Review: Blondo Louna & Blondo Pasadena

I apologize for not publishing posts recently. It's been a bit tough to do a lot of searching over the holidays. However, since many of you have written to me about your luck with Blondo's Pasadena boots, I thought I'd order them as well and see if they worked for me. I also was emailed by a helpful reader who recommended Blondo's Louna boots and I decided to try my luck with them as well. 

Blondo Louna ($200-$240)
These boots are great! A size 6 fit fine on my narrow feet but I can see how sizing up a half-size might be recommended. Although I measured the calf circumference at 13" or slightly less, I tried them on with tights and liked how they fit on my size 12" calves. The description on Zappos says "The Louna boot is designed to accommodate the needs of women with thinner calves" and I totally agree. The boots are lined with a soft fabric and the upper is a waterproof leather. The foot bed is on a platform so the 3" heel feels much smaller. I was surprised at how easy these were to walk in! The sole is rubber/non-skid-- good for winter wear. I found them at Zappos, Amazon, Shoes.com, and Shoebuy.

Blondo Louna

Blondo Louna

Blondo Pasadena ($170-$240)
Since many reviews said these run small, I ordered these in a 6 and 6.5. The 6 was a little snug so a half-size up is probably the best bet unless you have very narrow feet. Although I measured these at the same 13" as the Louna, I thought these looked slightly larger in the calf perhaps because these were a half-size larger. The quality of these were similar and the 6.5 was very comfortable to walk in. These also have a platform heel with a rubber sole. I tried on both, the black suede option and the black leather and both fit similarly. However, I couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but I think I favor the Louna slightly more. Blondo Pasadena is available at Amazon, Zappos, 6pm, Shoebuy, and Shoes.com. I recently returned the ones I got from Nordstrom so hopefully those will show up online soon because it looks like they're sold out otherwise. 

Blondo Pasadena (black suede)

Blondo Pasadena (black suede)

Blondo Pasadena (black leather)

Blondo Pasadena (black leather)

Boot Roundup: Coclico & Blondo Boots

A thoughtful reader -- I'll call her M -- wrote to me recently about her experiences searching for narrow-calf boots. I found her advice and reviews so informative that I asked if I could modify her email into its own post (I added additional product links when I could find them). It's quite a long post, but chock-full of useful information. Thanks M for being so incredibly helpful!

Hi Little Contessa,
I'm one of your blog followers and I wanted to let you know that I've had some success with Coclico boots for my narrow calves (they measure just a touch over 12 inches). I recently tried on a few pairs of these boots. Unfortunately, this brand is expensive and not as widely available  but they sometimes appear on sale on eBay or flash sale sites. 

1. Coclico Frost - These are not a perfectly snug fit but they are contoured enough to the leg that they don't look sloppy. I'm 5'3" and have short legs in general, so I expect the gap at the top would be smaller if I were a little taller. These run a little small. I sized up from my normal size of 6.5. 

Coclico Frost ($260)

2. Coclico Danann - I tried on these boots but couldn't find a link to them on sale any longer. These fit very, very snugly on my calf. They were great in that regard. Even though the Danann appears unavailable, the Coclico Ramona ($535) looks like the most recent season's version of the same boot, so I think they may fit similarly. 

Coclico Danann

3. Coclico Miller ($300) - These weren't as snug. They looked pretty fine with jeans, but I wanted to be able to wear them with tights as well, and the gap was too obvious with tights or leggings. 

Also, you might look into boots by Blondo. I tried on two pairs from that brand and was pleased with the quality. I think they might be comparable to La Canadienne in a lot of ways. Unlike Coclico, Blondo seems to offer waterproof leather and rugged rubber soles that provide better traction. Although they're still expensive, they are definitely cheaper than Coclico and seem to go on sale at far greater discounts. 

4. Blondo Pasadena - I found this boot on sale in a dark brown and although I was looking for boots in a different color, I kept these because they fit so well and the quality was so great. They'll come out in the worst of the winter weather because they're pretty sturdy. In fact, if I ever find them on sale in black, I'd be sorely tempted to purchase another pair. I sized up by a half size and find them quite comfortable. [Also available at Amazon, Nordstrom]. 

Blondo Pasadena ($216)

5. Blondo Paulina ($180-$240)- I tried on these boots and they were gorgeous. The color was exactly what I wanted, but the goring at the top of the shaft made the boot "kick out" at the top, if that makes any sense, and leave a really awkward looking gap. That being said, I think these could be perfect for someone either a little taller or with slightly larger calves (or both).  Also available at Amazon, Nordstrom, Shoes.com]

6. Coclico Windy Boots ($558) - After receiving M's email, I (Little Contessa) spent some time myself looking for Coclico boots online and came across their black Windy boots, which are listed as having a 13" circumference. I found one pair in a size 36 Euro at Anthropologie, where one of the reviewers said a 39 Euro fit her 12" calves perfectly and attached a pic (scroll down the Anthro product page to see the review). They are also available at Shopbop, Coclico, and other online vendors that I'm less familiar with. I'm planning to visit NYC in a couple of weeks and will try to visit the Coclico B&M store and let you all know what I find. 

Thanks for staying with me through this long post and thanks again to M!

Until next time,
Little Contessa