Shoe buying tips...

[boundCD]

Hi all,

I've been crossdressing as part of my self-bondage play for the longest time. I've tried many kinds of feminine clothes and underwear, but the one thing I've never tried was shoes. I may have the chance to be away by myself for two days in a hotel, so now I am looking into the possibility of acquiring some heels.

My question is, are there any ways to choose a pair of heels and ensure a good fit without trying them on in the store? I don't think I have the courage to do that just yet.

Appreciate any buying/sizing tips anyone can provide. Thanks.

[boundCD]

A bit more information. There's a well-known local shoe store I'd like to try. I went to their website, and they had a size chart that tells users the size of the shoes they will probably need based on the length of the foot.

I measured mine, and according to the chart, I wear a size 36, which according to the same chart is a US 6. That seemed odd. My feet are a bit small for my height (1.76m/5'9"), but I usually wear something between US 8-9.5.

One thing I've noticed are that women's shoes tend to be cut very narrow. The front of my feet are rather wide (even if the length is a bit short) and I am wondering whether should I try the recommended size 36 or maybe up a size.

Anyone with prior experience, please share.

[Leopard99]

We're in size conversion territory here which is often a problem. US sizing is different for men and women, unlike the rest of the systems in use. If you take US mens 8 you'll probably need US women's 9. You are lucky, you have small feet for a man so buying high heels should not be too much of a problem. The chart in that store seems wildly wrong. Shoe sizing is a bit hit or miss at the best of times. I take UK9 which is EU43, US men 10, US women 11. I've seen plenty of women's shoes marked UK9 which are too small for me. Aldo is probably the worst, where they have felt about 2 sizes too small.

In many parts of the US or UK trying on women's shoes in a shop is not a problem. I don't know about Singapore. Or you could order online from a place with a good returns policy. In the UK and Europe we have an legal right to reurn for full refund when buying online. Elsewhere this may not be true.

This forum is largely about men wearing high heels. http://www.hhplace.org/ However it's a fashion forum, where men wear heels as men, where mentioning crossdressing is frowned upon. It's still a very good resource.

[boundCD]

A guy trying on high heels here would raise a few eyebrows. Quite different from other parts of the world I guess. I was in the Galleria in Houston last year when a guy walked past wearing skinny jeans and high heels and no one batted an eye. If he did the same here, he will probably end up on social media.

I'm thinking of saying that my girlfriend broke her heels and dispatched me to get her another pair. I will show them the picture of the pair I picked out on my phone and ask for a certain size (estimated). I will then try them on in the restroom. If they don't fit, I could go back and ask to change for another size.

That's the plan I was working on. However, after the initial excitement wore off, I am not reconsidering the purchase. Reason being I would only really be able to wear them when I'm away at the hotel. I can't wear them at home, everyone will hear them (I have my self-bondage sessions at night when everyone's in bed). Even if no one's home, I'm sure the neighbours downstairs would not be amused by the sounds I make, walking around in them.

Was really looking forward to this, but now the rational part of my brain has taken over and I am not sure if I will go through with it.

[Stahlketten]

Buy a pair of wedges with a soft rubber or foam rubber sole. No noise problem there.

- Stahlketten.

[BoundJ]

I ordered my first ever pair online, on eBay actually, white pvc boots a couple of years back. I just messaged the seller and asked them for advice.
I went to a high heel shop here in the UK to try and buy some before last Halloween, and the girl behind the counter was fine, didn't even raise an eyebrow, in fact she was quite inquisitive.
I don't think i could just walk into any shop though, not because I'm scared or anything, but at the end of the day I don't want to be thrown out of a shop and labeled as a weirdo. That and i doubt they would have my size

However, i know i can confidently buy size 11UK pleaser shoes and boots and they will fit perfectly. Its a shame they don't make more everyday shoes and boots cause they are pretty good quality.

[boundCD]

I tried looking around online for possible places to buy shoes. I found a seller on eBay that gave measurements for the length and width of the foot for his/her shoes. Problem is, for the right length, the width would be too narrow.

I think that while I have small feet for my height (I'm about 5' 9", 176cm), they are wider in the front so I really don't know how the fit, short of trying them on in a shoe store. I don't think I am ready for that.

[barbara dezmonsche]

i absolutely love shoes & the higher the heel the more i love them....lol

Buying my first pair was a very long time ago & in a shop that was specific to the TG/TS population only. (Lee Mardi Gras in NYC) It was nice to buy them at Lee's since the women's shoes were sold in men's sizes. i wear a US men's size 10 or 11 depending on the actual shoe, & the US size 11 in a European size is a 44. A woman's size i buy is either a US 11w or a 12, also depending on the style shoe. Wearing a thin stocking is also a help in not having to go with an even larger size.

