Quote from: Anne Blake on December 17, 2016, 03:31:41 PM
I am curious about Donna's comment  around stride. When in any type of heels I most often walk with my heel striking first followed by toe. Walking toe first then heel has always felt awkward. What do the rest of you do?

Anne

The important thing for me while walking in heels, even if the heel does indeed strike first, little weight is put on the heel and there is a quick weight transfer to the ball of the foot.

And also take shorter steps. I still have a dark spot below my knee from when I slipped and went down. Of course I was in a hurry and still new at heels, so it was my own fault.
And I second the Payless suggestion. I picked up a really cute pair of low cut boots with a 3" heel. I got them in 8 1/2 and I can get them on, but I should have probably got a 9. Oh well, they still look awesome and don't hurt as much as a boot that is too big. Go figure.

You lucky girls with easy to fit feet.
I wear a 12 or a 13 depending on the shoe. Thus, I really appreciate the selection in my size at Nordstrom.

But Nordstrom's prices are very expensive. I would not pay $1,000 for pair of boots.

At Nordstrom I am usually able to find pretty shoes in the size 12 or 13 I need under $100.

Heel first, though the transfer of weight s pretty fast, as Donna said.

And the last pair of shoes I bought I got for $15 at payless last month... size 12W...  the Kapulets (red)

I have been a ballet dancer for you years, so I found walking in heels pretty easy. Switching to pointe shoes was hard though!

Heels are not nice on uneven surfaces and slippery surfaces. Be kind to yourself and keep some sandals in your office drawer if you like to go for a walk at lunchtime. And if you have a lot of outdoor walking to do on a particular day, wear flats instead.

For a first pair of heels, stay away from anything with a stiletto heel which you can easily roll an ankle on. Buy heels with a wide base instead which will give you stability. Also stick with a small heel to begin with, below 3".

Heels put a natural pressure on your toes which will take some time to get used to. A proper fit helps here, and gel inserts under the ball of your foot can help push your foot back away from the toebed.

Be aware that heels with a platform make your foot look smaller, but increase your height. If your height is already at the top of the female height range, heels with platforms can make you look very tall indeed.

They also need to be a snug fit on your foot and the back of the footbed should grab the heel of your foot so your heel doesn't slide out as you push off the ground and life your foot.

You can certainly wear heels on carpet, but I think you can only really gain confidence in heels by spending lots of time walking in them in different conditions and on different surfaces. Heels can be slippery on many types of surfaces.

You'll also want to take shorter steps and slow down your pace a bit. Land on the heel and roll through using the ball of your foot to balance. Balance comes from lifting up through your abdominal and core muscles, not spreading your feet wide and waddling.

Get a salesperson to help you find a proper fit, and have fun getting used to them.

Have fun!   :-)

Claire


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Have you looked at Nordstrom Rack? It is their outlet version and things are really affordable there. Selection is a bit limited but I found a few shoes for less than $100 there...

Quote from: biannne on December 18, 2016, 11:13:41 PM
But Nordstrom's prices are very expensive. I would not pay $1,000 for pair of boots.

Quote from: Claire_Sydney on January 04, 2017, 12:40:42 AM
Balance comes from lifting up through your abdominal and core muscles, not spreading your feet wide and waddling.

Wonderful advice!

Is there anyone here with size 15? Its very difficult for me to find women's shoes of size 15 in my country. By 15, I mean US size 15.

Quote from: Saira128 on January 07, 2017, 12:46:24 AM
Is there anyone here with size 15? Its very difficult for me to find women's shoes of size 15 in my country. By 15, I mean US size 15.

You may need to look at online ordering.
One place I have ordered customized boots is OnlyMaker (onlymaker.com). They have standard women shoes up to size 15 and they can customize. (Wanted a 4inch heel instead of a 5 inch - added $20 to the overall cost)

There is another company offering completely customized shoes, just forgot the name right now.

Long Tall Sally is an online source for ready made shoes but I am not sure if you will be able to order from where you are.

