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!

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!

Cole Haan Adler

Ahh yes, after that little detour, we're back to some bona fide riding boots for narrow calves.

At this point I'd like to think my eagle eye is developed enough to spot boots with 13 inch circumference even on a five-minute sprint through the department store. So I'm surprised at having missed the Cole Haan Adler on just such a sprint this fall. Worse, I picked up this boot, glanced at it & put it down, thinking it too wide. Only after seeing numerous kudos online from thin legged ladies did I decide to give it a closer look.

In size 7.5, the Adler measured 13" on the dot at the fullest part of my leg (midcalf, about 11.5" inches up from the sole) and 13.75" at the top opening. Both respectably narrow stats.

What could be a sticking point for some is the ankle measurement. This boot is a straighter equestrian style, with only subtle tapering from midcalf to ankle. I measured the ankle at 11.5" -- which leaves 3.5" of space around my ankles, obviously more than ideal. Overall, the Adler is structured much like the Tory Burch Christy, but with a smaller circumference at the top. It's also a softer, lighter, more pliable boot than the Christy.

You can draw your own conclusion from the photos, but I think the roomy ankle looks better with pants than the thin tights I'm wearing here.

On a very positive note, the ubiquitous (in narrow calf circles) stretch part of the boot is not a stiff elastic fabric this time around. Instead, the back half of the Adler is a supersoft stretch suede. Besides the relatively narrow shaft, that's my favorite feature. The combo of buttery soft leather & velvety soft suede is hard to resist. I'd love to see more companies swapping out fabric for suede in this manner, especially if they can do it for under $200, which is where the Adler's sale price is now hovering.

Nothing trendy about this one; it's a very simple style, save the cute gold buckle detail at the ankle.








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

In black, brown & dark gray.
Find it at (at huge discounts as of early 2015): Amazon

 

photo (c) amazon

Update: Based on input from a 12.5-inch-calved reader (thank you!), it sounds like the Kenmare (left) may be an even slimmer shafted Cole Haan boot than the Adler. Still available in some sizes -- and actually under $100 in some size/color combos -- as of spring 2017, so take a look.

photo (c) amazon

Update 2: It's late May '17 & I've just spend an hour or so sifting through the newer Cole Haan riding boots to make sure I haven't missed anything promising, and unfortunately most of their calf circumferences are too wide for us. However, the Dutchess (at right) looks to be one of the slimmer OTK leather riding styles on the market, with a "calf girth" measurement of under 14" for a size 7 boot, per the manufacturer. (Generally you need to look at stretch suede, faux suede or fabric for a calf fit this snug in an OTK boot -- or pay 2x, 3x the Cole Haan price for Stuart Weitzman, the luxe label that put OTK boots on the map :) Sorry to be late to the party on this one -- it's actually sold out at sites like Nordstrom, perhaps because of the unusally slim calf.  But there are still a few sizes available, some heavily discounted -- happy hunting!

Finally, you can see the Tilley II Cole Haan narrow calf boots on my skinny calves to get a sense of how they might look on yours. Not a bad fit!