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Underground > Art, Fashion & Design >

Heels for men

00:09 / 01.12.04

Vexed question: how high a heel is acceptable on mens' shoes? I ask because I have two pairs of boots which come close to 'Cuban'. One is a pair of square-toed black harness boots, the type with metal rings on the sides. The other is a pair of more-or-less-conventional cowboy/western boots in hand-tooled black leather. Both have a highish heel, which looks good with boot-cut jeans but (I have it on good authority) makes me walk funny.

Opinions?

wembley can change in 28 days

05:52 / 01.12.04

Men with heels are bloody sexy. As long as, of course, the gestalt of the outfit plays along. I think it makes a man look confident.

As for the walking, lean back a little. This tip from a girl in my office who owns over 200 pairs of shoes and won't wear anything below a 3-4 inch heel anymore.

09:47 / 01.12.04

Spitting tobacco juice at people's feet might take attention off, while also explaining, your funny walk.

Tryphena Absent

15:24 / 01.12.04

Sounds like you just need to practise walking.

17:13 / 01.12.04

I think higher heels for guys are a very elegant look, but you don't see many guys wearing them these days, outside of cowboy boots occasionally.

Historically if you look back at fashions (I'm thinking particularly of seventeenth and eighteenth century European fashions), many of the heels on mens shoes and boots were of a height which would be regarded as quite feminine by today's standards. And I think the range of shoes currently put out for men is quite dull and boring...besides, who says what an acceptable height is? If you want to wear shoes or boots with higher heels, just do it. If anybody questions it, then what business is it of theirs??

I'd even like to wear womens shoes sometimes, if I could find the right size (I should admit I'm biased, I crossdress quite a lot, but I'm talking about wearing womens shoes with male/androgynous clothing in this instance). But personally probably not much higher than 2.5 - 3 inches for everyday wear, from a comfort/safety point of view.

10:35 / 14.12.04

I think cuban heels look damn sharp, as long as they're not really high. I've been feverishly saving up for a pair of these for ages. All I want is to be able to strut around pretending to be Jerry Cornelius...

16:29 / 14.12.04

They look really great kapok, especially the high cuban heels. If only they weren't so expensive...its annoying, I try to get women's boots which are similar but my feet are usually just slightly too large. And the only alternatives are cowboy boots, unless you like walking down the street everyday in a pair of those large 6 inch red pvc boots made by specialist companies for drag queens. Which is fine, but not for every occasion.

17:01 / 14.12.04

I bought a peair of 'beatle boots' (Cuban heels, side zip) at a thrift store and have utterly destroyed them in the year and a half since. However, I've also gotten used to wearing heels and really like it.

I bought these:

But the heels are much more severe. Plus they're less mod and more cowboy.

However, there continue to be really appealing boots up for auction on eBay, so I'll keep trying until the right pair arrive.

23:19 / 14.12.04

My boots are a bit like that, but not as pointy.

04:54 / 15.12.04

Whoo! iconoplast, where did you find those, and how much were they?

*covet*

13:21 / 15.12.04

Where else?

$23.50 + 7.50 S&H. But they're a little cowboy for my taste - I'm still getting used to them. To tide me over, I've got these coming in the mail:

($21.50+10.35 - hoping the heels are just worn down & I can have them resoled)

15:32 / 15.12.04

how high a heel is acceptable on mens' shoes?

It's worth remembering that the higher the heels are, the easier it is for you to loom over others in an intimidating way. As long as you can be taller than people who think your heels are too high, there's not so much of a problem. The walk also sorts itself out over time, as most other people have said, not only because you'll get used to them but also, possibly, because they still need to be broken in.

17:34 / 16.12.04

My rule of thumb is that heels aren't too high if you can still run in them.

11:00 / 21.12.04

An excellent rule, but if the caveat run without looking completely ridiculous is added the whole heels thing looks far less auspicious for me. I can move very quickly in them, but it's not so much a run as a daft mincing bouce as I try too keep my balance, land square on each heel, avoid potholes, twisted ankles, humiliation, doom...

15:11 / 21.12.04

Mm. I don't know how I look running in heels, actually. I do know I can pretty much full-out sprint for two blocks' distance in three-inch heels if I have to catch a bus... wouldn't try it in stilettos, though, the heel has to be at least an inch across at the base...

17:43 / 21.12.04

It is possible to run in thin heels. But you don't run like you normally would - you know, putting down your toes and then your heels - you sort of scuff your feet along, so the whole thing goes down at once. It looks a bit daft and you can't go very quickly, but it is possible (I have managed this in 2-inch thin-heeled court shoes which are too big for me, so...)

You sometimes need to scrunch your toes up to keep the shoes on, as well.