The Isabelle Paris ankle boot: high heel, round toe, leather insole
An ankle boot is the closed shoe that stops at the ankle or just above it, without climbing the calf: it is the shape that makes a high heel wearable in winter, because the shaft holds the foot and prevents the forward slide you feel in a shoe that is open across the instep. Every model available on this page belongs to that category and has an upper made entirely of leather.
The heel measures 10 centimetres on both. That is a height to state rather than soften: it changes posture, shifts weight onto the forefoot and calls for a shorter stride. The round toe, which here is common to the whole selection, gives the forefoot back part of the room the height takes away, and makes these models more wearable than a tapered-toe boot on the same heel. Anyone not used to this height does well to try them late in the day, when the foot is at its fullest, and to walk a few minutes on a smooth floor before settling on a size.
The two closures present change the way the boot fits more than they appear to. The slip-on model goes on with no opening and relies on the elasticity of its sides to clear the instep: it fits close and has no rigid points, but should be tried with the sock you intend to wear. The side-zip version opens along the full length of the shaft and takes a fuller calf or a higher instep, because the fit does not depend on the opening but on where the zip is closed.
The footbed is leather on every model. Leather absorbs moisture through the day and gives it back while the shoe rests, so it pays to alternate pairs rather than wear the same one daily; over the first weeks it takes the shape of the arch and the fit settles. Suede uppers are brushed dry, always in the same direction, and must never be dried near a heat source. The rest of the category is gathered in the women's ankle boots.
