Pikolinos Brujas

Spain rivals Italy in terms of shoemaking expertise, but I haven't found nearly as many Spanish-made small calf boots as Italian ones to try out. So I'm happy to share some details on the Brujas style from Pikolinos, a company that boasts 30 years in the high-quality footwear business but still flies a bit under the radar here in the USofA.

I was excited to see a calf circumference listed for this one at 14" in a size 9, and sure enough, the Brujas measured smaller -- about 13" -- at midcalf in the size 38 (equivalent to a 7.5 or 8 US) that I tried on.

That left me with about an inch of space around the widest part of my leg, the same wiggle room as I had up top, with the opening of this boot measuring in at 14 inches.

At 11" around, the ankle tapers in from midcalf, but not super dramatically, so if your ankles are as knobby as mine, you'll have some extra space there.

You could easily punch an extra hole (try a tool like this one) in the top buckle strap, bringing it down to 13.5" in size 38, but you'd have a visible fold in the goring (see left) that may or may not be worth the half-inch subtraction.

This is a sturdy, non-floppy boot. Part of that sturdiness could be from the Scotchguard treatment this brand gives its products. Per their website, this coating allows the leather to resist water for about 30 minutes while still being able to "breathe." Good news if you live someplace where it dumps rain every fall, as I do. As long as you can towel your boots off within that 30-minute timeframe, there should be no harm no foul.

Another helpful touch for rain & snow seasons is the grippy-looking textured rubber sole.

The shaft is 16" tall in my size, so this is a good pick for average to taller folks, perhaps less so for those under about 5'3" or with proportionally short legs.

Intrigued by the "Naturally Good" emblem in the packaging, I looked that up too on the website & discovered it signifies the use of "chromium-free leathers" (have to admit, I don't know much about leather + chromium); vegetable dyes; and nontoxic, water-based glues. Nice stuff.

One of my favorite details is the heel, which at 1 1/2 inches is within traditional riding boot height, but it puts a twist on the traditional shape that I find adorable. 









Rating:

Beauty: ***/5
Value: ***/5
Calf slimness: ****/5

Find it at:
As of Feb. 2016 it looks like this one is only available on the brand's own site  -- but you'll find a great discount there & an action view on video, on a model's legs (albeit a bit fuller ones than mine)