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.