La Canadienne Sale on Amazon

Quick alert-- I found 2 La Canadienne boots on super sale at Amazon for between $70-$80 each. It seems that only select sizes are on sale so hopefully these will work for a few of you out there. Reviewers did note that these have slim calves although hopefully I can post a review sometime in the near future.

La Canadienne Sandra boot ($70 for a size 6)

La Canadienne Passion boot ($80 for size 6, brown)

Update: I ended up keeping the "Sandra" boots, which are very attractive boots. Their shaft is a bit higher and stiffer, and a tiny bit narrower than the "Passion" boots. Although it's not a perfect fit, it's totally passable for my 12.5" calves to wear with skirts and definitely skinny jeans. The sole is rubber so it has good grip. My only complaint is that the toe is quite narrow and my usual size 6 is a bit too snug. I wanted to exchange for the 6.5 but the price had already bounced back to $400! I'll have to settle for wearing very thin socks. 

The "Passion" boots were too slouchy for my taste since I was looking for riding boots that I could also wear to work. 

Review: Two Lips Lockdown Riding Boot

It has been so long since I've posted here that I'm not sure I even have followers anymore! I'm not actually resuming this blog in the same capacity because I recently had a baby and unfortunately do not have the time I once did (I apologize in advance for any typos -- I'm writing this on my phone quickly while baby naps). But I did find a pair of boots the other day that I have to notify the community about because they seem to work for me, are reasonably priced and appear in stock!

I ordered Two Lips' Lockdown Riding Boot in both black and brown when DSW had a promotion for 30% off 2 or more pairs of shoes, so they were around $90 each. I noticed that they lace up the back and had lots of reviews about how they're great for skinny calves-- both very promising. I ordered my usual size 6. 

And I'm happy to say the black pair fit great! The shoes are leather, which is nice at this price point. The heel is great for everyday wear and I could imagine wearing them with both, skirts and skinny jeans. They are VERY lace-intensive though so once I get the right fit, I never want to adjust the laces again. 

The size 6 is an appropriate but snug fit, which is fine since I don't plan to wear them with thick socks (I find that leather boots tend to get a bit too warm). Surprisingly the brown pair were WAY looser and the shaft looked a little broken in, like they had been worn before. I wrote to CS about it and plan to return them. I hope these boots work for some of you in the community! I will try to add pics soon!

P.s- I also thought these looked promising based on the reviews:

Crown Vintage Carlee boot

Review: Franco Sarto Candy

Franco Sarto's Candy ($100) boots may work for those of you who have calves that are on the fuller side of the "skinny calf" scale, but I don't think they will work for the majority of us who have very skinny calves. The calf circumference of a size 6 measured approximately 12.75". The shaft height was 15". Although the top of the boots isn't very wide, the rest of the shaft is slightly wider and felt too wide for my 12" calves. The last two pictures below give you a more accurate picture of what they looked like when I wore them. I'm wearing thin tights in the pictures below and didn't try them on with jeans. Although I think the top of the boots would be a more snug fit with jeans, I'm not sure jeans would solve the shaft issue sufficiently for me. These boots are available at DSW and all sizes are in stock currently. 

Review: Corso Como Radar

I have a soft spot for boots with a built in knit sock, and that's what stood out to me about Corso Como's "Radar" ($80-$200) boots. I featured them in my very first boot roundup and was excited when I saw that they were still in stock and on sale. The sock hugged my 12" calf comfortably. I didn't have a problem with the shaft height (16"-16.5"), although some reviewers complained that these boots were too tall for shorter women. I do think they may be more flattering if you're taller because the shaft tends to sag, and I'm not too crazy about how the top of the sock hit me at mid-knee in the pictures below. 

Review: Aquatalia Unity (perfection!)

I became curious about Aquatalia's Unity boots (now $316-$400) after receiving multiple messages from readers who claimed success with these boots. When my size became available, I took the bait quickly. As soon as I tried them on, I understood the hype. They are the best narrow-calf riding boots I've come across and they may be the best narrow calf boots I've tried on, period. 

My size 6 had a 12.5" calf circumference (approximately). This seems to be the perfect size for my 12" calves and I think that anything smaller would be uncomfortably snug. The shaft height was 14.75". The boots are lined with a soft plaid fabric and have a sturdy and comfortable rubber sole. They fit true to size and are mostly leather, with two panels of fabric at the back. One thing I really like is that the fabric panels are very stiff and are rounded so they create the illusion of a fuller and more proportional calf. You can see this in the first two pictures below. I'm wearing tights in the pictures and did not try on the boots with jeans. 

Preview of upcoming reviews

A quick heads up that I ordered the following boots and hope to have reviews up within 2 weeks. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm not sure I'll have them before the end of next week but I'll try to get the reviews up as soon as I can. 

Corso Como "Radar" ($80-$200, review)

I featured these in my very first boot roundup because I loved a picture of them from a Garnet Hill catalog. I recently received an email from a helpful reader who said that a size 5.5 fit her just under 12" calf. She was very happy with her purchase so I decided to pull the plug. I have a soft spot for boots with a built in sock. They are available at Amazon, Shoebacca, Shoes, Heels, and Online Shoes. Please note that returns on outlet items at Shoebacca are not free. I paid about $15 for return shipping on a pair of boots. 

Corso Como "Radar"

Franco Sarto "Candy" ($100, review)

A couple of readers said these fit their narrow calves well and were well-suited to shorter/petite women. One noted that a size 9.5 had a 13.75" circumference and 14.75" shaft (so helpful!). Available at DSW. 

Franco Sarto "Candy"

After hearing so much positive buzz, I caved into curiosity and ordered Aquatalia's Unity boots (review), despite the hefty price tag, when an Espresso pair in my size reappeared on Amazon. 

I really want to review Minnetonka's front-lace knee-hi boots ($86) but will probably order them once I put up the other reviews. I've seen pictures online and although I can't be sure they're good for narrow calves (a few of the reviews on Zappos focus on how they can be adjusted to accommodate wide calves), I'm hopeful. Also at Online Shoes. 

Minnetonka "front lace knee-hi" boots

I can't promise the reviews will be very timely, but I hope to have them up by the end of the first week of December. Happy Thanksgiving and a big thanks to all of you for supporting this blog!

~ Little Contessa

Review: Enzo Angiolini Deanja Boots

So I ordered the Enzo Angiolini Deanja boots with the hope that they would be comfortable, with clean lines and enough of a heel to be dressy / skirt-friendly, but not too much of a heel to make walking difficult. The calf circumference on my size 6 was approximately 12.75" and the shaft height is between 14"-15". 

For the price ($100-$170) and the fact that these are leather boots, I expected the quality to be more substantial. The leather has a "crackled" look to it, which is fine but the material itself is quite thin. The shaft circumference was a good fit to the top of my calf when viewed from the side (I'm wearing very thin stockings in the pictures below so the fit would be better with jeans). However, I don't like the front view. The outer side of each boot has a small elastic/fabric panel at the top and I think this caused the boots to "fall out" at the side. Also, the boot shape is almost cylindrical, so the shaft seems like it's almost the same circumference throughout when viewed from the side. I would have liked it more if it was a bit more tapered throughout the leg. The ankle wrinkles very easily, especially when viewed from the front (although I can't be sure if this is more pronounced because of my thin ankles).