Two YouTube Finds

Like I said, I'd be back on September 4th.  Oh, wait, was that the 29th?  Can you forgive me for having misled you one more time?  Have mercy!  It was summer, and you know how hard it is to squeeze every last bit of enjoyment out of the summer months when there's so much in life that manages to get in the way.  Of course, it's now fall, which is my favorite season, but I'll at least have more time to dedicate to the blog.  I have some fantastic new additions to my collection and I'll be highlighting them soon.  In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy this video on YouTube.  You may be asked if it's okay to display "inappropriate content", although I can promise you there's nothing at all inappropriate with what you're about to see.

SuperHeroDoll seems to created one hell of a shrine to her feet.  The majority of her uploads focus on her (admittedly adorable) feet in socks, but there are a few videos highlighting her shoes.  The sandals are advertised as being for sale but don't get your hopes up, as they've already been sold.  Too bad, as I would have gladly plunked down the $50 she was asking had I known at the time.  Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of chunky sandals, but there's something mesmerizing about the way SuperHeroDoll works the elastic straps, ferociously daring the material to break apart.

Another YouTube user, chilflamorris, punishes a pair of white slingbacks in this upload.  Granted, I'm much more interested in shoes destroyed through natural wear and tear, but the way she's able to have both shoes tear each other apart in front of the camera is fascinating.

More to come.

Two Good YouTube Finds

Don't worry, this blog isn't going to turn into a place where I regurgitate stuff I find elsewhere on the internet, but every once in a while my interest in this hobby leads me to some stuff I feel the need to share.

First up is a short video of some tall platform heels.  It's so short, you could very well miss it if you blink.  I'll admit to not being the biggest fan of platforms (the ridiculously thick outsoles don't do anything for me) but the pair featured in this clip is definitely one I'd love to have in my collection.  The shoes look as though they were subjected to some intentional abuse and in this case I'm okay with that because of the way the heels are bending all over the place.  Mesmerizing!

Second is a video only a little longer than the first (so again, don't blink) but equally fascinating.  This guy's girlfriend's worn slingbacks have the most downright impressive sweat stains I've ever seen on a pair of shoes.  From the looks of things, her feet create a pool of sweat on a daily basis.  I can only dream of what it would be like to shove my nose inside the pumps for a sniff or two.

Stay tuned this weekend for some more posts.  There's so much in my collection I haven't shared... yet.

My Collection: More Flip Flops of an Unknown Brand

Once again, it's been a while.  I really have to work on some form of consistency with this blog.  However, in my defense, it's been a busy week and I haven't had many alone moments at the house in which to photograph shoes in my collection and when I do, it's late at night and I can't count on the help of natural light to help in my photography sessions.  I see no point in posting lackluster photos that don't do the shoes any justice, just for the sake of making sure there is something new to post.  Quantity is the goal but quality is a must.

I'm not sure if I'm really sick enough to have taken the day off from work, but I did, and now I can use some of my time alone to catch up on a few things.  First is the breaking in of my Pleaser slingbacks.  Wow.  Two inches of heel height makes one hell of a difference!  It took me no time at all to get used to 3" heels but the 5" heels of these shoes make my feet wobble, not to mention hurt quite a bit as the weight of my body is forced into the balls of my feet, which in turn squeezes my toes into the pointy toe box.  It probably doesn't help that the heels are very narrow to the point where they could probably be defined as stilettos.  On the plus side, my calves are being stretched so much that I shouldn't wake up in the middle of the night with cramps for at least a few days, and being 6'3" tall in 5" heels gives me a feeling of power.

I still don't know what I'm going to do with these shoes.  Maybe I'll feel more comfortable using them for destructive purposes if I can get accustomed to having to balance myself on the tall, thin heels but right now I feel like one wrong move will send a heel snapping off the shoe, which will in turn leave me needing another pair.  This is by no means a cheap hobby!  But anyway, being home today allowed me to not have to rush to leave work and get to the mailbox before my wife gets home because I knew today was the day I'd be adding another pair of flip flops to my collection.

