I’ve Got Big Calves and I Cannot Lie…
These are wide calf boots. Seriously, these are boots that are advertised as being appropriate for wide calves. I don't have wide calves, I have monster calves.
I don't know if I have mentioned this, but I walked on my toes as a kid. They couldn't get me to stop, I went to podiatrists, orthopedists, even Children's Hospital. They suggested surgery, where I would be in casts for six months to stretch my tendons so I could walk flat. I had orthotics and big dorky shoes to fit them. My parents and I eventually gave up, I embraced my nickname, “Tippy Toes” and bought shoes a half size larger to accommodate my fat feet that came from super padded balls of my toes and giant ankles from the built-up tendons.
When I say I have wide calves, it's not just because I am overweight and petite. It's because I have unusually thick legs for my body. I guess that is why I love my DUO “Bern” boots so darn much, they are the first boots that don't suffocate my legs by the end of the day. Even when I was a starved size 4 I had to wear wide-calf boots and they really hurt after a couple of hours and left red gashes and dents in my legs.
So these boots claimed to be wide calf, and I thought that maybe with my bit of weight loss I could possibly rock them come fall. I carried them home on the Metro and planned my outfit for today – these boots over my NYDJ jeans, my striped black and white tee from Ann Taylor, a scarf looped around my neck. I got home, tried them on… and this is the result.
Oh well, I still have my “Maryland” Ros Hommerson boots I got from WideWidths.com last year – I need to replace one of the zippers that busted from reining in my big calves, and I think I will have them trimmed down an inch. Though I was really looking forward to having a pair of riding boots. If I get a holiday bonus this year, I may consider getting the “Sphere” boots from WideWidths.com – if the Maryland fits, maybe these will too!
(BTW the review for these boots pictured, the brand, company, etc. will be posted before the week is through – sorry for the delay, I have been feeling a bit sick this week and trying to catch up on work and then the blogs!)
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great news for all of us i found this website : http://wideshaftboot.com/
they customize the calf .they add leather or even cut for the skinny calf
take a look wideshaftboot.com
they have great costumer service you can email them for your special calf size problem and they will solve it.
I thought I was the only one with the tippy-toe problem! My parents enrolled me in ballet to try and fix it, but I still have trouble walking “flat.” And I also have gigantazor calves.
We’re neighbors? We’ll have to meet up! Glad to have you here, and glad I could be of some help, you non-freak! 😀
A neighbor and good friend of mine sent me your website and link to this page after we had a discussion about me not being able to find boots to fit! My friend told me we live in the same community as you do and I am THRILLED to know of your blog and I am looking forward to exploring it further. I too have wide calves and thank you for making me feel like I am not such a freak! 🙂
I feel your pain! Even at my thinnest I’ve had to get my boots altered or not been able to find wide calf boots.
I got a couple of cute pairs from silhouettes.com last year.
Wide-calf Women Unite!
Seriously, it’s so great to see all of you have the same issues – and that we are sharing resources! Maybe we will all find winner boots this fall!
I will have to check out those boots at Target – thanks for the heads up!
hey, the new steve madden knock-off boots ($35) at Tartget right now SERIOUSLY have wide calves! everynoe is raging about them! i tend to have wide calves and –get this–i tried them on at the store this weekend, and they were TOO wide for me! i’ve NEVER had that happen before! go try them!!!
I have also shopped on WideWidths.com with great success. I just got a pair of Sphere riding boots from them and it was the first time in my life that I ever found a pair of boots to fit my huge legs. I have 19″ calves (AND WIDE FEET TOO!) and I only wear a size 10 clothes but it has been impossible for me to find any boots before I found WideWidths.com. They are very nice to work with too!
I have larger calves too from years of figure skating when I was younger. I rarely get the boots that I want – I kind of make do with what fits and is confortable! I thikn that it is a very common problem
Long time lurker, very infrequent commenter…Im always intrigued by the wide calf boots because my best friend needs wide calf boots after 15 years of ballet (5’4″, 140 lbs, size 8 clothing, size 6 1/2 shoe). Im oddly the exact opposite…I would LOVE to know if anyone makes narrow calf boots! Im 5’2″, size 2-4 but working back to a 1-2, 112 lbs (down 16 lbs in 6 mos!) but with VERY skinny legs, VERY long, narrow feet (8 AA/AAAA heel) and a very large, hard-to-fit (natural) 34D bust. I love your blog because although we are different sizes, I feel we both struggle with fit issues…petites being too short, larger sizes that may fit one area of our body correctly being totally wrong overall, etc. 🙂
And Christine, grass is always greener… I have a friend who feels as though she looks like a lollypop because of her skinny legs – she can’t even find boots that fit or flatter!
I also have big calves and have had GREAT success with widewidths.com thanks to you! I learned about them from you on a post on wardrobe oxygen.
Yay, glad to hear success stories!!
Thanks so much Grace, those are cute and I am 19″ but I have been able to rock 18″ before. Totally bookmarking them!
I don’t know how wide your wide calves are, but I wanted to bring these to your attention: http://www.zappos.com/rsvp-rider-extra-wide-calf-black. They have an 18″ calf and were way too wide for my usually wide calves, so they might work?
Ah, I too have large calves…and actually, large legs. My mother used to tell me it was due to our sturdy peasant ancestry.
I too found that even at a size 6 or so that my legs could not fit regular boots. Often pants were too tight in the thigh, and falling down in the waist and hips.
After your review of the Bern boots, I order a pair of boots from DUO and have been thrilled with them. So, thank you!
I have vaguely committed to buying a pair a year from them, hopefully on sale, but I am looking forward to the review of your boots.
Thanks, again, Allie, for making me feel that my large calves are not a tragedy, but just another body part to be dressed. And for helping me to find out how to dress them well.
Christine
you must have been reading my mind. I just complained about trouble with boots shopping as i have wide calves too.
I walked on my toes as a kid too! I had special inserts in my shoes when I was younger (along with some stretches I was supposed to do daily) but I didn’t stick with them for long. I also didn’t think of my calves as larger than normal until I moved up north and starting buying boots. I’m looking forward to your review 🙂