Alpinestars Stella Armada

I have been on the quest for a new pair of motorcycle boots, something to replace my old Sidi Jasmine boots that look like moon shoes on my feet. I was looking for something more stylish and when I saw the Alpinestars Women’s Stella Armada
online I fell in love. I checked my local shops and sadly no one carried these boots in stock and I would be left to guess with sizing online. I normally wear either a US 7 or 8 and have pretty average width feet. I read some reviews that these boots run big so I opted for a EU 38 which is equivalent to a woman’s 7.

Unfortunately, the sizing simply doesn’t work for me. While the 38 seems to be a good size length wise these boots run very narrow. There is okay room for my toes to move around but the boot is too tight over the top of my foot, particularly above the ball of my foot. Loosening the laces does not adjust the tightness in this area. Looking at the sole of the boot it seems narrower than my foot and I felt like my foot was bulging over the rubber sole and therefor the sides were only protected by leather.

Another area many women are concerned with is the calf area. I have thin legs and the calf room worked fine for me with some room to spare.

There was extra material on the insides of the boots, which I really didn’t understand. Maybe this was extra room for people with larger ankles, but given how narrow the front of the boot was I can’t see how this would work for anyone. This really detracted from what would have otherwise been a very sleek profile on the boot.

I am still on the fence about the amount of protection offered in these boots. The leather is softer than most motorcycle boots I have seen. There is a small amount of extra padding over the outside ankles, but it is soft padding and not hard armor. There is a little bit of a protective toe box at the front of the boot, but because of the weird sizing it didn’t really line up with my toes. My biggest concern was for my pinky toes which were only covered by the soft leather. No rubber or harder material were anywhere near the smallest toe.

The only redeeming quality of these boots is the great styling. These are different than the standard motorcycle boots out there and I would like to be able to wear these boots on and off the motorcycle. Under a pair of jeans these boots look just like any pair of nice leather shoes.

At this price point ($329) I expected more. These are one of the most expensive boots on the market so I expected superior protection in addition to the style. I also was quite disappointed by the fit. I have average sized women’s feet and don’t normally have problems with shoe sizing.

Alpinestars designers, if you are reading this, I would be happy to be a tester for any of your future ladies gear. I’m not sure who you are testing it on today but they are not a good representation of your female market.


Here is the Stella Armada next to a Sidi Jasmine boot... You can see the Armada is taller and much narrower.


They are very stylish with a pair of jeans.


Here is the weird bulge in the material near the ankle. Also, look how narrow the boot is between the toes and ankle.

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One Comments

  1. Judy LaParne says:

    I happen to have my eye on these little darlins… http://www.rideicon.com/product_details.jsp?category=3432&id=12014 . I know they look like high heels and yet they are really comfortable when you ride. Crazy, huh?? Im a little surprised about the Alpinestars. They have always been great for womens gear, but I have never had a pair of their boots. Guess I will stick with the Icons.
    Good luck..

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