippos are the most dangerous animal on the continent - one of the few that kill for the hell of it. Very scary beasts, especially if you are camped along one if their waterholes. Not to be trifled with - keep well clear!

as for the snakes and crawlies, no big deal. Shake out your shoes before putting them on and don't step blindly over fallen trees or put your hand down holes. 

The criminals and rogue police, soldiers are another matter. This continent has more than enough if those. There is a reason Niarobi is known as Ni-robbery.

all this said, the overwhelming percentage of people here are friendly, decent, kind - as they are most places - and the scenery and wildlife are truly spectacular, although the Masai Mara may not be the best place to wear heels!

[Puffer]

I'm not sure where Shyheels is in Africa (is it Kenya?) but it is perhaps a little unfair to tar the whole continent with the same brush (not that he is).   That said, I acknowledge the dangers (human and otherwise) that, where they exist at all, are particularly frightening.

I have been to SA once for about 10 days, just after Christmas, with my wife, her three sons and half a dozen other English people.   (We were supporting a UK charity which promotes health education in third world countries and for which my wife does some admin here; my role was essentially as a driver.   Our expenses were paid and we had some free time for sightseeing etc.)   The highlight was an overnight stay (with guides) in Kruger National Park; we saw all the 'big five' beasts and the whole experience was fantastic.   The rest of the trip was memorable too (and mostly very enjoyable); the country is one of many contrasts.   Standing on a deserted hilltop near Rorke's Drift to see the New Year in was memorable; the completely velvety-black night punctuated only by the rockets we let off at midnight.   But the dangers (including hippos and crocs) were clear and we had to be wary, especially in Jo'burg and Pretoria with its high security around hotels etc.   From other African trips made by my wife, I am aware that real danger is never far away - including a shoot-out in her hotel grounds.   And bribery, corruption and police persecution is endemic in certain quarters.   It is difficult to pigeon-hole the people; there are good and bad in each race or class but many of the whites remain oppressive and arrogant: apartheid lives.   It is perhaps unsurprising that innocent Europeans can easily become the victims of crime.    

[FastFreddy2]

Just for the record, when I said; "not a single 4-legged animal in Africa scares me at all" I didn't mean there wasn't anything to be scared of. Even a monkey can literally eat the face off a human, as happened in America some years ago. What I meant was, the thought of me staring at an elephant in its natural environment, doesn't scare me. The same with a lion, croc, hippo, giraffe. The thought of some parasite getting at my kidneys by burrowing in through the soles of my feet, scares me ...

When I rode a horse in the Carmargue, which is about as close to Africa as I ever plan to get, there were flying/jumping insects the size of small birds hopping up onto my horse trying to eat it. Tropical countries come with this stuff because zillions of years of evolution has made them successful in warm places. While I would be at the front of any protest to complain about the cool wet weather here, it does keep us all fairly safe from insect 'nasties'. 

The indigenous wildlife treating humans as a walking larder or 'takeaway' isn't confined to Africa of course. Anywhere green in South Asia and the South Americas, same problem. Spending time at sea though .... Love that idea.  

[FastFreddy2]

On 08/12/2015 at 4:18 PM, Shyheels said:

Go for it!

 

Due to a 'technical' hiccup, it would seem the other part of my response to this was lost ...

The (probably) single pair of size 8 Zara thigh boots that were available online, have again, been sold. I am somewhat relieved and slightly disappointed, as might be expected. If I liked them and they fitted like the proverbial, I would have had a dilemma with no winning (read inexpensive) solution. If I didn't like them (as expected) I would have had to add them to an expanding catalogue of returns. 

It will make ordering the £40 prospects, a bit less demanding.

[Shyheels]

Seems you're fated not to get the Zara boots. 

I take your point on the other response about parasites. I skipped the anti-malarials this trip as I dislike taking them, but the invisible pests like dengue and malaria are a bit scarier than hippos etc. 

I also take your point in long sea journeys - love them. I have had the opportunity to have taken a fair few in the course of my work, although none lately. I miss it.

good luck chasing up the thigh boots. Ne woukd think that as they are supposed to be n trend this year that it woukd not be so hard to find a good fit in your size. With my big feet that is an impossibility, short of made to order.

[FastFreddy2]

As they were (faux - I expect) suede, they were always going to be a difficult thing for me to pass as 'manly' footwear. I suppose men do wear suede shoes, but aren't they meant to be blue?  

 

My new C/C arrived today, so I might give it £40's worth of exercise later. 

 

 

[Shyheels]

Suede is an interesting one, isn't it. I quite like suede myself and, aside from liking it in general, chose to have suede over calf for my tall boots as I wanted to downplay any suggestion of 'fetish' about my boots (as there is none, on my part, just a fashionable liking for the style) and anything with any sort of a sheen seemed to suggest it, especially in black.  A silly thing because I would also like a pair in calf too. I suppose there is just this bit of self consciousness about it. Suede seemed 'safer' although it is, as you say, more feminine as a rule, or at least 'softer'.

And I do like genuinely prefer suede.  But a pair of tall boots in calf, for more inclement weather, would be nice.  

  

   

[Puffer]

I too like suede, if only because it makes a change from (black) leather.   Two pairs of women's boots I have are faux suede, simply because that was all that was available, but the softness (in material as well as look) is helpful.

