Boot Roundup

I'm traveling this week and since I cannot do any reviews, I thought I'd share some boots that I'm considering ordering for reviews. Surprisingly, I hadn't heard of most of these brands previously. Let's hope that means there will be lots more slim calf options in the future!
(Note-- See this boot roundup for information about Nine West's Noureen boots, a promising suggestion from a helpful reader!)

1) GeeWaWa Blair ($88, review)
A helpful reader shared her success with these boots (see her comment to this previous post). Personally, I'm thrilled to see an option that's less than $100. It makes me sad that most boots featured on this blog are so much more expensive. Although I've never been a fan of boots that lace up the front because they don't really work with my person style, I really like a lot of the new boots this year that lace up the back. Why don't more brands do this and why didn't they do this sooner?? I ordered size 6's in the chocolate and black to review and it appears there was only one each in stock, so now that size is showing as sold out. Our tipster said these run a full size too large so I'll probably return mine after the review. I'll add an addendum to this post once they're returned so those of you who are interested can keep an eye out for them. Unfortunately, it seems like they're only available at Shoebacca currently.

GeeWaWa Blair ($88, review)

2) Arcopedio L31D ($175)
These are another pair of lace-up boots that I'm excited about. Unfortunately, Zappos seems to have sold out of them in black but still has a few left in brown. There's a few left on Amazon and Planet Shoes as well. Lots and lots of positive reviews from the small calf community! They're not real leather so there's a risk of them looking cheap. Personally, I get excited about vegan/vegetarian shoe options, but I just wish they weren't so expensive. I feel like an additional benefit of getting non-leather shoes should be that I shouldn't have to pay the same price as I would pay for leather. I'm hoping to order a pair soon to review. 

Arcopedico L31D ($175)

3) AIGLE Start M ($167)

There are very few of these left at Zappos and I couldn't find them elsewhere. Shoebuy used to carry them but they are out of stock. AIGLE appears to be a UK brand and hopefully they will soon be available on Amazon. A reviewer said a size 8.5-9 fit her 13" calves perfectly. I really like how these look but since they're not real leather, they might not appeal to everyone. 

AIGLE Start M ($167)

4) Fitzwell Finley Narrow Calf ($139, review)

It's exciting to see a boot that's marketed as "narrow calf" and that is reasonably priced! I just ordered the last size 6 so I hope to have a review up next week. According to Zappos, a size 9 has a 13.5 circumference. There's only one review so far and it is promising. Unfortunately, I haven't found these anywhere else.

Fitzwell Finley Narrow Calf ($139)

Happy searching! 

I hope to have reviews to share next week. 

~ Little Contessa

Has anyone heard of Gabor boots?

I came across Gabor brand boots on Amazon the other day and realized I've never heard of this brand. Many of their boots have buckles that make the calves adjustable, but I'm not sure how slim their shafts really are even when fully buckled. There are no reviews currently. I'm thinking about ordering a pair to review but wanted to ask the community first in case some of you have advice to share. Here are a few that stood out to me on Amazon. 

Gabor Tall Adjustable Calf boot 75.789 ($325)

Gabor 36.596 boot ($270-$355)

Gabor Fashion Basic Tall boot ($300)

Gabor 31.503 Boot ($150-$345)

There's also a different pair on Zappos that is listed as having a 13.75" calf for a size 8, but still no reviews.

I'd love to hear from anyone with insight to share!

~ Little Contessa

Review: Mercanti Fiorentini Lazio Riding Boots

Although the positive reviews and listed calf circumference of 13" were encouraging, these boots did not live up to their hype. My true size 6 felt a half-size too large. The circumference was about 14" and the buckles were not useful in adjusting the calf size significantly. Perhaps a size 5 would be a better fit, but I'm not crazy enough about the style to order it again. At this price point, I expect a great fit. Sorry for the terrible photo! I will try to find a spot with better light.

