Articles tagged with "Mens Fashion Trends"

What is the right heel height for men that wear heels?

There are two aspects to this question, first a bio-mechanical one and secondly a more sociological one.

Let's get the bio-mechanics out of the way first. I'll use the biological sex male and female here for clarity. A human male foot (on average) is wider than a female foot, which also means that some male feet are the same width as female feet. The length of a male foot (on average) is longer than that of a female, though again there are a number of males who have feet which are the same length as female feet. The consequence of some male feet being as wide and as long as a female foot is that they can comfortably wear shoes which were intended for wear by females. The consequence of male feet being generally larger than females feet is that they can, comfortably accommodate heels which are higher than would normally be worn by females, especially as the length of the foot increases.

So from a bio-mechanical point of view, it's largely a question of how big your foot is and the condition/flexibility of your muscles & tendons as to what shoe and heel height is right for you. In the end you'll find that a process of trial and error will get you to the point where you find out what the maximum height is that you can comfortably wear. Everything in-between that and flat heels are what are right for you (from a bio-mechanical point of view anyway). We're ignoring, for the sake of positivity and fashion all of the medical reasons why high heels are bad for you (sorry doc)!

If you want to get scientific about it you can use the Perfect Heel Height (PHH) Calculator which offers a mathematical way to figure out what your maximum comfortable heel height should be.

From a sociological perspective, it's a whole other ball-game. It's a simple fact... you can't please everyone with what you wear, or don't wear. It's always either too much, or not enough for someone. The same applies to what heels you wear. For some they are too high, too much (fetishy/stripper) for others, not high enough, the wrong style, or the heels are not slim enough.

For many men who wear heels they do it out of rebellion against outdated social norms which want us to conform to given stereotypes. If we try and accommodate the too much/not enough judgement, we're simply swapping one type of conformity for another. That just doesn't make sense. You can keep your judgement, thank you.

As the proverb says... "Judge not, lest ye be judged". Give yourself a self-check here. Do you openly judge other people for what they wear? Would you want that same judgement cast back in your direction? I'd guess not. It's time to stop judging other people for what they wear.

It is true that in the movement to degender fashion we throw around the mantra of "Clothes and shoes have no gender", but it can also be argued that clothes are imbued with gendered, raced and classed cultural meaning (Lipton et al), though we can see from historical records that this meaning is flexible and has changed frequently over time. Women were judged and ridiculed for wearing pants towards the start of the 20th century, but they are now socially normalised. It's not beyond our imagination to see a world in which all clothing is more normalised between the sexes, it just needs open minds.

What is right for you from a sociological perspective? It largely comes down to what you personally feel comfortable and confident with wearing on any given day. Some of that might be influenced by your current mood, what you have planned for your day, what the weather is doing and who you'll meet. Your comfort zone may be tested here, but that's ok. You might find that being in a comfort zone is not the best thing for you anyway. Are you too much or not enough? Women in particular (yes, and "some men") unjustly live with this dichotomy constantly and can guide us as a good measure of what can be considered too much or not enough when it comes to what we wear in any given situation. As always, those boundaries can be tested and expanded, but we can also use women's fashion and style as a guide for men for avoiding any potential judgement or criticism whether it's warranted or not. There's plenty of style inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest

So, in summary, what is right for you is what you're comfortable and confident in, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

Posted: 20 October 2022


As a man in heels, how do you talk about your heels to other people in public?

As you're no doubt aware, whenever you step out in public in a pair of heels there can be an annoying voice inside your head reminding you of all the potential judgement that you may encounter while you are out. It can sometimes feel like a constant stream of "what if?" questions. Not everyone gets this new trend quite like you do, so what can you do?

In reality, during the daytime, most people are so wrapped in doing what they’re out to get done, but during the evening people often have a little more time on their hands and are often more observant about the people around them.

It can help to be prepared for interactions with other people and a possible conversation about your heels. Most of the time, these conversations will be positive but if you are unfortunate enough to encounter someone who is less open-minded it can help to be prepared to have a conversation about your heels. We’ve prepared a simple 5 point strategy to help…

  • Firstly, do your History homework. History has clearly documented the many times that men have worn heels, from 10th Century Persian Cavalrymen to King Louis XIV to David Bowie, Prince and now you, me, Harry Styles, Lenny Kravitz and Billy Porter and the other thousands of men around the world.

  • Next is Education. You know that you and MANY other men are wearing heels, but the person you are talking to make be either completely ignorant of current fashion trends or might need reminding of times when it was more common than now. It’s up to you to educate them on it. Show them the hundreds of posts on the Articles page from Men’s Heels Revolution. Tell them where you got your heels from, show them the website and any marketing of men in heels that you can.

  • Next is Empathise. Really, deep down they’d probably love to accept men wearing heels, and love themselves more in the process, but while they are complying with social norms, they will feel compelled to maintain the status quo. It can help to let them know you originally felt the same way as them, but then your mind was opened when you saw so many other men in heels and the acceptance that was given by the majority of people.

  • Next is Leadership. You’re bringing it back and you’re at the front that also means you’re in the firing line. You need to keep your head, keep calm, be positive and firm about your courage and convictions. What you do out there shapes the future for all men in heels (and other gender non-conformity) so the image you present to the world is important. Leadership is also knowing which battles to fight and to know when you’re not going to win. It’s ok to agree to disagree and walk away.

  • Finally, Style. Do whatever you do with style. With men’s heels easily available in many different styles from established retailers like Alessandro Vasini, Asos, Christian Louboutin, Cross Sword Fashion, Daniela Uribe, Feraggio, Harry Halim, Jimmy Choo, Lidia Talavera, Onlymaker Heels For Men, Patricia Henriques, Steve Madden, Syro, Utilitarian Gender Neutral, Yves Saint Laurent and many more there’s something to suit everyone’s taste and budget (See our Retailer Directory for even more options). Become a style student, draw influences from what others are doing and experiment with your outfits, not everything will work, but that’s ok! Style starts from the shoes upwards and when you love shoes, that’s a great start.

So there you have it, our simple strategy to keep you fashion forward and standing tall. Can’t remember the 5 points? Maybe this will help…

H - History
E - Education
E - Empathise
L - Leadership
S - Style

Posted: 10 October 2022