Tricks to help you stand in heels for hours

Tami sent me an article about Kate Middleton’s tricks that help her stand in heels for hours. 

To prevent Kate’s feet from slipping out of her heels, she wears non-slip pantyhose from John Lewis, a UK department store. Those pantyhose feature gel strips on the sole to help feet grip more firmly onto the soles of the shoes. I did a perfunctory Internet search and did not find John Lewis pantyhose on sale in the USA, but I did find that Hue sells a similar product stateside. If anyone has another source, please share the information. 

Having staffed my ham radio group’s convention booth for hours in heels, I am always happy to learn about anything that will make my 8-hour days in heels more comfortable, so I will have to purchase some Hue pantyhose before my next booth assignment.

By the way, what we call “pantyhose” in the USA are called “tights” in the UK. (Don't know what they call “tights” in the UK.)

Kate also uses a leather sole insert designed to cushion your feet so you can comfortably wear any type of shoe, including high heels, for hours. The brand Kate uses is Alice Bow, a British brand, but there are similar products available in the USA. (Personally, I have been using Vivian Lou Insolia weight-shifting insoles for years and recommend them highly.)

Wearing Joyinme

Femulating in Namibia: Rumano Fabrishh and Reinhard Mahalie

Fashionista Wednesday

Black opaque tights with black patent high heel pumps

I am very busy this week packing for my daughter's move to Hartford, but I will be going out to dinner this evening and am looking forward to dressing to the nines.

In light of my Fashionista Wednesday, I recommend reading Rhonda's must-read "your style" post.

And over at Who What Wear, Kat Collins writes about three fashion blunders that may be aging you (and me).

Meanwhile, Romney recently asked me, "What is the 'rule' for color/shade of stockings in consideration of the color/shade of skirt?"

I really don't consider the skirt or dress color when choosing a hosiery color. I am more concerned with the shoe color, for example, I would never wear a shade of hosiery that is darker than the color of my shoe.

Being a fashionista, I usually wear a nude shade of hosiery because fashionable ladies don't wear any hosiery at all and a nude shade is as close to achieving the same results (I don't think my legs are good enough to go without hosiery.)

One look I love is wearing nude hosiery with nude high heel pumps. It creates the illusion of having longer legs (as if I needed that!).

For dress-up occasions, I often wear black or off-black for a sexier look. Dressing for my company's Christmas luncheon, I wore pin dot pantyhose, which added a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise plain off-black shade of hosiery.

If I wear tights, which I often do in the winter to add a little warmth when wearing a skirted outfit, I usually wear black opaque tights, which look very fashionable when worn with black patent high heel pumps.

I hope that was helpful. If not, ask again.

Black opaque tights with black patent high heel pumps (Source: Pinterest)

Alan Manson femulates in the 1943 film This Is the Army.

Unbared Legs

Susan King, Femulate Contributing Editor of Transitioning into Tomorrow fame writes about how we clothe our legs.

In the 1960's, I remember how wearing my mother's stockings and garter belt felt so good and along with her shoes, were my first foray into "crossdressing."

Now it seems that stockings are out of style unless it's a formal affair or a dress code requirement. That's too bad because I love wearing them. I still wear tights and legwarmers in the winter, but I have a drawer full of stockings that I have not worn in a decade. I should throw them away, but I can not.

I do remember in the 1980's through the 2010's, wearing off-black sheer stockings, not only in the house, but out in public. Hopefully, stockings will come back in style, but I doubt it as woman are dressing more casually everyday.

(Stana's Two Cents: If you have legs that look good without hosiery, then go for it. As for me, I am "old school" and always wear hosiery and probably always will. Although my legs look good without hosiery, they look better with hosiery and better is better.)  

Here is a nice infographic of all the different types of legwear.

Wearing Madeleine.

Gender role reversals at Delta (Ohio) High School in 1998.
(Thank you, Starla, for the image!)

'Tis the Season

Besides myself, there are two other female fashionistas here at work.

Everyday, I check to see what they are wearing and on Monday, they showed up similarly attired.

"N" wore a rust-colored sweater dress or tunic, black tights, and black mid-calf boots.

"L" wore a red sweater dress or tunic, black leggings, and black booties.

(I wrote "sweater dress or tunic" because their sweater dresses were short enough to be considered "tunics" or their tunics were long enough to be considered "dresses.")

Anyway, guess what I was planning to wear on my day out en femme on Tuesday?

A purple tunic, black tights or leggings, and black mid-calf boots.

How You Polled Your Leg

Last week's poll asked "When you femulate, what kind of hosiery do you usually wear?" and after a week's long poll with 679 respondents, the results are:

• 62% (424 respondents including myself) usually wear pantyhose or tights

• 30% (204 respondents) usually wear stockings

• 7% (51 respondents) usually wear no hosiery at all

I was surprised that 3 out of 10 usually wear stockings. Before the poll started, I guessed that femulators would be more likely to wear stockings than genetic women, but I did not expect that figure to be that much more likely. Personally, I don't know any genetic woman who usually wear stockings, so that 30% result is amazing!

There are some comments to the original post that explain some of the respondent's votes and non-votes; they have only a miniscule effect on the 62-30-7% results.

Mary-Louise Parker on Letterman

Updated: August 3, 2008

Mary-Louise Parker was a guest on Letterman last night. I stayed up just to watch her appearance. As luck would have it, she was the last guest and did not appear until well after midnight.

She was worth the wait!

Unlike some guests who appear on Letterman and Leno as if they just came in from slopping the pigs, i.e., wearing jeans, the 5' 8" tall Ms. Parker was dressed to the nines in a short red satin dress, black pantyhose or tights, and black patent Mary Jane heels (not the outfit as in the photo to the right).

She looked classy!

I loved her outfit and could see myself in something similar, if not identical.

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Note to Moi: Add Ms. Parker to the "famous females of height" list.