As for going to the store & buying them, at first for me i was a bit scared & worried that the clerk would "KNOW IT WAS FOR ME!" ....LOL They didn't know, & after time i never had any trouble going into a store to buy them. Most stores will allow you to return the shoes as long as you still have the receipt for them & they aren't showing wear, or signs of being used. If you buy them & don't try them on, just make sure you only walk in them at home on carpeting so they stay nice.

There have been times that i have bought 2 pair of the same shoes in different sizes & simply returned the ones that didn't fit well. Making up stories is not a good idea, it only makes you look even more obvious or gives you the chance to be more nervous since you are lying & may stumble for words. i remember doing that in the beginning & feeling like a fool & stopped with stories & just buy them. It's rare that i can try something on, but i have if the store isn't crowded.

Good luck at your first purchase & JUST GO FOR IT & ENJOY THEM!

[LatexHood]

I have bought heels from shops before.
I have just said that they are for a fancy dress party and I've not managed to get the shoes.
Obviously the style of shoe dictates what/who you are going as.
( Be prepared and get a story straight. )

To be honest, they don't care as long as you spend your money.
They might glggle and laugh afterwards.. But who cares.

Just use a shop that is out of your regular circle of shops.
Just in case you're out with the kids/wife and you get dragged in.
A.. "Oh, how was the fancy dress party?" question opens up a whole can of worms if your family aren't in on it too!

LOL!

J.

[boundCD]

I did some research and looked at some shoes on eBay. According to the size charts on the listing pages (they all use the same charts I think), I'm a size 7 which cannot be right. Even if the length is right, the width definitely won't be.

I did a bit more digging and also based on the advice on this page, I think I should order a pair one size larger than my usual (men's) size. I checked my shoes, and I have sizes 8.5, 9, and 10, depending on the brand.

Not too sure what should I do now. I'm thinking of ordering a few pairs in different sizes so there's a higher chance that one of them would fit

[Stahlketten]

Get a pair of Kung Fu shoes that fit you and see what the measurements are. They are unisex and you will get an idea of what you fit in European sizes (38 or 39?). At that point, you have a pretty good idea of what your size in women's shoes would be. Sizes still vary a lot between brands, but you would have no less information when ordering than most women do.

- Stahlketten.

[seidenki]

Believe it or not, I've bought heels from the local Target with no hassles. Even on a busy day where there were other women trying shoes on! I wasn't playing it up, or anything, but didn't get odd looks (well, none I saw), no-one said anything. Even the checkout operator just rung them up as just another item. They didn't care if they were for me or not.

Sei.

[Dutch]

I found this it might be helpfull

http://www.punitiveshoes.com/database/h ... /size.html

[Dutch]

this ia a great site

http://www.punitiveshoes.com/database/b ... ogue.shtml

[Stahlketten]

DSW stores Clearance section seems to have a pretty good selection of sandals and boots right now if you happen to be womens size 10-12.

- Stahlketten.

[Heels4me2]

Bit late to contribute, but here goes .....

In the UK, men buying womens shoes for themselves is not usually a problem, whether it be on-line (very easy) or inside a store. I've been asked several times by female assistants if I wanted to try on a womens style, when I've asked for my size. (UK7 or UK8). In fact I've twice been given odd looks when the womens styles fitted, and I didn't buy. [Both ALDO.]

I've bought shoes from most UK retailers, and most brands. I can tell you that even within a brand, sizes vary. The likes of Topshop, Dune, often Zara, sometime River Island, all come up a size smaller on a UK8, than say Marks and Spencer, and NEXT. I have styles in ALDO 7 and ALDO 9. I have styles in Barratt 7 and Barratt 9. My feet are the only consistent component in buying womens shoes that fit me.

As has already been mentioned, womens shoes tend to be made slimmer. As women have grown (are growing) in stature over time, so has the width of their feet - as they have to. A six foot women is no more stable on a narrow foot than a six foot male. Shoe makers, 90% or more are Chinese by volume, have been slow to notice this. If I needed evidence, have a look around a shoe store at sale time. VERY few size 8 styles, but plenty in size 4 and 5. New Look are trying to increase their range of styles that include a UK9. They also have a "W" for wide range. Italian made shoes are known to be very slim, though I've found their (length) sizing to be quite generous.

Until recently, I could rely on NEXT and Kurt Geiger/Carvela to provide identically sized shoes, one style to another. This has changed, with some fluctuation in sizing, maybe down to the change in supplier(s). Getting the right sized shoe is increasingly difficult, if the purchase choice is made on the declared size only. I suspect on-line shoe shopping, with many retailers offering free delivery and free returns, is a way to ensure potential customers don't get 'switched off' by sizing problems.

I don't know if they are available in Singapore, but Steve Madden do some fashionable styles with generous sizing, on both length and width. They are perfect for man-sized-foot-widths.

