With scrawny 11.9-inch calves, I've been on a mission for years (decades!) to find the very best, most beautiful slim calf boots. There have been successes, but for whatever reason, what remain most elusive are the perfect riding boots for thin calves. Heels and wedges are challenging to find with a narrow shaft, but equestrian inspired? The toughest of all. In this blog I'll review riding boots with calf circumferences published, or reported anecdotally, at under 14 inches around. If your legs are like mine, maybe you'll find your dream boot here :)

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Narrow Calf Riding Boots ~ 2015 All-Stars

Artwork copyright 2015 KKG
Not since 2013 have we had the material for a year-end "greatest hits" post featuring riding boots for skinny calves that will work for even the slimmest-legged among us. Despite my hopes, 2015 did not yield an abundance of 5-out-of-5-star boots for calf slimness -- but there were two standouts.

The Vaneli Vesper is, happily, still available at Amazon and for discounts (as I type) of 30 to 70 percent (!). It's a cute style that will be most at home in casual environments but, for some, may work at work too :) Most importantly, it hugs even scrawny calves nicely. So check that one out, if you haven't already.

The Skinnycalf Rider is a luxurious made-in-Italy boot that offers a good value for the price, especially if you use the code SKINNY20 at checkout. Drawbacks: It may not be quite as tall as more statuesque boot lovers would prefer; it runs a little small in the foot, as far as I could tell from my try-on; and (the biggie) it's mostly out of stock now. But there appear to be a few color/size combos available, so worth a peek.

photo: amazon.com
Note: I am 99% sure the reissued Solemani Gabi boots (at right) would rate a 5/5 for calf slimness, though I haven't tried on this year's model. Based on reviews, I'm guessing these are identical, or nearly so, to the Gabis I tried back in 2013. (The new quilted-leather Martina from this same reliably slim-friendly label looks pretty sharp, too, especially in black.)

*****


2015 honorable mentions: The Frye Molly Gore Tall, Frye Phillip Harness Tall, Aquatalia Gina and Via Spiga Bufu all rated 4 out of 5 in my book for both beauty/style and calf slimness. See if one of those strikes your fancy.

photo: 6pm.com
Last-minute tip if you're gift-hunting for a tall girl: The Ugg Danae is pretty elegant for a cold-weather (sheepskin-lined) boot and has a functional buckle for calf adjustment. Caveats: Based on reviews around the web, it sounds like this one runs narrow in foot as well as calf, so maybe go up 1/2 size from normal. And the shaft--somewhere between 18 & 20" tall, depending on which store you want to believe--may hit the knee awkwardly for shorter or even average-height folks.


Happy, healthy holidays to all ... and special thanks to everyone who has made this page more fun, useful, lively & engaging by posting a comment. May 2016 bring more laughter than tears, and -- just maybe, if it's not pushing our luck -- a few new skinny boot styles :-)