They do look very reminiscent of the Stuart Weitzmans, which I have.
I don't wear my SW boots a lot, but I do like them, with reservations. My issues with the boots are purely personal fit issues. I have long legs and thick knees and thighs, so I am a bit self-conscious of the OTK look on me -- it can bring attention right to an area of my body I'm not thrilled with, if I go with any contrast between the boot and the underlying layer. I don't wear above-the-knee skirts. So I'm pretty much restricted to wearing these boots with dark skinnies. They *just* barely cover my knee, if that -- the height is almost awkward on me. I think they cover the knee more effectively on most other women. I'm not sure how the VCs measure up to the SWs, but you would have to try them on to know how the height would work for you. In my experience, any tall boot needs to be tried on -- measuring only tells part of the story.
The SWs are pretty easy to pull on. I do use straps to hold my jeans down at my ankles so they don't scrunch up when I pull on these or other tall boots. I don't see any oddness with tucked jeans, but I stick with very slim-legged skinnies under these boots so you don't see fabric bunching and bulging under the neoprene. The SWs do not lose shape, but I have a low-volume foot and my boots are actually a smidge big (I should have gone down half a size), so I do get a little bit of bunching right at the ankle. I think it's very difficult to get a truly slim-to-the-ankle look in these boots because there is no zip and the boot needs some volume in that area so you can get your foot into it!
I hope that is helpful. Like I said, my issues with the SW boots are really just fit quirks unique to my body, but I thought I should share them in case you have any of those quirks too. Whether the VCs hold up as well as the SWs is a whole other question. Let us know if you try them, how they work out!
