I went looking for a belt, because my pants were falling down. And then we looked at boots. I was drawn in by the motorcycle boots, but they didn't really fit (too narrow). And then I ended up trying on a ton of boots and going home with a pair.

But let me back up. I've wanted boots for years and years — I started trying them on 10+ years ago, and I've never found ones that I liked and that fit. The footwear situation in my own closet reached a crisis point this past winter, when I didn't have a single pair of shoes that kept my feet dry in the snow/slush. I ordered a pair of snow boots, but they didn't fit and were returned.

Back to this summer: I liked these boots, but I wished they were black instead of brown. And then two days later I couldn't get them on without crying — my feet were bruised on the top, whether from these or from trying on so many other too-small boots I wasn't sure.

But I returned them. And went looking in the men's department, because I had finally been told what I'd long suspected: my feet are wide (at least at the ball of my foot). I measured at an E width. Most of the men's were too narrow too (regular width of a mens shoe being D). They were happy to special order, though, and so we picked something out — in black. The wide option available, though, was EE. They finally came in this week, and I brought them home. I can't decide if they fit. They're leather, so they'll stretch. But then will they be too big?

How do they look? I'm not a cowgirl, by any stretch, but I do like boots. And if I can't get knee-high all-leather boots that actually fit, I think I'm OK with western boots. How do you know if a shoe/boot fits, is comfortable before you've walked miles in them?

I can't seem to find these at a retailer that will let me collect them, but here's a link: http://www.ariat.com/10015265_884849833032.html