I got a great deal on these boots and was excited to get them. I've been looking for the perfect cognac- or whiskey-colored riding boot for some time now, and this seemed to fit the bill. As the previous reviewer stated, the leather on these is polished, lending a more stiff but refined and dressy look to them. Everything about these boots was great--until it came time to put them on. I typically wear a 7.5 (medium) across most shoes (boots, sneakers, flats, and heels)and don't usually experience serious fit problems. These boots ran the tiniest bit small for 7.5--I got my (un-socked and un-stockinged) feet into and out of them pretty easily, but they were snug and felt like they might become uncomfortable and/or begin to rub after a few hours of wear or walking. Additionally, because of the stiffer finish of the leather, I got the impression they wouldn't easily stretch with wear.

Now, here was my biggest problem: once I got the boots on, I couldn't zip up the shaft completely. I made it to the top portion of my calf (about 3 inches below my knee) and the zipper would go no further. I absolutely could not get the sides of the boot to meet enough to permit the zipper to continue moving up. Beyond that, the top portions of the boot around my knee were so far apart that making them meet to zip the boot all the way up was a practical impossibility. While I do have calves that lean to the more athletic side, I don't consider them to be particularly large or muscular and have never had to shop for boots with an extended/wide calf. Additionally, I have another pair of OTK Nine West boots from a few years back that pull completely on with ease. Frustrated and disappointed at this point, I whipped out my tape measure just to make sure I wasn't crazy. PROBLEM SOLVED: my calves (at their fullest point) measure a solid 15 inches while the shaft of this boot (around the fullest part of the calf area) measures 14 inches. Not sure if this means I have thicker calves or these boots are just cut more narrowly, but it was a mathematical certainty that they wouldn't fit me.

Although I wanted to love these boots, they simply don't fit me and will be going back. I also thought this review/info would be a good heads-up for others who are contemplating purchasing them but are unsure of the fit/measurements, as Amazon's description doesn't provide measurements of any sort. Before purchasing, I did look this boot up on another sale site to see measurements/fit, and the measurements provided there are way off (shaft circumference is listed as 16.25 inches--not sure what portion of the shaft was measured). Additionally, the video of the model on that site shows her calves practically swimming in these boots. It could be that she was wearing a much larger size, but it was still a bit deceptive. After getting these boots and realizing they would not fit, I checked the Nine West site and found them there (I don't know how I missed it before purchasing from here). The shaft circumference listed there was the same as the measurement I obtained: 14 inches.