Online shopping is a great first place to look. I agree with Anne and Sarah on there sizing choices and styles.  Hugs Shannon

I've tentatively ordered a few from Long Tall Sally as well. All of the other places I've found 15's are usually costume quality and style. I am 54 and trying to act my age LOL. Sally's stuff is quality and I have been impressed. I'm a 13 in mens and go with 14 open toe and 15 closed. It seems about a 1/2 big but works OK. I rocked their https://www.longtallsally.com/us/shoes/sandals/lts-vegas-sparkle-heel-16L31/p?option=16L31GSI
last night and it worked out really well. The lower heel, ankle straps and nice padding made it seem like I've walked in heels my whole life. It was a girls night and all my cis girlfriends complimented me on them and how I walked in them. It has all the qualities mentioned here for starters.

I find heels with open toes give more space and allow me space for my longer feet.  It also means you can see your nail polish, but that means you need to be sure it matches (well at least i do). It is quite spectacular looking at yourself side on in a pair of heels!

I LOVE wearing heels, I would daily if I could.  My first ever pair was a bright red patent leather peep toe with a 5 1/2" stiletto.  I marched Boston pride in them, over 2 miles altogether.  I actually have a very difficult time walking in kitten heels.

I've been wearing a couple pairs at work (I work retail, and am often running all over the place), and my favorite go-to is a faux suede wedge I got from Target.  I've been complimented by both coworkers and customers on both those as well as a stiletto bootie I wear slightly less often.  Wearing shoes with a heel, especially 4+ inches, greatly helps me with a feminine walk, as I'm forced to be more upright

Quote from: LucyCT on January 14, 2017, 03:08:09 PM
I find heels with open toes give more space and allow me space for my longer feet.  It also means you can see your nail polish, but that means you need to be sure it matches (well at least i do). It is quite spectacular looking at yourself side on in a pair of heels!

Sorry to interrupt the thread. It won't take long.

I want to welcome Lucy to the site.

Thanks for joining and sharing your experience. I hope you find what you are looking for here.

I also want to share some links with you. They are mostly welcome information and the rules that govern the site. If you have not had a chance to look through them, please take a moment to:

• Site Terms of Service and rules to live by
  
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Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Joanna

Quote from: ds1987 on January 15, 2017, 11:25:00 PM
I LOVE wearing heels, I would daily if I could.  My first ever pair was a bright red patent leather peep toe with a 5 1/2" stiletto.  I marched Boston pride in them, over 2 miles altogether.  I actually have a very difficult time walking in kitten heels.

I've been wearing a couple pairs at work (I work retail, and am often running all over the place), and my favorite go-to is a faux suede wedge I got from Target.  I've been complimented by both coworkers and customers on both those as well as a stiletto bootie I wear slightly less often.  Wearing shoes with a heel, especially 4+ inches, greatly helps me with a feminine walk, as I'm forced to be more upright

ds1987,
I have had many jobs, some of them in retail. My current job in my transition phase is at a grocery store where black pants, black polo shirt and black shoes are the uniform. Of course, I certainly choose to wear only women's pants, women's fit polo shirts, and of course always a racerback bra underneath. I have also worked at Macy's prior to beginning my transition process, and I wish I could go back to Macy's. I would absolutely love to wear some comfortable feminine heels at work. I feel so totally, horribly drab in my grocery store uniform. Overly gender neutral. I long for the chance to wear heels at work. I want to go back to fashion retail for the sheer joy of being both "out" as a transgender woman, and in this position be able to help other transitioning people find the clothes they need.

I love a variety of shoes and have high heels that are comfortable but as Claire notes being 5'11" discourages me from wanting to gain any more height.  I think heels can be sexy and have that learning curve that I found gets my stride right and more feminine than when in sandals.  Perhaps that learned walk with shorter more deliberate steps is part of the allure?  I know plenty of cis women who rock them too but there are cultural considerations worldwide.

I love to hear hi heel but I have a hard time finding size 11W or bigger hi heels shoes.
Most of them you find are on the net and they are very expensive.