Gabor - An Apology

I think I may just have breached the boundaries of my embarrassment.

I have had this ongoing battle with Gabor boots since November (see my second post on my battle HERE). Countless pairs of greys and blacks have to-and-fro'ed across the English Channel.  I started with ordering my regular size 5s for a try-out session, then to my cost discovered the company I normally use don't offer free returns.  Whoops.

So I moved on to John Lewis and their excellent free returns, and focused on the boots I really really wanted.  No more multi try-ons.  Focus. My beloved Gabor nubucks were beyond cleaning so this time I wanted a similar style, but polishable.

 And Pollyanna met all criteria.  Leather, not suede or nubuck (what is the difference, anyway?). Same height in heel and shank as the oldies, so that they can be worn with jeans, trousers and skirts and dresses.

I ordered size 5.5 from JL.  My foot couldn't get in the boot.  I returned them (free!).

I ordered a size 6.  I could just about get my foot in but when I zipped them up they were so tight I could hardly walk. But we were coming up to Christmas with no time for post office returns so they got shelved for the holidays.

By this time I was developing a bit of an obsession about them.  I was on a mission.

I WILL HAVE POLLYANNA BOOTS!!!

Somewhere along this journey I began to suspect my feet had become misshapen with age.  That my days of boot-wearing might be over.  I inspected my feet.  I got TP to inspect my feet.  We both agreed there was nothing untoward going on down there.

So I had started thinking of ordering a 6.5 and a 7.  Bearing in mind my normal shoe size is a mere 5, I was now thinking with no sense or reason.  I was just focused on the prize.  Pollyannas.

Last night I reined myself in, finally seeing sense.  "This is crazy.  Walk away from the Pollyannas".

This morning I started the walk away process, preparing to pack up the size 6 for the post office.  But  I thought I'd just try them on one last time so that I would remember how ludicrous the whole situation had been. Two sizes up and they still don't fit. 

 I slipped my foot in.  My toes felt something inside. 

I pulled out that something.

I felt around and pulled another something out in the other boot.



Yes, I had a pair of these "somethings".  And I had a huge DUH moment.

For I realised that Gabor had put these rigid foam protector shapes on the top inside of the boot.  I'm an old fashioned girl.  I come from a time of scrunched up paper stuffed in the toe of the shoe.  A girl knows where she stands with scrunched up paper in a shoe.

And the painful realisation hit home.  I'd been returning boots because they were ridiculously tight, I couldn't get my foot in, etc etc., and probably every pair of returned Gabor boots had this stuff inside them.  Every single pair.  It had cost me a small fortune to return to the first firm before I'd started the free returns with John Lewis.  So, so  embarrassing. 

I think it was only because I could actually get my foot inside a size 6 (which were still unwearably tight) that I must have pushed the protector about a bit (see first photo), so only on this final try-on could I feel that there was something inside.

Terribly annoying on Gabor's part for introducing this new invisible innovation without a warning to old folk?

Terribly embarrassing on my part not to detect it when trying on half a dozen pairs?

I have learned two things from this debacle. 

1. Manufacturing is moving all the time so be ready for the unexpected, like invisible boot protectors.

2. Stop and think.  A company like Gabor can't have gone totally off the Richter scale in terms of sizing.  So stop and think, is it me?

3. (OK, I have learned 3 things!).  Read the returns small print.  Boots are no different to frogs, you've got to kiss a lot of them - so shop where the free returns service is.

So I give you Gabor Pollyanna, on my feet.  Finally. Taadahhh!!!

Nice high  over the ankle style, loose style.  Nice heel height.  Nice caterpillar style soles. 

Just what I wanted.  And just what I got.  Eventually.

So I have written this post today for any ladies out there who've  experienced issues with boot sizing of late.  Look inside the boot.

A la perchoine.