Emma Regency Leather Boots (Black)

Great boots

Very comfortable. Need a shoehorn to put them on but that is normal for me.

Beautiful. I wear these boots two days per week, working at Historic Pensacola, interpreting 1805. I stand for long periods of time, cooking over an open fire. They support my feet and feel soft. The craftsmanship is beautiful and excellent.

I adore these boots!

I've been eyeing American Duchess shoes when I saw them online for a while, but as someone who never wears heels and usually lives in fairly plain-looking minimalist/barefoot shoes, I just couldn't justify that I'd regularly use most of them enough to purchase: Enter these adorable, understated, almost completely flat-soled boots! They're the first shoes I've tried from American Duchess, and I'm in love. I've been wearing them to the office, and they're comfy and beautiful throughout the commute and all day at my desk job. They required basically zero break-in period. I wore them for a couple of hours at home to make sure I was happy with the fit, and then for a full work day on their first outing, and I never had to pull out my backup flats. At first I thought they rubbed a little at the heels, but a quick adjustment of the lacing tension fixed that easily, and the laces hold really nicely as-adjusted without the tension redistributing to other areas along the boot (e.g., snugged up at the base of the ankle without ending up really constricting at the top). They were warm enough on my commute even when it was below freezing without feeling too hot in my office, which runs warm. They also have enough flexibility and groundfeel (and flat insoles) to not feel overly constricting when switching from my usual minimalist flats. In an ideal world I'd wish for a *little* more toe-wiggling space, especially towards the end of the day, but they're overall very comfortable and not forcing my foot into any shape it doesn't want to be. I've never had leather-soled shoes before, so I'll have to see how quickly they succumb to the asphalt and sidewalks and how feasible it is to get sole repair/replacement in my area when that becomes necessary. Fingers crossed!