I should imagine that some guys on here have thought about elevator shoes or boots but have fairly quickly dismissed the idea.
They are not for everyone of course, but whenever I read comments online about them, often (usually!) critical, I am struck that these tend to be mostly factually inaccurate, mixed in with some understandable points, but usually very negatively and simplistically by people who have never tried them or seen what is available. The comments are often based upon the past when elevators were badly made, cheap looking, old fashioned, fairly obvious and only in small sizes.
There have been incredible developments in height addition over the past few years and they are worth always keeping in mind, even if in the end you decide they are not for you.
Firstly, if you look at our own range at GuidoMaggi, no doubt you will see ones in styles you yourself you don't like! But you will also see ones which are standard, classic and undetectable. They are well made, which is why they are more expensive than most, with the options of customising and made to measure in your own styles. But there is more to this than just the point about what we believe we have achieved.
Depending upon your existing height there is a kind of rule of thumb about how much you can get away with! There is an irony that the taller you are the more you get away with easily. Some of my best clients are well over 6' and just wanna be real tall. One of my clients in London, who works in nightclubs and has written some pieces on our site www.lealea.ca, is over 6'2" and likes being around 2m (6'6"+!!), wearing our 5" boots a lot. He is a bit of an expert on the subject and has experimented in adding height for 15 years since he was a teenager.
But for your average guy who wants to be a bit taller and is shorter than average (say, 5'8") is advised to stick to classic styles with a 2" or 3" elevator and I have to say, on that basis, his height addition is undetectable.
One of the mistakes that people sometimes make as well is in assuming that everyone will be able to tell you have added height. At its lowest level, no-one notices you are adding height at all, they almost always simply absorb without thought that you are a certain height which is greater than the height you yourself do not like being. At the end of the day all shoes elevate to a degree - Timberlands and workwear boots like Doc Martens actually elevate as much as the lowest elevators!
Unless you are, say, a regular swimmer who is short and then go to change after an hour in the pool and put on 5" elevators, no-one will notice. People's powers of observation are actually fairly limited and this has been shown to be the case in studies - ask the police anywhere in the world: they will be told by witnesses that the potential criminal is anything from 5'9" to 'well over 6'", anything ranging from blonde to red to dark. Clean shaven/had a moustache. And never mind the clothes. It seems counter-intuitive but it is simply the case that something like the addition of a couple of inches or a tad more is simply not noticed by others. Try it yourself by putting a couple of inches of lift in some big boots. Your mates, even your partner, will just not notice.
It is also a very curious thing that women do not notice, unless, say, you decide to wear 5" elevators as a 5'7" man. That really, alas, doesn't work in that situation! But women wear heels of different heights and styles and are up and down in their own height. Yes, it depends upon your current height as to how much you add, and whether you think it worth it, but they DO work and they are undetectable if worn properly and with the right clothes.
There are huge misconceptions about comfort as well - in fact most guys who wear them are amazed at how easy and comfortable they are. I have found that those who say "they make your feet sore" are those who have never worn them. It's strange to hear people who know nothing about things like that make claims with such ferocious certainty. Yes, elevators are not for everyone and will never magically make a short guy tall. But a little extra is totally 100% right for some people who should not be put off by inaccurate comment.
The surprising thing is the degree to which some well known shorter guys, mostly action actors, wear almost unbelievably bad elevators, for example in red carpet situations. I can totally see how this really gives elevators a bad name. It is quite logical to suppose that "if these guys cannot get it right, then how can I? They have the cash to achieve the perfect result and if THEY look awful, then...". But it's pretty clear that these guys are trying to get max height in any situation, and making the huge error of wearing big 5" elevators with massive soles together with a suit (aaaargh). It looks appalling but it just seems that they want the max and are being badly advised (or more likely they are taking no advice and no-one dares tell the star "mate you look *$%@(*& terrible"). Robert Downey Jnr, Vin Diesel, Stallone, all appear to wear such boots in these situations - no doubt OK with jeans and casual stuff that covers the boot, but all wrong with
a suit for an awards ceremony.
In the right style, with the right clothes and just a little thought, elevators can give you a bit of added height and are undetectable.
