These boots are great -- warm, fine with bare feet -- the wool IS different from that in UGGs, but still very comfortable.  As with everyone else, I ordered a size down from my normal shoe size.  The only unpleasant surprise was that in a photo, the tie makes it look like you cinch up the boot as you do with the lower hipper boot.  However, it is purely decorative. The actual boot fit rather snugly on my not quite 15" calf (never thought I had big calves till I started reading boot reviews).  While I feel confident that they will stretch a bit over time, be aware that if you are athletic and have definition in your calves, these boots will be snug.