Booties

Let me tell you a story. At the tender age of 13 (back in the days when my parents were still buying my clothes) a Faith shoes outlet store opened near my home town. All the cool girls had shoes from Shelly's or Faith. Clarks was for losers and that's where my mum made me buy my shoes! By the time I was in comprehensive school I could pursued my folks to buy me cool shoes because they were cheap and cheerful. On one of our trips to the outlet village I found some black leather boots with thick rubber soles and low, chunky curved silver heels. I don't think I've ever loved footwear the way I loved those boots, but they betrayed me. The bottom of the heel kept falling off. Nothing could get them to stay on.... not pins, not superglue, nothing. So they were exchanged.  Then it happened again. Exchanged.  Happened again.  My dad was quite rightly sick of my boots by that point and they were returned for a refund and I never saw them again. I never got over it, I've thought about those boots on and off ever since! All I wanted in life was a pair of comfy leather boots with metallic heels!

20 years later....

 

I was having a browse on the Taking Shape website recently, when i saw something that made my heart skip a beat..... some boots with metallic heels. Not in itself an unusual product but when I expand on what they actually are you might understand my excitement; they're black leather ankle boots that are wide on the foot, large around the ankle and the metallic heel was an entirely sensible height in a Cuban block shape. Proper plus size boots in other words!

I had to have them. 

They're not cheap at £99, but neither am I when it comes to something that excites me this much. I waited for a discount code and ordered them in a size 7, keeping my fingers crossed that their sizing was accurate.....

Oh wow these are lovely boots. Perfect sizing, soft and supple leather, totally comfortable heel height and extremely well padded on the inside. I think these are going to become my favorite boots in no time!

It's hard to photograph the heel. It's like a pewter colour and it's very shiny and reflective, but not so bright that they're too flashy. Love love love!

They have a good rubbery sole with decent grips. I'm glad of this because as much as I love my Asos black shoes boots, they're a bit dodgy in the rain! Hopefully these will keep me upright!

The boots themselves are really lovely and curvy. They have a sculptural feel about them and do up with a flap that wraps across the foot. It adheres with a posh version of velcro! the back of the boot has an elasticated section for extra comfort and to allow for a larger ankle. 

These are the perfect smart boots for girls like me with wide feet and big ankles. They would fit bigger ankles than mine easily even when completely done up, but the wrap front means you could just wear them looser if you have very big ankles. These are such quality boots, totally worth the price tag and I thoroughly recommend them. Using the website was easy, the delivery was quick and efficient and everything was very well packaged. I've bought from the Taking Shape Kingston store, and the company have very kindly sent me items to review in the past, but this was the first time I have ordered from them online. I'm so impressed with the service!

I'll have to keep a closer eye on the Taking Shape footwear section from now on!

Get on my feet

I've gone totally over the top with the old shoes & boots recently! The surprising thing is that most of them are from places I wouldn't have thought would do good footwear, or places that I normally don't fit, but anyhow, here they all are!

First up, I wanted a black version of my little tan shoe boots, and I've been keeping my eyes peeled. I was chuffed to find these in the asos sale. I ordered the size 8 because I find the sizing of Asos shoes to be insanely small and narrow, so my 6.5 wide feet tend not to fit them.

These are quite a good fit as it goes, and they look lovely on! They're faux leather but feel sturdy enough to last, the only thing I'm keen on is how high up on my heel the back comes up, it rubs.... not too badly, but enough to be a bit annoying! I didn't get blisters, just a bit or soreness! The soles are really quite comfy though, so that's a bonus!

I've been looking at these shoes for ages. I thought they looked like a sensible heel for me (i.e, not very high and quite sturdy!) so again, I ordered the size 8, and I kinda love them. 

I am sure they will hurt my feet because all shoes that cut across the foot liek these rub my freaky wide feet like crazy, but I wanted them, so I kept them (not sensible!).

 On to Yours Clothings boots! I have to admit to being quite impressed with what I got. These cute little boots were £8, and they've come at a good time since my black boots from Primark have split up with their soles! Totally synthetic so won't last forever, but they feel quite sturdy.

These are wide fit, size 7 (my normal size in boots) and they're pretty comfy. Quite tight on the ankle, but that keeps them in place so it's all good!

These cowboy boots were a surprise to me, mainly because there is some room on my calf! Don't think that's ever happened before with tall boots! These are the XXL width. Before I go any further, for those of you who don't remember my previous post on boots (here) my calf measurements are over 21 inches, and I can pretty much only get tall boots that fit me from Simply Be... most Evans boots don't fit my enormous legs, so these are exciting!

Pro's - Great thick real leather for £20 is a mega bargain, the colour is lovely and the calf is generous. Cons - no grips on the sole so I had to take some scissors to them to scratch them up before I wore them home (would have broken my neck otherwise!) and although these are supposed to be EEE fit they still seem quite narrow. I'm okay in the size 7 but my left foot (my bigger-than-the-other-one foot!) is noticeably more pinched than the right. they're also quite slippery inside, so I will have to put a liner in there - I do that with nearly all my boots anyway to make them more comfy!

Guys I cannot tell you how chuffed I am with these boots..... they are real leather, tall and they only cost £31.20! This is the XXL calf size, and they fit me like a glove!

