Sesto Meucci Safari

With the holidays in sight -- if you squint -- it's fun to find footwear with a bit of party-ready, festive detailing. That's just what the Safari style from one of my all-time favorite purveyors of slim calf riding boots, the Italian company Sesto Meucci, is offering with its curving, very subtly sparkling suede panels.

In size 8, this boot measures 14 inches up top, 13.25" at midcalf and a relatively skinny 10.25" around the ankle. (Thanks Sesto for recognizing that thin calves are frequently attached to thin ankles! :)  Those sparkly suede panels add a nice curve to the ankle, too -- a shapeliness often missing in riding boots. This is a classic, streamlined shape that is feminine without being fussy.

There's a panel of stretch goring for calf fit (see below), but it's narrow enough to be almost unnoticeable. Not something that breaks up the boot's long, lean line of leather.

Look closely at these pix for a better look at the contrast between rich, buttery leather and soft, sparkly suede. It's a nice touch.

I will say that the toe area in size 8 felt somewhat narrow, especially on my "touchy" right foot, but the terrific thing about this style is that it's offered in wide as well as medium widths, and I suspect the 8W would be perfect on me. More often than not, I'm a 7.5M, but these are Italian boots we're talking about, so sizing can be a bit different.

As for shaft height, the size 8 measured 16.5 inches tall, which should work well for most calves but could hit the kneecap uncomfortably if you're much shorter than average, or proportionally short-legged.

The sole is grippier than many luxe Euro boots -- a plus for those of us in unpredictable-climate areas.

All in all, a really pretty find, well proportioned for slim legs.
 
Rating for the Safari:
Beauty/style: ****/5
Value: ***/5
Calf slimness: ****/5

Find it at:
Amazon (35% off as of late November 2016)
6pm (check out the video here on slender-looking legs)


~P.S.~

photo c 6pm

Another Sesto Meucci beauty to check out, not yet road-tested by yours truly but advertised at Nordies as a narrow calf option and now deeply discounted at my fave shoe clearance site, is the Fibby  (pictured at left). Personally, I love a 2-inch heel like this for leg lengthening.

photo c 6pm

Finally, another slim riding boot with the panache for holiday dressing is the sweet, stretchy, floral-embossed Vaneli Radius (at right). (April '18 update: Sold out at my former source; maybe check ebay?)

With some weatherproofing spray, these suede slim calf boots should be able to withstand the colder months, though I'd avoid wearing them out in super-slushy messes. {Ack, sorry to bring that stuff up...forget I said anything! Happy non-slushy Thanksgiving to all! :}

Sesto Meucci Boomer

With these back-to-back posts, I'm becoming a regular Sesto Meucci fangirl. You will too, if you give these beauteous Boomer boots for skinny legs a spin.

I know I'm always rhapsodizing about the color of lovingly crafted slim calf brown boots, but this Italian pair really does have a rich, warm tone -- the "Tiziano" shade is what I'm wearing here -- that for me is an instant mood lifter. And definitely an instant wardrobe revitalizer.

But the best part may be the Boomer's adjustable quality through the calf. It features two buckling straps in back, and the inner panel they lay over is constructed in such a way that you can really customize the calf fit by cinching the straps.

The genious of that well-attached inner panel is that it is wide enough not to gap if the buckles are set on their largest setting, for a bigger calf, but narrow enough that the shaft shouldn't wrinkle or fold much with the addition of an extra hole, and extra tightening, for a skinny calf.

Buckled at narrowest setting -- with no new holes punched -- the top opening for a size 7 1/2 is already an impressively small 12.75", but adding another hole could bring it down to as low as 12" on the dot (so exciting!). At midcalf, the boot is 13.25 at tightest buckle setting, but another hole could bring it down to 12.5. The extra holes could be added cheaply by a cobbler, or there's even a leather hole punch tool for a DIY approach. If you've got skinny ankles as I do, this under-$10, highly rated tool could come in handy for basically every sandal, maryjane, etc., you've ever bought or ever will.
 And speaking of ankles -- the Boomer measures 11" around at that point.

I do think the back buckles make this a slightly trendier riding boot than the other Sesto style I reviewed, the Boyle, but the lovely lean line is not going out of style anytime soon. Can see this one with cute summer sundresses, minis, possibly even cutoffs, as well as the jeans and sweaters those of us in the still-frozen tundra continue to wear.

Rating:
Beauty: *****/5
Value: *****/5
Calf slimness: ****/5 with buckle holes as is; *****/5 with another hole added per strap

Find it:
Well, I can't anymore, as of June 2018 - let me know if you do!

Sesto Meucci Boyle

No signs of a crocus yet in our front yard, and no hint of a warm(er) breeze in the air. Yet this month brings the official start of spring, and with it the unofficial worst time of year to look for knee high women's boots for slim calves.

Or is it? Sure, the selection may not be what it was back in September, but the prices! I would argue that we're heading into the absolute best time of year to score a perfect pair of boots on a budget. And by way of proof, I've got a stunning offering all the way from equally stunning Florence, Italy.

Sesto Meucci is a rather under-the-radar label that is nonetheless known in thin calf circles. The cut on this brand's boots tends to be pretty sleek and streamlined. That reputation certainly holds with the Boyle boot, coming in at a skinny 13" midcalf (for shoe size 7 1/2), gently widening to 14" up top, and circling the ankle at a relatively slim 10". 

But wait! The very cute lacing detail at the back of the ankle is actually functional. That is to say, you really can tighten those leather laces for a narrower ankle circumference, bringing it down (if you so choose) to my ideal measurement of 9 inches. Such a simple trick, yet so so welcome for those of us used to flopping around at the ankle. Why can't more companies employ this technique?

And this is another wonderful choice for those who dislike large stretch panels, as its goring section is relatively small, and covered with leather.

What we have here is a high-$300s Italian boot (I would in fact put it up there with $400+ Aquatalias I've tried, in terms of fit and beauty) that you can grab now -- what'd I tell you? spring bonus! -- for low 200s. (Though with the Sestos, you'd need to do your own spray-on waterproofing, if that's important to you.)

At that price, some sizes are gone. If yours isn't, give this one serious consideration. One of my fave looks yet.

Rating:
Beauty: *****/5
Value: *****/5
Calf slimness: ****/5 with the ankle laces loose, *****/5 with them tightened

In black & brown
Find it at: 
Amazon 
(nearly 50% as of April 2015 -- under $200! - but just one pair left...)

ps -- if you're really into the lacing idea, I stumbled across a very cute Donald Pliner boot on clearance, the Baude, that laces all the way up the back. That's a super hard-to-find design trick (I see it on maybe one or two decent-looking styles per year) that may or may not be up your alley, but in general the Pliner people tend to cut their riding boots pretty narrow, and with the extra adjustability from full-length lacing, this could be a winner.