Thanks to hanging around here and following various links, I've learned that I am short-waisted (I previously thought I was very long legged instead :)) So high waisted trousers/skirts, when I sit down, go straight to my ribs as I don't have very much space in my lower torso. I think that dimension is what determines how low rise-mid rise-high rise feel?
Bo, thank you very very much for finding these. I ordered 40.5 as realistically men's 42 will be too spacious. I will report.
I hear you, Poppy, about Caroline Criado Perez. And though I haven't read those sections, I have my serious doubts as to how well the female shoe industry serves women (and me in particular). And of course, it's not only the design/sizing in relation to old beauty standards / traditional gender roles etc but women - maybe, hopefully, not today's youth - are trained to accept a bit of pain, "to suffer for beauty" as my cousin told me at 14. To even get to the point of not wearing uncomfortable things took me a while.
Sorry it's becoming another very long post. flo, there is uncertainty in my relation with clothes, sometimes I know exactly what I want, and sometimes I feel that maybe I ought to want it? It's like this with high knee boots. Apart from things I won't be able to stand (too wide shafts flapping around) some of the riding boots looks very nice in pics (Ayede but also Jil Sander is in the £££ territory of Ann D boots) and I really don't know whether I should have more sleekness or less sleekness in my boot wardrobe. Ann D's excite me, remind me of my youth and I think can help style down some fanciness in the outfit I might not want. I hang out a lot with artists and academics, both generally not well paid occupations, and I don't want to look overdressed. I also have been trained to be neat and that is a true downfall for style, matchyness and neatness. Sorry again for the endless post