I have no idea of the brand name, as only the faint remnants of letters can be seen in the heel area.  The seller advertised them as a size 9 and I believe it, because they're just barely big enough to squeeze onto my feet for short periods of time (time on me feet is how I got the straps to maintain a shape long enough for me to take some photos.)  The seller claims to have another pair just like these and just about as worn so I'm hoping to make a deal for those.  Perhaps then I could have one pair to admire with my eyes and another pair to suffer under my feet.

As I've said in the past, flip flops can be boring, but can also be extremely enjoyable.  This pair is clearly an example of the latter.  From afar, they look as though they need a new coat of paint.  There's way too much wear here for a black Sharpie to repair!

The wear to the heel areas reveals the honeycomb-like structure sandwiched between the insoles and outsoles.  The insoles feel as though they're real leather but as I've stated in other posts, can never be quite sure.  Regardless, a good portion of the leather/faux leather has been worn off, revealing a cloth-like material below.  The white marks are the remains of the brand name that was once printed on the flip flops.  Any shoes CSIs out there willing to help with the identification of these poor things?

The front areas of the shoes are even worse.  Note the long thongs that slide between the big toe and the other four.  It's almost as if the thongs were designed to extend forward from where they attach to the insoles before rising up.  Or is it possible they stretched about three quarters of an inch?  Either way, the extra long thong is part of the reason why I can massage my feet into these flip flops, so I'm not complaining.

In some areas, the lining is so worn that the cloth-like material is also worn away, revealing the rubber of the outsole.  These flip flops did not have an easy life.  In addition to having been used a lot, it seems as if the wearer wasn't very careful with them, although that could be an assumption I want to make as I fantasize about what these went through.

The front of the right one is a total mess- frayed, with all the layers of material beginning to separate from one another.  Peeling it back provides a revealing look at the sandwich of rubber, cloth and even paper that comprises the construction of these flip flops.

The straps being stretched out beyond the shape of the outsoles and under the weight of the body left permanent indentations in the leather/faux leather.  A nice touch that I discovered only after spending some quality time with the shoes.  It pays to have quiet moments where they can be enjoyed with more than a passing glance.

The straps are decorated with countless colored pieces of plastic that remind me of sequins, except rectangular instead of round.  Many are still intact but many are also missing, having left behind traces of white thread that likely held them in place.  They seem to be firmly attached so it must have taken collisions with some pretty hard objects to work them loose.

Flipping the shoes over doesn't show a ton of wear on the bottoms of the outsoles.  They're worn smooth in some spots and the honeycomb-like rubber in the heels can once again, but other than that these flip flops took most of their beating on the other side.  Here's hoping that I can soon be adding their sisters to my collection.

Two Pairs of Pleasers For My Pleasure

Please accept my apologies once again for having been quiet the past few days.  If you notice a pattern of me disappearing on the weekends, you've been paying attention.  During the week I can sneak home every once in a while and indulge in this hobby of mine but on the weekends, it's tough to do so with the wife present.  It's not that I forget about all of this, just that I'm not able to come up with much to post.  Perhaps I'll have to work on an extra post or two during the week so I can make sure the blog is updated on the weekends.  But anyway, I digress.

My quest to build a small collection of large-sized shoes started out great with the arrival of my Ellie sandals but then became a bit of a challenge.  Because a size 16 worked the first time, I figured it would work again.  That wasn't the case when I bought a similar pair of Pleaser sandals (which are now gone... in the hands of a lucky reader that I trust is having fun with them.)  Figuring that I got lucky with the Ellies, I ordered a pair of traditional pumps by Pleaser in a wide width size 17, and was frustrated when they were so large, my feet were just about swimming in them.  I sent them back for a size 16 and hoped that the other size 16's I had on the way would work after all.  Maybe the Pleaser sandals being too narrow was just a fluke?

