Bed Stu

Manchester II

Women's

Who would have thought that a boot could represent the renewal of a healthy body image? We all think what we want is simple, and in this case it was knee-high brown distressed boots that don't slouch. I have a pair of Frye Melissa button boots (with a 15"shaft circumference) that fit perfectly around the calf, but I don't like the way they tend to sag around the ankles, plus I was looking for something less polished looking but without looking like a motorcycle boot. I fell in love with the look of the Frye Shirley Artisan tall boots, but the specs read that the calf circumference is 14". I measured mine (never having given them much thought before), and they are 15". So then I researched boot stretching, and the consensus was that 1/2"is the maximum stretch by a professional without damaging the leather. I don't want to hate wearing beautiful expensive boots because they cut off my circulation and exacerbate my budding varicose vein. So I let go of the dream and stumbled across the Bed Stu Manchester II. Love the distressed look and the way they stay straight on the leg while being worn. I am not a criss-cross-lace-up-the-back type person, so that feature was almost a deal-breaker for me when looking at them online. However, I decided that the overall styling doesn't scream sexy pirate like what I usually associate with the criss cross lace up detail. I'm glad I was able to overlook that, as that feature is what allows the boot to accommodate different calf sizes and to be fitted enough to stand straight without slouching. (And I guess the fact that I can leave my cleavage covered while wearing them helps, too.) The color black is not truly black -- I was looking for a dark brown and I would say the black qualifies as dark brown. I ordered a half-size down as recommended in other reviews and they fit well in length. The footbed on my slightly wider foot was a little narrow at first but has accommodated the width of my foot well after a few wearings. I guess I'm mildly neurotic about body image (as most American women are, right?) so in the span of a week, my thought process plummeted and rose as follows: I want some cute boots to wear with leggings and skinny jeans. Wow, I didn't know I was fat; I guess I 'm fat. Or maybe just too old to attempt to look stylish (43). Oh these boots fit well and are really cute -- that's just the look I was going for. Hey -- I do still look pretty decent! One other item to note that I didn't see in product description. The tag with the boots reads, although we do use a sealing agent in our process, the finish will continue to distress with use and as a result the finish may rub off. The distressing may be exacerbated under hot, moist conditions. We recommend that you exercise caution in the early days of use and avoid direct contact with fabrics or other surfaces." I have not had any problems with this and have not seen it addressed in other reviews, but it's worth noting. I love these boots. Oh and did I mention that they are a lot less than the Frye boots I started out with but are great quality?

I am a hard core Frye girl, but fell in love with these boots the moment I saw them on the Free People and Sundance catalog websites. I am 5'10" and have very long legs, but these boots come up to my knees and look adorable with leggings, jeggings, dresses and skirts. So I checked Zappos because I was looking for a dark brown or black pair. I ended up with the tan lux but went to our local boot shop and purchased black heel dressing to apply to entire boot and they look absolutely awesome! I get ton of compliments every time that I wear them. The lace-up back allows you to enter easily and the half zip lets fix your socks or pull your leggings or jeans down once you put them on. I have small calfs so I love the lace adjustments. They do run one size larger. I wear an 11 but got the 10 and they fix beautifully with plenty of room for socks. I love Zappos' customer service.

These are stunning boots! It sounds weird but I loved them from the moment I opened up the box...I have a lot of quality boots in this price range and these are the first that had the intoxicating smell of real full grain leather. The leather is buttery soft and supple. They truly look like they were hand crafted by an artisan. I purchased the tan color and they are a perfect compliment to any everyday wardrobe. The lacing in the back allows you to wear them as a taught tall boot or a slouch boot. I am 6' tall and love the full shaft height - they hit about an inch below my knee. AND, on top of the extreme beauty, they are completely comfortable. My only dilemma now is to decide whether or not I want to splurge and buy them in another color!

Arrggghhhh! They were a half size, perhaps a full size too big. That wouldn't be a problem if the socks could fix it, but they look like clown shoes on me. Otherwise, they are gorgeous, so size down! I usually wear 8.5, I ordered 8.5 in the tan color. Also I'm 5'6", 115 lbs and these came up to right under my knee. They were very comfortable, too! Will have to try and find the perfect fit. :)

You have no idea how much I wanted to keep these boots; they have that worn, hand-crafted feel to them... soft, supple but very high-quality leather. I have long legs and these are some of the only non-over-the-knee boots I've tried on that actually come up to right below my knee. I also ordered a 1/2 size down, which was perfect. Also agree with someone else who suggested the black is really more of a dark brown. My issue was the sort of bump or bulge right below where the lacing ends in the back. I do have pretty skinny calves and they did not even begin to fill out the calf area of the boot, so from the side, that bulge was still there and it just didn't look right to be. If you had fuller-calved and could fill that part out, I think these boots would look incredible on. Alas.