A few weeks ago, I was offered the chance to try out some Wellies from Barratts. I jumped at the chance and ordered a pair of Union Jack-embellished boots. The boots I ordered from Barratts are no longer available but they are similar in shape to these:
Image courtesy of Barratts
I tend to wear size 4 or 5 EEE in sandals and shoes, but in boots I usually size up to a 6, so this was what I went for in my Wellies.
The 6 fitted me pretty well in the foot, although I did find them roomy and I wondered if I might have got away with a 5, had they been available (5 was sold out). These Wellies are wide fit so they worked well on my broad tootsies, meaning that I had plenty of room and there was no risk of the boots pinching or rubbing.
The Union Jack pattern was rather more bold than I was expecting, but I think it works pretty well with my much-loved raincoat from Principles by Ben De Lisi at Debenhams. I went for this pattern rather than floral as I wanted something a bit different. With hindsight, I think a plain boot might have been best but these will do me well nonetheless.
However, I did have quite a big issue with these boots: my large calves. My chunky legs measure around 16-17" so it's not easy for me to find regular boots that work, never mind Wellies. I had high hopes for these ones as they were described as wide fit so I was hoping that would apply to the calves as well as to the feet.
Sadly, I was disappointed. These boots were not wide enough in the leg for me, meaning that when I wore them they were very tight on my calves and bunched up around the ankle. Not a good look! I therefore came up with an inventive solution...
I took my kitchen scissors and CUT the boots down the back. At last they fitted! You can clearly see from the picture above what I did and that there is a slit of around 6 inches or so. I know the slits are very obvious from my pictures here but when wearing these boots I would have my trusty black Maidenform leggings on so they would be far less noticeable.
I appreciate that hacking down the back of brand new Wellies is not ideal but I was determined to get these to fit, by hook or by crook (or by scissors)!
I have toyed with the idea of chopping off the tops of the boots to make them shorter and therefore avoid the calf issue. But I shall mull that one over a little longer before making a final decision as I am not sure I want short boots.
Although these particular boots are no longer available, Barratts carry a wide selection of Wellies on their website all year round so you can always find something to suit. Many of their Wellies are on offer, too, so there are some real bargain available! Check out Barratts' Wellies here.
