Dress: Vintage via Thrush
Boots: Comfortview via One Stop Plus
Once upon a time, long long ago, a curvy, wide-legged lass got it into her head that she wanted red boots.
Deep red, not too high heeled, and made to fit her 45cm calves.
They didn’t exist.
After some hunting she found a local bootmaking company that made bespoke red boots. Bright red, but red nevertheless.
Some time later a boot company that specialised in calf width boots brought out a pair of high heeled patent leather boots. Red.
But neither pair fit her criteria exactly. The first pair fit wonderfully, but were too bright a red to wear with much in her wardrobe. The second pair were the right colour, but the high heels were close to unmanageable, and they had a lot of space around the tops.
Then she saw these. And she bought those, too.
Third time’s a charm.
Actually, these “Annie” boots from Comfortview are probably the closest thing to perfect that I’ve managed to find so far. They’re synthetic leather, so they weren’t too dear – $87AUD including International shipping to Australia – they had a comfortable little heel, and a bit of a platform. Most importantly, they seemed the be the deep red/burgundy I’d had my heart set on.
There didn’t seem to be much of a calf measurement to go by, so I took a punt and ordered the 8.5 WW from online plus-size fashion mall One Stop Plus. The ordering process was quick and easy – they take PayPal, so I got to do some “neutral shopping” with money that was sitting in my account. The boots arrived quickly – I placed the order on the 29th September, and the boots arrived a little over two weeks later.
They were probably half a size too big in the foot. Maybe a whole size. But they FIT. They zipped up over my calves without even a little struggle. They stayed up well throughout the day, and though as you can see the ankles are way too full, the zipper didn’t warp and dig into my ankle bone they way I’ve found other boots have.
I wore them non stop for a full day of trekking around the city, and apart from needing a pair of good wooly innersoles to stop my foot from sliding around too much, I’ve found them to be great.
They’re not great quality, but for the price I’m delighted.
Now if Melbourne can just stay chilly for a bit longer….
Clearly, and this has been apparent for quite some time, I need to get a pair of red boots. These are fabulous. And I snuck a look at the others and they are equally fabulous. RED BOOTS!!!! Isn’t it great when you find the perfect boot?
Ah, I do the paypal thing too. I call it ‘free shopping’ cos it’s not worth the effort of withdrawing money from a paypal account.
Woolie insoles are the best.
Ohhhh thank you for the boot tip!! I have been looking for an inexpensive boot to test whether I would wear a particular colour or not. Didn’t want to spend $300 on boots I would not wear!!!
Thank you very much!! Just a quick question what size do you normally wear if you ordered an 8.5 ??
Nice! As someone with a 50cm calf , I’ve also struggled with boots, but have done well with Bennetts Boots.
Haven’t tried shoes from Onestopplus, but I have had a few clothing orders from them with some success (I love that their end of season sales are perfect for start of season here and they often have good discount coupons). My only frustration with them has come from the number of items that can’t be internationally shipped – they don’t tell you until checkout time.
unfortunately I need leather boots 🙁 sigh…
but they are really really great!
Oh, I *love* those red boots with that yellow-toned skirt! And congrats on (almost) finding your dream boots=)
Those boots look perfect in your photos, creating a great retro-mod looks with that fabulous print dress!
I do encourage you to the The Bootmakers at some stage. Admittedly, I did spend a fortune, but am so, so, so happy with my bespoke boots.
Gorgeous boots!!
I have a little tip i read a-g-e-s ago to share – it has served me very well, and may well prove helpful to you now :o) You know those socks with non-slip dots on the base, I have found them to be the perfect solution to boots that are a little to big, especially ones with a heel …. Way cheaper and far more convenient than buying multiple inserts for every pair of shoes you own AND no more slip and slide because the non-slip dots hold your foot in place WIN WIN :o)
Isn’t it wonderful when a sartorial dream comes true? 🙂 I’ll never forget how happy I was with my first pair of boots from Duo – at last I could wear skirts and dresses in the winter without frost-bitten calves! Love the colour and they look really great with that dress. Health to wear them, as my mum says!
Hooray!!! Congrats on your lovely red boots – I deeply appreciate the importance of the exact right red. 🙂 They look fantastic with your poppy print dress.
These boots are also in a wide calf fit and now in red! I think I emailed and said about the black ones some time ago but they have just released the red ones. http://www.overlandfootwear.co.nz/womens-shoes/womens-boots/casual/p4265/c19/colour/Red#colour=Red
I have a pair of boots that I got a couple of years ago and they are not the best quality either but they are my favorite. Love these boots. You look like a go-go dancer! Love it!
Oh, those boots look fabulous! I don’t think I would have given them a second thought just looking at the website, but your pics make me want a pair. Thanks for mentioning the calf measurements too b/c I have wasted soooo much money ordering boots that did not fit. It’s especially frustrating when spending lots of money at places like Duo and supposedly getting your calf size!!
I would have added a long necklace to this outfit. Otherwise cute choice with dress and boots.