Day 1145 - Shoesday Tuesday

Shoes: Ginger's House ankle boots Irregular Choice

I'm back with a brand new pair of boots for you this week.  Irregular Choice surprised us this season with lots of new festive themed footwear and something different from the usual Santa character heels.  Now you're going to laugh when I say this, but these ankle boots are a welcome Christmas shoe for me as they are more casual.  I know they are glittery, embellished, blah, blah, blah, but for me this is a casual, relaxed style, especially compared to the Santa heeled shoes that I'd consider as 'dressy'. It's also pretty much as low as I dare go in a heel.  I'm sure there are plenty people welcoming the deluge of low and mid heels right now, but I'm not one.  This season has without a doubt been all about those heels, true high heels have been few and far between and I've really not liked that!  I don't want 6" stiletto heels ALL the time, but I do appreciate a heel higher than the 3 1/2" on these.  That extra inch or even just a half inch would make all the difference to me.  I noted my legs looked chunkier than usual in these photos and I feel that's down to the lower heel, I'm just not a fan of the way mid heels or flats look on me and you know I can't walk very well in them either!  I know technically these are probably still considered a 'high' heel, but definitely the lowest in that category.  Anyhow, I've had to suck it up or else lose out on the gorgeous uppers altogether and sometimes (in this instance), I just didn't want to do that, so went ahead and bought them. 
So, the boots are obviously gingerbread house themed, in a light brown suedette.  There's so many details, embroidery, glitter, jewels, even a bow and tiny beads on that wreath.  The door down the side opens up (with Velcro), to reveal a gingerbread man on one shoe and a gingerbread girl on the other.  Around the top is a green trim and very cleverly slotted between the coloured jewels are light bulbs, because, yes, these light up!  Multi coloured lights like last year on Mr & Mrs Clause and they are blinding.  They really are dazzling, especially in low light, but they do have a handy on/off switch, so you have the option of flashing when you walk or not.  There's a full length zip fastening and the heel is a chunky block, so very stable. 

Size wise, I found these a bit odd.  Before I'd even fully got my foot in, I suspected these were going to be large and they are.  They are just roomy or baggy all around the foot (length, width and the vamp up and across the foot).  That said, I'm really not sure if I'd fit the size down (I went for my usual size).  There's something very restrictive about the upper when it gets to the ankle.  As you can see it's in no way tight around that top cuff, but I just feel like my foot is sliding about, but upwards of that, it's rather rigid.  I also noticed a little rubbing on my little toe on my left foot when trying these on today (that's my slightly bigger foot).  Certainly if like me, you can be between sizes, opt for the smaller, but I'm not sure about sizing down completely.  I might pop some insoles in these to see if that helps, because I have a hatred for that feeling of shoes being too big. I don't know why, but it really bugs me.  I did compare these today to the gingerbread house bag Irregular Choice brought out a few years ago and as I thought, the brown on that is darker.  However they are still a good match, I'll try and pop a pic up on Instagram of them together.  I've been absolutely miserable lately, so took a break from social media and blogging.  I feel it lifting a bit today though, so was glad I managed to get this post done as I just need to keep persevering with life, as hard as it is sometimes.       

Wearing: Red tartan tights gift (old). 
Fit:  3 1/2" heel, full length zip opening.  Generous in the foot, more restrictive in the ankle area.  I took my regular size, I'd suggest trying the smaller size if between sizes. 
Comfort:  Like I say, a little rubbing on my toe, no rubbing on the outer ankle bone that I usually find with IC boots.  My feet are slipping about a bit inside (probably not help by the tights).