Thursday, October 25, 2012

Boot Roundup: Heels

While looking for boots to write about in a roundup of boots with heels, I found the following resource -- a post on boots with heels, for skinny calves. It looks like the author has quite a few posts on narrow calf boots and although she doesn't review them herself, the posts are a helpful reference. I'll have to see if roundup posts by me will add anything of value beyond what she has called out in her posts. Any suggestions to make these more helpful? Have any of you used her posts to find boots? If you do find boots that work, it would be great if you could mention them in the comments or in a personal email to me so I can get out the word. In the meantime, I browsed on my own and also looked through her list and weeded out boots that were definitely not narrow calf boots (I read reviews on other sites) or ones that seemed less promising. I think I got through most of her list, but am not sure if she's updated it since then. 

Sidenote -- ever since Endless.com changed to Amazon.com/fashion, it feels like the stock of most boots is super low! When I click on a pair, I feel like I'm constantly notified that there's only 1 left in stock. I'm not sure if they restock regularly, but I find this very frustrating. 

Also, as a reminder, my "Roundup" posts are based on boots I found while browsing but have not had an opportunity to try on. I base the roundups on the listed calf circumference and what any existing reviews say about the boots. 


1) Blondo 'Vergara' (now $180, review) - 13" - A reviewer said that a size 9.5 fit her 13" calves. Quite a few other reviewers said this boot fit their skinny calves well. Unfortunately, it looks like it's a Nordstrom exclusive so I couldn't find it at other sites, but I might order it for a future review. 

2) Santana 'Belinda' ($90-$200) - 13" for size 8 - The listing says the calf circumference is 14" but one reviewer said these fit her 13" calves perfectly. She didn't provide her shoe size so I searched through her many other reviews to find that she's likely a size 8. A little nuts of me but hopefully it helps someone :)

3) Franco Sarto 'Yoni' ($90) - 13" - A helpful blog reader - K - said that a size 8.5 fit her 13" calf well.

4) Arche 'Gartok' ($550) - 13"

5) Gentle Souls 'Mona Bean' ($270-$300) - 13" - Amazon lists these as 13"; 6pm lists a size 7.5 as 12", Shoebuy lists a size 8 as 14", and Planet Shoes also says 14". Why are calf circumference measurements so difficult?

6) Santana 'Samantha' ($250) - 14" - Both Amazon reviews mentioned the narrow shaft. Although they're no longer sold at DSW, one reviewer said the narrow shaft wouldn't go over her normal-sized calf, but she didn't provide a measurement.

7) Biviel BV3291 ($145-$180) - 13.5" 

8) Biviel BV3197 ($133-$170) - 13.5"


9) Butter 'Lover' Knee-High ($340) - 13.5"

10) Bella Vita 'Transit II' ($80-$110) - 13"-15" (?)

Amazon and the Q&A section of Shoes.com says that the circumference is 13", although the corresponding shoe size is not provided. However, the listing on Zappos is less encouraging, at 15" for a 7.5. Shoebuy says a size 8 has a 12" circumference, whereas Shoemall doesn't provide a listing. Confusion. 

11) L.K. Bennett 'Sol' ($600) - 13.5"

I love the lace trim at the top of these lovely but pricey boots. Multiple reviewers noted that the boots worked for their skinny calves. 

12) Aquatalia by Marvin K. 'Rhumba' ($700) - 12.5" 
Multiple reviewers said these fit their skinny calves well, but the price point is painful. 

13) Aquatalia by Marvin K. 'Rap' ($500) - 13" 

At least these are a bit less expensive than the previous Aquatalia above?

14) Delman 'Lilia' ($600) - 13.5"
Also at Lord & Taylor, although no reviews on either site yet.

15) Nine West 'Fair Vinda' ($100-$130) - 14" (?)
Although the listing states a 14" circumference, I tried them on at DSW and they fit well over my jeans. The heel is super skinny so they weren't comfortable. Also, the material is shiny / pleathery. I wasn't a fan of these boots. The Amazon listing is showing - no surprise - a small supply. Also, for some reason, one of the pictures of the boot is of a totally different children's shoe. Very strange, but funny. Here are some grainy shots of the Fair Vinda boot.



I saw some boots on Boden and although I haven't ordered from them before, I noticed that all of their boots include calf measurements (which is somewhat rare at smaller sites), and a couple were stretchy boots that were perhaps appropriate for skinny calves. To view the calf circumference for Boden boots, click on the "measurements" tab and then click on "garment measurements" to open up a table with the relevant measurements. 


