Cole Haan Katrina

Welcome to my last skinny calf boots 2017 review! This boot was flagged at Nordstrom as narrow calf by some reviewers, and because the brand is among blog readers' favorites, I thought I would give the Cole Haan Katrina a spin.

It's very pretty, understated and classy, versatile enough for work & fun. About as timeless a riding boot as you can find.  And fairly slim through the shaft, measuring a (not super impressive) 15" at the top, in size 7.5, but (better news) just 12.5" inches at the midcalf and 10.5" around the ankle.

All totaled, these measurements earn a 4 out of 5 on my calf slimness scale, which is pretty good considering that the Katrina has a smooth shaft all the way down, free of stretch panels. So if you are averse to those, do check her out.

I am 5'4" tall and love the 16.5" shaft height of these narrow calf leather boots, but if you're significantly shorter than that or have short legs relative to your overall stature, you might find that they come up a little too close to the kneecap. It shouldn't be a problem for most.

As for the foot sizing, I would say if you are between half sizes, go with the larger on this one -- especially if you plan to wear mid- to heavyweight socks underneath. 

 <<<< Kudos to Cole Haan for the elegant almond-shaped toe...

 


 And for this lovely burnished effect at the toe and heel of the "Harvest Brown" shade boot I chose >>>>

<<<< On the negative side for those of us with icy winters, there's no tread to speak of with these soles. Sigh.

 

Overall, a really nice pick to end our 2017 skinny calf boot roundup! 

May we have more choices in the year ahead -- though I'm not holding my breath :-}

Happiest, healthiest of holiday seasons to everyone, and as always, thanks for keeping me company here at Howdy Slim. Double thanks for all the comments these past four years-- can you believe that? -- on your own personal skinny calf hits & misses. The more the merrier!

Rating for the Katrina:

Beauty: ****/5

Value: ***/5

Calf slimness: ****/5

In brown or black. Find it at:

Nordstrom (50% off as of mid January 2018! Be sure to choose regular calf, not wide!)

See also:

The Cole Haan Galina earned high praise from a fairly slim-calved reviewer and might be a good pick if you are open to (or even prefer) a stretch-panel approach to calf fit. Plus, under $100 in some color/size combos as of June 2018!

Frye Jayden Button Tall

Hey! Sorry it's been a while. Quite a dearth of slim calf riding boots these past few months. If anything, the average circumferences seem to be getting larger! Sigh.

Based on reviews complaining of too-narrow calves, I had high hopes for these beautiful Frye Jayden boots. Unfortunately they're not as skinny as they are pretty. (The "bordeaux" color pictured here is a keeper though, no? Love it.)

In a size 8, this style came in at 15" for the top circumference, 14" around at the midcalf, and a not-too-huge 11" at the ankle. The shaft height is 16 inches for size 8.














There's a handy full zip...

A cute button detail....

A quirky textured sole...

And of course that luxurious leather lining, intoxicating fragrance & typical built-to-last Frye quality.

Given the measurements, I'm not sure why the Jayden doesn't look baggier on my legs. Maybe that's a combo of the substantive, non-floppy leather; relatively slim ankle; and lovely dark color?

Still, a great pick for average to moderately slim calves -- especially at sale pricing -- but not for the superskinny.

Happy fall, all!

Rating:

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

In numerous lovely shades :)
Find it (50+% off in some color/size combos as of early August 2018!) at:
Amazon

Zappos

ps: here are a couple extra pix to show shaft height - per November 14 reader query:

Bed Stu Manchester

From the first two photos, this probably looks like a happy slim calf story, right? Indeed, from the front and back this beautiful Bed Stu boot -- the Manchester -- is a narrow calf dream come true. The catch is the side view, sigh. Scroll down and you'll see what I mean.

First let's accentuate the positive, as the old song goes. The Manchester is a style I've been wanting to try for years, almost since the start of my skinny calf boot reviews. I thought it had been discontinued and was pleasantly surprised to see it restocked recently. Even better, the color options have expanded to satisfy both both edgier and more classic tastes.

Like the Bed Stu Glaye, the Manchester rewards you with a heady leather fragrance the second you open the box. Ahhhh. And it's got that artisanal, non-mass-produced feel that is this label's stock in trade. I'm a fan.

