One boot to rule them all

October 8, 2015 6:49 AM

I want to own one pair of high quality black leather boots. Difficulty level: wide calves, utter lack of fashion sense. Halp!

I have settled on One Shoe. I want to settle on One Boot. I need advice figuring out what that One Boot should be. I'm mid-30s, female, pear-shaped with large thighs and knees (5' 6", 165 lbs). I always thought my calves were fairly normal, but apparently they're hulking monsters at 16 and 16.5 inches.

I live in snowy climes, so though these won't be snow boots, I can't promise they'll never have a runin with salty slush. That means suede is right out. I want real leather, that I can care for, and have these boots last a long time. Minimal heel and rubber sole is a plus (I work in a lab).

I want to wear these boots with skirts + leggings, or over fitted stretchy pants. I kind of assumed I wanted knee boots, but I've been going around trying on every pair of knee boots I can find, and I'm getting stuck. I figured out quickly to only try on Wide Calf versions, but most of those, if they fit in the calf, they sort of bulge out and wrinkle up around the ankle. And a lot of them have been weirdly tight through the arch, though fine length-wise.

I guess the alternative is mid-calf boots. I tried on a pair that actually seemed more flattering than the knee boots because it didn't hide the curve in my leg, whereas the knee boots look sort of... conical? But I'm not sure about the rules for what you can wear with what and when.

So, I need any and all advice. What style to get for my kind of legs and use cases, how to take care of them, how to tell if the leather is high quality, if you can recommend any boot shops in the northwest suburbs of the city in my profile that might be able to help me, anything that would help narrow this down. Given the number of boots I've tried on that haven't worked, I don't really want to start by ordering the entire Zappos catalog, free returns or no. I wouldn't say that price is no object, but I'm willing to consider these an investment.

Thanks, guys!

posted by telepanda to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (23 answers total)

Response by poster: This, by the way, is the One Shoe (Aravon REVshow) in case that helps at all. It's a good work shoe, with rubbery soles and plenty of cushioning and support.
posted by telepanda at 6:57 AM on October 8, 2015

Do you want heels or flat boots? If you're wanting flat ones, I can't recommend these highly enough. They are my beloveds. I have them in both black and brown. They aren't cheap, but I've had the brown pair about eight years and they're still beautiful. They work with jeans, leggings, dresses, etc. When I travel in cold weather they're the only shoes I bring because they're so versatile, and they're also really comfortable for standing and walking all day. I walked home five miles in the snow in them last year during a Southern Winter Traffic Incident and after a little polishing they were as good as new after that trauma, too.
posted by something something at 7:00 AM on October 8, 2015 [4 favorites]

I too have struggled with my monster calves to find boots that fit. I have found success with Naturalizer's "wide" calf boots in fitting my 17" calves. I won't speak to their everlasting quality, but they have served me well for the last year with about weekly wearings.
posted by ellerhodes at 7:10 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I have a pair of Born knee high boots that have a rubbery sole, a one inch chunky heel, and that I can wear both to work, with skirts/dresses, or under dress pants, and casually over/under jeans. I wore them on a vacation just after buying them that involved lots and lots of walking, often on cobblestone, and they were comfortable. I will say that the arch was a little tight when I tried them on, but the leather loosened up fairly quickly and was comfortable. Unfortunately, I bought them a few years ago, and they were already from a previous season (on a crazy discount at Nordstrom Rack), so I don't think the same ones are available any longer, but I was happy with the quality. According to Zappos, a few of the Born boots have the circumference you're looking for.

I also have a pair of Clarks leather boots that I bought 8 years ago, that have held up really well, and are more stylish than I usually give Clarks credit for being. The pair I have are more dressy though (3 inch stacked heel), so not everyday or walking all day boots for me, but could be another brand to try.

Mid-calf boots often look weird on me (I'm several inches shorter than you, so I wonder if it may be a height/proportion thing), but I often like how they look on others. My only concern with making a mid-calf boot your "one" boot would be if you're concerned about fashion, because I feel like mid-calf boots go in and out of style, while knee-high boots have been more consistent. Of course, if you don't care about that, have at the mid-calf boots.
posted by Caz721 at 7:39 AM on October 8, 2015

Fullbeauty.com is currently having a sale on boots, and lists a lot of them as wide and with wider calves.
I only just discovered and ordered something from this site this week, so I can't say for sure how their service and return policy is, but I might pick up those Comforview boots tonight for myself.
posted by saffry at 7:41 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

FYI - The quality of Fryes has gone WAY down recently and they're no longer worth the inflated price.

I've heard good things about these from Macy's and plan on ordering a pair this weekend.
posted by youcancallmeal at 7:48 AM on October 8, 2015

There is nothing wrong with your legs. What you want to do is look at the circumference listed for the boot.

Go to Nordstrom.com and search for "wide calf" (you can also search on the circumference in inches). You will come up with some good quality options. If you buy from them, you can make any returns directly to the store if you have one nearby.
posted by zennie at 7:53 AM on October 8, 2015

Have you looked at Keens? (Here's their current black boot selection, including mid-calf and knee high wide calf.) I'm no more fashionable but we've had a couple of pairs of Keens in the family and found them to have a good price:quality ratio, and super comfy.

