Over The Knee Help!
9 years ago by
Last year I got a pair of flat OTK boots on super sale.
They were perfect. Mid-thigh hitting dreams, really. But then, to my horror, I couldn’t walk more than a block without them falling to my mid-calf. WT$%$F . So, I tried several things:
1. Wearing them with jeans – that oughta keep them tight, right? Think again.
2. I devised a plan of only taking cars wherever I wore them. Turned out to be too costly.
3. Took them to a shoe doctor on the suggestion of a friend who said they could put boning in the back to keep them up. Well, they couldn’t.
4. I found a stir-up contraption that is used for thigh-high stockings. I fastened them to my boots, but the problem here is that I now have large elastic straps showing (imagine suspenders connected to the top my boots) and you can’t really wear those all the time.
So here’s my question, is there a solution? Or are my OTK boots DOA ? help!
(I think that “stirrup” contraption would be a garter belt.).
Le sigh. I’ve suffered the same dilemma. I’ve sadly opted to sit my OTK boots on a shelf and simply wink at them as I reach for my ankle boots. They look great in photos, frozen in place. Dare to take a step and you’re a slouchy mess. I gave up. Oh…you were seeking a solution no? Aaarg. me too.
My first thought is to see if a sturdy tightly fitted elastic can be added to the top inside of the boot to have a better grip and keep the boot in place, and its not noticeable.
Hi Brie! My mom used to have the same problem with a pair of OTK boots. She went to the shoe cobbler and he put a rubber anti slip strip (that was meant for something else, but I don’t remember) just above the widest part of her calves. The rubber will help the boots from sliding down. Xx
I’d get a second opinion from a cobbler… I always go to Arty’s shoe repair in Chelsea. It doesn’t look like much to the world, but Arty is a shoe genius and does the best work. He’s solved the unsolvable for me in the past (but I don’t own OTK boots). :-)
Perhaps your’e right Maria! Thanks :)
I’ve been going to Arty’s for years for shoe and bag repair (first the father, now the the son) and they are simply the best. Few problems that they can’t solve. They’re on 8th Ave, just south of 23rd Sreet. I believe they are the cobbler of choice for Loubiton as they have the exact red rubber for resoling. worth a try!
Same problem. Calf exercises?
I had the exact same problem last year! I pinned an elastic to the top of mine (http://two-twenties.blogspot.de/2014/02/how-to-keep-high-boots-up.html), but it’s too high up, and sometimes it shows, which isn’t so great with mini skirts.
It *is* possible to find a shoe doctor who will fix them. The problem is that most of them these days are only used to fixing shoe soles and so on, so they don’t do anything that requires separating the sole from the shoe to be able to turn the shaft around and sew it (they probably don’t have a machine to sew leather either), and put everything back together. Try asking a tailor instead, they will probably be able to recommend someone!
I found someone who said he can do it (a tailor who also works as a shoe repairer), but it was in Portugal during Christmas and I didn’t have time to go there, it will have to wait for the next time…
I need a good pair of OTK boots
http://hashtagliz.com
Maybe a little double-sided fashion tape? When in doubt, tape it!
haha. I’ve never considered this but I will try it the next time I take my OTK boots out. It’s definitely among the more inexpensive options.
Call or email The Leather Spa, that place is amazing and has been written up in various fashion magazines and blogs and Facebook to care of shoes. They repair, clean, refurbish shoes and bags, maybe they have a trick to fix your boots. Otherwise I would get a second opinion from a cobbler.
Haha I have exactly the same thing, you probably need to get stripper-style skin tight ones to avoid this problem?!
Anoushka Probyn – A London Fashion Blog
I thought it was just me that had this problem! So weird. I don’t even have thin legs so I never thought I’d have a problem with them sliding down. But alas, they do. Every. Single. Time.
Sew a ring of elastic inside the boots, just above the widest part of your calf.
Exactly! Or above your knees. Or something like a bra strap, so you can adjust the width.
Oooh or this: http://www.sockdreams.com/products/mens-sock-garters:7307?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=product_feed … just remove the garter thing and stitch it inside the boots. Should work.
:)
I hate that, too…
I did not see that on the advertising for the boots… I would take them back…. ask for a refund or credit……
Melissa
I’m currently obsessed with over the knee boots! I find that when I wear thick OTK socks, it keeps my boots in place! I also bought a pair of OTK boots that have a tie built in around the knee! Keeps them tight and they don’t fall down! But if yours dont have a tie like that I definitely suggest THICK socks underneath!
I have pencil-y legs so I’m used to getting my boots taken in at the sides to avoid gapping, or in your case, drooping. However if you’d rather not mess with the cut of your boots, have you considered layering on the thigh high socks? This time of year, it’s practical to do anyway for warmth, and there are many inexpensive thick thigh high socks out there.
