Cole Haan Lexi Grand Knee High Stretch

Are these the year's best riding boots for skinny calves? If you don't have a $500+ budget , I'm arguing they may be.

(The Seychelles Dramatic
boot can be made even snugger through the calf, thanks to full-length corset lacing. But to me its less-comfy footbed and taller shaft gives the Lexi the nod this year for all-around champ of our, as usual, all-too-slim slim-calf boot pickings in the knee high category.)

The name of this style's a mouthful, yes. But Cole Haan's Lexi riding boots for thin calves are a great find for fall, especially in this versatile "Cordovan Leather" color.

The adjustable buckle up top doesn't do a ton to narrow the opening circumference, but at 14.25 inches around (in shoe size 7 1/2), it's not bad.

More impressively, the Lexi at midcalf has a very slim 12-inch circumference, and to flatter our skinny ankles, the ankle circumference is only 9.5 inches!

The way I rate for relative calf slimness is to total up the top, mid and ankle measurements -- and this boot's narrow mid and ankle numbers push it into the 5-of-5-star slimness category, which is rare indeed. 

You can see the boots flare out a tiny bit in these front & back views, but not much, right? Nowhere near sloppy-galoshes or pirate boot territory ;)

The fit and style are sleek enough for an office environment, but not too fussy for casual outings.

The shaft height is 16.5 inches in shoe size 7.5 and hits just the right spot under my knee. For reference, I'm 5'4" with longish legs for my height.

The stretch panels are significant and may be a dealbreaker for hearts set on an all-smooth-leather look.

The fabrication and feel of these panels are tricky to describe, but they are comfy and calf-hugging, somewhere between a faux leather and spongy, stretchy, fairly substantial fabric. Bottom line, it's a cute look if you're open to some stretch.

I love an almond toe shape like this one. Comfy and pretty. I would say the Lexi runs a tad narrow in the toe area, though it seems true-to-size in length. Cute contrast stitching adds some visual interest. 

Inside, the footbed is lightly but not flimsily padded. Again -- comfy.

For klutzes like me, the basketweave texture on the sole will help with slippery surfaces.

The stacked wood heel is just shy of 1.5 inches, super manageable for adventures on foot.

There's a dash of shine from the small, functional gold-tone buckle up top. Nothing that will look dated a year on, or two or three...

All in all, this is a keeper!

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

In three colors: cordovan (shown here), "British tan" and black. Find it massively on sale (as of mid June 2019) at Cole Haan


See also:

This variation on the Lexi Grand goes all-in with the textured calf for a long, lean, almost sock-like look that could be especially cute with skirts. On sale as of mid Dec.

Finally, Cole Haan's Galina, pictured at right, features a textured stretch calf on the back side and subtle, non-tacky hardware. In brown and black, still discounted at Macy's.