I’ve made it to April without buying any clothes. Well, to be more accurate, I mean that I haven’t kept anything that I’ve bought. As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m trying to stick to a wardrobe shopping list to cut down on frivolous spending. I’m also being picker, and that’s a good thing. Not settling means that I’ll be happier with my choices and less wasteful in the long run, I hope.

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One of the items on my shopping list is rain boots, preferably ethically-made. In the United States, that basically narrows it down to Everlane and Canadian brand Alice + Whittles.

In my research I also came across some ethical European brands, like Aigle (which makes boots by hand in France), but while Zappos used to carry them, they no longer do. You can still snag certain styles like this one from third party retailers on Amazon. (But I’m trying to minimize Amazon shopping. And maybe it’s irrational, but I’m kind of wary about third party sellers on Amazon. In particular, I worry about how difficult it might be to return something. Since I have a hard time with shoes, the likelihood that I’d return a pair is high.)

Before I go into my review, there are some things you should know about my feet. First, I’m a half size: a 6.5. This is relevant because most rain boots come in only whole sizes. Also, my feet are a little on the wide side. (I sometimes wear wide widths, but mostly I wear medium widths in brands that tend to run wider.)

Everlane Rain Boot

Materials: 100% rubber (Everlane didn’t indicate if it was natural rubber, so it’s probably synthetic.)

Aesthetics & Details: Everlane’s rain boots have a rugged kind of look that I’m not into. They have a pronounced cap toe and a chunky aesthetic. That’s a strike against it for me because I want something that works with an everyday outfit. (I’m not the kind of person who generally carries around another pair of shoes to swap into.) The black colorway seems the sleekest-looking to me since the cap toe blends into the rest of the shoe. Everlane’s boots do have a lot of details that feel well thought out. It has Chelsea stretch panels and pull tabs on both the front and back that make them easier to get on. The treads are also pretty substantial — it doesn’t seem like you would slip in these.

Fit: Everlane says to get your usual size if wearing them with thick winter socks. “With other socks, size down. Half-sizes, size down from your usual size.” I’m a 6.5 and tried both a 6 and a 7 with thin socks. I found their recommendation accurate. The 7 was too big for me in the heels. The 6 felt like the right size to me: snug without much gaping at the top. However, they also felt a little too tight for my slightly-wide feet. For someone with narrow feet or a more average width, this probably wouldn’t be a problem.

The sales associate told me that she found her pair stretched a little with wear. I don’t doubt that this happened for her, but I’m not entirely convinced this would work for me. (As you can imagine I have tried to stretch a lot of shoes for my wide-ish feet and results vary. It’s better just to get something that fits well in the first place.) More alarmingly, though, she said that one of the tabs on her first pair ripped off. (Everlane replaced them, but that does make me wonder about the quality of the construction. I will say, though, that whenever I’ve had a problem with an Everlane product, their customer service has taken care of it right away.)

Comfort: The insole seemed pretty comfortable and I was surprised to find that they had a slight bounce to them. However, the boots were also on the heavy side and felt kind of clunky.

Price: $75

Where to Buy: Everlane website (shipping is free with two items) or visit one of their retail stores (at this time, only in San Francisco and New York.)

Alice + Whittles Rain Boot

Materials: Natural fair-trade tree rubber. I really wanted to support Alice + Whittles because of the way they source and make their shoes. The rubber they use come from trees in Sri Lanka and they only work with farms that undergo regular audits by the Fair Rubber Association.

Aesthetics & Details: I love the minimalist style of these boots! They don’t scream rain boots and I could see them working well with the rest of my wardrobe. The insole is thin and removable. (A reader shared that she put her own insoles in hers.) The heel is short, just 3/4″, and the treads on the bottom are a light zigzag pattern as opposed to the deeper treads on the Everlane boots. There’s a small metal pull tab on the back. The Alice + Whittles logo is also tastefully discreet on the back of the boot (though there is a flashier version with the logo on a gold metal plate.)

Fit: Alice + Whittles says, “Our boots have a narrow fit. We recommend that you order a full size up!” A full size up from my usual size would be a 7.5, but since these boots only come in whole sizes, I ordered an 8. The width of the 8 ended up being good for me, but it was too big everywhere else, especially length wise. I slipped into them easily because there was so much room. The opening at the top was huge (as you can see from my try-on photo looking down at the boots). Perhaps this is the case because they’re just too big for me. It seems to be part of the design though, as they appear that way on the models on their website too. I don’t understand this because it seems like rain could fall right into the boot with such a large opening.

Comfort: These boots were very lightweight, which felt great. However, the insoles were average in comfort compared to other rain boots (ethical or not) that I’ve tried. The soles seemed stiff, and I think they would probably tire out my feet. To be fair, comfort is a hard thing to gauge when the shoe isn’t even the right size for me. But, compared to Everlane’s boots, they were less comfortable.

Price: $96 – $110 for a short boot. Shipping — to the US and Canada only — is an additional charge. If you opt for the cheapest shipping option, called standard shipping, Alice + Whittles is “unable to replace packages that are lost, stolen, or damaged.” You have to upgrade to $20 secured shipping (via UPS pr FedEx) to ensure coverage in the event of loss, theft, or damage. Am I an unreasonable consumer for thinking that a company should always use shipping that covers these unfortunate situations? Something else that struck me as unfriendly is that “sale items are only eligible for an exchange or store credit.” No refunds! Full price items can returned for a refund or exchanged once for free. [Update: Shipping is now free for orders over $110.]

Where to Buy: You can buy directly from Alice + Whittles for the largest selection, but a few other retailers carry smaller selections. I found a burgundy Alice + Whittles rain boot marked down to $64 (final sale, though) on Athleta.

And the Winner Is…

As you can probably guess, I didn’t go with either of these brands since they didn’t fit me. However, if forced to choose one of these brands, I’d go with Everlane for comfort and a better fit. I’m not settling for style or comfort, though, so it might be a while before I find a rain boot that works for me.

UPDATE 5/3/19 – Alice + Whittles heard about my review and sent me a pair of rain boots in a smaller size to try. Read my update here.