FRYE Women's Paige Tall Riding Boot - Genuine Leather Equestrian Boots for Horseback Riding & Fashion - Perfect for Riding, Casual Wear & Outdoor Activities

I am giving 4 starts (for now). I have not actually worn them anywhere other than trying them in the house. I wear an 8.5 usually. I do have a small bunion on one foot. They run large in the foot area. I would have sent them back for a 8 but they just fit in the calves and the size 8 will probably be too tight in the calves.. I am approx a size 12 and I am 5'6. They are a little tight on my calves but I can wear them and I assume they will stretch out a bit.I am not able to wear with with pants tucked in and I am sure I never will be able to. If they stretch out I may be able to wear leggings.I got the grey color and it is nice.. it is sort of a grey-tan and should be pretty wearable.NOTE - I had ordered a pair and it did NOT come in the Frye box and that made me nervous and I wondered if they were fakes (as I had read from some other reviwers). I went so far as calling Frey and sent them photos. They believed the boots were authentic. But I still felt that I wanted the original box (to store them in and also if I ever wanted to sell them I would have the original box). The first pair came in a plane box with no writing on it. I don't think they were worn outside - but they could have been worn inside or maybe they were just tried on by a person. I say that because the inside lining was not super smooth... anyway, I called amazon and they sent me another pair and it came with the box. So I am sending back the first pair. The second pair looked just like the first pair but the inside lining was very smooth and there was a lot of paper wrapped around the boot (which tells me that this boot was never even tried on by anyone else).So, long and short of this is that the boots seem nice. They were on sale and I ordered with the amazon prime and they came in 2 days. I liked that free returns were offered in case I didn't want them. They can be either dressed up or casual. They are not fancy as they are not fitted around the foot. But I like comfort and I think these will be comfortable. I also got them with a 20% sale from amazon so they were around $250 - which is a decent price for these.I did hear that they don't wear well (on the sole) so I will probably go to a shoe maker and see if he can put some rubber on them or reinforce them... or maybe just wear them and then resole them... when I was talking with the company they said they if they get wet on the bottom, they will no do well... so I think that this boot has a more delicate sole and either needs protection or don't wear them in wet or moist conditions. I have a pair of pricey Old Gringos and the sole is thick and seems more sturdy and I can wear it in moist conditions... I don't think any of these type of boots will do well in actual wet conditions. I am giving them a 4 star because the sole could be thicker.As far as arch support - I can't really tell yet as I have not worn them other than to try them on. But they are probably no better or no worse than many others.I hope they are comfortable when I actually wear them out. I bet I will get a lot of compliments!I read all the reviews--yes, all 145 or however many there were--and I looked up these Frye Paige riding boots all over the internet. I was a bit worried about spending so much, but now that they're here and on my feet, I'm glad I got them and I would love the other colors as well!First impressions as I opened the box: they were shipped with the usual shoe-stuffing, etc; they also had that whitish waxy residue, which wiped off with a cloth. The leather smell was great, too!After taking out all the "stuffing" and wiping them down, I put them on with a pair of regular cotton socks. I'm usually an 8.5 or 9, and I ordered 9s (I have a pair of Frye flats--which I also love--and got those in a 9, so they were my basis of comparison). They fit true to size; an 8.5 would have been too small, especially in the toe box. The heel slips a bit, but with thicker socks they'll be even a bit more snug, which is fine as the leather will relax with wear.The ankle area is a bit loose and slouches a little; this is what I expected from the style and from reading other reviews. Since it's a pull on boot, there needs to be room to get your foot in there!I tried them on first with skinny jeans and the fit is close but not too tight to the calves. With leggings or bare legs there will be about 1" of room, but not enough to make them look funny or make my legs look big. I have average calves that fit into most knee high boots, so ladies with wider calves might not like the fit. As far as the shaft height, these are some tall boots! I should note that I'm between 5'7"-5'8" and my height is all in my legs, and they come up to just below my kneecaps. I suspect as the leather relaxes they'll slouch a little more.The soles are slippery; there is NO traction whatsoever, even on carpet! So I will fix that by getting some stick on material to give them a little more grip. Prepare to spend a little money to "winterize" them if you live where there's snow!Finally, the color: they are the burnished antiqued leather in grey, but they are definitely more "taupe" than grey. I knew that going in, and I LOVE the color.This style works well with the burnished/distressed types of leather. I'm not sure how it would go with the more smooth/shined leathers that they offer, as the leather slouches and relaxes over time.I love these boots. I. Love. These. Boots. Would recommend 1000 times over. Invest in them. You will not regret it.EDIT: I've now owned these boots over a year, and they have been worn a lot. They have only become MORE comfortable as the leather has adjusted to my feet. I'm starting to see some signs of wear on the heel and sole (to be expected) but the leather still is fantastic. Since they started out distressed to begin with, I think there's less dramatic change as they are worn. Still absolutely recommend!These boots are lovely to look at, but took quite a bit of easing into. They're quite narrow and I had to use a shoe ease spray the first few times I wore them in the house. I still haven't dared to wear them all day yet. With time, they may qualify for five stars, but at the moment, only four.I love the quality of the leather and the fit of the boots but after wearing these 3 times the heels started to crack open already. I am very disappointed how it turned out. I'd been looking forward in getting these boots. It's one of the products that are expensive and very known. I am very upset about this situation.I am a loyal Frye lover. Love these boots and can't wait to wear them in the fall. Super comfortable but the leather bottoms make it slippery. I almost slipped on carpet while putting them on. Nothing a trip to the shoemaker can't fix. I'll get them to add a rubber bottom. I didn't have a problem getting into the boot like others have stated on Amazon.com. I have athletic legs and they are definitely not at all skinny. I'm 5'5" and the boots come up to my knees. Great quality. Thanks AmazonI couldn’t get these on! The boot size would have been right but I couldn’t get my foot past the ankle and I have a narrow foot. I would also have had them re-soled - very slippery. Sent them back.Sometimes you need to take risks it seemed to good to be true but WOW I got an amazing deal on these boots . Love love love my boots , purchased a 5.5 but they are a tad big . Usually a 5-6 pending brand , beautiful grey color has tan mixture . Great quality & lots of compliments . Oh and did I mention I got them in two days.