Looking ahead: inexpensive medium-width boots for tucking

Kari

I know this sounds incomprehensible to many of you (especially fellow Pacific Northwesterners) but I've never mastered the skinny jeans tucked into boots trend. (I tried it once with my lone pair of stretchy boots that are for skirts, and it was too bunchy and uncomfortable.) I really like the look and REALLY like the idea of avoiding wet pants hems all winter, but haven't found boots that work, so I'm hoping that if I start researching now, I might be able to find a pair in or before fall - or even score one of the end-of-season discounts now.

Do any of you have suggestions for a certain type of boot or where to look based on my preferences? Is my wish list unreasonable?

Here is my criteria based on previous experience:
Knee high
Fits my 14.5-15" calves (most regular size boots seem to be 13-14" wide and don't fit, most wide calf boots are 16" up and way too big)
Slight, chunky, low heel (preferably between 1-2".)
Solid construction (not saggy or slouchy)
Roomy toe box
Not wide in the foot
No more than $100 (I know this sounds really low to many of you, but for me, anything $50 or up is an expensive shoe, and paying $100 for a pair makes me hyperventilate a little. I love the idea of Duo boots, but they are way, way out of my price range.)
Prefer chestnut or light gray/brown, but black would be an okay choice too.

This is pretty much my dream pair, and the reviews rave about the quality of the boots, but the price is pretty steep (even with my DSW discounts) and based on reviews I've read, the calf will probably be too narrow for me to wear with skinny jeans (if I can zip them up at all.)
http://www.dsw.com/dsw_shoes/c.....dId=187998

This is a pair that I've been looking at too. Much better price point, and I'm pretty certain I'd be able to tuck skinnies into them. However, reviews look kind of mixed, and it looks like the fit may be too wide at the top of the boot - or possibly too wide overall. But with free shipping, I could always try them.
https://shopping.zappos.com/n/.....c/332.html

17 years ago

Dressing

12 replies

Latest reply was from chewyspaghetti

LoP

Veteran

Hi Kari! I also haven't used the jeans in boots trend this time around. I have some boots that might work, but everytime I try, I'm convinced that the regular flats work better with skinnies for me. Maybe it's because I live in San Diego and hardly anyone sports the look except for Ugg(ly!) boots.

If you're looking for a single neutral pair of boot to use with more clothing pieces, I suggest you opt for a lighter shade of brown. (More like skin color or a little darker or even grey.) Also, shoes a bit rougher looking looks better with skinnies to my eye. Of course, this is coming from someone who can't seem to get the trend work for herself...

17 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Like LegacyOfPearl I prefer a rougher looking (riding style) boot to tuck in skinnies (well I just love that style of boot in general).

Some forum members spoke highly of the Aerosoles Ride Line boots (I believe Dani has a pair?) - calf circumference isn't mentioned unfortunately:
http://www.aerosoles.com/product1.asp?P=RIDELINE

A few more:
http://www.endless.com/Rockpor.....mPage=cart

http://www.zappos.com/product/7343397/color/216

http://www.zappos.com/product/7357056/color/119597

http://www.zappos.com/product/7443472/color/56261

P.S. I like the second pair you linked to best;-)

17 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I'm starting to think about boots for fall, too, so I'll be watching this thread. I think I want a higher heel than you do, though. All of the ones posted so far have been cute, and some great prices. I have wide feet, so that affects my decision more, but some of those come in wide width, too.

17 years ago

merry77

Active Member

I'm another boot-hunter. I love the Rockport's and Scurry by Naturalizer boots that Inge posted. They would be especially great if they're comfy enough for the agriculture trade shows I go to for work.

I also love the Etienne Aigner's from your first link, Kari. I don't have any suggestions. I'm following along for suggestions

17 years ago

tarzy

Veteran

Kari - I have very similar problems with boots - I have a wide calf, but most "wide" boots this year were too big for me. (Yay?) I have tried on many, many pairs of boots and been very frustrated.

I bought the Rockport Ainly that Inge posted and I love them. I bought the black, but would love the Cognac color too. They are the only real leather boot I found that fit my calves with jeans tucked in. They are not very dressy - they basically have a very small heel - but they are perfect for that jeans-tucked-in look. I believe the Aerosoles Ride Line worked for many people too, but I wanted real leather.

Not the best picture, but here are the boots with black skinny jeans:
http://i387.photobucket.com/al.....G_0007.jpg

17 years ago

tarzy

Veteran

Kari - if you're interested, I just found those Rockport boots at Amazon for a very good price! (Less than I paid this winter!)

