If at first you don’t succeed…
…buy, buy again.
In March 2021 I saw some really cute heels on Facebook (it was an ad; why are ads for heels showing up on my Facebook feed? I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked!). I was texting with my GG friend Michelle, and she loved them too. I ordered two pairs, a size 10 for her, a size 11 for me, and had them shipped to her house.
The heels came from China, and if you weren’t living under a rock, you remember there were supply chain issues. It took about two months for the heels to arrive at Michelle’s, but only the size 10 (hers) arrived. My pair, the size 11, never showed. I emailed about a refund, but never got that either. I lived with the loss, both not getting the heels nor the refund. Win some, lose some.
A few months later, I tried on Michelle’s pair and I could squeeze into them. Fast forward to Halloween and we went out together, and I wore her pair of heels because they went with the costume and because it was Halloween.
I have a love/hate relationship with higher heels. I love the idea of wearing them, I love how they look, I just don’t always love wearing them. They can be somewhat painful. A few days after wearing Michelle’s pair on Halloween, I got a case of plantar facitis in my right foot. I’m not sure wearing the heels for a couple of hours was the cause or not. It took about a month to recover.
You know the adage “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” After wearing them for Halloween, I decided again I wanted a pair. They weren’t so expensive where if they didn’t show again I wouldn’t be devastated. I ordered another size 11 pair, this time shipped to my house, and crossed my fingers.
Fate was kind. They arrived, and it was my day to get the mail out of the mailbox when they arrived, which means less questions from my wife (yes, she knows I dress). My wife was also out for a while, so I had a chance for some quick makeup and a short photoshoot. I then got to wear them to a dinner meeting of the St. Louis Gender Foundation.
Yes I’m glad I took the chance and ordered them a second time. Now I will have to figure out more places to wear them.
5 Responses
Gwen,
Sometime we have no choice but order online , the choices of styles and colours in reatil shop is very poor . I wanted some heels in cobalt blue they came from China , supposed to be my size ( UK 8 ) but as usual they had reverted to EU sizing so I couldn’t squeeze into them By the time I’d manged a return and a refund I’d given up on buying online , there really isn’t a substitute to trying on in a retail store or charity shop .
I have the same feeling sabout heels , I love wearing them they are great to dance in but I’m not sure I like the complaints my feet make the next day !!
Dee,
You have to learn and follow this important rule about high heels.
“Life’s too short for heels that hurt.”
A women told me this the first time I bought high heels. I was trying on 4-inch heels in the clearance racks at a DSW. She came into the row looking for shoes for herself and said that. It’s something I follow to this day.
I like buying in-person whenever I can. I’m 50/50 with on-line purchases fitting. And you get what you pay for. My expensive Freebird heels have lasted for years, and I got many compliments on them this weekend.
I try not to buy from Chinese stores. I know some men who have good luck with certain Chinese brands.
I am a size 10 in most and somethings 11, so I am lucky that I can go into almost any store and try on heels. The only place that didn’t have above size 8 was a Jimmy Choo store.
But size only just part of the story. Do they fit? Can I wear them for 12 – 14 hours? Will they last? And of course, do I like them? Looks are important but fit and wearability are parament
I have over 60 pairs in many different style. I wear heels everyday, everywhere well almost, hard to wear heels on the beach. Yes, I fell down the high heel rabbit hole, and loving it.
I know you love high heels. I see no reason why you should pay a painful price for wearing them.
You know I’m all about comfort. Clothes, shoes, undies, and sometimes, food.
Be all that you are.
I try to be.
I want comfortable AND sexy. Is that too much to ask for? I do have a few of those.
I just tell myself I need more practice wearing the higher ones until they do become more comfortable.
Still thankful you bought my first pair of heels all those years ago. Still thankful you like seeing me dressed–including heels, comfortable or not–all these years later.
Dee,
Rethink this strategy: “I just tell myself I need more practice wearing the higher ones until they do become more comfortable.” There is no guarantee that they will ever become comfortable. And the chance they will ever become comfortable is less that 40%
It may take longer to find that sexy look you want in a heel that is comfortable, but it is well worth the effort. It took me years to find knee high stilettos that fit correctly. But it was worth it
This what many cis women think and then they stop wearing heels because they hurt. You wouldn’t believe the number of cis women that have told “I love your heels, wish I could wear them but they hurt my feet”. I tell them to stop buying heels that hurt.
Yes, looks are very important but wearability is paramount.