TL;DR version? Buy these booties now. I highly recommend them.
I searched for a few weeks online for the perfect black bootie. I hadn’t jumped on the bootie bandwagon until I found the Shelley tan bootie at JustFab. I would have LOVED to buy it in black, but it was never in stock in my size again. Sad day.
When I started searching Amazon, which is my go-to source for clothing and shoes since I have a Prime account, tons of black booties came up in the search. As I write this, Amazon hosts over 30,000 results for this shoe type. I haven’t gone through every page, but I imagine many of those match exactly what I would hope for: Women’s Black Booties.
Outfit shown here: NoBo romper (buy it) • Abercrombie moto jacket • Kenneth Cole bootie • black nail polish
After browsing dozens of black ankle boots under $80 (that was my self-imposed budget) and trying to decide between real leather and faux, I found these. The reviews looked promising AND free Prime shipping / returns meant I could easily get my money back if I didn’t love them — and loving a piece of clothing, accessory, or shoe is my new “buy only if” policy. If I don’t love it, I’m not putting it in my closet.
After three children, my feet have stretched from a long-time US shoe size 7-7.5 to an 8-8.5 in most shoes. I have an average foot width with low arches (according to the Dr. Scholl’s foot reader thing at Walmart). And at 5-foot-3-inches…well, I have #shortgirlproblems quite often. I wanted a bit of height. Now, on to the review.
Kenneth Cole REACTION Women’s Tell Lilly Pad Boot
Details from the listing:
- Leather
- Imported
- Synthetic sole
- Shaft measures approximately 5.5″ from arch
- Heel measures approximately 3″
- Boot opening measures approximately 10″ around
- Wedge bootie featuring western-inspired piecing at upper and dual side zippers
- Round toe
- Non-marking outsole
Comfort
4/5 — These are average to above average as far as comfort goes for me.
Quality
5/5 — Quality is great on these. No visible glue or odd stitching. Material is quite nice!
Value
4/5 — The price varies, but I would pay $70 or less for these. Ideally, I would snag them for around $50 and be happy.
Style
5/5 — I think these are a classic shoe style and will work for as long as they are still wearable! The finish on the material is neutral enough to dress up or down.
BUY If...
• You want real leather
• You like a bit of height
• You need a pair of versatile black ankle boots
• You love them!
SKIP If...
• You want faux leather
• You want a flat heel
• You don’t want black (other colors ARE available!)
• You don’t love them
Buy or Skip?
My Verdict: Buy!
These are comfortable, cute, and can easily be dressed up or down.
Let me know what you think about these shoes in the comments.
Purchase Date: December 31, 2015