Howdy Slim! Riding Boots for Thin Calves: Solemani

Friday, December 13, 2013

Solemani Gabi

November 2016 update: Solemani has three new riding styles for very narrow calves, pictured below: the Timeless (at bottom) the Trendy & the Naz (top). All made from leather and priced under $200. Enjoy!

photo c amazon

Original review on the Gabi:

While it's awesome that "wide calf" designated boots are becoming more common & diverse, rare indeed are explictly labeled slim riding boots. The Solemani Gabi "Slim Collection" boot (shown at right on my legs -- wisely restocked as of October 2015!) is a very nice step toward balancing out the equation. Bonus: It's leather, and (surprise!) well under $200.

The best thing about the Gabi is that its midcalf circumference -- arguably the key stat for a snug fit -- came in at only 12.25 in shoe size 8, which ties the somewhat dressier looking Arley boot and provides about a quarter inch of wiggle room around my just-under-12" calves. The Gabi fit easily over skinny cords, as you can see from the photo, but without any gapping. There is a small stretch panel in the back (more on that in a bit), but I'm not sure how much expansion it offers and would say this might not be the boot for calves over about 13 inches.

I measured the top opening at 13.5, and the ankle at a nice slim 9.5 inches. 9" on the dot would have been even better for my 8" ankles, but that's almost impossible to find in a riding boot, and even with the 9.5", I definitely needed to unzip the boot all the way down to put these on.

The Gabi's versatile, classic, easy to dress up or down, with subtle silver hardware. The stretch panel in back is only 1.5" wide, which means the boots look all-leather from most angles. Shaft heights are not specifically listed on the measurement chart provided with the Amazon description, but for reference, the height in size 8 measured 15 7/8" from the instep, 16 3/4 from the floor -- pretty much ideal for me (5'4" with longish legs for my height).

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

In black and brown.
Find it at:
Amazon

Will these boots fit you like they do me?

That depends on your measurements. If you haven't already done so, sit down, wrap a soft or paper tape measure around your calf at its widest point (usually about 10-12 inches up from the bottom of the foot), and that's your calf measurement. Mine is 11.9 inches, which definitely falls into the skinnier than average category. Anything under 14 inches is pretty slim and may require a concerted effort to fit with a stylish boot.

Right under my knee, where many tall-boot openings fall, I measure 11.5 inches.

My ankles are about 8.25 inches around, so finding a good ankle fit can also be a challenge.

Finally, I'm about average height (5'4"), and for a knee-high look, the perfect boot shaft height for me is between 15 and 17 inches. If you're shorter, you might want to look at 13- to 15-inch-tall shafts instead.