Middle-aged spread

[julesjones]

In the course of tidying up I pulled down the box with my favourite pair of boots; the ones I haven't worn for a few years for various reasons. Those reasons include being somewhat thicker of calf than when I first bought them. I thought I'd try them on to see if there was any prospect of getting the zip done up all the way if I lost a bit of weight, which is something I really need to tackle for medical reasons.

Damn things won't even fit on my feet now. This isn't from being overweight. This is just a change in the shape, as far as I can tell. Being realistic, there's not much chance of me wearing these boots again.

I mourn for these boots. These boots were that rarity, high heels I could wear in reasonable comfort. I only wore them three or four times a year (mostly at cons, where I was sure of being indoors on flat surfaces all day), but I liked having at least the theoretical option of wearing shiny black high-heeled boots. I suspect the best option for disposal will be donation to the Redemption jumble sale, where they are likely to find a good home with someone else who likes shiny black high-heeled boots you can actually walk in.

ETA: in the comments, miladyinsanity points at Duo Boots, a shoe and boot maker which makes ladies' boots in a wide range of calf sizes as well as foot sizes. I work in that area of the city centre, and I've probably walked past their bricks-n-mortar shop on my way to work without realising what they were. I shall be calling in there after payday... Yo, siri_eerin, want to go shoe-shopping next time you're in town?

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

My feet have spread too as I've got older. :(

Partly I think it is due to being heavier as there's more weight pressing on them. Some of it is also due to my refusal to put up with pain in the name of looking good, which I was prepared to do in my teens. I've only worn wide-fitting shoes for years and my feet seem to have expanded to fill them.

[julesjones]

I've always refused to wear painful shoes in the name of looking good save for dire necessity (such as job interviews), which is why the loss of these boots is so annoying. Unusually for high heels, I *could* wear them perfectly comfortably for several hours, and I've never found another pair like them. Of course, it helps that they're not all that high as high heels go.

Some of it is spread in the width, which is probably due to a combination of being older and being heavier, but the real problem seems to be slightly longer length and/or more protuberant heels. That might be to do with the plantar fascitis which is the reason for me taking a rather more serious interest in losing some weight, but I can't rely on it going away.

[sweetheartwhale.livejournal.com]

Mine have spread terribly since I had to go and work on my feet at Morrisons. I can no longer do heels at all and have discovered mens shoes which come in *wide*.

[julesjones]

I'm occasionally tempted, but I have (or had) very narrow heels for my feet size, and the couple of times I tried on a men's pair, my heels simply slipped out. :-(

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

:(

I'd mourn deeply. That said, my shoes would probably still fit since all my shoes are too big for me -- I've kid-sized feet. A UK adult size 3 is often still too big for me.

My shiny black boots are an inch or less high though. Really good for dancing.

[julesjones]

I've been looking for calf-length boots with a flat-as-in-not-stiletto heel, and even with being willing to consider up to two inches height as long as the boot's heel offers a decent width across the contact area, I can no longer find ones that fit comfortably. This is partly a function of the boot market catering to skinny teenagers with skinny calves, but also seems to be something about the shape of my feet. Last time someone on my flist mentioned finding a made-to-measure place, I seriously considered indulging in spite fo the price.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

I shop at Duo (http://www.duoboots.com).

They have a ton of calf sizes, but their designs are amazing too.

I have the Penna in black, the Odessa in black patent (that's the shiny black boots) and the Kirov in brown leather.

They are really comfortable. The Penna is 2.5 inches in height with a kitten heel, but I couldn't resist wearing them out the day I got them anyway. My feet were fine the entire night and no blisters. Same thing for the other pairs.

I've given up on finding court shoes in my size and will have them custom-made when I go home this summer.

CE Murphy's recommendation, and I totally second it -- I actually live like 10 minutes away from a store.

[julesjones]

And I probably walk one street away from the Manchester shop on my way to work...

