Cardigan: City Chic www.citychic.com.auTop: Dorothy Perkins www.dorothyperkins.com
Skirt: Sussan www.sussan.com.au
Boots: Boots For Broads www.bootsforbroads.com
Have you ever wanted something so badly that it seems universally unfair that you’ve been built the way you are and not the way you apparently need to be to get what you want? For me it’s always been red boots.
Maybe that’s greedy. Maybe I should be happy to find boots that fit around my – frankly ginormous – calves at all, much less have demands about heel height and hue. Certainly as soon as I found knee-high boots that zipped up (thankyou God for Duo Boots www.duoboots.com) I was perfectly content to wear black knee-high boots.
But the more available wide-calf boots have become, the more obsessed I’ve been with find a red pair, damnit.
I scoured the internet, stalked Duo Boots and Wide Widths (www.widewidths.com). I posted requests on eBay, and even contacted bespoke designers. Finally, all the hard work has paid off, and it’s closer to home than I might have expected.
Behold, Boots For Broads www.bootsforbroads.com
This new Canberra-based company custom makes leather boots to fit any size foot and leg. Really.
You send the wonderful Janice & Elizabeth a plethora of measurements: foot width and length, calf length and width at 5 cm intervals; and they send you a pair of boots literally built to fit your delightfully individual legs.
And at AUD$195 plus postage it’s an absolute bargain!
There’s six different styles, and three different leather choices. Imagine my delight when I discovered that one of those leather choices was red (!!!)
If you’re in Canberra you can check the range out at the Old Bus Depot Markets on the first Sunday of any month. They can take your measurements then and there, and a few weeks later you’ll have your spunky new boots.
Now, I know we’re coming into summer, and the last thing most of my Aussie readers want to wear is a pair of leather knee-high boots, but please bookmark www.bootsforbroads.com and keep them in mind once the mercury starts to drop. The boots are wonderfully made, and Janice and Elizabeth are a dream to deal with – I had a bit of a problem fitting into the first pair they sent, and without hesitation they provided a second pair that fit perfectly – from my scrawny ankles to my fence-post calves. And if you’re still not convinced, they offer a full money-back guarantee. On custom-made boots. Leather ones. Give them a go – you won’t regret it!
oh my god, it is like you took the words right out of my mind. i have spent at least the last three winters searching high and low for the right pair of red boots! you are a godsent lilli – now the hard part, which style to pick first…best wait for winter, the last three or four days of melbourne winter leaves me not even being able to look at boots! thanks again! you look smokin!
Even closer again to home, http://www.veganwares.com make boots or shoes to fit from non-leather materials, and I believe they do a variety of colours. The styles there are awesome, too, and the shop’s in Smith St near Gertrude St.
LOL, pleased to be of service, vancybec! For the first time I've been delighted at Melbourne's changeable weather. Despite being 33 degrees on thurs & friday it's been cold enough over the weekend to wear my new red boots!
Good find, Fi – have you ordered from them before?
I heart your Blog, lilli! I had an awesome pair of red plastic gumboots as a child that I refused to take off.
Think I might need a grown-up pair for next winter.
Alas, as it is just a recent discovery, I haven’t had the chance to buy any yet. Though I have been into the store and admired the boots (I’ve never been able to find any that allow for teeny size-five-at-biggest feet and non-ten-year-old calves), so I will be getting some next time I feel okay about spending a stack of money on one pair of shoes. (As a vegan, most shoes are cheap. Two-hundred-dollars-plus for these makes them an EVENT.)
Also, sorry I missed you on Wednesday! Stupid shift-swapping at work, bah.
Hi Lilli,
Anje here, we met in a shop in Brunswick St on Saturday..you very kindly passed on your blog details and another designer’s contact after seeing me not fit into a fab frock!! Just wanted to thank you so very much, I’ve been checking out your blog and finding some truly great ideas (LOVE the knickers!!)