Mercanti Fiorentini Lazio ($200) with leggings

Review: Unisa Terena Riding Boot

I ordered Unisa's Terena riding boots ($60) because they received so much "skinny calf" praise from reviewers. I hoped they'd be an affordable option that would work with skirts. Sadly, they were not a great fit for me. The calf circumference of a size 6 was closer to 14" and there was quite a bit of gaping throughout the shaft. The boots are not leather, which is to be expected at this price point. The shaft is a bit high and hit the bottom of my knee. 

 Unisa Terena Riding Boots (with leggings)

The search continues....

~ Little Contessa

Review: Aldo Floria

A good flat boot that works for slim calves is a very difficult find. The last one that worked well for me was the Simple Brrlin boot, and I bought two pairs. I'm happy to say that Aldo's Floria boot may also be a pretty good option. The boots come with a built-in knit sock "collar," so although the outer circumference is around 13.5", the inner sock wrapped around my 12" calves nicely. At 15" in length, the boots fell comfortably below my knee. The leather is a soft, slouchy suede and although the arch support seems minimal, I think they'll be decently comfortable for walking. One thing that confused me was that the boots arrived with the zipper sewn shut. Since I wasn't sure if I'd keep the boots and since I could pull them over my slim calf (even with jeans) pretty easily, I didn't try to break the thread and unzip the boots. I just assumed this would be possible, since the descriptions of the boots say it has a pull tab zipper. However, one reviewer on Zappos said she wasn't able to unzip the boots. I'm not sure I believe that the zipper is non-functional, but if any of you have experience with it, feel free to chime in. 

I ordered a size 6 (black) and the sizing felt right. I'm really looking for flat / riding boots that I can wear with skirts and I'm not sure how I'd feel about wearing these with skirts because of their slouchy-ness. However, I do think these are a nice, slightly dressier option than my Simple boots so I'm still considering keeping them. Aldo Floria are available at Zappos, Amazon, Aldo, and Asos. 

Aldo Floria

With jeans

Boot season is back!

Thanks to all of you who sent emails asking me to continue the blog this year-- your messages were sweet and much appreciated :) I wish I hadn't stopped blogging during the summer, because it seems like boots were being released throughout the year. I'm trying to catch up quickly and recently ordered 3 boots that I hope to receive and review in the next week (more on them below). 

One of the first stops in my boot research was Shoes.com, which until recently, allowed for searching by calf circumference (like Zappos and Nordstrom). However, it seems like they got rid of this option :( I wrote to customer service asking them to reinstate it and I hope some of you readers will too. I also suggested that they define a narrow calf as less than 14" (their previous option was <15"). I haven't seen the narrow calf search option reappear but maybe (hopefully) they'll take it more seriously if some of you write as well.

Another stop was this narrow calf boot page on Squidoo, which I think I mentioned last year. It seems to be a pretty active site, with lots of readers leaving suggestions and reviews in the comments. What frustrates me is that it seems like there are tons of great options on this page, so I get excited. But when I click on the boots, read the reviews, and spend a little more time on Google, I realize that most actually aren't suitable for narrow calves. So I'm thinking of keeping a running list of boots that are advertised incorrectly as having narrow calves. I'm hoping that will prevent all of us from ordering and returning the same pairs of boots, which can waste both time and money. I'm not sure what the best way is to do this, but maybe I'll do it in a series of posts for now.

After my own searching, I ordered the following 3 boots that seemed promising based on their descriptions and reviews. I hope to review the first within the next week.

Unisa "Terena" Riding Boot ($60, review)
One reviewer said these fit her 13" calf perfectly but didn't provide her shoe size. Many, many other reviewers also recommended these for skinny calves. The downside is that they aren't leather and may look a bit cheap. Only sizes 5.5-6.5 remain at DSW. I didn't see them anywhere else. 

Aldo "Floria" ($100, review)
The listed circumference of 12" seems unlikely but I'm hoping the built in sock will make calves look smaller. These remind me of a Corso Como style I coveted a couple of years ago.

Mercanti Fiorentini "Lazio" Riding Boot ($200, review) 
I don't usually like boots with lots of straps, but reviews were positive and the buckles appear to be adjustable. I only saw these at DSW.

Here's to hoping that this boot season will be a successful one for skinny calves! (Especially the highly coveted but elusive narrow calf riding boots :)

~ Little Contessa

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)