The 10 Best Women’s Goodyear Welted Boots | Resoleable Lace Up, Chelseas, Cowgirl, Knee Highs
A pair of well-made leather boots are among the most essential wardrobe staples. They combine durability and beauty that you can’t find anywhere else. But finding the best women’s Goodyear welted boots in a sea of cheap, cemented, fast fashion is a challenge.
Because brands don’t build many women’s boots to last all that long. Flimsy leathers, chintzy hardware, and, most importantly, cobblers can’t easily resole or repair women’s boots.
The biggest companies rarely make women’s boots with a Goodyear welt construction. A method where the bootmaker stitches a leather upper to the sole. These stitches make it super easy to cut the worn-down soles off and replace them with new soles.
Boots with a worn-down heel pad are usually done for — unless you buy a pair with a Goodyear welt. (Or a less common form of resoleable construction like Stitchdown or Blake Rapid, but those are practically unheard of on women’s boots.)
We tested the best-looking women’s Goodyear welted boots we could find. We interviewed bootmakers and put these boots to the test. Enjoy.
[Related: My List of The Best Boots for Men]
What Makes the Best Women’s Goodyear Welted Boots?
Why don’t more companies make women’s boots that last longer?
Frankly, it’s probably because of comfort. Many boot brands told us women are likelier to return Goodyear welted boots. They’re stiffer than the common cemented construction, which attaches the uppers to the soles with an adhesive and makes for a more flexible shoe.
This goes against many stereotypes of women tolerating uncomfortable footwear more than men.
“When it comes with a heel, we’re expecting it. I think less so when it comes in boot form,” says Julie, our resident women’s boot expert. “Also, I think the expectation is that every season, women do a complete overhaul of their wardrobes, so when we’re buying shoes the durability probably comes less into that decision.”
If you’re after a great boot, look for a Goodyear welt and full-grain leather — that means the upper is tough enough to last a long time and look great as it ages.
While rare, Julie has picked up many Goodyear welted boots over the years. So she thought it was high time to share her experience to help other women do away with cheap throw-away boots and find stunning footwear that lasts longer.
1. Best Overall: Thursday Captain Boot
- Full grain leather
- 12+ leathers to choose from
- Versatile boot, easy to wear with a dress or jeans
- 1” heel
- $190
The first up is the Captain from Thursday Boot Company. (Julie’s most-worn boot) It’s the ideal Goodyear welted boot because they’re extraordinarily inexpensive and come in a dozen leathers. Importantly, Julie finds them more comfortable than any other option. This is because they come with a shock-absorbing Poron insole. The cushy foam is easier to break in than your typical vegetable-tanned leather insoles.
Thursday Boot Company only makes a few Goodyear welted women’s boots (their famous Chelseas are an exception). The fully resoleable Captain is a lace-up service boot, so it’s not chunky or masculine.
Thursday Boot Company combines the traditional elements of durable boots, including full-grain leather and a steel shank for stability. However, they modernize the pattern to make sleek, fashionable footwear.
“What I like about these is you can make them more or less girly,” says Julie. “You can wear them with a pair of jeans or a dress, it’s a super versatile boot.”
The range of available leathers is also unusually wide. They have everything from weatherproof suede to Rugged and Resilient leathers, which are extra durable, albeit a bit stiffer on the break-in — be warned!
Thursday Women’s Boot Sizing
- Size up half a size
“Compared to the guy’s version, this boot is slimmer, and the sizing’s the opposite: guys should size down, but I sized up,” says Julie. “I got the 8.5, while my usual size is 8.”
They’re stunning boots for an unbeatable $190 dollars.
Sophisticated with an edge, this minimalist cap-toe boot will only get better with age — and because you can resole it, you'll really learn what durability means.