Thanks again for taking the time to help a gal in need. You rock.(And i did end up finding a completely gorgeous, perfectly fitting size 18 dress at Route 66 today..yippee!) xx
love the boots!
on another note…have you ever ordered from alight? if so, how did it go?
thanks 🙂
I LOVE this look head to toe! Amazingly cute let feminine, and works so delightful on you! You really know how to work your style girl.. By the way those boots are rocking, now I want red boots too! 😉
mmnnnn…. Red gumboots. Lucky you, Calliecat! You must’ve been channelling “Gossie” (kids book by Olivier Dunrea – one of my faves)
Hiya Anje! I’m so glad you looked me up! I hope it wasn’t too forward of me to swoop on you like that, but I hate when us curvy girls miss out on things. Plus the girl in that shop was totally useless. I’m so glad you managed to find something at Route 66 though!
I’m afraid I haven’t ordered from Alight myself, but I have a friend who has – she was pretty pleased with the service, but I think the sizing can be a bit iffy (because they stock lots of different brand, y’know?)
Lean, I’ve just posted in my blog about your post with my earrings in it, as well as your blog. I hope you like it! 🙂
http://dailydream-dailydoodle.blogspot.com/
I love those boots, you must tell me what style you actually chose.
Also, is that cardigan recent? I love it. You’ve always got little surprises for us, keeping us on our toes. 😉
Aw thanks, Derya! I really appreciate it!
Jess they’re the Jennifer-style boot, though the heels a leetle different than on the website (more of a traditional block heel. The cardi’s from last season. I don’t actually wear it that often – it’s one of those items that doesn’t look quite right with almost everything in my wardrobe. Funny length, or something…
Hi! Can you post a more few words about what went wrong with the first pair you ordered? I am very pleased to read that the custom boots can be returned, but I wondered if you had some advice about measuring (or anything else) that would help ensure they fit right the first time? I’m seriously thinking of ordering some!
Sure thing, Kim! They simply wouldn’t zip up – it was like every other pair of boots I’d ever tried, hit my calves, and nope. not going any further. I let Janice at Boot For Broads know, and sent the boots back, and I think they established that the boots themselves had been incorrectly measured, and they made me a fresh pair and posted them back free of charge.
Measuring-wise. In a perfect world, you’d have someone to do it for you, but if not I’d reccomend taking a cloth tapemeasure and a pen, and dotting up at 5cm intervals both the inside AND the outside of your legs, that way, when you’re taking the measurements you’ll know that the tapemeasure isn’t on an angle or anything. Also, make you you measure the largest calf (most people have one a little bigger than the other) The boots don’t have an elastic gusset, so if you’re wanting to wear them over jeans or pants, best to measure over them, otherwise, keep the tape flat and snug: the leather’ll give after a while. Hope this helps!!
Thanks so much for your detailed and quick reply! I’ll take your excellent advice and get someone to help me measure BOTH legs. I really do think I’m going to get *at least* one pair. I’m so excited to imagine boots that fit both my wide calves AND my (relatively) narrow ankles. I’m also excited about having some that actually go to my knee rather than stopping several inches below. Thanks again!
My pleasure, Kim! I’d be interested to see how you go! Which ones are you thinking of getting?
Actually, I’m glad you asked, since I realized as soon as I posted that I forgot to ask *you* which ones YOU got! 😀 I’m debating between the Wendy, Kerrin (both flats), and Jennifer styles (2″ sturdy heel). I’m pretty sure about the Jennifers, but I can’t quite decide between the Wendys and the Kerrins. I’m attracted to the Kerrins cause the sole looks really comfy, but I wonder if they’re really too casual to wear with dresses/skirts.
Which ones did you get? It’s hard to tell from the picture.
I got the Jennifer’s, and I’m thinking of getting a pair of Kerrin’s in brown for winter. If you’d like to see what they look like on a person, Lady Smaggle has a few pics up on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14529894@N02/tags/blackboots/
Thanks yet again… There are quite a lot of really great pictures there! I also found another picture of YOURS clearly showing the back of your Jennifers and the heel. I’m definitely ordering a pair just as soon as I get myself sorted out Christmaswise. It’s so hard for me to figure out my budget in December! I’ll report back once I get them.
I'm a red boot lover from way back, and have to mention that I have a BRILLIANT pair of red cowboy boots made by none other than John Fluevog. I got them at a fabulous shop in Melbourne called Soul Devotion – I also purchased some red ankle boots on the same trip!