Fit on Aquatalia Booties

Gigi

I was so excited to find these Aquatalia booties at Nordstrom. They ticked all my boxes: good quality, a chunky heel that was 2.5" high, specially treated leather that can hold up in the elements, and a narrow shaft so as not to give me the flower-pot effect.

However, I am having problems with the fit. I ordered the 6 and the 6.5. The bootie seems to run narrow, and the 6 didn't give me enough space in the toebox. The arch also seems to be in the wrong spot, which gave me some pain.

The 6.5 booties don't give me any pain, but there is a lot of movement of my foot inside the bootie. I tried adding some insoles from my cobbler, and I put on my thick winter socks, but I still get a lot of heel slippage (forefoot is OK). I think that although the instep is narrow, the heel must run somewhat wide, which seems an odd combination.

I'm concerned about keeping them because they are $525, and I'm thinking that the heel slippage would just get worse over time and irritate me. I am not a fan of adhesive nonslip heel inserts; I haven't had luck with them in the past, and I don't want to damage the interiors of the booties in case I want to sell them later.

Does anyone have any advice as to a solution to the heel slippage problem? Or should I just return these booties and keep looking? Have other people had difficulties with Aquatalia's fit?

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5 years ago

Dressing

9 replies

Latest reply was from Gigi

Jane

Veteran

Beautiful boots! I have had Aquatalia and loved their boots - such great quality, but I haven’t experienced the problem you describe. I’m nodding though and thinking if there isn't a way to resolve it then it might be worth finding others.

5 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oh, Gigi, you are playing my tune.

Honestly...because I'm between sizes and (I gather?) have an odd foot shape, heel slippage is a fact of life for me. The only shoes and boots that don't slip on me are my La Canadiennes. And some of my sandals. Actually, one pair of La Canadiennes slips, too, but that might be because they're older and I had to add an insert for plantar fasciitis.

Anyway...I'm not joking. Especially with boots and booties, (or pumps, but I don't even go there!) my heels always move up and down. Forget heel inserts -- they don't work.

For me, it's a question not of "if" but "how much" and is it tolerable. The other aspect your mention -- the instep fit -- is also key. If the fit at the arch and toe area is good and the instep area is narrow enough that it "grips" me a bit or at least follows the curve of my foot, and I'm not swimming around there (which sometimes happens) then I figure I'm good, even with a bit of heel slippage.

How much is "a bit." Ah. There's the rub. (LITERALLY.) If it's just a bit of up and down, and the rest feels stable, it's totally fine. I do take the precaution, even with socks, of wearing bandaids where I think a blister might develop on my first few wears of most booties.

Sometimes it's too much though and I feel my foot pitching forward as well as up and down or I feel almost as if I'm rocking. That's no good. It also does depend on the socks/ stockings I wear -- sheer hose will lead to more slippage/ rocking.

I've had some success experimenting with different types of insole. You might try an insert just for plantar fasciitis (at the heel) because it might lift (or cup) your heel in a way that makes the whole thing feel more stable. Occasionally this has worked for me. Sometimes it does the reverse. Sigh.

Ultimately, I've learned that some lasts just plain don't work for me. If the arch isn't in the right spot, I give up on it.

I will say that these Aquatalias below bothered me a bit in the way you mentioned the first year I owned them. I also felt they "bagged" on me a bit (despite the slim shaft -- it is stretchy and it seemed to sag somehow.) However, they're a great colour for me and waterproof, so no way was I getting rid of them. They're on their third season now. And this year, unaccountably, they are excellent! I don't know how to explain this but I'm delighted and as a result I'm wearing them more often.

ETA: I am either a 6.5 or a 7. I have to order Aquatalias in 7 because 6.5 is a bit short and narrow for my foot -- so this is partly why I get the extra heel slippage with some of their styles. An earlier pair of Aquatalias gave me no such issues.

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5 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Jane, Aquatalia is indeed great quality, no doubt about it!

Suz, I'm so glad I'm not the only one. I remember as a little kid my mom bemoaning my narrow heel when we would go shoe shopping. It seems not to have been as big of a problem as I got older--I think because the types of shoes I wear are generally on the daintier side--but every now and then it rears its ugly head.

