Last time I told you about my brand new 6” elevators (the Hong Kong style https://www.guidomaggi.com/hong-kong.html) and my first impressions. I have had a few weeks now to really run them in. And I am so pleased with my new height.

Last night I ran a night at a bar where unusually the individual washrooms were very large and there were two enormous full length very well lit mirrors, so you can see back and front – plus LOTS of room to walk around and get a true perspective. So I am wearing my new 6” Hong Kong elevators with a pair of black jeans, not too skinny cut, but straight, and the boots just looked totally superb.

So how have my few weeks wearing my new 6” elevators worked out? Pretty good actually! In fact I have spent the past couple of weeks wearing my 6” elevators constantly. I mentioned a few aspects about wearing them in my last piece, as it was pretty exciting getting hold of them and just trying them out, especially for the very first time.

And as ever, it takes several wears to kinda get the full flavour, particularly of something so totally new. With any new footwear, it takes a bit of wearing in, but with something like this there are other pretty major considerations – the main ones being linked to practicality. Above all, how will they look? Too much? Hard to walk in? Detectable?

And I have to tell you that the ones I have, the Hong Kong style, simply look and feel superb. My first task in them was to wear them enough to test how my legs and feet would feel, how far I could walk and to see whether there was any difference between these and the 4” Ischias I have and the 5” Shanghais.

Totally walkable…

Guys who I had told about these beforehand had always asked “but will you be able to walk in them?” I had never had a problem with this as I basically realized that they would be made to be able to be walked in. Obviously there IS a limit in terms of the heel to toe ratio, but the clever design makes sure that this is not in any way compromised – I can walk in these in exactly the same way as I can walk in my 4” Ischias and 5” Shanghais.

So with walkability they are incredibly comfortable – I usually take very short walks first in any new boots, simply because you have to get used to the varying feel, especially if something is a new or unfamiliar height. The reason is simple – if you do something that just does not work, you can head back home and put something else on. I still advise that. Always go for short walks first in anything new that adds height. This time my walks were longer as I instinctively knew that wearing them as intended they would be comfortable. I have since got totally used to them and they are very comfortable.

…and totally convincing

The appearance for me was always going to be the most crucial point – the very last thing I wanted was just to add an inch by having some great big goth outsole banged onto an existing style. No point at all – ‘footwear advantage’ is easy to claim by someone else under those circumstances! But these are just great – yes they have the solid kinda sole of the 5” Shanghai that I already have, but almost all of the extra is inside. And that is vital – my Hong Kong style 6 inchers have a stitching which makes them resemble a number of mainstream and fashion-style workboots which are worn for style as well.

Out and about it is a great great buzz to gain an extra inch on top of what I have been doing in the 5” boots. And you feel for sure taller. I now easily beat guys in height that I might have been close to before. And again, no-one actually notices you have ‘gained height’. Awareness only really comes of the FACT of your height not a comparison with yesterday or last Saturday – you are just tall.

Six whole inches is a great and serious addition. I am hooked and find it truly heroic that I can easily walk with half a foot of extra height. 15cm.

The only downside? Well I love my existing 4” and 5” boots, but now I have the 6” boots I kinda look for any excuse to wear THEM and not the other ones I really like as well.