As it turns out, that was the case, and now I am adding two new pairs of Pleasers to my collection.  The first is a pair of Seduce slingback pumps.  Since I already have black patent Ellies, I was hoping for a different color but had to settle on black patent again, as I'm guessing colors become more basic as the size of the shoes increases.  Regardless, they're extremely sexy- very simple with a thin strap to hold the back of the foot in place over towering 5" heels.  After a quick lap around the living room, I've found I can handle myself in them just fine, although another inch might make them a little difficult.

I've come to love Pleaser.  Sure, it mostly has to do with them making gorgeous shoes that fit my insanely huge feet, but there's a part of me that appreciates their attention to detail when it comes to packaging.  I'm a sucker for packaging because while it doesn't mask the faults of shoddy product, it makes good products seem even better.  Anyone who's ever bought and opened an Apple product can surely attest to that.  Pleaser shoes come in a nice black box with a red lid covered in butterflies, and the box is of a ridiculous quality considering the price of the shoes that usually go for about $50 on eBay.

Open it up and it's a sea of black, regardless of the color of the shoes.  Each shoe comes individually wrapped in a cloth bag, probably to keep them from rubbing together during shipment.  Very classy.

Even better, Pleaser provides a larger cloth bag with a drawstring to store the shoes.  Honestly, I can't see many women using this bag, as the shoes would either remain in their box on the floor of a closet or be stored on some kind of rack, but for someone like me who hides his best footwear above a ceiling tile in his man cave, the bag is a priceless part of the package.

Officially the most delicate of the pairs in my collection, I'm not sure how often I'm going to be wearing these or what I'll be able to do with them, so time will tell.  That doesn't prevent me from wanting to stare at them for hours!

My other recent arrival is a pair of Pleaser Divine Mary Jane pumps.  I couldn't resist the red patent leather that makes me think of a classic muscle car when I look at them.  These aren't as dressy as the slingbacks, but the fact that they cover more of the foot and have a thick 3" heel means they make more sense for destructive activities.  They're going to play a big role going forward, so expect to see a lot of them and the results of their actions.

The destruction of the Moda sandals with my treasured Ellies was a blast, but I think the style of the shoes brought everything to an end quicker than anticipated.  Violently stomping on something while wearing a pair of shoes that holds your foot in place with a few straps means the foot isn't held in place very well at all, and the height of the heels only made matters worse.  I'm sure I'll continue to use my Ellies for destructive purposes but I can see these shoes being better as they will hold my foot in place and the thicker heel will give me more control as well as peace of mind, as I won't have to worry so much about it snapping if I get too into the moment.  And believe me, you're going to see a lot more destruction in the future.  I've already ordered a nice assortment of shoes with low heels that I plan on making suffer under mine.

Destroying the Moda Sandals

After an unusually stressful morning at work, I retreated to an empty house where I knew I had to unleash some fury upon something.  I put on my Ellie slingbacks to figure things out andthen it hit me.

A little back story... before I got the idea to purchase shoes that actually feet my gigantic feet, I tried to make do with the largest worn shoes I could find on eBay.  Every once in a while I'd come across some kind of sandal in a size 12 or 13 and if it had a bare minimum of straps or some straps that could be cut without ruining their ability to remain in place on my feet, I'd buy them and use them every so often for as long as I could withstand the circulation in my feet being compromised.  I found this pair of size 13M lime green strappy sandals by Moda and, despite them not being large enough for my feet, had high hopes that I could make them work.

You'll have to forgive me for not having photographed them as soon as they arrived, but when I found that the thin straps really hurt me feet, I figured I would end up getting rid of them.  They were very lightly used, with only the top pieces of the low, blocky heels showing the slightest bit of wear.  There was definitely no trashing and abuse to be enjoyed, so as I contemplated how to get rid of some of my aggression, I came to the conclusion that I'd give my Ellies a workout and see what they could do to the Moda sandals, since they had no future with me.