17 years ago

shana

Veteran

Kari, as a bargain hunter, I think this is a good time to keep you eyes out for the right boot at a very good price. I have been on the lookout for a pair of flat knee boots and I have seen some great prices on some of the styles that I stalked this past winter (like the camper & Aquatalia). The only problem of course is the size availability. If your credit card can handle it, I would suggest ordering some pairs from a site like Zappos or Endless that has free shipping & returns to figure out which ones would work best (since you obviously cannot try on in a B&M at this point) and then stalk the models that you want at discount sites like Amazon. BTW, what size boot do you need?

17 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Wow, thank you for the fantastic suggestions and discount tip-offs!

The Rockport boots that Inge and Tarzy suggested are absolutely beautiful. I LOVE the cognac color - that's the kind of shade I'd like to find. However, I'm concerned that the calf circumference may be too big. Endless lists them as 16" around but Amazon puts them at 15". 16" calves will sometimes gape on me even when I try them on with jeans underneath. This is the perpetual problem with my calves - I'm too large for "regular" width but not big enough to properly fit wide width. Tarzy, I can't tell from the picture - do they fit pretty snugly or are they pretty wide? And did you have to size down? For some reason the size 7.5 on Amazon is not discounted even though size 8 is, but based on the reviews I'm not sure if the size 8 would be too big.

Shana, thank you very much for your suggestions for sites to look at. I'm really tempted to order multiple pairs from Zappos and/or Endless, but I don't want to buy expensive boots because I'm worried I might like them too much to give back & wait for a discount! I usually take a size 8 if the toe box is roomy (square or rounded toe.) For shoes with a narrower toe (almond, pointy, narrow toe box) I go up to an 8.5.

17 years ago

tarzy

Veteran

Kari - believe me, I feel your pain re the whole boots thing. On me, there is no gap when I wear these with jeans. I wear 8 1/2 and these fit perfectly. I have rather short legs and these come up to just under my knees. I would not wear them with tights/skirts. I don't think that looks as good. But with jeans - love them. I wore them all winter, and they were so great for rainy days.

I'm not trying to convince you to buy them, though. I happened to see these at Macy's last year and tried them on, totally not expecting them to work. I was floored when they fit so well with jeans tucked in! That has never happened for me before with boots. I would have loved a pair of great riding boots in a beautiful smooth leather, and maybe a little hardware around the bottom - but these were the only ones I could find in the stores that fit me. So I grabbed them. (I did have a discount coupon, which was sweet!) With boots I have learned to settle. I get so jealous when I see the pretty boots other women wear, but for me, it just is too much of an ordeal.

By the way - I just looked at Amazon and I don't understand why one size is a different price. That's just so frustrating!

17 years ago

shana

Veteran

Ahh, settling. Somehow I get the feeling that settling is not YLF approved and yet, sometimes you have to do it. My calves are thin and I am petite to boot, there is really not much I can do but settle for a 90% rather than 100%. If I wait around for 100%, it might take me years to find that perfect boot/skinny jean/sweater dress etc. Sorry, Kari to get do a philosophical hijack of your thread - settling is underrated sometimes.

Anyway, check amazon frequently, they seem to change their prices on a daily basis! I see alot of winter clearance merchandise end up on ebay too so don't rule it out. Also, Tanya gave me this tip - check out http://www.thefind.com and insert whatever you are looking for - it will give you a list of websites and prices. Sorry, I don't have any specific recommendations on boots - it's something that I find a challenge too!

17 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Tarzy and Shana, I hear you about settling for certain things. I guess I kind of settled when I bought stretch boots to wear with skirts. They had the sleek and pretty look that I wanted, and they zipped up over my calves (yay!) The thing I'm not happy about is that they bunch up a bit at the ankle, but I could not find a single pair of boots that zipped up around my calves AND fit me properly in the ankle. It didn't turn out too badly because I'm actually very happy with them and wear them a lot (with skirts or under pants).

I think I'm going to go ahead and try out the Rockport boots in the brandy color (which I mistakenly referred to as cognac above.) They just went down to $55.80 on Amazon. I had my mom measure my calf circumference at the height that the boot shaft will hit me at, and it looks like I will only get minimal gape-age when I'm wearing skinny jeans under them. Wish me luck!

17 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

That's a great price for the Rockports. I'm not ready to buy boots yet. By fall, my calf's might be smaller (heck, my feet might still shrink more!), but you gals convinced me to start my virtual shopping now. I fell in love with these Timberlands.

http://www.shoemall.com/produc.....de=SMJQ987

I'm hoping that by fall they will be on sale.

17 years ago

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