Write an article based on this "Sit with your foot flat. Measure up the back of your leg. Measure around your calf. Estimate an ideal boot shaft height."
Sit down comfortably with at least one foot flat against the floor. Your knee should be bent down at a 90 degree angle, making your leg perpendicular to the floor.  You should also relax the muscles in your leg as you prepare to measure it. This leg is the leg you will need to measure. The vast majority of people can get away with only measuring one leg, but if one of your legs is slightly shorter than the others, you may want to consider measuring each leg separately. Your leg is straightest in this position which is why you need to keep it this way for both your calf height and circumference measurements. Place the end of a soft tape measure at the bottom of your heel. Extend the tape measure upwards, over the back of your leg, until it hits a point just below your kneecap. You can then take this calf height measurement and compare it to the shaft height measurement of the boots you are looking at. Find the measured height of the boot on the tape measure as you have it pressed against your calf. This spot is the point at which the boot shaft will most likely land on your leg. Locate the widest part of your calf and place the end of a flexible tape measure there. Wrap the tape measure all the way around your calf until it intersects with this starting point, then take the measurement at this point of intersection.  If you want to be really precise, figure out where the top of the shaft will land on your calf using the shaft height measurement and measure the circumference of your calf at that point. Compare your calf measurement to the shaft circumference of the boot. If the boot shaft circumference is smaller than the circumference of your calf, the boot will not fit well. If it is an exact match, the boot will fit but may feel a little too tight or snug. If the shaft is too much larger—usually 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) or more—the boot may end up feeling too loose. A boot shaft circumference can, however, be 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) smaller than your calf circumference if the material has enough elasticity to stretch over your calf.  An ideal situation would be for your boot shaft circumference to be 0.25 to 1 inch (0.6 to 2.5 cm) wider than your calf circumference. Beyond the basics of fit, your ideal boot shaft height is merely a matter of personal taste and preference. There are a few things worth keeping in mind when considering how high you would like a boot shaft to be, though.  If the shaft of a certain boot will end right at the crease of your knee, that boot is likely to pinch and rub your skin as you sit, making it uncomfortable. If you have notably wide calves, the best options will usually be ankle boots and similarly short boots. The shaft of these boots will stop just above your ankle and below the widest part of your calf, creating a more relaxed fit. Your height can also determine an ideal boot shaft height. As a general rule, shorter legs look better with shorter shafts and longer legs look better with taller shafts. If you are petite, a shaft height taller than 14 inches (35.6 cm) may overwhelm your figure. If you are tall, a shaft height shorter than 15 inches (38.1 cm) may throw off the visual balance of your legs.