Dress: Lou & Grey at LOFT (XL) | Fleece Tights: LOFT ( similar) | Boots: Ros Hommerson | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Lipstick: Lancome in Le Carmin | Necklace: Argento Vivo | Bracelet: Rebecca Minkoff
I wore this outfit Saturday night. We went to a friend's house to celebrate his birthday. This dress is a new purchase; it's super soft and cozy; paired with fleece tights I feel like I'm in pajamas. Add heeled boots and a statement necklace and I look festive even though I'm in head to toe fleece. Especially nice on a super windy day like this one was (no that's not bedhead, that's Mother Nature giving me a tousled 'do).
Now let's get to the reason for the title of this blog post. Wearing new clothes as a fashion blogger is great - you link to the exact item, it's easy to find similar pieces in other sizes, life is grand. But say you're wearing beloved boots that are older than your child, that have been reheeled and resoled a zillion times, that were altered to fit your wide calves and short legs. And maybe your statement necklace and bracelet are over a year old and no longer made. Well, I could link to similar pieces but honestly there isn't anything similar out there on the market. So if I click similar I'll just annoy you by linking to stretch stiletto boots for skinny legs or dumpy riding boots with too many buckles.
When I bought these boots from Wide Widths almost a decade ago, I had a hard time choosing a pair from all the options. There were a lot of styles that were sleek, chic, and dressy yet fit my mondo extra wide calves. These days, it's near impossible to find wide calf boots that have a heel and not a platform (or too many buckles - what's up with all the buckles on wide calf boots?). If you find a decent silhouette, usually they're made of faux leather and not crafted to last more than a season or two. If they're stylish and well made, they're not cut for wide calves. These boots are past their prime. The elastic is shot, one zipper is broken and won't unzip, and as I mentioned above, they've been reheeled and resoled a zillion times. I used to get my wide calf boot fix from DUO, but when they became Ted & Muffy the fit changed along with the quality for price. So not only would I love to link to something similar, I'd love to buy it. Plus size fashion has improved over the past decade but it's still near impossible to find well-made, elegant boots for plus size legs. And no, a 17″ shaft instead of a 16″ shaft is NOT wide calf, thanks so much Kate Spade. So world, if you make real leather boots for a 19″ calf that are on trend styles, call me, we'll do lunch, K?
