I didn't notice this when I ordered these, but they do not have a zipper to help get your foot in and out of the boot. I was a little nervous about that when I first saw them in person but it turned out to be no problem at all for me. The calf circumference is just right for me as well, I have pretty slim calves and I have about an inch of space when I wear these with bare legs but it's not too gappy and dorky looking, it's a perfect fit when I have long pants on. Some Frye boots have a completely smooth sole making them very slippery, these ones are only smooth on the heel, the foot/toe section is grippy. The heel of this boot feels tight/stiff/narrow to me still but I'm assuming/hoping it will loosen just a bit.
Love the way these boots look. Wish they were more comfortable, but maybe needs breaking in.
Overall rating
4/ 5
runs small
runs large
runs narrow
runs wide
WhyNotRate
as described in other reviews
PostedDecember 3, 2015
I read previous reviews because I was concerned that the calf circumference wouldn't be wide enough. I see there is a wide calf version as well. My calf circumference is 15.5 inches. In breaking them in by wearing around the house, I've determined that I can only really wear these with leggings. I can fit a finger in between my calf and the boot comfortably at the calf, however, I still think pulling them on over jeans would be a challenge. These are tough to put on. I struggle to get them over the tops of my feet because they are stiff at the ankle on the tops of the foot. I'm hopeful that after breaking them in this will get easier. Absolutely need tall socks to help pull them on! I personally thought the wide calf version would be too loose and baggy around my calves, but if you plan to wear these over thicker pants and are on the verge of not fitting, you may want to go for the wide calf version.
I have two pairs of Frye Phillip Harness style boots in size 8.5. I ordered these in an 8.5 and 9 (my size in other brands) just to be safe, but sadly the sizing on this style just didn't work for me. The 8.5 was too tight and the 9.5 too loose--the footbed of this boot just felt very uncomfortable (maybe a bit too narrow for my wide foot?), which was surprising because my other Frye boots fit like gloves. The shaft height on my 5"3' frame was perfect though--the description is correct that this boot is ideal for petite customers. The calf width was also great, but I didn't find the slouchy/loose style to be very flattering on more athletic and short calves. So unfortunately, these boots went back.