(My only boot warning as a lab person; in our shared labs we're always warning people about tall boots with leggings around things like liquid nitrogen or acid spills, though if skirts and your open toed One Shoe are ok in your space it's probably fine.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:55 AM on October 8, 2015

I've gotten Comforview boots from Fullbeauty (formerly One Stop Plus and their affiliated brands). The fit tends to be aimed at a 17-19" calf (depending on size/model) and the quality is not great. Very little of what they offer is real leather.
posted by drlith at 7:59 AM on October 8, 2015

I haven't tried them personally, but here are some good-looking 16.5" calf Keens (as the esteemed tchemgrrl suggested) that I just encountered, and would probably stretch more.
posted by St. Hubbins at 8:09 AM on October 8, 2015

Honestly, I've been considering investing in the hand-made boots available at renaissance festivals. Here are two vendors that go to my local ren fest: Catskill Moccasins and Son of Sandlar. It looks like they are customizable so they could be as simple or as over-the-top as suit your tastes. I've also been eyeing up Steger Mukluks as the ones I've seen in person are GORGEOUS, but they are suede, so I have the same reservations as you do to how they'd work in salty city slush.
posted by jillithd at 8:11 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I bought the Target Katherine Engineer boots 5 years ago hoping they would last one season, and here I am just contemplating buying a new pair now.
The leather is surprisingly good and they are very comfortable. I have muscular calves and they fit really well when most boots do not. It says the circumference is 11" but they only go up to underneath the calf muscle. Also mine have definitely stretched in the calf as I have worn them over jeans and leggings.
I am a believer in buying quality and spending more, but sometimes it appears the answer can be spending less. I highly recommend these.
posted by rmless at 8:19 AM on October 8, 2015

My non-mefite/lurker wife just emailed me telling me to post in this thread:

" tell her that she should most definitely get a pair of Frye boots in wide-calf"
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:50 AM on October 8, 2015

My calves are bigger than yours, and "wide-calf" boots always just taunted me, so I resigned myself to nothing higher than ankle boots.

Then I found WideWidths.com.

All their boots are wide-calfed, starting at the width you can get in stores (like Naturalizer), and moving up from there. They have instructions on how to measure your calves, and will point you at which of their four levels of wide-calf-ness is right for you. The boots are good quality, and all kinds of styles.

I love my boots. <3
posted by current resident at 9:10 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]

Merrell Captiva's.
posted by sulaine at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I would have posted about the Merrell Captivas earlier, but I wasn't exactly sure if that was the style I had tried on. (They have several versions.)

But FWIW, I tried on some last year at Nordstrom Rack, and they were really only a leeeettle too tight for my calves, which were probably a good 18-19" at the time. And I recall thinking that they would have been exceptionally easy to take to a cobbler and get a little bit (more) of elastic added.
posted by St. Hubbins at 9:50 AM on October 8, 2015

Many friends recommend Duo Boots!
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 10:01 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I used these Timberlands for this purpose (and they were good for spring/winter/fall -- and generally waterproof and snowproof). My mother is more fashionable than I am and she didn't like them, but other than that I received compliments on them (and wore them with dresses and jeans). I believe they have a wide calf version.
posted by aaanastasia at 10:24 AM on October 8, 2015

I think my calves are a similar size and LOVE my Merrell Captivas. Most comfortable non-sneakers I've ever owned. I have both the "Launch" style linked above and an older version of the "buckle" style, which are taller and I think are more flattering.
posted by rebeccabeagle at 10:56 AM on October 8, 2015

If it's in your price range, I'd recommend taking a look at the Fluevog boot selection. Many of the options are too unique for a One Boot, but other styles are quite adaptable. They are well-made shoes that will last a long time, and I've found them to be super comfy (both heeled and flat versions). I don't see it on their web site, so the style may have been discontinued, but I have a pair of black lace-up boots (with no zipper, just lace up) that fit well with my athletic calves, and are basically my favorite boots ever. Other boots of theirs that I have tried have also been comfortable, calf-wise. My other favorite boots ever are a pair of mid-calf height Fluevogs. In any case: regular care, waterproofing spray, and re-soling as necessary will keep them healthy and versatile.
posted by eviemath at 11:47 AM on October 8, 2015

Chesty A Arthur, Duo sadly is no more. I have gorgeous boots and a pair of heels from them that I love. Also two great purses. However, they are now Ted & Muffy and still pretty fabulous. I have a pair of beautiful purple heels that I get compliments on. So, I recommend Ted & Muffy. =)
posted by lunastellasol at 12:01 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I haven't tried them personally, but here are some good-looking 16.5" calf Keens (as the esteemed tchemgrrl suggested) that I just encountered, and would probably stretch more.

I used to have those exact Keens (or the version they sold a few years ago anyway) and in 2 seasons the rubber soles cracked completely in half across the ball of the foot. I was lucky I purchased them at REI and they let me return them, but I was super sad because I did love them until that happened.
posted by misskaz at 1:33 PM on October 8, 2015

There was a blog post today on Comfortable Shoes for Women about wide calf boots.
posted by matildaben at 8:00 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]