Anyone for Coffee? (no boys allowed)

[Niamh]

heels...dont like heels...

[Sapphire]

Did you girls know that apparently (and on average), women walk 51 years on heels. Ok, that is not put correctly: from age 12 to age 12 + 51 = 63 women can walk on heels.
Before I read about that research, it never occured to me that there might be a day when I would not be able to walk on heels any more The thought just never crossed my mind, though it is quite obvious...

I did not start wearing heels untill age 19 or such. I like it and think they can be comfortable: from a principle, I do not wear shoes I can not run on. I would never catch a train if I would do so Thus no stilhettos (until now), but 10cm is possible.
I can however imagine that people dislike heels. Every one should follow their own taste.

Enjoy the party to the fullest Sprinks - and when your feet tell you they are done with the heels, just kick them off and keep dancing You can worry about getting them back the next day

[Scheherazade]

I like heels but mostly wear them in the evening because during day time there is too much running around. Having said that, in my 20s I used to wear them more often because my job required me "dressing up" and being tip top shape at all times.

Heels sometimes do show an outfit, though.

[Annamariah]

I wear heels relatively seldom, especially as for the last two years I've had to walk or bicycle to school, and that wouldn't work in high heels :P Even regular flat shoes can be really uncomfortable to walk in for long distances, so I have a pair of really expensive shoes which were literally made for walking. They're really comfortable and frankly the best shoes I've ever had.

I do like heels, though, in parties and other special occasions. I don't own many pairs, but I like those I have. Maybe if I'll get a nice indoor-job somewhere sometime (and don't have to walk several kilometres to get there) I'll start wearing heels more often.

And on Friday I'll have a chance to really dress up, unless the party is cancelled... I should find out today. But it would be really nice to have a chance to wear my best dress I made for my "vanhojen tanssit" ("the dance of the old" - it's the ball for people in their second year of upper secondary school when the oldest class leaves the school to study independently for their matriculation examinations. They second-year-students celebrate becoming the oldest students of the school) I haven't had a chance to wear it ever since, and as the sewing took so much work, it would be a pity if I never got to wear the dress again.

[*Classic*Charm*]

I've been wearing heels since I was 14. I had to wear them every day in high school (with the uniform), so moving to more difficult heels like stilettos was easy. I can run as easily in heels as I can in flats haha. I don't wear them often, but if I'm going out I will. Otherwise I'm in ballet flats.

[dramasnot6]

I generally don't like heels but I am a sucker for a beautiful pair of stiletto boots.

[motherhubbard]

I wish every heel was made like a high heel tap shoe, not the tap part. I can go all day in tap shoes but with regular heels I'm only good for about three hours.

[higley]

Heels are rotten. Unless the heel is thick I wobble around like I'm doing a bad John Wayne impersonation.

[Sapphire]

It is nice to read what sort of parties are going on in different countries

North Americans call prom? The big fancy dinner and dance that goes with graduating from high school?

About Year 12 Ball:
It's the Australian equivalent of a prom, yeah. We graduate in November. We also have a kind of Year 10 formal, because (back in the day) people could drop out in Year 10 if they so wished (things have changed). So they'd do a "formal" as a kind of ball opportunity for those people, only it was never as big as the ball. We had a Year 10 formal, but the school didn't like it, because they didn't want to encourage to people to think that way, like "Oh I've had a ball type thing, I can get a job and leave school now".

"vanhojen tanssit" ("the dance of the old" - it's the ball for people in their second year of upper secondary school when the oldest class leaves the school to study independently for their matriculation examinations. They second-year-students celebrate becoming the oldest students of the school)

I especially like the idea that people in their second year celebrate becoming the oldest students of the school. I do wonder though: is this a party for both the oldest class and the second class, or do they celebrate seperate or do the oldest leave to another party place or... Well, I just wonder how it works

[Delta40]

I have fat feet and heavy calves so unless they are chunky platforms, I don't go much for heels. I haven't been treating myself much to doses of SA lately though. It's all work work work and no play with me. I curl up with fluffy slippers at night

[sprinks]

I've been wearing heels since I was 14. I had to wear them every day in high school (with the uniform), so moving to more difficult heels like stilettos was easy. I can run as easily in heels as I can in flats haha. I don't wear them often, but if I'm going out I will. Otherwise I'm in ballet flats.

you had to wear heels with a school uniform?!

[*Classic*Charm*]

you had to wear heels with a school uniform?!

Not stilettos, but heeled dress shoes yeah. Good times...

[pussnboots]

why is is that every time I buy a pair of dress shoes they feel so comfortable when I try them on in the store but when I have to really walk around in them they kill my feet!!!

[Annamariah]

I especially like the idea that people in their second year celebrate becoming the oldest students of the school. I do wonder though: is this a party for both the oldest class and the second class, or do they celebrate seperate or do the oldest leave to another party place or... Well, I just wonder how it works

No, the party is just for the second-year class. First they have a course in which they practise dances like Polonaise, Pas d'Espagne, Tango, Salty Dog Rag, Virginia Reel, Cicapo, Gay Gordons and Viennese Waltz. The actual ball is in the evening and the families and maybe friends of the students watch them performing these dances. The next they they perform the dances again, this time at school so that the younger students get to see them.

The dresses are formal - boys wear tail-coats or tuxedos and girls wear long evening gowns, nowadays often quite modern, but sometimes also old-fashioned ones (which used to be more common earlier).

These photos are from my old school, though two years after the ball I danced in The first picture is from Virginia reel, the second one looks like Pas d'Espagne, and the third is Cicapo.






The oldest students leaving the school have their own party called "penkkarit", which is nothing as formal and fancy as the second-year-ball I can tell more about it in another post, if anyone's interested.

[*Classic*Charm*]

That's by far the most awesome thing I have ever seen!! That's not at all what our prom was like, but that's how I would have wanted it!

Where are you from Annamariah?? I need to move there ASAP!

Ah, I love formality!