Finally, this style uses a super clever back-lacing system with an inside panel that allows a truly custom fit at the top. I tightened the boots up easily to a top circumference of around 13" -- if not a bit smaller. Those of you who have been stopping by this blog for a while know how rare that is.

The ankle circumference is pretty good, too. At 11" it's not a record breaker, but we've seen much baggier. We can work with this.

If only the rest of the shaft were cut narrower, or the lacing system continued farther down the shaft. The fit, for me, got weird at midcalf, where the circumference of 14" in shoe size 8 couldn't be shrunk. Perhaps a consistent 14" up top (if I loosened the laces and lived with a gap up there -- what's new, right?) and 14" midway down would look okay, but my customizing to 13" at the opening made the boots bulge out awkwardly midway down. 'Cause no, I didn't get calf implants since my last post ;) -- those midcalf curves you see are just empty leather where these otherwise long, lean, lovely boots puff out.

For shorter folks, the shaft height might also cause problems. At 18" it's tall, especially if you've got proportionally short legs. I'm not sure why, but most narrow shaft Bed Stu boots seem best suited to the statuesque. You can see in the top photo that the Manchester borders on too tall for me, and I've got long limbs for my 5-foot-4 height.

To circle back to the Manchester's assets before I wrap this up, here are a couple closeups to show the super-pretty "Dark Scarlett Rustic" color, which happens to be half off as of early July, along with at least one other shade.

Enjoy the summer boot steals before they blow away with the first leaves of fall!  

Rating:
Beauty/style: ****/5
Value: ****/5 at sale price
Calf slimness:****/5 with laces tightened up top

In numerous cool finishes. Find it at:
Amazon
(tip: check the reviewer pix to see how fetching these boots are on many different legs :-)

See also:

The Burnley is a new offering from Bed Stu, with a longer lacing setup -- yea! -- for full-calf customization, plus a shaft height that is kinder to us non-models :) Find this one at Nordstrom (which is advising us to order up, as this boot runs small). 

Affordable Luxury for Narrow Calves

Sorry to have skipped April! Slim calf riding boot choices remain scarce, probably for 3 reasons: 1) trendier over-the-knee styles are still dominating runways and lookbooks, with little space left for timeless knee-high boots; 2) many of us by now have learned to wear ankle boots with almost everything & have mostly converted to those, baggy ankles be damned :}; and 3) in terms of the U.S. marketplace at least, well...not sure how else to say this except that American consumers don't seem to be getting slimmer over time. If they were, we'd be seeing more, not fewer, small-circumference boots than when I started this blog 4 years ago.

European countries, though? They still have their share of slim-legged boot lovers. And the boots they produce are generally pretty wonderful. But pricey. It doesn't take many fingers to count how many, say, Italian-made narrow calf boots I've found for under $400 to review here.

I have often recommended ebay as a source for luxury boots, and I still believe it's a fabulous option if you've got the wherewithal to scour many listings, photographed and described somewhat inconsistently from one seller to the next. I've certainly done that, and it's yielded me some boots that I wouldn't give up for twice the price I paid. 

For a more streamlined, consistent experience, though, I recommend taking a look at The Real Real, where I recently scored the secondhand slim calf Prada boots in these photos -- for about $100, shipped.

Prices of course go up -- way up -- from there, but the discounts on this site are truly deep, giving us the opportunity to choose (for the same price) between a new, likely Asia-produced pair of narrowish-calf boots and a recycled pair that genuinely hugs the calves and is much more likely to be made in Europe, or somewhere else with a long tradition in working with leather and suede footwear.

I could use an extra inch of shaft height on my "new" Prada boots. And they'd definitely been around the block a few times before winging their way to me. But $100 for a fun, comfy, mod type Italian-made riding style that -- with a calf circumference of 13.75" and midcalf measurement of, praise be, only 11.5" -- actually fits my scrawny legs? Hard to beat.

The Real Real adds thousands of shoe, clothing, jewelry and home items per day. Items tend to go quickly, but there's always more good stuff flowing in. Best of all, most pieces are returnable within 21 days of being shipped out from TRR, so as long as you're quick about it, you can return a boot that doesn't suit. [Note: The cost was so kind on my clearance-priced, non-returnable Prada boots that I took a gamble on them, and won :) But if that's not your situation, be sure to click "Return Policy" on the specific item page to see if the piece you're eyeing is returnable.]

photo (c) the real real

What's on offer there today?