For men with (say) a UK9 or above, Pleaser and Ellie are an obvious choice. Some of their styles are even tame enough to be street wear. BUT, don't expect shoes made for the bedroom, to last long worn in the street.


If you are going to wear a high heel for sex, the higher the better. If you are going to wear them for extended periods, buy some that fit. A very high heel will hurt the ball of your feet if you are not moving about, but an ill fitting shoe (or boot) might stop you enjoying anything as your feet will feel like they are being broken. I enjoy a bit of discomfort while playing, but if my feet feel like someone is trying to hammer a nail through them, that level of pain is an absolute stopper.

[herslave2]

We have bought many shoes for me. I wear a 10 in mens and a 12.5 wide or a 13 in womens. I say 13 if its going to be a high heel. good luck. And just go to the shoe store who cares what the sales person thinks they are there to sell shoes and your buying them.

herslave

[Cd Tammy]

Many shoe stores here in the USA have the foot measuring tools lying in the aisles. You use it one direction for women's sizes and reversed for men's. I wear a 10.5 men's and an 12 in women's. When purchasing women's shoes, I've also found that it is easy to find the larger sizes in the shoe stores that are in the black neighborhoods. It seems that there are more black GG with bigger feet than other races.

[bound_crossdresser]

It is probably a little late for my input to be of any use to the original post of this thread but it may be helpful to someone in a similar predicament. I measured my feet as carefully as I could, using the same technique I would if I was using a Brannock Device in a shoe store (standing up with my weight on my foot and then tracing the outline on a sheet of paper). My feet were 9 15/16” (25.3 cm) long from the back of my heel to the tip of my big toe. They were 4 1/8” (10.5 cm) wide measuring across the widest part of the foot at the base of my toes. These measurements give a 1/16” (0.1 cm) or so for the difference between my right and left foot. I always thought that my feet were extremely wide for their length and finding sexy women’s heels that fit decently would be very difficult but I have been pleasantly surprised by the wide range of styles that fit, all of which are readily available at any local store.

If anyone’s feet are roughly the same size as mine, they can take a look at the various pictures I have posted on the forum to get a sense of how my shoes fit my feet. My black peep toed pumps and black crochet netted high heeled sandals are size 8. My black with low gold platform closed toed pumps and red open toed strappy sandals are size 8.5. In my personal experience, sizing between shoe styles and designers is fairly consistent (especially when compared to the sizing of women’s clothing). The small variation in sizes in my own shoe collection is more from availability rather than fit, along with assuming a closed toed shoe would require a larger half size (I would imagine boots need an even slightly larger size but I have never tried on boots so take that with the appropriate skepticism).

My men’s shoe size is also 8 so I have no idea where the general rule “add two sizes to your men’s shoe size to get your women’s size” came from or how applicable it is. For me, they are roughly the same although obviously I want a sleek, snug fit for my high heels and a more relaxed, comfortable fit for my men’s shoes.

I would suggest that if you are unsure of your shoe size, consider sticking with open toed sandals or slingback heels until you get more comfortable and try to err on the side of going a little too small if necessary. Those styles of shoes allow more expansion for your foot than closed toed heels. Assuming your foot can at least fit within the basic form of the shoe, it can still have a sexy look and yummy feel if your heel has to hang even significantly out of the back of it, providing you with some functionality rather than the shoe looking like a board strapped to your foot if it is too big.

You should also take into account what you plan to do while you are wearing the shoes. I couldn’t imagine standing in my peep toed pumps for eight hours as they are very tight but I love walking around the house in them. Of course, this is not a concern if you only plan to lay on your back in them or, in the case of gurls like us, struggle helplessly to get free from a stringent hogtie!

I also have no familiarity with “wide width” shoes or even where to reliably get them since they seem to only show up sporadically in a very narrow range of styles. It is sort of like “petite” sizes for women’s clothing, they only complicate matters by throwing off the “benchmarks” I have established in my mind to guide my size selection when I am shopping.

I have purchased women’s shoes at department stores, shoe outlets, and women’s clothing boutique shops, all of which have clearance racks where you can get some incredible deals. For example, I picked up my black peep toed pumps, which I wasn’t sure if the size 8 would fit especially for an enclosed style shoe, for only $3.97. I figured at that price, even if they didn’t fit, they were pretty enough for me just to look at and enjoy that way. I bought my red open toed strappy sandals for $8, probably the best $8 I’ve ever spent in my life!

I've been crossdressing as part of my self-bondage play for the longest time. I've tried many kinds of feminine clothes and underwear, but the one thing I've never tried was shoes.

I can’t imagine crossdressing without wearing some sexy high heels! It would be like bondage without the gag! I hope you are able to find a pair that you adore and fit you like a princess! I encourage you not to give up in your pursuit to acquire feminine shoes as I know personally that the shoes make the outfit!