[Related: My List of The Best Leather Briefcases for Men]
2. Best American-Made Women’s Boots: Red Wing Heritage
- Classic American boot company
- Slimmer versions of their work boots
- Women’s boots have many exclusive leathers not available on
men’s boots - $320
Next is Red Wing Heritage’s Women’s Chelsea because no list of great boots can leave out the most iconic American brand in the game.
“I tried to get interested in other Red Wing boots, but although Alee at Vintage Feather is a fan of the Clara. Personally, none of their boots really vibed until I came across their 6-inch Chelsea,” says Julie. “This has a classic narrow silhouette, and it’s super easy to slip on, which I love because I’m always running late.”
The Chelsea boot is a perennial favorite of men and women alike because it’s so easy to slip on and off, and Red Wing’s rendition — unlike their men’s Classic Chelsea — has a slim silhouette that’s not at all ostentatious or work boot-y.
“It’s a great addition to my rotation of boots,” says Julie. “For me, it can work as a rain boot, a fashion boot, and because of the more narrow toe, it can be a little bit more formal, which I like.”
Red Wing Women’s Boot Sizing
- Size up half a size
As with the Thursday boot, Julie wears an 8.5 in Red Wing and an 8 in most of her other shoes.
This boot is available in Black Boundary, Pecan, and Indigo — all leathers you won’t find on the
In fact, Red Wing’s female customers have a range of colors and styles that aren’t available to men, including Rose (pink), Cream, Granite (a purply grey), and many more. Nick managed to cajole Red Wing into making him a pair of pink Red Wings for himself, but they’ll never be available for purchase.
But for you, dear female reader, cool leathers on a ton of Goodyear welted women’s boots are one click away:
[SHOP RED WING’S CHELSEA AND OTHER WOMEN’S BOOTS]
3. Best Knee High Women’s Boots: Frye Harness
- Wide range of tall boots in different styles
- Get an American-made boot if you’re after Goodyear Welt
- $250-$390
Frye is another brand Julie has a lot of experience with: they make her oldest pair of boots. The 150-year-old Frre makes well-known tall boots and Western heritage-style footwear.
This is one of their few Goodyear welted Harness-style boots. If that’s your priority, shop Frye’s American-made boots — that link will take you to a dedicated page for their USA-made boots.
Of course, you can usually tell which ones are USA-made because they’re naturally pricier than the others.
Other nice, tall, resoleable options from Frye include the Campus 14L, which has a roomier toe and stacked heel, and the Billy stitch pull-on for a more Western-style boot. Sometimes, they have other lace-up options like the Sabrina and the Chelseas made in the USA, but they’re not always available. Indeed, Frye’s selection has been particularly vulnerable to supply chain delays, so we apologize if your favorite style and size aren’t available!
Frye’s Women’s Boot Sizing
Once again, as appears to be the case for these boots, Julie sized up an 8.5 instead of her usual sneaker-size 8s.
[SHOP FRYE’S HARNESS BOOTS HERE]
4. Most Ethical Women’s Boot Brand: Adelante
- Made to order, fully customizable
- They send you a personalized video of your boots getting made
- Great value; boots run $265-$375 for knee highs
Adelante is another brand that Julie visited in Guatemala this past summer. The company is run by two great American guys, Pete and Mike. They have a unique process for made-to-order boots: you pick a model and a leather, the craftspeople leap into action to make your resoleable boots, they turn up at your door a couple of weeks later, and with it comes a video of your very own boots being made. Talk about personalized!
“It’s a really cool approach where every boot is made to order,” says Julie. “And then when you do put that order in they make a cute little film of the craftspeople who are behind your particular pair of boots, so every order feels super personalized and really custom to you.”
Pete and Mike are really dedicated to the social good side of their project. Veterans of international relations and government careers, they founded Adelante to improve the economy and bootmaking industry of Pastores, Guatemala, crafting a business model in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and even allowing their employees to dictate their salary. As a result, they’re paid twice the average rate, have a choice of public or private health insurance, and are formally employed — a status 90 percent of local shoemakers don’t enjoy.