They're quite tight on the legs, but in a good way that means they shouldn't slip down all the time and will be comfortable to walk in... the soles are better on these and have a bit of grip, plus the elastic at the back make them rather comfy. These are a size 7 and fit me well, but again, they don't feel like an EEE fit in terms of width..... maybe its just the shape of the shoe? Anyway, I'm really happy with these and that's great news because they have a similar pair in black, which finally gives me an alternative to the Simply Be black boots I've wanted, which are faux leather and never in stock! Fingers crossed for a sale on those one day!

I was very naughty and am still feeling rather guilty about buying these Tracey Neuls shoes. Not because I don't like them, but spending £100 on a pair of shoes is not like me at all! I got over excited, but hey, I do love them!

 Finally, this is the dress I nabbed in the 99p sale from Yours. It's definitely too short for me to wear as dress (and too tight on the belly!) but it's still kind of cute.

I think I will use it as a top under some of my skirts!

These boots were made for thin girls...

I find it hard to believe that I have bigger calves than all other fat women..... It has been years since I found a pair of boots that fit my legs, which I find odd considering that I generally try the boots from Evans, who go up to super plus sizes in clothing. Apparently not in boots though.

Maybe my legs are unusually big? They're just over 20 inches in circumference at their largest point. When I was younger I just wore loads of slouch boots because I could wear them without pulling them up - I had a pair of brown suede cowboy boots from Evans that I adored....

Remember these? God I loved mine... I only sold them because they were a bit too high for me, but in reality they were too small for my legs. If I could have pulled them up properly they would have looked amazing!

Anyway anyway anyway.....reminiscing aside, it's getting colder and I want some sturdy smart looking boots, but I don't want to spend £100+ on them, so it made sense to start in a shop that I can actually try them on in. Off to Evans Marble Arch! All are size 6EEE, all fit my foot well - FYI I wear a 6.5 in Ecco & clarks wide fit, and a 7 in pretty much all other shops that don't cater to wide feet!

These are the first pair I tried, real leather, good grips. £95. Lovely style, very smart but practical.

Sorry for the crap pic! These have a large elasticated section up the leg. I undid the buckles as I assumed I need the widest stretch possible....

..... nope! Now Elastic is all very well and good, but if it's as firm at the stuff on these boots then it can only give a minimal stretch. I'm a strong woman, but I couldn't do these up and you can see the strain on the leather and zip already! Basically these boots would be great for women with regular size legs who may want to wear them over jeans on occasion. I reckon you could only get an inch or two extra on the calves from this super tough elastic. Gutted!

 I sort of knew what was going to happen with the next pair & I felt bad for the lady I had sent off to get my 6EEE pair! These are faux leather and cost £65.

These are nice looking boots.

Same problem. I was nowhere near getting these done up over my (freakishly large?!) legs. I am in Evans right? The shop for big fatties like me? Don't other fat women have legs like mine? I wish they had a range of calf widths as well as a range of foot widths :(

 

The last pair I tried are not really my style, but the previous boots had put the nail in the coffin of the firm and structured boots.... I knew none of the ones I was interested in would fit me, so I decided to try and find some that would at least do up so I could show you a decent range! These are faux leather, soft legs (i.e they don't stand up of their own accord, they're floppy!) and cost £55.

Ah-ha! On the largest setting, these fit! I was really surprised by how comfortable the sole of these boots felt, I often find that (despite the prices) Evans shoes and boots are a bit lumpy and uncomfortable on the sole - I think it's because I have very short toes and my instep is in an odd position - but these have lovely padded soles.

Zipped allllll the way up! I totally recommend these boots to girls with calves as big as mine, but for my oddly shaped feet they're a bit uncomfortable. Another regular problem I have with Evans shoes is that they tend to be really tall on the foot (does that make sense?!) and my feet feel like they're slapping around in there a bit! My feet are wide and square, but not particularly deep - my instep isn't super high, so these feel loose on the foot, but rub a bit on the toes because of the way they taper. Stupid toes of mine!

I don't think Evans is going to solve my problems. Toni Recommended Simply Be, so that will be my next port of call. Sadly there aren't any Simply Be stores in London (why?!) so I can't try a batch on. I'll guess that I'm a 6EEE there too.

I was SO excited when I looked at the boots on the Simply be site, but actually, after measuring my legs and realising that I would need 'curvy plus' to fit my calves, but would probably go for 'extra curvy plus so that they would fit over my jeans, I was sad to see that there are only a handful of boots that go that wide. What I wouldn't give for a pair of the fringed ones above :(

 I wasn't at all disappointed with the size guide though - this was so informative and easy to use!

 Lets look on the bright side of life shall we?! There are 3 pairs I like that are available in the 'your a monster' size (or extra curvy plus, as Simply Be very kindly call it!), the first of which are these rather smart faux leather black boots, costing £55. These would be a good choice, and I think they would look good with everything.

 These are cool boots. Faux leather again, £59. More edgy and funky then the pair above, but in a way it makes them less smart. I really really want these boots. I would totally rock out in them! But, I'm concerned that they would dress down all of my smarter work clothes, and to be on the safe side I think it might be better to go for a more straight forward style!

I think these boots might be the ones for me! Real leather, which lets face it - on someone who walks as clumsily as me - is a much more sensible option! Not at all bad for £85. I think the riding style of boot would be more versatile with my rather versatile wardrobe! I can't really justify spending £85 right now, but I might go for it on pay day and cross my fingers that they will be the perfect fit!

I'm mulling it over and will get back to you when I decide to put my money where my mouth is!