Before (say) 1960, a man wearing suede shoes (at least in any business or formal situation) was traditionally regarded as 'fast' or a cad, or at least untrustworthy.   Think salesman, bookmaker, spiv, lothario, gigolo etc.

[FastFreddy2]

4 hours ago, Puffer said:

Before (say) 1960, a man wearing suede shoes (at least in any business or formal situation) was traditionally regarded as 'fast' or a cad, or at least untrustworthy.   Think salesman, bookmaker, spiv, lothario, gigolo etc.

 

Interesting. 

 

I prefer, by some margin, black leather. I quite like patent, but it tends to be a little stiff for practical (wearing) purposes, though I remember my father having some patent leather dancing shoes that felt supple as silk. Trouble with shining up leather over a period of time, is that eventually it takes on a feminine 'shine' not unlike that found with very cheap PU shoes.

A long time ago, when I was more interested in being a 'fashion victim', I owned a light coloured pair of buckskin shoes. The skin was very much like suede but even smoother to the touch. Thinking about it, they felt very much touching human skin.... I had the very devil of a time keeping them ship-shape and that may well have tainted my taste for anything other than leather which is relatively easy to keep clean. I've always liked 'shiny' for its visual appeal, both aesthetic and biological. People who wear shiny, indicate a tendency to be a little wayward? An attractive attribute to a young man full of hormones. Possibly it's something else that has stuck.

I have mentioned elsewhere my desire to go see Madam Butterfly next year. I would really like to be wearing a rather brassy pair of red patent stiletto courts at the venue. This is a shoe I don't own BTW, so an unlikely situation on several levels. (Ticket price being the significant one.) The web site indicating it's going to be done in English with sub-titles projected somewhere, also being a stopper. I want to listen to the opera in the native Italian I don't understand, thank you very much.

 

       

Edited December 11, 2015 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

Odd they would do it in English.  I saw Madame Butterfly in Sydney earlier this year and loved it. I am not really an opera fan but circumstances took me to the Opera House to see it and I totally enjoyed the evening. My footwear was nit anywhere near as exotic as what you plan on wearing - I wore my nice conservative RM Williams kangaroo hide boots which I like very much. 

I was indeed in Kenya. For all the talk of dangers, I very much enjoy Kenya and the Kenyan people. As I say they are overwhelmingly nice.

Patent and shiny is just not my thing (although, as I mentioned elsewhere I'd like to dare myself to try rock chic PVC trousers one day) But for boots I am pretty conservative and low key - dark grey suede and maybe, someday, dark brown leather.

[Puffer]

I'm no expert on leather but am aware that there are many types, at least in their processing/finishing, which sometimes involves coating.   Nubuck, for example, is very smooth and matt, rather like  a 'non-hairy suede' or buckskin and quite often used for shoes in less formal styles.   I agree it can be more difficult to keep clean, although of course it doesn't need normal polishing.   So-called patent leather is, traditionally, a true leather with coatings (I suppose a type of lacquer) and reasonably flexible but nowadays is more likely to be PVC and far less flexible.   (Beware of any footwear just described as 'patent'.)  But both types can crack under strain, as was often found in (men's) dance shoes which of course get a lot of flexing and other punishment.    I think that women's shoes give much less of a problem in PVC etc as they are much more cut away and inherently less stiff.

I have a pair of patent men's dress shoes, definitely synthetic leather and bought very much reduced (from Office) because they were ex-display and the surface of one shoe had started to 'bubble' or wrinkle (i.e. slightly delaminate) - which hardly shows when they are being worn as one's foot, and movement, tends to 'fill out' the shoe and disguise any surface imperfection.

[FastFreddy2]

6 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Odd they would do it in English.  I saw Madame Butterfly in Sydney earlier this year and loved it. I am not really an opera fan but circumstances took me to the Opera House to see it and I totally enjoyed the evening.

 

I am no opera fan/buff either, but I like quite a lot of the work from Puccini. I have seen La Bohème several times, only because it is popular. I've seen Turandot, not Tosca, and Madam Butterfly twice (at least) and the last time in English (yeuk.) I've mentioned the farce of the Albert Hall version several times .... It's another aspect putting me off the £100 ticket.

I'm hoping the web site has it wrong, and the production is anything BUT English. I'm not interested in the dubious prose (aka lyrics), only the melody, and the drama from the operatic performance. Hearing the poorly constructed "lyrics" translated to English and made to fit the melody is very unsatisfying. I'd rather not, even if the gig was free but in English, I would be absent from the performance. I'd trawled You Tube for some samples, but the sound quality is so poor (singers typically not miked up very well), so have not added any links. 

What sort of people do I expect to see at a London Opera production? Tourists mostly. Locals, I would expect to be: flamboyant, wealthy, artistic. (Or am I thinking of the singers? ) If I've paid £100 for a ticket, I'll wear what I please, I've paid for the right.  That said, I'm quite sure, a man in heels will garner more unwanted attention, than a man dressed as a woman (assuming the ladies costume doesn't involve rubber or whips). When I went to a gig in courts before, they were quite discreet. I still got noticed by one or two, but that is quite usual even if I wear boots. Not sure why I like the idea of wearing red patent. As outrageous as I could get?  Though the idea is to have 80% of then hidden.