These are beautiful boots, and very well constructed. The leather is a good quality, but while heavy-duty not too stiff thru the nice, trim ankle. I love the zipper at the back. But: holy Mary mother of God! They simply do not leave any room for a normal heel. They fit my foot perfectly. They fit my ankle perfectly. But to zip them up over, literally, the very back of my heel? I had to enlist my husband's help; then I oiled the zipper; then I finally got them up . . .  . .And thought, "Gee. So I need the help of a husband -- or valet?!? -- to get these suckers zipped up?" Because I love the look, and I'd been craving them for weeks, I wore them. . . . And, yes, got killer, killer heel blisters. Since it pinches right along the zipper line, I can't see how they will ever stretch out. So now -- because I wore them all day -- I am kind of stuck with a gorgeous pair of boots that I don't think will fit the average human foot. Bwah! I could cry! I read someone else's similar review on Zappo's before buying these, and kinda wish I'd heeded the warning.