I was really crushed to see these weren't fitting the way I wanted. I had been looking a long, long time for a pair of booties that were my style aesthetic, had a chunky heel (safe for winter walking), and were treated to withstand winter conditions (which you have ample experience of). These checked all my boxes.

And to top it all off, today I think something happened to the shank of one of my Blondo booties (it squeaks when I walk now), and I'm wondering how much longer they will last. I was ready to have the zipper replaced on them (it doesn't stay closed at the top when I walk), but now I'm having second thoughts. I might need to replace them, period.

Maybe I should just keep the Aquatalias to ensure I have enough variety in winter footwear. But I'm not excited about the possibility of the shaft bagging. That would be too much of a blow after the price tag, argh.

ETA: Suz, I just saw your edit. I am similar in that I am a 6 or a 6.5 and had to go with the larger of my two sizes due to the narrow instep. And that certainly would account for some extra space in the shoe. I have the Aquatalia Rumbas (boot), and although they are roomy in the toebox in 6.5, I don't get nearly as much heel slippage. The style of my new booties has a kind of rounded heel shape, and I wonder if this is the cause of the extra play back there.

5 years ago

missvee

Veteran

I’m another one with an average width forefoot and a narrow heel. I find that the it’s the shape of the footbed that’s key. I can use a thicker sock or insole to take up extra room, but they don’t reshape the footbed. And Aquatalia’s seem to fit so differently depending on the style. Mine are a great fit with no slippage but of course the style is discontinued!
I’d be inclined to return these.

5 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Gigi, it does look like a more rounded heel in the photo -- I wonder if it it the problem.

Thinking this through a bit more...I buy most (but not all) my boots in size 7 if I'm buying US sizes. My La Canadiennes are 6.5 and fit better on the whole. Less slippage and better through the shank. I get slippage on the Cailys (but again, there is a lift in there that might be complicating things...). None on the tall boots.

My Blondos -- the Elvina style that most people had to size up a half or full size on -- fit very well in 7 -- except for some heel slippage. But because it fits well elsewhere, it is okay.

My Aquatalia boots have all been 7s. I get heel slippage on the Caries and also on the tall boots (Genna in Finds), but it is bearable. I got heel slippage on the Sweeties, too. Almost none on the grey booties (Taylor in Finds) I used to own in that same size. And almost none on my sapphire quilted boots (Gail in Finds). So it might be worth experimenting with a few more Aquatalia styles. They had one similar to the Carie but with a more pointed toe this year. (Find 1, Tilly) Might be worth checking out? It looked really nice in store and comes in 4 colours.

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5 years ago

Staysfit

Veteran

I have narrow heels, and frequently have this problem. I would return the boots. Keep looking. If shoe inserts and thicker socks do not create a stable fit, they will probably never feel right.

5 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to let these sit for a few days and then try them on again. If it still feels that there's too much slippage, back they'll go. I did find a pair of Blondos at Zappos that might work to at least give me another pair of winter-wear booties and replace my squeaking ones (I was told they most likely couldn't be fixed).

Suz, I'll see what I think of the Tillys. I do like the narrow shaft. And the taller shaft would allow me to wear them underneath cropped jeans in the winter.

5 years ago

Karen

Active Member

Hi Gigi,
I just got a pair of Aquatalia Falco in size 9 - half size bigger than my usual as they are quite narrow on the toe box. I added a sheepskin insole (one of those you cut to measure). There is no heel slippage after that and they are sooooo cozy!!!!

5 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks for the post, Karen! I actually did put in a full-length leather insole, but I still get heel slippage. I think that the heel is just too wide. I did add another insole last night, one that was almost but not quite full length (I can't add more insole by the toes, because I need that space!), and that seemed to help the heel somewhat. I need to try them on again tonight to see if they still feel OK.

I did order another style of Aquatalias from the Rack that should arrive tomorrow. I'm not sure I'll like them much, though--they have a square toe, and I didn't care for the last square-toe bootie I ordered. But we'll see!

5 years ago

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