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| Home > How to Choose the Correct Boot and Calf Size |
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| How to Choose the Correct Boot and Calf Size |
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This page has very important information as to how to find the correct boot to fit you, especially if you are petite (5' 3" and under - please read below since if you are petite you will need to choose a boot style which is an inch larger than your calf size), and we ask you to please measure your calf before placing your order to reduce the likelihood or frustration of having to return your boots.
3 Calf Size Categories
Our company has three different categories of calf sizes that are custom made for us: WIDE CALF BOOTS, EXTRA WIDE CALF BOOTS and SUPER WIDE CALF BOOTS. These are ONLY appropriate to our website since ours is the only site on the internet that lists the calf size for each foot size in order to make it easier for you to choose the correct boot. Please remember that the width of the foot (the M for medium, W for wide or WW for extra wide) next to each foot size has no bearing on the calf size.
Every wide calf boot already comes manufactured with its own specific calf size and you cannot order a boot with a different calf size than the one shown for that particular style. If the style you are interested in has a smaller calf size than you need for your shoe size, you will need to choose a style in the next wider calf range. Since we have a very extensive selection of wide and extra wide calf boots, you can be sure to find a style that will come as close to your calf measurements as possible.
The calf size category is listed for each boot in it's name and description:
Wide Calf Boots - Calf sizes range from 16" for a size 6M to 18 1/4" for a size 12W. This category is the smallest of our wide calf boots and is for those of you that can "almost" fit into standard calf boots (which usually have an average 15" calf size) but they are very tight on you or they need just a bit of extra room for the zipper to close.
Extra Wide Calf Boots - Calf sizes range from 17 1/2" for a size 6M to 20" for a size 13WW.
Super Wide Calf Boots - Calf sizes range from 18" for a size 6M to 21" for a size 13WW.
Different Calf Shapes for Different Boot Shapes
One of the most important factors to take into consideration when ordering your boots is to look at the silhouettes or shapes of the boots we picture on our website. Our boots are manufactured to offer a varied selection of different calf shapes to fit different leg shapes. By carefully looking at the contours of our boots, you will be able to distinguish which shape will be a better fit for your calf.
Many of our customers, especially those of you who have never been able to find boots to fit you before, are under the impression that their boots should be a "perfect" fit. Few, if any, women have a "perfect" fit in a boot. If you look at stars on TV, women wearing boots in the streets (yes, even those in "standard" calf boots!), pictures in catalogs and even at models wearing boots, you will notice that these boots do not fit anyone perfectly and wrinkles and gaps are commonplace and completely normal. If you feel that you want a leather boot that will be a "perfect" fit, the only option you will have is to have a pair custom made for you. This extremely expensive and a very hard-to-find option and you might want to consider having a pair of our boots altered once you receive them if you feel they are too full or tight for you anywhere along the shaft.
Please keep in mind that only a stretch boot can fit close against the ankles because they conform to any calf shape since they are unstructured. Most riding boots almost always have straight silhouettes and the ankle therefore cannot be fitted whereas a boot with a dressier look to it (and most always one on a heel) has a more tapered shape. All boots are made to fit many different calf shapes and may not necessarily be fitted enough for each person's concept of how they should look on them. Please remember that ideally, all boots should have extra room in the ankles in order to allow room for movement when walking and wrinkles and gaps at the ankle of your boot are totally normal.
Boots that have a more uniform shaft or stretch boots should fit almost every leg shape, including those of you who have larger ankles or mid-calves and whose calf outline is more uniform and straight up-and-down. These styles should also fit those of you who have problems getting zippers on "standard" boots past your ankles or mid-calf. All of the boots with straight silhouettes to them and all of the low heeled riding boot styles are meant to have a fuller fit in the lower shaft. Low heeled boots - even in "standard" calf sizes - are not manufactured with smaller ankles.
Any boots that have more tapered and fitted shafts from the ankle through the mid-calf are noted and should fit ONLY those of you that have smaller ankles and mid-calves and those of you who do not have any problems zipping "standard" boots past the middle of the boot.
Since boots are manufactured to fit many different ankle and lower calf sizes, the ankles on ALL of these styles may not fit as tightly against you as you may want unless you have your boots custom made. Please remember that all boots must have extra room in the ankles in order to allow room for movement when walking. If you are interested in a tighter fit in this area, you may want to consider one of our non-structured stretch boots or to have your boots altered by a shoemaker as we mentioned above.
For our petite customers - 5'3" or under (160cm):
We recommend that you choose a calf size differently than a taller person since boots are not made in petite sizes and they simply do not fit the same way on someone that is 5 1/2 - 6 feet tall as on someone that is shorter. It is the same concept as the fit on ladies clothes that are not made in petite sizes. Please measure the circumference of your calf at its widest point instead of at the top of the shaft (at 14" - 15") and order a style that is at least one inch larger than your measurement because if you are petite, your calf begins to get wider at a lower point in the boot than on someone who is taller. This recommendation is based on our retail store observations from 1988 - 2006 and feedback from tens of thousands of customers since we began to sell wide calf boots onlne in 2001. It is accurate 95% of the time.
Foot Widths
Our boots come in foot widths ranging from mediums (M) to extra wides (WW). The letters next to the shoe size refer to the width of the foot NOT the calf:
M = Medium (regular) width foot
W = Wide width foot
WW = Extra wide width foot
For those of you with athletic calves:
At WideWidths.com we realize that many women who run, ride bikes, dance, etc. have well developed athletic calf muscles that make it hard to find a boot to fit them. Our entire line of plus-calf boots are geared to all of you who do not fit into a "standard" boot and who need boots for athletic calves. All of our knee high wide calf boots can accommodate athletic calves and we ask that you follow the measuring instructions on this page in order to choose a pair of boots that will fit you perfectly.
The majority of our wide calf boots have a 14" - 15" high shaft and the heights are listed in each description. This refers to the height of the boot from the base of your bare foot (NOT including any heels) to the top of the boot. Using a tape measure, please measure the circumference of your calf 14" - 15" up from the base of your foot to find your correct calf size. If there is a portion of your calf that is wider than that measurement, then please order using the larger of the 2 measurements. Since we have a very extensive selection of wide calf boots and extra wide calf boots to choose from, measuring your calf will reduce the likelihood or frustration of your having to return your purchase.
If, after measuring your calf, you find that your size falls between two different categories (e.g., Extra Wide Calf Boots or Super Wide Calf Boots), you have two options: you can order the smaller calf style if you need only 1” more in size and then have them stretched on a boot stretcher (or have the elastic gore enlarged by a shoemaker) OR you can order the next category and have them taken in at the seam by a shoemaker. Either of these choices will customize the boot to your specific calf measurements.
If your calf is larger than any of the ones shown on our website there are no boots at all made anywhere with wider calves than we carry unless they are custom made for you and that option is very expensive (at least $800). The majority of our wide calf boots are manufactured for us with an elastic gore near the zippers. A shoemaker can alter them for you by making the elastic gores larger or even adding more leather to the seams. Since our boots already have some of the widest calf sizes on the market to begin with (in calf sizes more than 4" larger than other boots), you don't need to add 6-7 inches of extra leather to a 15" calf boot. This is a very simple and inexpensive procedure and our customers have been doing this for many years.
Loose Fitting Ankles
Boots should always be a bit loose around the ankles and no boots should fit tightly against them. In order for the boots to fit you comfortably when you walk, you need extra space in them to move freely. If you feel the boot material against your ankle they will dig into your ankles and they will hurt when you walk in them. The ankles on "standard" calf boots are also loose on women who wear those sizes.
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