I stepped on them a few times but that didn't do much.  I figured I would only be satisfied if I was able to do something to ruin the integrity of the sandals so I centered the heel of my Ellie above the shank of the right shoe, stabilized myself by holding onto the wall and let all 300 pounds of my weight bear down on it.  The feeling of the shank slowly giving out was so amazing, I couldn't wait to do it to the other one, and now I'm seriously considering an eBay search for some more low-heeled sandals and heels so I can enjoy that sensation again.  It was an unexpected feeling of power.  At this point I got the idea to photograph the results of the trashing and abuse, so the first two photos are of the first round.

I needed a location better than my dining room floor to continue things so I took the sandals to the garage and went crazy, stomping the living hell out of the left sandal.  The adorable jewelry-like metal heart that connected the three spaghetti straps ended up shattering, rendering the poor thing useless.  The top pieces of my Ellies left their mark all over the shoes as I paid special attention to the area where I collapsed the shank.

The bending of the shank was so severe that the top piece went flying across the garage, sending me on a search to find it so my wife wouldn't come across it at some point.  I almost regretted the metal heart breaking because I would have loved to have slipped this on my foot one last time to see what it would be like to walk in the shoes with them in this condition.

The right sandal also took some harsh blows including a nasty one that speared through the metallic material of the insole, but at this point my feet were getting tired and as much as want to abuse my Ellie slingbacks over time, don't want to completely destroy them.  It was a good thing that a close inspection of them showed nothing more than top pieces looking a little worn from having murdered the Modas.  Something tells me my Ellies can take on anything, and perhaps they will in the future.

It's Like Christmas Morning!

Today I took delivery of the first of a few very, very, very large pairs of shoes I ordered on eBay.  Large, as in size 16- the largest I could order, and possibly the largest that are made without needing to special order?  This particular pair of cute black patent leather slingbacks was made by Ellie.

It's always been a fantasy of mine to wear a pair of heels without having to destroy my feet.  In the past, I was able to find a size 12 pair of Ralph Lauren high heeled sandals that I was barely able to squeeze onto my size 13/14 feet (and since there is a three size difference between men's and women's shoes, it was as if I was wearing a size 9.)  With those poor things, I had to cut a few of the leather straps, constantly soak them in hot water and hope I could get by for a few minutes without causing my feet permanent damage.  What would it be like to properly wear a pair of women's shoes?  How about a sexy pair of high heels?  In a way, it was disappointing not to be able to buy a pair of shoes that were already on their way to being trashed and abused, but seeing as how few, if any, women wear size 16s, was willing to make an exception and buy new.  Besides, if I were to find a used pair of size 16 shoes, I would probably be worried that they belonged to a drag queen.

As it turns out, the shoes are pretty comfortable.  The large, thick strap that holds the front of the foot in place is a little tight, especially as gravity causes all of my 300 pounds slide into them, but the smaller straps that go around the base of my ankle and the back of my heel are fine to the point where I don't even notice them.  For some reason squeezing my left foot through those straps is more difficult than it is with the right foot, requiring some moderate stretching of the thin, delicate-looking leather, giving me a newfound appreciation for women that wear this kind of shoe on a regular basis.  I was starting to get worried something would have to give, either the strap, where it connects to the shoe or the unsubstantial buckle.  And as much as I love the idea of destroyed women's shoes, I kinda don't want these to break.  At least not yet.

Now, what is to become of these shoes?  I have no idea.  I like the idea of having a few pairs of shoes that I can wear on a regular basis, but there's not much I can do with them aside from walking around the house when my wife's not home and wearing them as I enjoy the trashed and abused shoes in my collection.  It would be nice to be able to subject these to some challenging tasks, but my options would be limited to laps on the course concrete of the garage floor and maybe the back part of the driveway when it's dark and no one is looking.  Maybe general use will eventually inflict some damage.  I'm definitely not used to walking in heels and my feet tend to wobble.  Will that be enough to work loose one of the heels?  I suppose I'll have to try a few things, like holding onto something as I balance the weight of my body on the heels, no doubt putting an obscene amount of stress on those straps I was just worried about.

I'll keep you updated, on these as well as others that start arriving at my door in the coming days and weeks.