Minnetonka Hi-Top Back Zip Boots Review

About two weeks ago I received my Minnetonka boots and I was thrilled. I had read a lot of great reviews on the web so my expectations were high. Ever since these grey boots arrived I’ve worn them every day, I love them. They have this really laid back look that goes with about everything in my closet. I can wear them all day without getting any blisters. I was really afraid that I would wreck the suede within a couple of days because that always happened to me with suede shoes, but up until now they still look great. I would have favoured them to come in leather because I think you can maintain leather shoes a lot better than suede. I hope they will last a really long time because they are now in my top 10 favourite items. Many of the reviews on the internet said the shoes weren’t true to size, they were a bit larger than expected, so I anticipated on that and bought half a size smaller than usual (I’m a 38.5/US 7,5/UK 5.5) and picked size 38/7/5. Unfortunately, when the first pair arrived, they were too small so I had to return them and take a size 39/8/6. There’s a little room left in the shoe but because they aren’t lined, I’m able to wear two pairs of socks when it’ll get colder. The last thing I would like to say about these shoes is that they’re rather footwear than actual shoes, you know what I mean? They have no support at all, so it’s more a garment that you can wear on your feet than a quality shoe. That said, I would recommend these shoes because they fit and look great and are reasonably priced (mine cost €75,-).

So my overall impression of the boots is:   

+ Look great

+ Fit great

+ Fair price

-No support

-Only options to buy suede, no leather.

Fighting Temptation

I think I have tossed about twelve pairs of shoes that were too small/big/old since I started my fashion diet, so now I really needed some footwear. I saw a pair of Ugg boots on sale that were available in my size. The Uggs cost 129 Euros (around 185 US dollars) which means they were a bargain. I really struggled because I needed ankle boots that matched with everything and were comfortable, but then again, the entire country has them too and last year I swore to never wear Uggs again. So I made up my mind and decided not to buy them because I was really looking for boots in a more neutral colour (and they were lilac). After a couple of days I found a pair of boots I thought were right for me on the internet, taupe ankle boots with a small heel, and I visited the store to try them on. Unfortunately, those boots weren’t right either, the fit just wasn’t right and apparently, taupe isn’t my colour. But I did find some other boots I liked at the store and they did fit great. The only problem with that pair was that one of the shoes had a small ink stain and there was some discolouration between the shoes, so I asked the saleslady if they had another pair in my size, but they didn’t. So while she was calling to another store to see if they maybe had them, she grabbed a dark sponge out of the counter drawer. Still on the phone, she carelessly wiped the grey sponge onto the perfect beige shoe, which left a big dark stain. Great, now both shoes were ruined. When she told me none of the other stores had the boots she did smile at me and said: “But see, you can alter the colour of the shoe!”  But making the shoes darker wasn’t what I wanted, I might have just bought the shoes if she had given me a bit of a discount because those boots too were a little expensive (120 Euros). But since she wrecked the shoes, I left the store shoeless and feeling bummed. But there was no need for me to feel sad for much longer because suddenly I remembered the Minnetonka boots I always wanted! These were a lot cheaper (75 Euros). For some reason, they’re very rare in Holland, nobody wears them here. They are just exactly what I want: neutral, comfortably and easy to match with all my clothes. They arrived a couple of days ago and I have worn them every day since. I’m so happy with my new shoes, I hope they’ll last quite a while!