shoe preferences changing through the years ?

Slides 'n Heels · 19th January 2008, 09:39

About high heels: our tastes can be very different. Boots, pumps, sandals, block heels, stiletto's etc. And so must be our personal stories how we came up to our shoe preferences.
I am curious to hear if your shoe preferences have been the same all the time, or did it change since you discovered your passion.

My story: I have had a passion for female shoes since I was a young boy way back when in the early 70’s. My first excitement were flip-flops and wooden sandals made by Scholl and Berkemann. I was envious on the girls wearing them. But I could only dream about it.
In 1985 I was able to buy my first pair of wooden exercise sandals. It was the start of my female shoe collection.
For many years, heels did not have a special attraction on me. It was 1998 when I came on the Internet. And found out that I was not the only one with a "weird" shoe passion. Discovered some dedicated sites, and chatted with like minded people. I found pictures of high heeled slides, and women wearing them. Slowly but steady I came to realize that heels were also hot!
And I wanted to have them too! I got my first pair of heeled slides through Ebay. The heels were about 2”. Not that high, but I wanted to explore a new world so to say. Through a trade I got a pair of Candies with 4” heels. I was hooked……..
I always thought that I would stay with slides and thong sandals. But a few years ago I found myself looking at women in high heeled boots more and more. So the urge came up to try heeled boots myself. I did not surrender to this urge until fall last year. In a mailing of a department store I found a picture of a hot looking pair of boots. They were black knee high boots, with tapered 3”heels. So I decided to have a look. It was quiet in the shop, so
I tried them on. And it felt great! I could not resist buying them. And I was hooked once again…. Going out in them for the first time was a sensational feeling!
Does this mean that my passion for wooden slides has now become less ? No, that did not change at all. I fact my female shoe passion has become more wider.

Would be nice to hear both similar and opposite experiences

lorriette · 19th January 2008, 09:55

exploration...... like being in a candy shop, the eye catches sight of something new and you just have to try it. Tastes change, as do your favourite shoes. Every now and then, you back for a taste of previous delights. Perfectly normal behaviour.

thedesigner · 19th January 2008, 19:58

probably like most, i started with block heels as they were less noticeable, but now wear stilettos a lot (never had any difficulty); nowadays i look to widen my selection and coloour of shoes to get something different, so long as theyre 4" heels !!

loveheel · 19th January 2008, 21:21

One of my first pairs was a set of 6 inch patent pumps. Basically, stripper heels that I bought in a junk market. After that I bought various block heel boots. But now, I have developed a much more diverse style. I favorite is sandals do I can not always get a way with it. I have also lots of boots with all kinds of heels: stileto, block, blade, etc. I find it fund to try on new styles as they come in fashion and wear them out.

canadianbeaver17 · 19th January 2008, 23:17

I think my shoe preference has mirrored what was the trends at the time. When I started about 5 years ago, the styles were more chunky and blocky. Now, it's more slimmer and streamlined. You could also say that this is a true sequence for first time heelers, where they try to get more "masculine" looking shoes.

docs41 · 20th January 2008, 05:19

I wouldn't look at though your preference for slides has lessened, but your interest in other styles has grown. The same has happened to me too. The end result is a larger collection!

Also I've been a Scholl fan for years as you can probably tell by my avatar.

Bootking · 20th January 2008, 10:43

For me, it is more the style changing than my taste. I've always had a strong preference for high heeled boots, but could always appreciate a high heeled sandal or shoe. I find that I can usually find something in my taste as styles evolve, even platforms or block heels to a degree. And the tighter the fit, the hotter!!!!!!

Low heels and flats, or a loose fit, NO WAY! And I've always felt that way since I was a child.

HeelD · 21st January 2008, 02:15

Evolution is what goes with style. I'm sure I will evolve more over the years - in fact I already have evolved. A few years ago I was wearing stuff I wouldn't wear now.

My personal style is a blend of female and male. Some days I will wear stilletto heels, another day I will want to wear a block heel, or some MJs, then a wedge on another and also somedays deciding to wear some ballet flats. All I'm expressing is fashion freedom and creating my own sense of style - adding bits and pieces to what I wear like a hat or choosing the right bag to go with my outfit (as well as the shoes of course!).

I'm loving every minute of it!

HighBoots · 21st January 2008, 14:28

I think so, yes. We get older, grow up, maybe become wiser...

I was never into pumps or similar very feminine shoes, my only love is boots. The first boots I bought were outrageouse thigh high ones with very high heels, even a pair of thigh high ballet boots. They for sure were fun, but only wearable in the closet for me.

I progressively moved to more chunky heeled and lower boots, to finally end with models like the one in my forum avatar, with heels ranging from 5cm to 11cm for those on the photo. The big advantage? I can wear most of them outdoors as everyday wear.

The stilettos, while fun to wear, are (in my opinion) resolutely feminine, specially if you have a strong male body. I think a normally build man in stilettos looks as ridiculous as a strong build woman in them, it just doesn't go with the body size. Cowboy style boots, or other more chunky heels go way better with the man body. And the high heel "feeling" is still there when I wear my 11cm heeled new rocks.

The only pair I regret (I sold all my stiletto models) is the ballet boots, which were really fun to wear occasionally indoors.

All this only my personal opinion, I'll never blame some guy running around in stilettos, I just realized it was not for me.

roniheels · 29th March 2008, 03:03

I'm not real large in stature (5'9", 175 lb.), but I thoroughly enjoy wearing high stiletto heels, especially in public. I wear high block style heels to work. So the change to stilettos is a fun and welcome change.