As I have been shopping for boots and blogging about my boots purchases for 10+ years, fellow shoe enthusiasts sometimes find this blog through very old posts–in which I’d delight in finding boots that fit my “runners’ calves*.”
*My calves, ~13″ in circumference at the widest part, are not technically “wide,” but I have relatively large gastrocnemius muscles (aka “leg triceps”)–owing partly to genetics (thanks, dad) and partly to the sports (soccer and track) I played growing up–compared to my normal-sized ankles (~8″).
I no longer vet my boots purchases as rigorously as I did, because my desire to shop has waned (I sometimes feel I already own the shoe store) and I’ve given up on tightly managing my wardrobe. But more importantly, my appreciation for different styles and fits of boots has changed my selection process. I used to be overzealous in wanting the shaft to hug my legs in a specific way, but now I want some boots to droop insouciantly, to balance more buttoned-up looks.
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I picked up the LOFT Heeled Tall Boots this fall in my search for a pair of ultra sleek chocolate brown knee-high boots, and these didn’t quite meet the mark, but the price point ($178 retail; I got them on sale for about $125, they are now $89 online in a full run of sizes) was reasonable enough that I decided they were sufficient as a stand-in while I continued my search.
The 2-3/4″ block heels are very easy to walk in while still providing some leg-lengthening effects, and the material looks like real leather (but is not). The shaft height falls just north of the knee on 5’2 me.
I upsized in this style–I normally wear 6.5/7 and took a size 7.5 in these boots–as I do for all tall boots to make room for thick boot socks, and the fit in the footbed is true to size and somewhat forgiving for wider feet due to the almond toe. But the shaft isn’t particularly friendly to thin calves, wide calves, or even to athletic calves, as the material is softly structured but lacking elasticity so would slouch on thinner calves, and not be zippable on wider calves.
Shopping for taller boots can be frustrating, but if you have a local LOFT store to which you can make a quick return, these are a classic style available with extended sizes at a good price point, just with a few fit quirks.
LOFT is currently running a weekend-long sale: select styles are up to 60% off, no code needed. My picks:
