.disclaimer{width:90%;margin-bottom:1rem}.disclaimer__lines{width:100%;margin:0 auto;border-bottom:1px solid #999;padding:0;max-width:150px}.disclaimer__copy{width:100%;max-width:355px;font-family:Brown Regular,sans-serif;font-size:.9rem;font-weight:300;line-height:1.3em;color:#333;padding:0 0 .4rem;margin:1rem auto;text-align:center}
All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in all my years as a plus-size influencer, it’s that all wide-calf boots are not created equal.
I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve been disappointed thinking I finally found a cute pair of boots, only to discover that the purported “wide calf” was an inch or so larger than the standard calf circumference (which is already too small for many shoppers). As someone with 18.5-inch calves, I’m often left with the few boots that actually fit, many of which are outdated, borderline ugly, and, for some reason, always seem to be made of the most unnatural-looking, plasticky fake leather. I don’t want to have to settle, so I’m constantly on the lookout for new options that are wide calf in more than name only.
So, when my influencer friend Gia Sinatra reached out to let me know she was working with a major shoe label to help it develop its wide-calf line, I was instantly intrigued. Gia has great taste (her sexy, trend-forward plus-size fashion label Gia IRL is one of my favorites), so her involvement gave me hope that the new assortment would be comparably cute.
Sinatra consulted with Dolce Vita to expand its wide-calf offering, which was first introduced in August 2023. The standard “wide fit” assortment was designed to fit calf widths from 16 to 19 inches — a range that, while serving many new customers, still ultimately left others out. Dolce Vita acknowledged this, and vowed to expand: It hosted numerous fit testing sessions in its NYC office for the new-and-improved extra-wide range for 18-to-21.2-inch calves.
I attendws a few to see what the styles were looking like. And, from the first pair I tried on, I was impressed. Dolce Vita has built a reputation for great leather and suede boots at an attainable price point, and I was happy to see those materials carry over to its extended sizing.
The first drop focuses on some of Dolce Vita’s best-selling boots, including a sleek mid-heeled western style, a pointy-toe kitten-heeled one, and a water-resistant chunky low-heel silhouette perfect for every day. Since I’d already tried on some of the final samples at the brand’s last fit event in April, I was optimistic about the calves fitting me, but I still needed to wear-test them to confirm how they’d hold up to day-to-day life.
I generally walk a lot— typically about 12,500 steps in a day, or just over 5 miles — so I really put them to the test. I tried the Auggie in Black Leather, the Raj in Dark Brown Suede, and the Ryatt in Silver Distressed Leather in my usual shoe size. My thoughts …read more
Source:: Refinery29
