At the Station at Night: Black and Very High Boots

Black. Again? Yes, again.

If you drop by here every now and then, you have surely noticed: when I have the choice, I reach for black. Black leather skirt, black tights, black boots. And for a while now the boots have been enormously high, too. People keep asking me why. I have been putting the answer together for a long time, and here it is. By the way, the pictures were taken at a train station at night. More on that in a moment.

Why black?

Honestly: because it just works. Black goes with everything, black forgives (almost) everything, and in the morning I don't have to think long about whether the skirt matches the tights. Spoiler: it does.

On top of that, black is not the "hiding place" many people think it is. Quite the opposite. A black leather skirt with sheer or opaque tights and pointed boots is a clear statement, just a quiet one. It doesn't shout. It stands there and says: "Yes, that's me." And I have tried enough colour in my story already (the neon-green mini skirt says hello). Black is the relaxation afterwards.

And yes, black is slimming. Everyone says so, anyway. I'll just believe it.

Very high. Really very high.

Then the boots. Anyone who has walked in really high boots knows: it is a different way of walking. The back gets straight, the steps get shorter and more deliberate, the legs look longer and you suddenly stand differently in a room. I enormously like that feeling. It forces me to be in the moment. Anyone who walks around in such boots with a phone in their hand either has practice or a problem.

I don't walk fast, I walk "with posture". That also means the ribbed tiles on the platform are my personal enemy number one. If you have ever teetered over tactile paving on stiletto heels, you know what I mean. A small tip from experience: put your foot down flat instead of aiming at the groove.

And the legs? Yes, mine are unshaven, you can see that quite clearly in the pictures. I am simply too lazy. Fine tights don't turn that into art, but honestly: it doesn't bother me. If you prefer it smoother, take opaque ones. Mostly I take whatever goes with the outfit.

And why at night?

Now the station. Why would anyone go to a station at night in outfits like this? Simple: because at night the outfits there are the extravagant ones. During the day the station is commuter land: suits, backpacks, coffee cups. At night it is the opposite. People walk around in glitter, in latex, in leather, in feathers, in whatever the evening has to offer. And in the middle of it a man in a black skirt and high boots? Surprisingly little stands out between all that madness.

I know the principle from the hotel: when the world sleeps or is distracted, it is easier to dare (you can read about it in At night all skirts are gray (blue), though that only went as far as the hotel corridor). Here it is not a carpeted corridor but a platform with wind, loudspeaker announcements and a bench that was definitely not built for boots.

And then you sit there. Legs crossed, eyes on the tracks, the grey wall behind you. The heart beats a bit faster at first (head cinema!), later quite normally. The train arrives, people get off, people get on. Mostly nothing happens. Nobody looks. Or if they do, for half a second, and then the eyes go back to the phone. Well. Everyone is busy with themselves.

And the moral?

I don't think it is the clothes that take so much courage. It is the idea of them. I walk through the station at night in black and very high boots and notice: the head is worse than the world. The world keeps turning. The next train comes anyway.

If you are wondering whether you dare: find a place where it is easier for you. For me that is the station at night, for you it may be a concert, a festival or a bar. And if you are looking for boots in larger sizes, take a look at my shoe guide, where I have collected shops with suitable sizes.

And you? Are you the man who wears it? Or would like to? Do you have a man who would like to go out in high boots? What is your colour when you want to feel good? Write it in the comments, I read everything. In that spirit: have fun out there.