question for friend re: knee high boot hunt - YouLookFab Forum

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question for friend re: knee high boot hunt

qfbrenda

Veteran

I went shopping with a friend Saturday all day at Alderwood Mall north of Seattle. One of her goals was to find brown knee high boots to wear with dresses and over leggings. Her problem is skinny calves. NOT that that's a problem, but it makes boot shopping a bit more difficult. She must have tried on at least 25 pairs of boots. We found one pair that would work from Macys and she brought them home to wear around the house until she decides for sure.

Her hesitation is that she doesn't LOVE the style, though she does like them. At my urging, she's been working hard to fill her closet with only things she loves but I'm not sure if that spills over onto knee high boots on legs that are hard to fit. Is a strong like enough, or should she hold out for LOVE? I know that before I lost weight and had very hard to fit calves, just finding some that fit ok and were comfy was enough for me but I don't know if that's the best standard.

Shopping

16 replies

Latest reply was from qfbrenda

April

Veteran

As one who has been traveling this path (can't find boots without a big calf gap) for years, I can tell you that if she holds out for LOVE it may be a long, long wait. That might be okay if LOVE is a goal to which she's strongly committed, but if she really needs boots now, here's another thought: if you can find a pair she loves that are a little too big, a good cobbler can take in the calf.

This is not cheap, but if you find a beloved boot on sale, the cost can even out. And in my mind, it beats going two or more years without a pair of boots!

missvee

Veteran

Well I guess the question is how badly does she need the boots? If she's really desperate then she'll have to settle for ok rather than wonderful, and try to have them altered by a cobbler. Has she exhausted on-line shopping? Some of the sites are quite specific as to calf circumference, and if she could communicate directly with Customer Service then that might simplify the search. For what it's worth I've always found that settling for something that's not quite right is a waste of money - I never feel great in the item.

April

Veteran

Also, Brenda, if you can describe what style boot she's looking for, a lot of us with the same problem can chime in with styles she might consider. For example, I have a pair of Frye Melissa Tall Lace-Ups that fit my narrow calves -- and they're still on the market: http://www.zappos.com/frye-melissa-tall-lace (Zappos reviews suggest these are popular with the skinny-calf crowd.)

The Aquatalia "Undy" style also fits a narrow calf, though it's not in stores anymore. I do see a number of pairs on eBay, though: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html.....undy+boots

And a couple of years ago I found a pair of Ariats similar to these http://www.ariat.com/Ariat/Yor.....K_CORDOVAN that I had altered. I found them on sale, reduced by $100, so that helped with the expense of making them fit.

Shu

I deal with this issue as well and agree with the others - holding out for a perfect item is ideal, but if she's going bootless and severely limiting her fall and winter wardrobe because of it, then a 'liked' item looks better and better.

FWIW, these are my brown ones: http://www.lacanadienneshoes.c.....hra-1.html.

shiny

Veteran

I need a 13x13 (13 inch circumference, 13 inch shaft height) which is quite a challenge. In fact, I have not added a new pair of tall boots in over 5 years. All my tall boots were purchased pre-YLF days. I would love a pair in chestnut brown -- that has been on my list for eons.

I do not count the scrunchy pair that hits mid-calf and was supposed to scrunch lower but never did - they are not "tall" in my book. I bought those thinking I could get around the shaft height and circumference requirement. They were ideal color but not ideal height or shape. I barely wore them. They were compromises.

That said, the other pairs I've owned for years were ALSO considered compromises. I wanted chestnut. Instead, I got burgundy, black leather, black suede, and chocolate brown pleather. I have fallen in love over time with all these pairs of boots. So, I could definitely argue with settling... because you never know.

The brown pleather were the biggest surprise. I didn't think I'd love them so much; they were on major sale, and it was becoming more and more difficult to find boots that fit. So I bought them. Then barely wore them for a long time, preferring my other pairs. Then took them out, and fell in love with them and now they are one of my most-worn pairs. Why? They are wedges, which makes them comfortable to wear despite 3 inch heel. And the pleather is extremely good for wet, mucky weather. I have worn them in snow and salt and yuck and they still look brand new. They work as classy rain boots too -- I never get soggy feet.

So... you never know. She may fall in love with them, in time.

qfbrenda

Veteran

Thanks for the help so far! She's looking for flat- or low-heeled knee high brown leather boots. She liked some metal on them but not a lot. She's open to lace ups but I'm guessing the Frye's are out of her price range. I'll ask her about them. Beyond that, I don't know how to describe the styles she liked.... she likes dark brown better than cognac and prefers a solid color over multiple tones on the same boot.

deb

Veteran

If you let us know her price range we may be able to stumble upon something in our online shopping/looking .

Anonymous

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/la.....038;pprd=0
My calves are about 13 and 1/2 inches and this boots fit me perfectly with tights or skinny jeans. No gap at all. Hope it helps

qfbrenda

Veteran

Oh right, price... should have included that. She said she'd like to go no higher than $200-$300.

Thanks for that last suggestion but she's staying away from Suede. We live in the Pacific Northwet and deal with lots of rain.

Anonymous

Don't worry ! The boots are made for rain and snow weather. It is made of waterproof suede and the good news is that you not even need to treat them with waterproof spray at all. The boots cost $334
She also can go on Nordstrom website and read about the reviews to be sure about it.

Here is the website that tell you how to care for the boots
http://www.lacanadienneshoes.c.....lection=us

Hope she will find what she is looking for.

K. Period.

Veteran

I love Fluevogs, so I always head right there for ideas. A lot of their tall boots are too slim for my calves, so they may be a good place for your friend. They have this riding boot for $250:
http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w.....ourID=3232

Comments included "great for someone with scrawny (their words, not mine) legs..."

Or this one, which doesn't have hardware, but has a pretty back and is again endorsed by someone with slim calves and is $170:

http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w.....ourID=3211

These aren't quite as slim, but are nice and $320:

http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w.....ourID=2075

It is definitely worth a trip there, if she is willing to go into downtown Seattle. The folks there are incredibly welcoming and very knowledgeable about which shoes fit which types of feet and legs!

qfbrenda

Veteran

vshp, thanks for the info!

k can shop, does the Fluevog website list the measurements for their boots anywhere? I can't find any.

K. Period.

Veteran

They don't consistently list them. The third boot has measurements. They say 13" for the sizes 6 & 7 and 14 for sz. 8 & 9. However, I've always found that a quick call to them yields tons of details on fit. They actually make notes in their computer system so that they can tell you how they fit. I know that they carry boots so slim that I just looked at them and laughed at the idea of my hefty calves fitting.

Anonymous

As another with 13 inch calves, I understand her pain when it comes to fitting boots. I have these Eccos in both black and brown:
black: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ec.....ot/3392877?
origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=2517
brown: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ec.....tback=4503
The SA recommended them and they made extra holes in each strap. It also helped that Eccos must run a bit large because I could size down. She'd have to try them on to see but they may be worth a look. The quality is very nice. The black ones have gone through 2 winters and still look like new.

April

Veteran

Here's another hint, QFB. When shopping online, a boot that is actually narrow in the calf will look a little disproportionate in the photographs. The shaft will look overly skinny, making the footbed look a bit on the large side. If the shaft looks like a skinny little stovepipe going straight up from the ankle, you're in the right place.

If the calf appears to flare out and balance the length of the footbed, they will probably be too wide.

qfbrenda

Veteran

Great hint, thanks, April!

Thanks for all the help!