My calves won’t fit in those boots (pssttt yes they will)!!!

Frye Paige Boots …. so comfortable..

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard other women say that they didn’t buy a certain pair of boots because they can’t get their calves into them! I’m going to share a little secret I learned during my college internship at the Gucci PR office in New York- cobblers are your best friends. Is there anything a cobbler can’t do? Quite frankly, no. While most girls in the major cities have their own loyal, trusted one they use often (it’s a necessity from the beating shoes take from walking everywhere), it’s some sort of oddity to suburban or country girls who may not even be aware of shoe repair services as this shoe heaven that can repair, save and make your favorite pair look absolutely new for practically pennies. (or under 20 bucks in most cases). I suggest using Yelp and finding a reputable one in your area.

Back to boots. So as an intern, when I wasn’t sipping champagne at fabulous parties and fitting Clive Owen for an award show (kidding), I was slaving the closet (the entire current and previous collection) and sending clothes and accessories to magazines, tv shows and celebrities to wear once and return.

Every boot in the collection was sent straight to the shoe repair where the calves were stretched. Now, why would we do that? After all, the only people wearing it would be size 0 models and movie stars? Well, because boot calves can be hard for even the tiniest women to squeeze into. And luxury labels tend to run even smaller. If your heart is set on a pair of boots but you can’t get into them, I suggest trying other style shoes from the same label to get a good idea of what size you will be and taking them to a cobbler after purchasing them.

Here’s the rundown:

If boots are leather lined, a cobbler can usually stretch the shafts up to 3/8 inch (1cm) in additional overall circumference (which for those who are not math-inclined, is not the same as the diameter. Boot circumference is the distance around the inside of the boot shaft).
If the boots are not lined with leather, then the boot shaft can possibly be stretched even a little more, up to about 1/2 inch (1.3cm) if the cobbler takes his time and uses specialized equipment.
If the boot shaft is made from materials other than leather, like “Dehcord” (which is the synthetic product from which the shafts of stock Dehner boots are made), then it cannot be stretched. Attempting to stretch synthetic materials causes breaks in chemical bonds that form the product — what results is cracking and visible breaks in the surface of the boot. It ruins it.

If you need the foot of the boot stretched, that is possible, too, with the right equipment. A cobbler has a device that can apply pressure from inside the boot’s foot to stretch it. The amount of stretching that a cobbler can do for a pair of all-leather boots is about one width size wider (such as from a “D” to an “E”.) However, no boot can be stretched longer, such as from a size 10 to a size 10.5.

And what is a girl to do if she doesn’t want to go that route?

http://www.endless.com has an entire section devoted towards wide-calf boots

Check it out!

http://www.endless.com/Womens-Shoes-Boots-Wide-Calf/s?node=242263011

Now if you have narrow calves, Frye Melissa is a good choice for you.