*Thank* you for that. I know where I'm going after work next week.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Oh...for some reason I thought you were in the States! It's the Manchester shop I live 10 minutes away from -- I study at the University.

You're welcome. If, somehow, you end up with an overdraft, broke or terribly in debt, I would like to disavow all responsibility now.

[julesjones]

I was in Silicon Valley for several years, but we moved back to the UK about 18 months ago. This is one of the reasons for the lack of writing over the last year -- I now have a day job.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I have a pair of Duo boots, ordered from that very shop. Can't remember the name of the design - Penna or Messina or some such... I'm very fond of them, but unfortunately they're not very practical if I have to stand or walk for more than twenty minutes; I'm not used to heels, and the weight on the balls of my feet gets more and more painful (I tried gel insoles, but they made no difference). So they're good for dinners, where I spend most of the evening sitting, but I have to think carefully about occasions where I'm going to be more active, and sometimes change in and out of them to give my feet a rest. It's a shame, because I was delighted when I discovered Duo (my calves are enormous), and I keep studying their lists pondering whether I could risk spending that sort of money again on a style with heels of less than 2.5 inches...

[julesjones]

Wanna go shopping some Saturday?

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

If I ever get a free Saturday again! But the trouble is I'd be uncertain whether to buy without spending half an hour stamping up and down in the shop pair*, which the assistants might not like.

* You don't get to take a pair home on the spot. You try on pairs in your foot and calf size, place your order, and they deliver it a day or so later. Presumably they couldn't store all the possible combinations of foot and calf in significant numbers.

[julesjones]

I'd rather assumed that it must work that way, simply from the sheer number of pairs they'd otherwise have to stock. But it might be worth asking if you can keep them on for a bit.

If you do fancy a visit, weekdays are also feasible, as it's about five minutes from the office and thus easy for me to visit either in lunch hour or after work. I may use some of my flexi excess to skive off early and go to the shop.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Actually, now you can take them home right away, depending on the pair.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm very used to heels. I have friends at university with me who claim to never have seen me in flats -- my bunch and I have been together for a varying period up to a year and a half. But the highest pair I have is probably 3.5 inches, tops.

But I'm very fussy about shoes, and Duo boots are some of the most comfy I've ever bought.

Don't get a kitten heel. If you got the Penna, it is a kitten heel -- I have a pair myself. Square heels are better if you have foot issues.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I found the box, and it's Messina. I think Penna was one of the ones I fancied and regretfully ruled out on account of the heels. But neither of them seems to be on the site any more.

[julesjones]

I think they may been older models which have been moved out to make room for the new collection -- there are still some older models in the clearance section, although very bitty in which sizes are still available.

There are some low square heel models which sorely tempt me, but I definitely want to try at least one of them on before buying, rather than order online. The King Street shop is open until 6, so it should be easy for me to pop in after work.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Some of the older models are still available in the shop at King Street.

I was awfully disappointed when the shiny pair I wanted was no longer available on the site, but it was there when I popped into the shop!

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Really, the only thing you can do is square/squarish heels.

Seriously though, where are you at? Are you near one of the shops at all? I've never bought a pair without trying them on first.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I went to the King Strret branch. And I probably walked round in the two pairs I was trying to decide between for about five minutes each; but as I said above, it's twenty minutes before they get painful.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Normally, if my feet hurt at the balls of my feet, it's because they don't fit right?

[julesjones]

If you normally wear flats, wearing high heels can be horribly painful after a while because most or all of the weight that would be spread across the heels is shifted to the balls of your feet, plus you're in a different posture and thus having muscles stretched and compressed in odd ways. Even with shoes that fit perfectly, it has much the same effect as changing to a job that requires standing for hours at a time -- you get used to it after a while, but initially that extra pressure on your feet leaves them very sore.

[miladyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Ah, that makes sense then.

My shoes, flat or otherwise, generally get equal attention.