Category Archives: Dress Shoes

Winter 2024/2025 Update

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Hey there… long time since I’ve written a blog here. I appreciate encouragement from a loyal long-time reader to write an update.

Since I last posted, I began enjoying being a citizen of Canada.

Immediately on hearing the tragic results of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, I went back to my Canadian home in Southern Ontario to figure out next steps in my life.

Since I am retired, I can travel freely and stay as long as I want outside the oUS (once-united states.) I say “once” because I clearly remember in my younger days, the U.S. was united, or more united, than it became during the first term of the self-centered egomaniac asshat who got re-elected when the oUS lost its ever-lovin’ mind on November 5, 2024.

Now, division, extreme hatefulness, and negativity rule the day.

I escaped to a country that is…
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Where The Heck Have I Been?

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I really hate letting this blog go sallow. Here it is July 2024, and the last time I posted was in April.

So where have I been?

Contrary to perceptions you may have that I have fallen off the planet, I have just been busy doing other things.

In May I traveled to Hawaii for 10 days (for an advisory committee meeting!) I just returned home after almost a month in Canada (for play!)

I do appreciate receiving messages from people who have read deep within this blog where I …
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The Power Suit

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It is interesting to me that since I changed my website and this blog to re-introduce myself as a gay man into boots, leather, dress shoes and suits that I have receive more email in the last two weeks than I have received in a long time. I appreciate the complimentary feedback.

With permission of someone who asked me a question, I am answering it here.

“I see you’re into men’s business suits. You look great. I am a young guy, just graduated from college, and started a new job where the boss asked me to wear a ‘power suit’ when I meet company leaders visiting next week. I didn’t want to tell him that I don’t really know what a ‘power suit’ is. Will you show me yours?

Sure thing!

According to what I see on search engine results, consistent with my own thinking, a “power suit” is…
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Blog Update

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Since I changed my “Booted Harleydude” website on March 1, 2024, to “Rick’s website (aka “BHD”) A Gay Guy Into Boots, Leather, Shoes, and Suits” along with its header image and home page images too, I thought it was appropriate to change the image header and statement of this blog to:

BHD’s Musings: the life and times of Rick aka “BHD”
An average former biker, gay leatherman, bootman, shoe & suitman, ‘burbs living guy”

… so the transition will be complete.

As I said on this blog when I made the decision to …
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Growing A Hobby Into Professional Results

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When my husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2020, he knew his life would be shorter than we anticipated. Actually, he thought he would die much sooner than I did. Unfortunately, he was right — six months after diagnosis, surgery, and failed chemo treatments, he died.

Knowing I should have a hobby to concentrate on and enjoy, for my last birthday (I do not have birthdays any more) in August 2020, he bought me one of the best digital SLR cameras available on the market. He knew I had creative talent, but I was so focused on my career which was highly technical and scientific, I did not use the creative side of my brain (much.)

In my new life after my husband died, I took a year to grieve. The year of 2021 was a fog. But when I look back at what I did that year, I was …
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Boots and Suits, 2024 Update

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I realized I posted in 2023 about wearing boots with suits. This choice of clothing is a preferred choice often for me.

Some style queens you find on the internet write reviews that are not accepting that some of us prefer to wear boots with suits and good-looking dress cowboy boots can make a man stand out from the crowd of dress shoe wearing suited men.

Don’t misunderstand, I like dress shoes too, and wear them with my suits as well.

But… being a Bootman from way back, I enjoy…
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Decisions, Changes

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My Booted Harleydude website has been around since 2005. The screen name was selected because:

a) I own and wear a lot of boots. This website was created primarily to catalog my extensive collection of cowboy, dress, motorcycle, and work boots.

b) I was (note past tense) a biker and owned and rode a Harley. I am also an old-school gay Leatherman, so I cataloged my motorcycle gear and fetish leather gear. Over time, I built quite the collection.

Well, come March 2024, I have made a hard decision to sell my Harley, hang up my helmet, and stop riding motorcycles. Long ago, I decided not to attend any Gay Leather events. I don’t have the interest, stamina, or desire to attend those types of events.

Why?
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Suits and Boots 2023 Update

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I have written posts on this blog about wearing boots with suits. Over the years, I have received questions from men who had concerns that “a man does not wear boots with a suit!” Poppycock.

I have provided gentle counsel along the lines of “wear what suits you best.” Generally along the lines of “wear what you like; to heck with the opinion of some style queens or your mother. Be your own man!”

During my working career, I wore suits for important and high-level meetings with the Big Cheese and his direct reports. However, I admit, I never quite felt comfortable in a suit. To me, a suit felt confining and hot. I felt ill-at-ease, and that would show on my face.

After I retired at the end of 2019, I donated the suits I had to charity, and thought…
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I Used to Call Them Dorky

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Okay, if you haven’t notice by now, I have become quite the dress shoe guy. On reading this blog over the years, I would comment that dress shoes were “dorky.”

Well, I have grown up.

Some dress shoes actually look quite nice. Especially with a suit, or jeans, or leather. I wear shoes with all of that.

Why the change?
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