For some women, a good pair of knee-high boots is a necessity. A good pair of boots takes care of business when shoes just won’t do. The tricky part is making sure knee-high boots fit well. It’s tricky because few women fit perfectly into standard chart sizes.
Illustrating the point is Journee’s selection of wide-calf boots. The selection includes knee-higher styles with wider calves designed to accommodate women whose calves measure 14.5-19 inches in circumference. Journee even offers detailed instructions and a video explaining how to measure your calves for the perfect fit.
I did some digging and discovered that it’s not just the calves that count. Ankle measurements are important too. Pairing the right shoe size with accurate ankle and calf measurements ensures the best possible fit when a woman is purchasing knee-high boots.
How to Measure the Calf
Let’s start by talking about how to measure the calf. If you were in the market for wide-calf boots, you would have to know how to do this in order to select the right pair. All you need is a flexible tape measure and a few minutes of your time. The process is fairly straightforward:
- Stand with feet flat and legs slightly apart. If you need to sit, make sure your knees are bent at 90 degrees.
- Locate the widest part of your calf. This is usually midway between the ankle and knee.
- Wrap the tape measure around your calf entirely. Where the open end meets the tape measure is your measurement in inches.
It’s important that you do not wrap the tape measure tightly around your calf. It should be snug, just like a new pair of boots, but not tight enough to make you uncomfortable. You want your new boots to fit comfortably. You don’t want them to cut off circulation.
A Few More Tips
Journee has a few more calf measurement tips for women looking to purchase knee-high boots. First, measure both calves. If your measurements differ, use the larger one to size new boots. Also:
- Take your measurement in the evening. Your calves will measure larger.
- Don’t measure your calves over bulky clothing.
- When measuring, wear the socks or tights you plan to wear with your new boots.
If your tape measure supports both imperial and metric measurements, you may want to record both. They are online brands that only post measurements in metric. Having both numbers can only help you during the shopping experience.
How to Measure the Ankle
Measuring the ankle is not something everyone recommends. But if it will help ensure a better fit, why not do it? It’s not hard.
- Using the same flexible tape measure, wrap it around your ankle at the narrowest point.
- Keep the measuring tape snug but still comfortable.
- Wear the same pair of socks or tights as you did for the calf measurement.
Just as with the calf measurement, where the open end meets the rest of the tape measure is where you will get your number from. Now you have ankle and calf measurements, you can compare them to the size chart when you’re ready to shop. If your numbers are in between two sizes on the chart, choose the larger one. It’s always better to be a little too big than too small.
Whether you’re looking for standard knee-high boots or their wide-calf counterparts, don’t leave sizing to chance. Measuring your calves and ankles is simple, easy, and fast. With a small investment of time, you can ensure the best fit when your new boots finally arrive.
