I'm having some issues with determining whether or not a pair of boots will fit me. I know it's always a tossup buying shoes (or anything) online, but with boots there is the added problem of calf size. I don't think my calves are as narrow as they used to be. I just measured them and they're about 13.5" around, which seems pretty normal. Not too small or big. Lucky me! Finally I gained weight in a place where I wanted to

My LC boots, which fit perfectly, are about 14.5" around...but they do not come all the way to my knee. They are only 14" from the arch (measured along the zipper). The spot just below my knee, where a pair of knee high boots would ideally hit, is only 12". So when I see a pair of boots has a 15" shaft height and a 14.5" opening, I assume that will be too big even though it's the same as my current pair of boots, because they come up higher, where my leg is smaller. Does that make sense?

BUT here is another curveball. The last pair of boots I bought were the LC Tahras. According to both Zappos and Endless, they are 15", but that is definitely not true. I think Nordies has it right: 12" but with stretch. They fit but they were quite tight. The Camper boots I tried before that were the same way: they fit but they were snug and needed a bit of coaxing to get them on, although they would have gone on much easier if the zipper came up all the way.

I wear my LC boots over jeans, but somehow they also fit when I'm not wearing jeans without looking too big.

As for reviews...sometimes they are helpful and sometimes they aren't. For example, if you read the reviews for the Tahra boots, you'll find as many people say they are great for their slim calves as people who say they are great for large calves. And you never know what people consider large or small. I thought mine were small but they're not as small as I thought.

Should I just ignore the measurements? They seem inaccurate anyway. How do you shop for boots?