Oh and great boots! I also love this cute illustration.
My only OTK, super-supple, flat-heeled boots have become SAMA (a Malay word for “the same”- as in “Sama Sama”… Or “scrunched-at-my-ankle”) boots. I wear them like that in summer with dresses (granted, they are extremely thin leather- but I can’t imagine how uncomfortable and inappropriately dominatrix I will be from mid thigh down if they were stiff leather!)… And probably not in winter- I’m too short for that slightly ugg boot look with jeans.
Dear Garance,
Like a collar of a blouse, your over the knee boot needs to stand up. To stiffen the upstanding collar of the blouse, couturier uses underlining that is appropriate for the desired look of the garment and the fabric to be used. In case of your boots, would it be possible to give them an underlining that makes them stand again, keeps them straight while wearing. Myself I have over the knee boots too and their material is a thickish suede and even they drop a bit in the ankle as any other boot will do my impression it is the material that makes the boot stand up to over the knee. And yes over the knee boots are fabulous, like how they slim your leg and gives some extravagance touch to the outfit.
Good luck xx
this is the reason i never wear mine … :D first world problems!
http://emfashionfiles.com/
Brie, je pense sincèrement qu’il est temps d’abandonner ces cuissardes qui te pourrissent la vie :)
http://www.therocamadour.fr/
forget the over the knee boots, and put on long socks with high boots, of the same color….
J’ai déjà eu pas mal de cuissardes (j’aime bien :-)).
J’ai eu l’année dernière (pour la 1e fois) le même problème, que j’ai réglé grâce à mon cordonnier; je ne sais pas si cela marchera pour toi, mes cuissardes étaient en daim, et le cordonnier a cousu une bande en élastique (un peu comme pour des bas) le long de la couture de la botte, qui a un effet anti dérapant + une en haut de la botte qui entoure la cuisse
Du coup, cela empêche la botte de tomber (à condition d’avoir des collants)
Evidemment, il faut un vrai cordonnier, qui soit bottier aussi; je suis sûre qu’il y en a à NYC non?
Tara Jarmon a fait des cuissardes comme ça cette année, et même si je ne les ai pas achetées, je suis certaine qu’elles ne tombent pas
J’espère que ça t’aidera
Elles sont magnifiques.Pour ma part lorsque je choisis des cuissardes,je fais très attention à la largeur du mollet afin d’éviter ce désagrément connu par les jambes fines.
Bizes
Hé bien heureusement qu’elles étaient super soldées ces cuissardes!
Bisous
http://www.Lauralexo.com
Si elles ne sont pas en suede strech, c’est mort!
Legwarmers ? I used them and it worked!
Ciao,
Raffaella
Une bande élastique en haut, fixé a l’intérieur, pour moi ça a marché. J’ai aussi essayé a les retenir avec un élastique enroulé autour de la jambe, comme on fait pour les liens des sandales (voir Rondini de Garance)
Cecilia
http://www.modeskine.com/en
Oh, does someone have the problem when it is almost always only right-leg OTK sliding down?
Sounds like an appropriate question for the manufacturer of said boots. Because surely they do not wish to sell something people complain about?
Bon, je vais répondre en français parce que ce serait bien trop compliqué à expliquer en anglais :).
J’ai eu le même problème avec mes cuissardes qui sont en daim et sans doublure. Du coup, au bout de quelques pas, cela ressemblait plus à des pirates boots, c’était moche et ça faisait cheap. Sans parler du fait que c’était plus du tout des cuissardes… J’ai fouillé le net, j’ai trouvé un blog où un cordonnier parle de mettre une lame de scie à métaux à l’arrière du fourreau. Renseignements pris dans mon entourage : trop compliqué.
Et là ma mère, (spéciale dédicace) pense à un truc : à une époque que j’espère révolue, en France, on collait parfois des bandes adhésives aspect “velours” sur les étagères par exemple pour les habiller. Je suis trop jeune pour avoir connu ça mais entre nous ça devait pas être du tonnerre. En revanche, utilisées en doublure dans mes cuissardes, c’est PAR-FAIT. J’ai acheté ça en magasin de bricolage, ça coûte trois fois rien et ensuite j’ai découpé en bandes de la hauteur du fourreau de mes bottes (je me suis bien sûr arrêtée sous le genoux pour pouvoir m’assoir tranquillement) et en 10 minutes c’était fait ! Résultat, elles ont gardé de la souplesse, mais elles tiennent parfaitement droite et ne tombent plus du tout ;).
