i am your height and i wear lifts regularly when i go out to da club. at the very least, it is only fair that we should be able to make up the difference that girls gain by wearing heels.
some things to consider:
- a lift of X inches doesn't actually make you 'taller by X inches'. i've got 2.5" lifts. now, considering the fact that normal dress shoes have a 1" heel and the fact that the lift's internal heel compresses by up to 0.5" under my weight, i'm left with a gain of about 1" RELATIVE to other men. depressing, lol.
- there are dress shoes with internal, built-in/concealed heels (these are proper lifts), lift insoles (i.e.
http://www.myliftkits.com/), and dress shoes with conspicuous heels (called "cuban heels", i believe). along with a pair of proper lifts, definitely buy a set of lift insoles. they're cheap and comfortable, though with that comforts comes compressibility. i'd avoid the cuban heels as they're painful and seem to be more of a fashion statement than a directed ruse to maximize height.
- despite the abundance of online retailers, make sure to try lifts on personally at a store. you really want to get the fit and feel right. as for fit, your lift shoe size will be a size or size and a half lower than your normal shoe size (me: 9 -> 7 1/2). as for feel, some can feel awfully painful, while others feel very, very nice. ensure that you get one of the latter category!
- lifts are... shoes with heels, so they can be very loud. remember this before you walk down a quiet street/hallway with someone.
- as stated two points above, your lifts can be quite comfortable, with your feet getting very much used to them. but this has its limits, so avoid gaming that involves a lot of walking, venue changing, etc. there's this one guy i go out with who likes to bounce around a lot, running what i call no coat check game. i don't wear my proper lifts with him - instead i wear my shoes that have insoles in them.
- what to do when you get home? i dunno, wear thick slippers or some shit