As promised in our pre-holiday teaser, we’re back for the new year! I’m a little late to the Five Take party this week, but I’ve been out of town – as you might have noticed. When planning for my trip I just had the warm Southern California weather in mind and thus… didn’t pack the appropriate item for the challenge. Doh!
The first theme of the year is… boots! If I had to pick a favorite shoe, it would be a pair of mid calf or knee high boots. There is just something about a taller boot that just “works” for me (and my feet).
Boots, boots, boots!
Finding comfortable boots – or hell, shoes in general, that fit well are an issue for everyone. Having fat calves makes stylish, wide-calf boots the Holy Grail.
Sweater – Zenobia from Fashion Avenue Plus (bought on my SoCal trip), 3x
Skirt – High waisted skirt in mustard from JIBRI, custom sized
Tights – We Love Colors in black, size EE
Boots – Fitzwell, “Edeen” via 6pm.com
Ring – Evans
Bracelet – F21
Purse – ASOS (seen in other pictures)
When I started coveting a pair of knee high boots, I worried about fit. Was it even possible to find a pair?
In some stores, 14 inches is considered wide calf. My calves are currently around 19-19.5 inches. Not gonna happen. But thank god for the internet where you might not be able to try stuff on… but you can research products, read reviews and (hopefully) get free shipping.
I’ve had my share of boot success and failure. I tried and tried again and guess what – it was worth it.
The first pair of boots I tried was from Torrid but most of Torrid’s shoes tend to be of the heeled variety. Which don’t work for me because I’m a klutz. I bought the lowest pair of heeled knee-high boots (still 3 inches), tried to wear them once and my brother laughed at my mincing, wobbling steps across the driveway. But he was right – it WAS funny and they weren’t going to work. Needless to say, I changed shoes that night and sold them online.
Next I tried a few pairs of boots from Roaman’s and Woman Within like this pair. Even with WW shoes, the calf was a little too small but the boot was slouchy, so I could zip them up an slouch them a little more than intended – you couldn’t really tell.
Those extra slouchy, slouchy boots were as close as I got to knee high boots until two years ago, when I was alerted to the existence of 6pm.com. If you love shoes, you might not want to visit – it is addictive and dangerous. They have great deals on so many brands of shoes and I’ve found (and bought) several styles of wide calf boots (and other shoes – who are we kidding), usually 50%+ off retail.
Holy grail no more! From 6pm, I’ve bought four pairs of leather, knee high boots. Starting with my very first pair for $43, which is a steal for good leather boots.
I’m hard on shoes, period. Boots from man-made materials don’t last more than a season… unless I wear them with holes, which I have done before. Then you end up in an unexpected rainstorm with soaking wet feet. Fun.
All the blah, blah, blah aside… this pair of three buckle Fitzwell boots are my latest pair from 6pm. I bought them on Christmas Eve and they arrived while I was on my trip! These boots are “wide” calf, my other two pairs from Fitzwell (Syrup in brown & black) are “wide wide”. These were a bit of a squeeze to get on at first but stretched to fit in a few minutes. Unlike my other knee high boots, they do not have an elastic gusset. If they did, I wouldn’t have had any problems at the top.
Cute, leather boots that don’t break the bank? And comfortable to boot (pun intended)? Sounds like a winner to me.
Wide calf boots – even for 18+ inches, are a possibility! Don’t despair!
Most plus size stores have started carrying lines of wide calf boots – Torrid, Lane Bryant, Avenue, Evans, etc. but I prefer good, sturdy leather boots. I tried two pairs from Evans in 2010 but that didn’t work out so well. For the last year I’ve been telling myself that one day I will buy a pair of DUO boots… but it hasn’t happened yet.
Having trouble finding a pair of wide calf boots? Maybe these tips will help.
- Measure, measure, measure. Measure your calves (both sides!) and ankles. In multiple places, if you have very shapely legs. Having this information handy is important for successful boot shopping because you have a starting off point.
- Ask questions. If you’re buying online, ask questions before you pull our your credit card. 6pm and Zappos are great about product questions. Most shoes measurements listed on the site are based on size 6 or 7. Ask for the calf measurement on your size boot! Or for product recommendations, material quality, etc.
- Try before you buy. How are you going to wear your boots? When you try them on – wear that outfit. Skinny jeans, tights, etc. so you can see if they fit how you’d like. (This doesn’t quite work for online shopping but can help you decide if you should keep them.)
- Find a cobbler. Find a pair of boots that almost fit? If they are leather boots, a cobber might be able to stretch them for you. It could also be possible to alter or add a gusset to the boots (YMMV), but it depends on the style, material and cobbler.
- If at first you do not succeed… Try and try again. Finding wide calf boots isn’t easy, but it isn’t impossible! Try different styles – slouch, lace up, elastic panel, etc. to find the perfect boot for you.
Don’t forget to check out how the others wore their boots:
Claire – A Monkey Fatshionista
Rebecca – The Plus Side of Me
Gina – Fat Fit Fine
Becky – The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe
What are your favorite style boot? If you have large calves, where is your favorite place to buy wide calf boots? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?
