Naturalizer Women's Joan Wide Calf Riding Boots - Comfortable & Stylish Knee-High Boots for Wide Calves | Perfect for Fall, Winter & Casual Outfits

Due to back issues my body has become much more picky about what I walk around in. Heels were the first thing to go. So began my quest for low heeled, comfortable footwear that didn't sacrifice fashion. In 2014 I bought my first pairs of Naturalizer riding style boots in the Johanna and Macnair models. I didn't need new boots this year, but when I saw the gorgeous wine color in the Joan I clicked the BUY IT NOW button. The wine color is a lovely deep burgundy. They are absolutely fabulous and I'm thrilled to have found them. I'll compare the three models of Naturalizer boots I own in case, like I was, you're on the fence about which to buy.FIT: I have a narrow to medium foot and usually wear a 9 to 9.5 in shoes. The 9.5 Medium is perfect for me in all three styles, fitting snugly with no heel slippage.SOLES:The Macnair has a slightly chunkier (and more shock absorbing) sole and heel. It feels a bit more clunky than the other two styles, but is entirely worth it. The Johanna and Joan sport a sleeker sole and slightly shorter heel, though you sacrifice some comfort as they are less shock absorbing. You'll feel more of the ground under you with the Johanna and Joan.CALVES: I would say all of Naturalizer's Wide Calf boots are on the smaller end of the wide calf universe, which is exactly what I love about them! All three styles have goring panels for added comfort and stretch. The Johanna fits snuggly on my athletic 17 inch calves, but they stretch to fit over leggings and skinny jeans. Of the three styles the Joan definitely sports the widest shaft. I can fit my hand inside the boot with no problem and it visibly gaps at the top--not sure how I feel about that yet. The Johanna and Macnair show bunching around the ankles (doesn't bother me but some reviewers don't care for it). The Joan has NO bunching around the ankles! The closer closer fitting calf of the Johanna is still my favorite fit.BOOT HEIGHT: I'm 5'5. All three styles come to about an inch beneath my knee.FOOTBED: Same on all three styles. Needs improvement. Not very soft. My wish for these boots is an improved cushioning system. That would make them perfect. For those of you who use orthotics, you cannot remove the footbed. You cannot fit any type of insert into them. I must wear thin socks as the foot is not roomy enough to accommodate heavy ones. None of this would bother me if the cushioning system were more comfortable.LEATHER: The quality is a very acceptable mid grade, and what I would expect for the price found here on Amazon. I would NOT pay full retail price for them. I love the new leather smell when I first take them out of the box! My brown MacNairs have the most supple leather of the three (though it's a bit shiny) and were comfortable right out of the box. The Joan and Johanna are stiffer over the toes and required some breaking in. I've worn my first pair of black Johanna's regularly for two seasons. They fit like a glove and the leather still looks amazing.OVERALL COMFORT: Good. I've tried boots that cost between $300-$500 dollars that were less comfortable. I can't walk all day around Disney or on a European vacation in these (I wear Born for that, or my ever-so-comfy ASIC's Gel Kayano 20's). I don't believe they'd be comfortable standing for hours at a time on a job. For me they're a light duty boot (for dinner and a movie or a job where you're not on your feet all day). I volunteer as a docent at a historic home in my city. I work a 3.5 hour shift. I'm on my feet for about an hour each tour, about a 15-20 minute break between groups, with usually no more than two groups per shift (maybe three in the spring or fall). They are comfortable enough for that. These are fashion boots. They are not intended for use in the snow or rain. I live in a southeastern subtropical climate with warmer winters for which they are perfect. I usually have to wait until later November to wear my pretty boots. Once the temperatures dip down to 70 I wear them almost daily.QUALITY CONTROL: Not so great. I've purchased multiple pairs of each style/color because I don't want to have to shop around for new boots any time soon. I've had to return a few pairs due to manufacturers defects. In one pair the footbed didn't go all the way to the edge of the boot, leaving an uncomfortable empty gap that bothered the side of my foot. One pair had a faulty zipper. Yet another had a defect in the leather. Be certain to try on every pair you buy, even if they're exactly alike.If you've been searching for the perfect boots I hope this will help!Edited 10/6/17: I still love these boots...However, for the price I paid