16) Heeled Stretch Boots ($138) - 13" for a size 6

Two reviewers said these fit their skinny calves well, but a couple of reviewers also said they run a bit small. There's also a wedge boot option (Wedge Stretch Bootswith the same listing and for the same price. However, reviews for the wedge boot emphasized how well they fit muscular calves. [Sidenote - One of the reviewers of the wedge boot complained that most boots nowadays are made for "ridiculously small calf shanks," which I totally disagree with.] 

Victoria's Secret has a bunch of boots but doesn't list the calf circumference! I with they allowed us to post questions about their products. I saw a few boots that were either lace-up or looked on the slimmer side. I couldn't find any other listings for these boots online so it was a bit frustrating. I took their website survey so I could suggest that they include such measurements in the future. 

I'll be traveling for a few days so I won't be able to post for a little while. I'm still trying to find a promising pair of boots to review and would welcome suggestions if there are any that have caught your eye and/or that you haven't been able to try yet.

Until next time,
LC

17 comments:

  1. I have skinny calves, and I'd say that it's impossible to find boots that fit my calves. I think as America balloons (the number of obese or overweight people is out of control!!), so does the calf size of the boots. I didn't have problems finding boots 10 years ago. Anyhow, Stuart Weitzman has great options for thin calves. They are pricey! So I had to stalk a pair for months last year. I recommend buying a pair at the end of the season, which I know is annoying. I bought these in the Saddle Old West, and the leather is divine (although I admit I had to order several times to get the best leather patina).
    http://www.6pm.com/stuart-weitzman-vim-saddle-old-west-calf
    These look nice too....
    http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/stuart-weitzman-mezzamezza-boot/3272938?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=7842

    Good luck in your search! I feel your pain.

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  2. Oh no, I just noticed that you list your height as 5'2". I'm afraid Stuart Weitzman boots might have too tall a shaft for you. I'm 5'10" and the boots I bought are quite long in the shaft, so they probably won't work for you. I'd still give them a try. Nordstroms usually carries them.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip - I might check out Nordstrom after the holidays. Some of the SW boots look so sleek! A good tip for the taller readers...

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  3. Found something you and your readers might be interested in--I'm eyeing up these MIA Bold boots:
    http://www.amazon.com/MIA-Womens-Bold-Knee-High-Boot/dp/B008MXPWVO

    Amazon and the MIA website says the circumference on them is 13", but Overstock.com says 12". (Websites also seem to disagree on what they're made of--MIA says leather, but Amazon says synthetic.) This doesn't seem possible to me, because look at the shaft on them! It doesn't look tiny at all! Maybe it's an optical illusion?

    Has anyone tried them? MIA's Nacho also looks promising if they're not lying about the shaft:
    http://www.amazon.com/MIA-Womens-Nacho-Knee-High-Leather/dp/B007XIIDTM/ref=sr_1_1?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1351286032&sr=1-1&keywords=MIA+nacho

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    Replies
    1. Hi Chesh! Did you have any luck with the MIA Bold boots? 6pm also says they're a leather upper. Although these boots aren't at Zappos, I looked at other MIA boots and their faux leather boots seem to be under $100, which makes me think it's more likely these are leather than synthetic.
      I really liked the Nacho boots, but again Amazon and 6pm say leather but Piperlime says synthetic. I wish Piperlime provided a calf circumference (although I've found them to be way off with their measurements), but the Amazon/6pm ones seem to be similar b/c 6pm says a size 8 has a 14" circumference, so a size 6 could be 13.5". I feel like circumference tends to go up by an eighth of an inch with each half-size. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

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  4. I have been searching for the perfect black riding boot with a very low to flat heel. No luck.....because the calf shafts are always to big. Any suggestions! PLEASE

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anon - You might want to check out my most recent review of Blondo's Vergara boot. I think it's a pretty solid riding boot.

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  5. Hello!

    I have tiny legs/calves (5'2 and 105lbs) and ordered BCBGeneration Erinn Boots from Lord and Taylor last week.

    http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/shoes-boots-kneehighabove-Erinn_Boots-lordandtaylor/231369

    I caught them on a sale - buy 2 boots and get 30% off. I ordered the black and brown suede. They aren't real leather and lace up in the back. I must say that they fit perfectly and I finally found a pair of boots to wear with skirts/dresses. I will be sending the brown suede pair back...it doesnt look like suede and is a very dark brown (they almost look black).