Adelante Women’s Boot Sizing
Order half a size up! If your sneakers are 8, get an 8.5.
The boots are terrific. For Goodyear welted one, I’d recommend the Granada for a classic bootie, the Elena for a lace-up, the Condesa for a tall riding boot, and the Merida or Catalina for Chelsea options.
[SHOP ADELANTE’S WOMEN’S BOOTS HERE!]
5. Best Cowgirl Boots: Tecovas’ Annie
- Water resistant and sleek
- Available in 6 colors
- Fashionable, pointed “snip” toe
Tecovas has taken the Western boot world by storm with their unusually high quality and low prices: keeping a boot with this much leather and this kind of construction under $300 is a true feat.
When our contributor Hilary reviewed the Annie boots, she called this “Bone” colored pair “a perfect blend of classic and audacious,” noting how surprised she was that she could put them on fresh out of the box and take them to a social event. If you lean even a little bit Western (or are Western-curious), the Annie is the industry leader for a good reason — and with six colors to choose from, your cowgirl boots can be as loud or as subtle as you wish.
The Annie is a superb cowgirl boot: stitching that's decorative but not distracting, construction that's resoleable but not uncomfortable, and tall but not too tall.
6. Best Riding Boots: Ariat’s Heritage Contour II Field Zip Tall Riding Boot
- Western-style boots
- Often on sale
Suppose you’re looking for boots that can take a beating. In that case, there’s a decent chance you’re Southern or a horseback rider — Julie’s specialty — so we wanted to mention Ariat, a company known for its Western boots. Still, they also have dedicated, sport-specific riding boots. Their bestseller is the Heritage Contour II, featured above, and over a hundred reviews on Ariat’s site describe its utility as a boot for events and shows. Even better, because of the full-grain leather, many have owned their pair for over seven years.
More good news: Ariat regularly has sales, so keep an eye out or consider signing up for their newsletter if you want to be the first to snap up a good deal.
With 2 height options and 6 calf widths, this classic riding boot works comes with a boot slide for ease of entry, a lightweight shank for support, and full grain leather upper and lining.
7. Best Luxury Women’s Boots: Carmina Shoemaker
- Fashionable Goodyear welted boots
- Wide variety of styles and leathers
- ~$500
Carmina is another brand that Julie had the luxury of visiting on one of Nick’s factory trips on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Renowned for its impeccable calfskin and refined lasting techniques, Carmina offers a range of high-end Goodyear welted women’s boots for the discriminating woman with a little more to spend.
They offer unique designs for women’s boots: Goodyear welted but dressy and sleek. Believe it or not, Carmina’s shoemaking family actually predates the Goodyear welt, beginning in the town of Incas in 1866 by the great-grandson of Carmina’s founder, Matias Pujadas.
They manage to pull off elegant, stylish Goodyear welted boots that come in a lot of different colors and styles. The brand is best known for its Chelsea boots (our review of the men’s version here), and there’s no shortage of Chelsea models. Still, the jodhpurs and lace-ups can definitely fit in the wardrobe of a fashionable, modern woman who would think “rugged” is the last word you’d want to use to describe your look. These are durable as all hell while looking as refined as boots get.
[SHOP CARMINA’S WOMEN’S BOOTS HERE]
8. Best Winter Boots: Joseph Cheaney & Son’s Florence R
- Fur lined
- Leather has lots of character
- Chunkier boots
- £330 (~$430)
We had to include a boot for extra cold days and landed on English shoemaker Joseph Cheaney. If you don’t know about Cheaney, they are a very old and well-respected shoe company in the United Kingdom, and all of their boots are made in their Northamptonshire factory.
Their women’s line has a considerable range of makes and models, from Chelseas to Balmorals, spanning from the very feminine to the more rugged.
