****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I wear a size 9 and that is what I ordered. If I want I think I will even have enough room for thicker socks. I think I will have to get use to the laces but i won't complain cause I wanted a tall boot. But they are leather in parts so I think they will get better with age. No snow up here in Minnesota but I'm sure it is coming. I can't address the waterproof maybe later I will come back and tell how they are in real winter conditions.Received today from the seller Shoemetro, in perfect condition. They are Bearclaws latest style change of the Isabella. I would have preferred the ones pictured with the white X's, loop in the back and white patch as pictured in the Amazon ad, but these are still cute and have better hardware with the Bearclaw stamp on the rings and shoe lace rivets.I have an a older pair of Bearclaw Buckinghams in size 10, but have since gotten leg braces for drop foot, so I chose size 11 in these. By loosening the laces half way down, I could easily slip my leg braces in. They are like blades on the bottom and tore my previous Bearclaw boots causing the sole to separate (easily repaired with original Gorilla Glue and chip clips to hold them together for 24 hrs). This time I covered the lower blade of the brace with a sneaker sock to protect the boots.If you wear AFO's, you know the endless hunt for boots to fit. These are perfect! My blades fit in there snug and with laces you can adjust the room you need to strap your braces on your legs. My braces are True Life, with a funky bulge at the ankles and the brace is is the front of my shin. These boots accommodate everything even as snug as they are brand new. There are no pressure points to damage the boots with the braces on, strapped and pants tucked. The top of my calves are small (12") which allows for everything to fit, but this should work for larger calves and braces, because the laces and tongue can be adjusted. I said all this to help ppl with AFOS know that there are boots out there for you, or your children with braces, so now on to a review of he boots...The foot bed is a little snug, with no restrictions. They will break in nicely. After reading reviews, I verified they were both the same size, was gentle with the rivets that hold the laces, felt down in to the foot bed for any defects, and because this is the redesigned version with more support at the back of the ankle, I made sure that nothing was poking out from the back. The boots had no imperfections. I am very pleased!For those that have had the rivets pop off, please contact Bearclaw. They have good customer service. If you are beyond the 1 yr warranty with them and a shoe repair can't fix them, find someone to punch a hole where the riveted lace holders are and put a round grommet to feed the lace through (I think that's what they are called) and you will have serviceable boots for years to come. Especially with these soles, versus the flip flop type soles on some Bearclaws, UGGS, etc. The Isabella's have serious soles that will stand up to wear for many years and keep you safer in the elements. Another reason I chose these versus other Bearclaws.For those that just need warm boots, these are so comfy and WARM. My previous Bearclaws were similar to the Bearclaw Lauren's they have now. My feet would get very cold in those. Never going to happen in the Isabella.They are lightweight, which was a concern for me with leg braces added. Like walking on air.I'm attaching pics with the leg braces and also show others that this version is what you may receive. The ASIN Look up shows the white crosses, but the latest version on Bearclaws site are the ones I received. Amazon also has the latest version with a different ASIN, that are the same as what I received.Shipment was super fast from Shoemetro, came in original Bearclaw box, tags, etc and thankfully I only paid $65. shipped. Prices are all over the place with different sellers. The pics and ASINS can be very freakin confusing too lol. If you are unsure, contact the seller pre buy as to what stock they have. I prefer to buy directly from Amazon, because there is never a return shipping cost, but I was willing to pay return shipping to Shoemetro if need be, because they were $40 cheaper. I lucked out ?Also adding pics of my sole repair if anyone needs to repair lightweight soles on their boots. Clean both surfaces with a wet cloth > Wet area to activate the gorilla glue > Squeeze glue in lightly with bottle applicator > Wipe excess glue > Use chip clips as shown > Wait 24 hrs > Good as new. I will use a razor blade to get the little bit on my soles. Gorilla glue expands.Been buying and returning so many pairs of boots for winter, just could not find the right pair. Until these!This boot is sooo cute. But, it doesn't fit correctly around the ankle. The ankle instep bows out when walking. But, otherwise.... I loved the color & style. Didn't feel as comfortable as it looked.Def add an insert for cushiony comfort. fiddling w/ laces to slip on&off more tedious than I’d imagined but looks great etcWell to start off with,i orginally saw these at macys on black friday..they where all sold out and cost $129(on sale!!before taxes.. Yikes!)I own a pair of the normal black bearpaw slipper style boots(the ones that look like uggs)I normally wear a sz 9 shoe and because bearpaw has the sheepskin & wool inside you should go up a sz! I ordered these in a 10 and they fit perfect!! Yes the wool will flatten and form to your feet..no you dont need to wear socks but i do,so thats another reason why i bought a larger sz!I live in chicago so the winters can get cold & snowy..i needed good snow boots and while it hasnt snowed much yet i think these are gonna be perfect!They are tall..almost to my knee..thick and the bottom has traction kinda like hiking boots which will be good when its icy outside!I have larger calves and was afraid these wouldnt fit right but they fit great! Yes they are alittle heavy and i have yet to drive in them!Now for shipping & packaging..i have prime so they came in two days(as expected) when i opened the carrier box the original bearpaw box was smashed & bent..when i went to remove the box to take out my boots the box ripped in half and the boots fell on the floor! I posted a picture so you can see the huge rip! So i bought these for myself but had this been a christmas gift i would be upset that the box was so tore up!Other than that these seem really nice and im excited to try them out! Will update after we get a decent amount of snow :)Upated:We didn't get much snow this winter but the few times it did snow and we took our daughter sledding these worked great! Kept my feet nice and warm,the grip on the soles helped me while walking on icy parts up the hills..after a while I didn't mind the extra weight on my feet and driving in them really wasn't that bad at all! I have lived in the midwest for 7yrs and these have been the best boots I have ever owned! Of course with my luck,now that I got a decent pair of snow boots we end up moving to the pacific northwest lol!!Also..i am unsure how tight people are pulling to tie them to cause them to fall off but mine seem to be holding fast!! No rips or anything! But I don't pull super tight to tie my bootsGreat for sporty calfs.While the quality of the boots seemed really good, and they looked both warm and attractive, the size 12 I received fit like a 10 or 11, with a really small toe area, which makes for frozen toes in a winter boot! I was annoyed at having to return them at my expense, since the sizing was wrong, and I had been willing to pay the usual premium for an "oversized" women's boot when I ordered them. If you order them, get at least a size up, and you may be happy with them.I don't write reviews often - but I love these boots!! They are very well made - the quality is superb. I haven't worn them outside yet, but I don't doubt for a second that they will be very warm & waterproof. I live in central Canada so our winters are very cold. Not only are they practical - they are beautiful as well!! I take a 7.5 so I ordered an 8 (no half sizes) and they fit perfectly.Had the boots for a few weeks & absolutely positively love them. Despite other reviews they do fit true to size. I'm normally a size 8 but from what I read from the reviews they all said to buy one size bigger. I did that bought a size 9 and they were way to big! I ordered a size 8 and they fit like a dream!!! My mom lucked out cuz she's a size 9 so she got these awesome boots!Literally took my daughter every where in town to find boots during a pandemic as she had grown out of her old ones. She didn't like anything. Very particular: must be white, must fit a certain way, good tread etc. Bought these online and she loves them.