    Let me know if you have any questions or would like some pictures! Hope I could help someone :-)

    Britt

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip! I really liked the boots. They remind me of ones that I've gotten great use out of for many years but are looking super worn, so I'm considering these! I'm sure readers (and me) would love to see pictures if you'd like to email them to me (LittleContessaBlog at gmail dot com). Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to enable blog readers to post pics along with their comments...

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  6. Hi,
    Thanks for your blog. I've been looking all over for black dressy boots to wear to work. I've been in search of a suede wedge with a reasonable heel (I have to 2 small kids to lug around!). And have given up hope at this point, I've ordered and returned too many boots this fall. I'm just wondering if anyone has tried on Fitzwell Lyra, this one seems to have a small calf (and even though I don't think they're all that attractive, I was hoping someone had some feedback to share!

    http://www.zappos.com/fitzwell-lyra-low-wedge-boot-black-stretch#prdInfo

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    Replies
    1. Hi there! I looked through the reviews for the Fitzwell Lyra and
      1 reviewer said they fit her wide calves well and another said they were a bit too big on her narrow calves so she had them tailored. Other skinny calf reviewers said the boots fit fairly well but I didn't see any ringing endorsements. From reading the reviews, it seems like these would fit best when stretched to fit larger calves. Quite a few reviewers said they were uncomfortable too, so perhaps not the best fit for a busy mom!

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  7. Love this blog! I also have the same problem with finding boots that fit my skinny legs. I came across these in my search. They look decent and am thinking about purchasing.

    http://www.bakersshoes.com/p-256419-ARDEN-SLOUCH-BOOT.aspx?c=977

    Boots have 12" circumference. But, there are no reviews on it.

    Then, these have 13" circumference. http://www.bakersshoes.com/p-250478-TIMELESS-KNEE-HIGH-BOOT.aspx?c=977

    I also have small feet (size 4.5) and frequently shop at Cinderella of Boston. But, this store only sells sizes 2-5 1/2

    http://www.cinderellaofboston.com/Product.cfm?ItemCode=WINTER&CatID=47

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope you have luck with the Bakers Arden Slouch boot. I wish Bakers answered customer questions on their site. I noticed that one of the customer reviews of the "timeless" boot said the shaft was too big for her narrow calf but she didn't provide her shoe size. Thanks for alerting readers to Cinderella of Boston (what a cute name)-- I'm probably sized out but I'm sure it'll help others!

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    2. OOh! Thank you for the link to Cinderella of Boston website. I'm surprised I never came across this one before. Luckily I'm a true 5.5, but I was wondering if it fits true to size? I'm thinking of that pair of boots that you linked, but I'm not sure if I should order considering the cost of shipment. :/

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    3. Hi Anon - I searched for a size chart on their site and came across the following helpful message from their CS team:
      "NEW CUSTOMERS… Please take the time to read the following carefully or call customer service at (714) 899-2020 (Mon-Fri 9AM to 5PM PT, Sat 10AM to 5PM) to get detailed information regarding your correct size and fit. To save you time and money, we are trying to reduce exchanges. Although exchanges are frustrating, they may be necessary in order to get a correct fit. We encourage all new customers to fax an outline of your feet while standing so we can better judge your size. Please include how long and wide your feet are in inches, as well as your name and phone number for contact information. Our fax number is 1 (714) 899-2024."
      I think that's pretty great customer service!
      http://www.cinderellaofboston.com/customer-service/order-informaton/shoe-size

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  8. Your blog has been such a big help!

    I thought I might let everyone know- I just purchased the Blondo "Louna" boots. And they fit my little stick legs perfectly. For reference my calves are 12.5" at the widest and my ankles are only 8". I wear a size 8. The boots are very comfortable and although at around $240. I'm glad I invested the money.

    Last year becuase of your blog&reviews I purchased the Simple Brrlin boots (in every color) haha because they were the very first pair of boots I found that fit my legs. Thanks for all the work and time you put in your research!

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  9. I have had alot of trouble finding boots to fit I think i had been looking for at least 10yrs for boots to fit and i would either find one that had elastic in them that maybe a month after I got them the elastic had stretched beyond use!! Im currently onto my second pair and looking for a third pair! They are 100% leather, they have up to 3 calf widths and i think about 15-20 styles to choose from ranging from professional to casual so there is a Super Wide Calf Boots for everyone!

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