If you’re looking for a super high-quality boot for when the temperature dips, look no further than their shearling lined Derby boot, the Florence R. One of the company’s longest-standing styles, it comes with a classic, high-ankle silhouette, pebbled finish, and a casual country aesthetic. It’s labeled as “fur-lined,” but it’s actually shearling, which is sheepskin with wool — and all the lovely, temperature-regulating properties that it brings.
9. Toughest Women’s Boots: Nick’s Becca
- For an “indestructible” feeling on the foot
- Available in Tan and Black
- $549
If a heritage boot fan is reading this, he might be surprised to see Nick’s Handmade Boots on the list: these are seriously heavy-duty boots. Nick’s is known for making footwear for firefighters and foresters, in addition to hefty, hefty casual boots — but if that’s ‘s the kind of boot you’ve always wished were available for women, you’re in luck.
The Becca boot is available in to shades of Chromexcel, widely considered the most beloved boot leather in America, and they have a sleek shaft that slims the boot somewhat. At the time of writing, this is a very new boot, and there are no reviews to be found, but the brand is synonymous with quality footwear, and if you want some boots that will last you literal decades and as many resoles as you can throw at it, there’s no going past this beast.
Nick’s Women’s Boots Sizing
Note that the sizing is very specific here. If you’re a size 8, like Julie, you’ll want to size down 1.5 to get a 6.5.
[SHOP NICK’S BECCA BOOT HERE!]
10. Also Consider: Meermin
- European leathers
- Vegetable tanned leather insoles
- Made in China
- Under $300
We’re bordering on information overload here, so we’ll keep this short: Meermin makes quality women’s boots cheaply. Meemrin is a family-run business building European-style boots with high-quality materials for a broader market by virtue of their boots being made in China, keeping the costs relatively low.
It’s important to emphasize that this doesn’t mean Meermin’s stuff is low quality, and we’re seeing more high-end footwear companies move manufacturing to Asia while retaining their top-quality components and design to great results.
The old-fashioned materials, like veg tan leather insoles, will make the soles stiff at the outset. Still, with leather options like Italian suede and French calf from the famous Tannerie D’annonay, Meermin remains a great option for those looking to save some cash.
[SHOP MEERMIN’S WOMEN’S BOOTS HERE]
Honorable Mention: Truman Boot Company (Discontinued!)
- A constant rotation of new leathers
- Nice combination of chunky workboot with feminine touches like 1.75” heel
- $350 – $400, depending on the leather
We won’t waste too much time on this entry because since we filmed the video, Truman Boot Company has sadly discontinued their line of women’s boots, telling us,
This is due to nothing other than some equipment changes on the floor that don’t allow us to switch from men’s to women’s lasts easily. Our customers like them, and my own opinion is that they are one of the best options for women’s Goodyear footwear on the market. We’re hoping to relaunch them sometime this year once we have time to do an entire week or two of production with them.
When we followed up a few months later, they just said,
No plans for it at the moment. We are working on getting everything moved over to ready made.
But for posterity, a historical record, and to attempt to push Truman into rebooting their women’s line, we added these Desert Oasis Women’s Boots to this article in their lovely, creamy suede as an honorable mention.
This leans more on this traditional chunky workboot silhouette with a structured toe and a 1.75” tall heel. it also has a more distinctly feminine heel than other entries on this list.
Truman makes these boots in Eugene, Oregon. Historically, all of Truman’s women’s boots were the same model with different leathers, and the leathers they used changed based on the season, availability, and whatever they felt like offering.
This boot has been available in various shades of the brand’s famous Rambler leather; check that link out for some vibrant blues and purples.
Wrapping Up The Best Women’s Goodyear Welted Boots
That’s our exhaustive list — we hope you find the best women’s Goodyear welted boots.
But there’s one last piece of advice: if a company makes a men’s boot you love and not a women’s version, see if they offer narrow sizes. Regular
Whichever model you land on, you can expect a boot from this list to last many years — and fashion trends to boot!
Shelley
These boots are so cute and comfortable! I love the style and the color is perfect.