and the quality I expect from Naturalizer, I would expect these to last longer. They are still in fairly good condition, with being worn probably 4 days a week, but the heal on one of the boots started to separate after about two months of wear. I am going to try to get them fixed at a local shoe repair store, but really, after only wearing them for a couple of months it seems absurd that I've got to get them repaired...well, just the one boot, but still. And where I live boot season is only about two months of the year, so my boots usually last a very long time.OK, so I pretty much never write reviews, but after reading all the reviews on here about this boot before buying, and still being unsure if they would work, I wanted to let you know that they are truly amazing! I have searched high and low for a good quality, comfortable wide calf boot that is actually made to fit wide calves. My calves are 17" at their widest, and these fit with a slight amount of room to spare while wearing my skinny jeans. There's even enough room to wear boot cuffs! I usually wear a 9 (M-regular width), but had read that they run a little small so I ordered the 9.5 and it fits great. A good amount of room in the foot so my toes aren't crunched. Some others have mentioned that they have thin soles, which is true. I was hoping for a more cushioned feel from Naturalizer, but I walked around for several hours in these and they didn't hurt my feet at all, and I've got pretty severe plantar fasciitis. The first day I wore them was to our small town Christmas parade, where I ran into a co-worker and fellow wide-calfer (wider than mine actually). She also wears a size 9. She loved the look of them so much and was asking all about them so I let her try them on, right there in the middle of the sidewalk! :) She is now going to order some as well! Speaking of the look of them, they look beautiful! I ordered them in Banana Bread. I've gotten nothing but compliments on them. I ordered mine on Cyber Monday and got a steep discount. I would like to order the Black as well, but they are out in my size, and I'd like to find them on sale again. :) Anyway, if you are on the fence, do yourself a favor and order these boots!These shoes are beautiful, the leather is soft and supple and I loved the foot. I ordered a wide calf wide foot size and it was still pretty tight for me with socks. The calf unfortunately won't fit over bare 18 inch calves. Definitely order a wide foot too if your foot is average or wide and you want to wear these shoes with socks.It would probably fit over max 17 inch calves or smaller. If you want to wear them over jeans it's best not to order over 16.5 inch calves. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't zipping around my upper ankle so I could not even get to the calf although I could see that there was a 1 inch gap and it would have not fit. It's a pity as these shoes are lovely. They came in a giant box and looked really great out of the box, but sadly they have to go back.For a 5'6" person these boots would hit right below the knee, so the shaft is pretty tall. I would imagine they would fit nicely up to a size 16 person, and then you would have to measure your calves to determine if they would fit.The leather on these was beautiful and very nice quality. I had The cordovan/wine colored boots. The wide calf is a nice size and they are easy to get on. The height is also nice, I'm 5'11" and they were maybe 1-2 inches below my knee. I like the smaller gel, tread was just ok but this is more of a dress boot.I usually put orthotics on my shoes. These boots have a fairly small foot/toe area with room for thin socks or hose only. I returned because I couldn't stick orthotics in (footbed not substantial or removable) and with no cushioning they just didn't feel good. My toes felt pinched. I really wanted to keep them because they are beautiful, but it didn't work out.Awful boots, the gray wore off and the boots look tan coming through. Fit was perfct and they are comfortable however they did not hold up in colour. Total disappointment and with the colour wearing off, unable to wear.Mis pantorillas son muy anchas, me encantan las botas altas, pero casi nunca me cierran. Estoy encantada de haber encontrado botas que me queden bien, además están hechas en piel y con un acabado de mucha calidad, son muy lindas, las he usado casi a diario desde que las compré, definitivamente voy a comprarme otras de un color diferente.The boots are good quality for the money. They are comfortable this is my second pair. I bought the brown pair a few months ago.Love them and they fit perfectly for me! Comfortable and a nice lovely leather boot.absolutely perfect. bought a second pair in brown because they are so beautiful.