Boots for BBW

November 16, 2005 11:00 AM

Where can I buy knee high black leather boots that meet my criteria?

I have fat calves, so they can't be the standard 10-12 inches around. Somewhere in the 16-18 range is probably appropriate. I prefer low to mid range heels. Nothing other 2 and a half inches or I won't be able to walk in them. I live in Toronto, so they must be able to be shipped to Canada.

I know several places where I can get boots custom made in the $6-800 range, but that's out of my price range, so I'd like to find someplace that's making things in my size already. Preferably under USD200, but that's not likely, so let's say anything under USD400 with shipping to Canada included is in contention.

posted by jacquilynne to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

Dang, last year Eddie Bauer was making decent quality boots in larger calf sizes but my sister just informed me yesterday that she doesn't see them online for this year.

If you wear a larger shoe size, you may want to call the ladies at DesignerShoes.com for advice. Nordstrom and Zappos are other obvious places to check.

On the pretty much gag-inducing with occasional blasts of acceptable shoe tip, Maryland Square has a few tall black boots with stacked heel and larger calf width.

Last thought: Buy the boots you like and take them to an excellent cobbler who can remove a section of leather on the inside cuff and replace it with an elastic gusset. When I had this done, it ran me about $100.
posted by Sully6 at 11:10 AM on November 16, 2005

My best friend just bought a gorgeous, to-die-for pair of boots from Zappos. I am really coveting those boots. The model is Fitzwell. They only ship in the US, but maybe you could have a friend in the US mail them to you. They're in your price range.
posted by iconomy at 11:12 AM on November 16, 2005

JCrew sells boots like these in extended calf sizes, and they ship to Canada. Try calling CS or getting a catalog; I only see this one style in extended calf, but I think the catalog had 2 or 3 other styles as well.
posted by junkbox at 11:15 AM on November 16, 2005

I have a pair of boots made by Aldo that fits that description perfectly, but it looks like they don't ship to Canada :(

Look for a boot with a stretchy upper that zips up the side, then. I just measured my calves and they came in at 18", and the boots I have fit beautifully, without being tight. They're made of something that looks like leather, but is very stretchy - they're not tight at all on my bigass calves.
posted by kalimac at 11:16 AM on November 16, 2005

Response by poster: We have Aldo stores in Canada, though, do you have a model name/number for those boots, Kalimac? I could look for them.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:21 AM on November 16, 2005

To follow up on junkbox's post, J. Crew also has these in extended calf sizes. Seem like they would be easier to walk through ice and snow in.

Sorry about the Zappos (and Nordstrom too) recommendations. I just assumed they were big enough to ship internationally.
posted by Sully6 at 11:26 AM on November 16, 2005

Response by poster: I do have wide feet to go with my wide calves, but some of those look promising. It's helping even that 'extended calf' seems to be the shoe term of choice for describing what I want. That'll make future searching a lot easier.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:26 AM on November 16, 2005

Have you looked at clothing cataloges that cater to the larger woman? I see that Layne Bryant has some leather boots.
posted by rhapsodie at 11:27 AM on November 16, 2005

I got these Naturalizer Vander Plus boots from shoebuy.com a month ago. My calves are a bit smaller than yours but they are even a little loose on me. Check eDealInfo for coupons, and you can get them very reasonably.
posted by Coffeemate at 11:38 AM on November 16, 2005

Oh, and Shoebuy.com ships to Canada.
posted by Coffeemate at 11:39 AM on November 16, 2005

Also try Avenue.com, they have a flexible fabric panel in the back to accomodate the strech (and come in wides).
posted by blackkar at 12:06 PM on November 16, 2005

jacquilynne - bless! I must've wound up someplace weird when I tried to find shipping information.

And, unfortunately, they must not be carrying the style I have this year - I couldn't find it on their website. They look almost exactly like this boot.

Sorry I can't be more help - there aren't any identifying marks on the boot. If it's not out of your way, it might not hurt to drop by an Aldo's anyway, and see what's in season. I wore these boots nonstop all last winter, and they're still in great condition.
posted by kalimac at 12:09 PM on November 16, 2005

Best answer: silhouettes.com has boots for up to 20" calf width.
posted by judith at 12:18 PM on November 16, 2005

Shoes with 16 inch calves are standard here: http://www.torrid.com/
posted by frankie_stubbs at 12:26 PM on November 16, 2005

Zara?
posted by matteo at 12:46 PM on November 16, 2005

Response by poster: Silhouettes.com is the big winner. They ship to Canada (though that's not readily apparent, because while they have international shipping available, Canada isn't listed in their countries list, it's just part of their domestic shipping scheme, though it's not mentioned there, either.) And they have these, in my size, which I have just ordered, because I think they're gorgeous.

I used a coupon code from Coffeemate's eDealsInfo link to get them cheaper, too, so yay for that.

I do love ask.me.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:49 PM on November 16, 2005

As a fellow canuck with chunky calves, I was tickled to see this thread, thanks! (holy alliteration)
posted by Cyrie at 9:39 PM on November 16, 2005

If you *were* interested in any of the boots at Zappos, you can order them using Shop the States. It costs a bit extra, but if the item is a lot cheaper online, or just not available in Canada, it might be worth it. I've never used them myself but a friend of mine in Nova Scotia has bought several things from Zappos that have been shipped through them. I spend enough on shoes locally as it is that I have thus far resisted the temptation myself.
posted by sanitycheck at 12:07 AM on November 17, 2005