When Resignation Reigns

I’m not going to lie—I’m particular about things. I was a picky child, and I’m a picky adult. I have very specific ideas of what I want in clothing and shoes. My hunt for knee-high boots has been a two-year string of disappointments because I’m picky. I just can’t help it; if I’m willing to spend money on something, I want it to be right. I want my boots to be:

• Versatile (capable of dressing up or down, whether I’m wearing a skirt or jeans)
• Good quality (made of a nice leather that’s not too rough)
• Comfortable (it can have a heel or wedge, but not too tall)
• Fit (they should fit comfortably snug around my legs)
• Price (I have a price range that I want to keep within)

This really limits what I’m looking for at a store. No riding boots because they’re too casual. No stiletto heels because I need to be able to walk more than two blocks in them. No large bands of elastic that I find so ugly. [Pause.] Let’s just say there’s a lot of things I don’t want. [Sigh.]

Not long ago I bemoaned about big boots and my inability to find a pair that I not only liked but also fit me properly. Recently, I once again found a pair of boots online that looked promising so I went to the store to try them on. I found the boots on display and the leather felt pretty nice and I liked the style of the boot so my hopes were high. However, when I tried them on, while comfortable, they were once again too large around my legs. I was so very disappointed (especially since my beloved old boots and these new boots were the same brand, yet the fit was so vastly different).

After I relayed my disappointment about the fit, the salesperson mentioned that I might consider getting them altered and I told her I’d think about it and left the store. I continued to shop, though mostly my mind was on her suggestion of alterations. I didn’t really want to take that extra step and expense of getting a pair of boots altered, and yet, it seemed my options were limited. The shift in boot size appears to be pervasive; it seems as though the average customer shoe companies have in mind for their boots is not someone like me, and there was little I could do to remedy the situation.

Finally, I decided to just buy the boots and get them altered. I came to the conclusion that the chances of me finding a pair of boots that I loved and fit me were practically non-existent. I’d be waiting forever…and I just couldn’t wait that long. I was so tired of looking for the perfect pair of boots. I just wanted a pair of boots for the winter that would take the place of my beloved no longer waterproof boots. So I just had to suck it up and get these new boots altered.