Tag boots

A Shoe Company To Avoid

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Although I am very careful to research a company from which I have never ordered previously, I can still get snagged by a less than reputable business. This post details the horrible experience I had with a custom shoemaker, Girotti, and why it should be avoided. I had read some halfway decent reviews about the establishment, and because I was keenly interested in a certain color and boot style, I decided to take a chance and order from them.

The other appealing characteristic about this shoe house was that it was based in Milan, Italy, and exclusively sold custom, handmade shoes. Since Italy is known for its fine shoemaking and leather crafts, I figured I would be safe ordering from Girotti. I placed the order for a pair of custom over-the-knee suede boots and hoped for the best. When I emailed them regarding a question I had about the order, it took an entire week for someone to respond.

I received the boots on December 16th (over a month after I had placed my order), and was immediately annoyed by the fact that they had placed the boot box inside a soft, plastic mailer, and had also adhered part of the mailer to the side of the box. The box was partially crushed, and there was no way to separate the mailer from the box without lifting off part of the black coating on the box. Since I store the majority of my footwear in their original boxes, I was completely disgusted by how lackadaisical the company was about packing an shipping the order.

When I took the boots from the box, I noticed that there were multiple scuff marks on the suede which could not be brushed out with a suede brush. This is absolutely unacceptable for a brand-new pair of handmade boots. Then I attempted to try them on, but was unable to because the zipper on the right boot DID NOT BUDGE from one spot at the ankle area. Consequently, I was unable to try on both boots, and when I slipped the left boot onto my foot, it was extremely uncomfortable, despite the fact that the size of the boots was a full size LARGER than my shoe size.

I contacted the company in numerous ways beginning on December 16th (straight email, contact form on their website, return request on their website, and phone call), only to be COMPLETELY ignored by them. By New Year’s Eve, I had filed a dispute with my credit card company, and also took WD-40 and carefully applied it to the broken zipper in an effort to salvage the boots. The WD-40 lubricated the teeth on the zipper enough for me to zip the boot up and down, but not without a struggle each time. It feels like the teeth are about to break on the zipper, a fact which I find completely unacceptable for a pair of boots I spent $240 on.

Girotti had the nerve to send me a generic email asking me to post a review, so I did, giving them a scathing rating. I also sent another email informing them that I had a credit card dispute against them. I received an email from someone on January 2nd, asking me to send a video showing the zipper issue. I sent a detailed video, only to be completely ignored once again. I honestly doubt that the boots they sent will be replaced by a pair which exhibits workmanship which is befitting that of a respectable Italian shoemaker.

DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY!

Boot Crazy

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Jeffrey Campbell Embellished Boot

I’ve loved boots as far back as I can remember, and eagerly anticipated obtaining my first pair, which finally happened at the age of 12 when my favorite cousin at the time gave me a pair of knee high boots for my birthday. They were made of buttery soft leather, were a warm camel in color, and they made me feel like the sassiest 12 year old on the planet. I managed to beat those boots up because I wore them so much.

Once I hit my 30’s, I developed a fixation on over the knee boots, but never ended up buying a pair until I was in my early 40’s. After I purchased my first pair of over the knee boots, I was hooked, but I also still enjoyed boots of any length. At this point in my life, I have eleven pairs of over the knee boots, seven of which are black, two of which are gray, and a red pair. The boots which I wear the most frequently are low heeled black suede over the knee boots, and I continue to be tempted to wear them even though they are finally starting to show signs of wear after four years of ownership.

Jeffrey Campbell Cattle Western Boot

This year, I realized that I hadn’t purchased any boots in four years, so I purchased a very distinctive pair of knee high boots, and shortly afterwards, I received a second pair of knee high boots as a gift. Both pairs of boots were designed by Jeffrey Campbell, are incredibly well made, and are very comfortable. Two pairs of new boots are enough to satisfy my boot cravings for a while.

Which Chrissy’s Socks Am I Wearing?

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Thigh high boots are part of my signature style…so are thigh high socks!

My friends know that I am obsessed with thigh high boots, but they might not know how much I enjoy wearing different thigh high socks underneath my boots. There is a wild streak in me that gravitates towards fun designs like the ones that Chrissy’s Socks offers, and the best part is that it’s my way of having fun with my personal style. When I’m home, I really enjoy walking around the house in leggings and fun knee high or thigh high socks.

Can you guess which pair of Chrissy’s Socks I might be wearing here?

Which style of Chrissy’s Socks am I wearing here?

Here are the thigh high sock styles which Chrissy’s Socks offers:

https://www.kneehighsocks.org/products/Thigh-High.html#.XLE8gPZFzVI

A great pair of socks will stay in place, feel great against the skin, and with thigh high boots, help to keep the boots in place so that they don’t slouch or bunch up. Chrissy’s Socks deliver on all counts!

Check out all of their amazing styles by accessing this link:
https://www.kneehighsocks.org

Women And Their Shoes

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shoes1

I recently stumbled upon an article written by John Chung entitled, “How Many Shoes Does the Average Woman Own?” and found it relatively perceptive, despite the fact that it was written by a man. In the article, John mentioned a study by Glamour Magazine which stated that a woman will purchase about 470 pairs of shoes throughout her adult life.

The study also determined that the average woman owns about 19 pairs of shoes at any given time. When I read that, I giggled. I don’t know many women who have only 19 pairs of shoes! Just counting my athletic footwear, I have 14 pairs! After reading that article, I became curious about how many pairs of shoes I actually had. I counted up every single pair I had, including house flip flops, and my back-up flip flops in the car, and I was stunned. The total came to…

132.

Holy hotel!

I will say that my collection is very neatly organized, so neatly that I didn’t even realize I had that many pairs.

34 pairs of shoes are in this cabinet. And yes, I have photos of each pair of shoes on the face of most of the boxes to make them easily identifiable.

34 pairs of shoes are in this cabinet. And yes, I have photos of each pair of shoes on the face of most of the boxes to make them easily identifiable.

There are 43 pairs in this cabinet...

There are 43 pairs in this cabinet…

These are all boots, mid-calf to over the knee

These are all boots, mid-calf to over the knee

Most of my athletic shoes, flip flops, kitten heels and Ugg-type boots are in these cabinets. I have a few random pairs in another cabinet across from these.

Most of my athletic shoes, flip flops, kitten heels and Ugg-type boots are in these cabinets. I have a few random pairs in another cabinet across from these.