DON'T DISMISS ELEVATORS TOO LIGHTLY - A LOT HAS HAPPENED
They are not for everyone of course, but whenever I read comments online about them, often (usually!) critical, I am struck that these tend to be mostly factually inaccurate, mixed in with some understandable points, but usually very negatively and simplistically by people who have never tried them or seen what is available. The comments are often based upon the past when elevators were badly made, cheap looking, old fashioned, fairly obvious and only in small sizes.
There have been incredible developments in height addition over the past few years and they are worth always keeping in mind, even if in the end you decide they are not for you.
Firstly, if you look at our own range at GuidoMaggi, no doubt you will see ones in styles you yourself you don't like! But you will also see ones which are standard, classic and undetectable. They are well made, which is why they are more expensive than most, with the options of customising and made to measure in your own styles. But there is more to this than just the point about what we believe we have achieved.
Depending upon your existing height there is a kind of rule of thumb about how much you can get away with! There is an irony that the taller you are the more you get away with easily. Some of my best clients are well over 6' and just wanna be real tall. One of my clients in London, who works in nightclubs and has written some pieces on our site www.lealea.ca, is over 6'2" and likes being around 2m (6'6"+!!), wearing our 5" boots a lot. He is a bit of an expert on the subject and has experimented in adding height for 15 years since he was a teenager.
But for your average guy who wants to be a bit taller and is shorter than average (say, 5'8") is advised to stick to classic styles with a 2" or 3" elevator and I have to say, on that basis, his height addition is undetectable.
One of the mistakes that people sometimes make as well is in assuming that everyone will be able to tell you have added height. At its lowest level, no-one notices you are adding height at all, they almost always simply absorb without thought that you are a certain height which is greater than the height you yourself do not like being. At the end of the day all shoes elevate to a degree - Timberlands and workwear boots like Doc Martens actually elevate as much as the lowest elevators!
Unless you are, say, a regular swimmer who is short and then go to change after an hour in the pool and put on 5" elevators, no-one will notice. People's powers of observation are actually fairly limited and this has been shown to be the case in studies - ask the police anywhere in the world: they will be told by witnesses that the potential criminal is anything from 5'9" to 'well over 6'", anything ranging from blonde to red to dark. Clean shaven/had a moustache. And never mind the clothes. It seems counter-intuitive but it is simply the case that something like the addition of a couple of inches or a tad more is simply not noticed by others. Try it yourself by putting a couple of inches of lift in some big boots. Your mates, even your partner, will just not notice.
It is also a very curious thing that women do not notice, unless, say, you decide to wear 5" elevators as a 5'7" man. That really, alas, doesn't work in that situation! But women wear heels of different heights and styles and are up and down in their own height. Yes, it depends upon your current height as to how much you add, and whether you think it worth it, but they DO work and they are undetectable if worn properly and with the right clothes.
There are huge misconceptions about comfort as well - in fact most guys who wear them are amazed at how easy and comfortable they are. I have found that those who say "they make your feet sore" are those who have never worn them. It's strange to hear people who know nothing about things like that make claims with such ferocious certainty. Yes, elevators are not for everyone and will never magically make a short guy tall. But a little extra is totally 100% right for some people who should not be put off by inaccurate comment.
The surprising thing is the degree to which some well known shorter guys, mostly action actors, wear almost unbelievably bad elevators, for example in red carpet situations. I can totally see how this really gives elevators a bad name. It is quite logical to suppose that "if these guys cannot get it right, then how can I? They have the cash to achieve the perfect result and if THEY look awful, then...". But it's pretty clear that these guys are trying to get max height in any situation, and making the huge error of wearing big 5" elevators with massive soles together with a suit (aaaargh). It looks appalling but it just seems that they want the max and are being badly advised (or more likely they are taking no advice and no-one dares tell the star "mate you look *$%@(*& terrible"). Robert Downey Jnr, Vin Diesel, Stallone, all appear to wear such boots in these situations - no doubt OK with jeans and casual stuff that covers the boot, but all wrong with
a suit for an awards ceremony.
In the right style, with the right clothes and just a little thought, elevators can give you a bit of added height and are undetectable.
