Gentle Souls Women's Barne Voyage Ankle Boot

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I so wanted to love these boots. The leather is amazingly soft inside and out. The leather lined, non-removable memory foam insole sole, very comfortable. But every time I tried them on, I'd need to take them off a few minutes later.

The fit of the "Barne Voyage" boot is true to size and there are no weird seams inside, with deerskin lining most of the boot on the inside. All stitching, meticulous. A solid but wide heel counter. The heel, a little on the high side, but not overly so. A good man-made sole for traction. Made in China but excellent quality overall.

The insole is very interesting. It is made of four layers of "displaceable solid technology" a top deerskin lined upper, a 3mm patented Poron memory foam layer (Patent 7,484,318), a Flaxeed filled pillow leyer embedded in the footbed that according to the company " molds to the shape of your foot to provide cushioned support with every step," and then the rubber sole.

With all this revolutionary technology, why couldn't I stand these boots? After wearing them for an hour or so I realized that there is simply no support. The leather doesn't hug the foot, it just sort of floats around it, allowing one to put a whole hand down the shaft and under the instep. It is unusually generous in this area, such that there is no arch or ankle support for that matter. I added a pair of Dr. Scholl's Tri-Comfort Orthotics Inserts, Women's Size 6-10, 1-Pair Packages (Pack of 3), which provides a bit of lift in the heel as arch support. This helped the fit quite a bit. Or so I thought, until I tried walking in them. I still couldn't stand them, my ankles kept wobbling from side to side as if on a pair of ice skates. After taking them off, my feet hurt for quite a while.

The problem is the overall balance. A very wide boot on a very narrow platform sole so much that the leather part of the boot sticks out all around. It is 3.2" inches at the widest point, 9.8" at the length, 1.5" at the heel. The middle of the sole, only 1.25" wide. In essence, walking in these is a balancing act of sorts even more than with high heels, given the lack of ankle support, the width of the insole overall, and that they lack the "grip" that high heels have (as the heel tends to sink into grass, carpet, etc, something this boot can't do as it's a long narrow solid platform). The picture of the sole and the surrounding boot shows this much better than anything I can describe compare it to any of your shoes at home and you'll see the difference.

Who could it work for? Women with wide ankles or swollen feet, who are used to walking on high heels on a regular basis might be able to pull it off. I would not use these for pregnancy as they would be unstable.

A much better alternative, the black La Canadienne Women's Felicia Boot. It has a similar design, same heel height, waterproof suede upper, insulated fleece lining, and a very solid, wide platform rubber sole that's 10.5" long, 3.5" at the widest point, 1.5-2.5" wide in the middle, and 2.4" wide at the heel. These are boots made for winter, traction and sure-footed walking.

Another option, albeit with a shorter heel, the FRYE Women's Melissa Button Zip Short Boot, which is handcrafted and has leather inside and out, as well as a very wide and solid, leather sole.

A third option, with a bit of a different style but the same all leather inside and out, is the Blondo Women's Vinnica Boot. It is waterproof, has a side zipper and laces for a perfect fit, and a very soft leather lined insole. The natural rubber sole provides plenty of traction, and is 3.5" at the widest point, 2.4" towards the middle, and 2.5" at the heel.

Any of these three boots far surpass the Gentle Souls boot in terms of balance and overall comfort, for about the same price or less.

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I love the feel and comfort of this shoe. At last, I can wear boots with heels once again. I have lumbar herniated disc and this helps. My back is painfree. I gave 4 stars, the shoes sent had creases on top of the shoes that looked tried on or slightly used. I have a feeling that it wasn't brand new.

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My first pair of Gentle Soul shoes, and I'm in love. I'm not a heel person by any means, but I found the platform in these boots to be extremely comfortable and easy to walk in. They fit true to size -I'm a 7.5/8 in shoes, and a perfect 8 in these.

I've worn them almost daily since I've unboxed them they were as comfortable five minutes after unwrapping them as they are now. An excellent boot!

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