Voilà, je partage, même en français, parce que j’ai bien connu le désespoir de voir mes bottes tomber sans jamais que Google ne me file un coup de main…
Un peu tard, mais pourrais-tu expliquer en plus de details comment tu as réussis cette technique? Surtout le type de bandes adhésives. Penses-tu que je pourrai coller la bande au dessus du genou le long du diamètre de la botte? Merci d’avance!
Les rétrécirs, comme ferais une couturière avec un pantalon et donc ne tomberais plus….enfin je pense….^^
Bien il faut croire Garance que vous avez les jambes fines! Quelle bénédiction!
http://www.bonnie-bandie.com/
How about?
https://www.facebook.com/iheartelevates
Coucou Garance,
Voilà la première fois que je laisse un petit commentaire sur ton blog que je trouve super, magnifique,… J’en suis devenue complètement accro. Merci pour ton travail qui m’offre chaque jour un moment d’évasion !
Pour répondre à ta question au sujet de tes cuissardes : je suis du genre petit gabarit et donc j’ai régulièrement un souci avec les bottes. Ca flotte souvent et on a l’impression que j’ai deux allumettes plantées dans des bottes de femme. Je fus longtemps désespérée. Jusqu’au jour où j’ai trouvé LE cordonnier. Il me rétrécit mes bottes. C’est un vrai travail d’artisan : il coupe au niveau de la couture et enlève quelques cm. Si tes cuissardes descendent, c’est qu’elles se sont données. Il faut donc retirer quelques cm pour revenir à leur taille initiale ! Malheureusement, je ne peux pas te donner d’adresse à NY mais je suis certaine que tu trouveras vite quelqu’un !!! Bizzzzzzz
I must say, I purchased Stuart Weitzman 5050 flat over the knee boots for our local carnival in Barbados.
(worn from 6:30am until 4:30pm for miles jumping and partying) and they stayed up
…. I was like “i am in love”
wore them for the first time that day too and no pain.
Check them out!!
Try to do by yourself those “boot stuffers”
http://www.garancedore.fr/theminis/diy-desk-calendar/
It changed literally the form of my boots keeping them standing tall in my closet and at my feet.
Not really rigid but less like “an accordion” definitively
I have had the exact same problem with my pair, and decided as soon as they came in that I would find a black leather buckle with gold or brass hardware to have a cobbler sew on to the back of the boot (at the top) so that I can buckle it closed.
Hey, I have had a similar problem with my boots so I cut the foot off a REALLY thick pair of socks and tried wearing them underneath. It worked a treat! Leg warmers would do the same too but I struggled to find a pair that were really thick.
I just fixed a pair of boots with this problem last week! I had tried garter clips, thick socks… all of it. Nothing was working. The boots were expensive, I love them and was determined to figure something out. I bought steel wire from the hardware store…. picked a weight that wasn’t too heavy but not too light either. I carefully aligned the wire inside running along the seams and covered it with tonal heavy duty tape (like duct tape) that I had cut down to about 15 mm wide. It was difficult to get the wire & tape nicely in place all the way down inside the shaft but worth the struggle. I’ve worn them frequently and they are staying up with bare legs or thin tights and nothing is noticeable from the outside. Good luck!
Beth! This is amazing – I’m going to give it a go! Stay tuned for my results :)
Bring them back and buy better ones. Choose a stiff sort of leather if you don’t want very form fitting boots. Otherwise suplle leather combined with something elastic.
I got a gorgeous gray suede heeled pair from Bocage few days after your first post and love them so much. They do have a black elastic part at the back and don’t fall down to my calf but do drop a few millimeters, and I have to pull them up. I never thought of my self as a “OTK boot girl” before either, but with these I’m a convert. Even my usually super critical grandmother, aged 85, complimented me on them :D
very sexy….the fabrication must have stretch….if not don’t buy….one season i bought 3 pares pairs….different heels ….i wore them to death…..finished…they stretch out …over
When you dampen leather, it shrinks back to original shape. Might even shrink if you get the leather too wet.
Why would dampening the stretched leather on the Over the Knee boots return the boot to original size?
Carole wrote she purchased ” three pairs and wore them to death . . . finished. . .they stretch out. . . over.”
Had she dampened them, perhaps they would have shrink back to a wearable state?
Has anyone tried this?
I know is late….but this does the trick! http://www.iheartelevates.com/
Hope it helps ladies! :)
the BootBra has worked wonders for me! it keeps boots from slouching 100% during wear, all day – every day! it’s available on Amazon.
IM HERE TO SAVE THE DAY. PUT HAIR TIES ABOVE YOUR KNEE. YOU ARE WELCOME
just got mine a few days ago from river island and they’re slouching ): don’t wanna return them they’re a gorgeous suede so going to try the magnet and the adjustable straps! wish me luck