I've never written a review before, but I've read a lot of yours and valued all your information and insight, so here goes. I live in Seattle, so I need a waterproof boot that I can wear comfortably all day all through our rainy winter, and that looks good enough even with
skirts that I don't feel I should rush to change as soon as I'm indoors. My criteria for looks good are that they don't suggest I'm trying to make a virtue out of huge and clompy (you have to be much younger than I am to pull that off), that they don't suggest "tough" (as in aging motorcycle mama), and that they don't suggest that after a long, tiring battle the weather has won and I've just given up. These
boots look so good you don't even think "sensible." Yet they are amazingly comfortable for their heel height: balanced and stable, with a heel shape that's incredibly flattering. The toe box is roomy, and the suede is supple so you're not bothered by "buckling" of the shaft as you walk. As to sizing: because I'm usually between a 9 and 9.5 I ordered a 9.5, and I am right where I want to be in this boot: a bit roomy with tights and a bit snug with thick
socks. My calf measures 13.5 in. at the widest part, and the shaft is 15.5 in. at the top, so although there's a gap for me the shaft tapers in at the top so they don't look like buckets when I wear them with tights. Now for my wish list: I could wish for
arch support (only the need to keep balanced on the heel prevents my
fallen arches from turning in, but I put in those little sticky gel arch supports to good effect). I could wish the shaft was an inch taller (I'm 5 ft. 7, and I measure the shaft at the back at 15 in.). And I could wish that the heel was a little lower (I measure 3 in. at the back of the heel). But these are minor quibbles, as I am so delighted to find a boot that I can wear all day that will keep my feet dry and comfortable, while also keeping me from looking like something the cat dragged in from the rain!