I like these pretty Ferragamos (only $101.50, 13.5" listed calf circumference) >>

<< this adorable two-toned Prada pair (teeny 12" circumference, down to $87.50 as of late July)

photo (c) the real real

these suede & leather Jimmy Choos (only $126), 12.5" >>

photo (c) the real real

 <<and these second-skin Diors --an impossible-to-find 11" circumference! -- for 75 bucks, if you can believe that. (Late-July update: It's taking all my willpower not to buy these for fall! I can't believe some other skinny-legged person hasn't snapped 'em since I first posted this...)


I am just scratching the surface here. Go ahead, have some fun with eco-friendly, budget-conscious luxury shopping. And be sure to let us all know if you too find something that fits!

P.S. If you're squeamish about buying used footwear, well, that's understandable. After all, we can't wash or dryclean fine leather & suede boots the way we do clothing.  What I do is spray the inside of the my treasures -- being careful not to saturate the insoles and linings so much that they get warped or worse -- with the least offensive-smelling variety of Lysol disinfectant I've been able to find, in a well ventilated area. I try to do this on a sunny day so I can chase that not-so-natural sanitizing process with a natural one by setting my new used footwear outside in the (supposedly cleansing) sunlight for a while after spraying. This second step serves a second purpose of airing the boots/shoes out so they don't reek of Lysol. (As you may have guessed, I'm chemically sensitive.)

Does this system work? Well, I can only speak for myself, but so far I have not acquired any weird or disgusting foot conditions from wearing gently used boots. Knock wood! :-)

Corso Como Garrison

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! Honestly, pickings have been slim for narrow calf boots lately.

I wish I could say I'm bringing you something ultra thin-shafted today, but the Corso Como Garrison rates higher for beauty than leg fit.

It's a really pretty, classic riding boot in subtly pebbled leather that looks more expensive than it is -- especially at sale prices.

The footbed features padding similar to the Sofft Sharnell's, which is unusual and a very nice touch. Inside is a soft faux-suede lining that runs all the way up the boot.
 

At 11 inches around, the ankle is reasonably slim in the context of what we're used to for riding boots. The midcalf is an inch or so roomier than ideal, at 14". And at 15 inches around, so is the opening up top.  These measurements should work well if your calves are on the slimmer side of average, but you'll need to  keep looking if you have truly lean legs.
 

The maker didn't skimp on shaft height, a plus for longer-legged folks like me but a possible dealbreaker if you're quite short or have short legs. The stat on that is 16.75 inches in size 7.5.

Overall, the Garrison is an elegant riding boot that avoids trendy bells & whistles, choosing instead to deliver a streamlined, luxurious look that belies its modest cost.

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

In black, brown or a light tan shade.
Find it at:
Amazon (**under $50*** in some color/size combos as of late July '17! Yes, we've entered heavy discount season for tall boots :)

Cole Haan Tilley II

So sorry for my relatively long absence! But I'm back with some good news. Today I bring you some great Cole Haan narrow calf boots -- the Tilley II. This style has top and circumference measurements very similar to the Cole Haan Adler boot I reviewed here two years ago, but the Tilley's ankle is about an inch smaller around, making it (for those of us with bony ankles as well as thin calves) not exactly fitted, but arguably more flattering than the Adler in that sometimes deal-breaking area.

Both boots have a stretchy back side that may or may not be your thing, but overall I think the Tilley II's look is nice and sleek.

Measurements for the Tilley, size 8: The opening up top is 14" around. The midcalf circumference is 13 inches. And the ankle circumference is 10.5 inches. As for shaft height, in size 8 this boot is about 15.75" tall -- so fairly petite friendly, unless you're very short or have proportionally quite short legs.

The stretch section has a subtle diamond pattern to it and -- nice touch -- a strip of leather running up the back of the boot.

Unlike the Adler, the Tilley isn't a pull-on style; it features a full inside zip. 


The footbed is lightly padded. The sole, while not the slipperiest I've tried, isn't super grippy. So keep that in mind if you wear on slick surfaces.

Caveat on foot fit: To me, the 8 feels more like a true 7.5. If you are between half sizes, my advice would be to go with the larger of your two normal sizes. And even if you're not between sizes but plan to wear very thick socks under these narrow calf boots, consider going up a half-size size anyway.


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


In brown & black.
Find it at:
Amazon -- for 50% off as of late January 2017! Yes!