I can help. I just ordered both kinds in Regulars and Fulls so that I could have my own in-home dressing room.
The short answer to your question is: Dress boots fit a tad narrower than do field boots. Try ordering the full in the Dress versions if you think the field boots are a bit tight in Regular.
Here’s my extended review:
The dress boots are different, less oiled (and a tad lower quality) leather. They’ll take a shine better but never be as soft or (ultimately) as durable. But! They have a slightly better design in that there’s a snap tab that covers the zipper at the heel end of the boot. I want to keep horse-side-gunk out of the zippers, so that was a plus for me. The dress boots also have a more extreme version of the Spanish top. I’m a reformed HunterPrincess, so I care about aesthetics. IMO, these boots are cut a tad too short, so the Spanish top will help with that. For better and worse, given the shape of your legs, I think the boots are a tad too wide at the top. I guess I have pronounced calves and get thin again up by my knee.
Fit differences in the two: Field boots will fit a tiny bit larger out of the box. The fake-leather stretch panels is the same. There’s not appreciable give if you try with your hands, but I’m sure it stretches some on the leg. That said, it will stretch more than the boot shaft’s leather and material. So I think you can take the out-of-the-box fit seriously as an indication of how they’ll stay.
I ended up keeping the dress boots in Full and the field boots in Regular. The ankle in both is too big by my standards. I’m all about the “leather sock” aesthetic that zippered boots have given us. But the ankle is a tad better in the field boots. Between the ankle and the leather, the field boots strike me as the higher quality ones.
But the field boots were a bit tighter than the dress boots in Full. I’ll wear them with heavier- and lighter breeches.
Ask if I can answer any other questions for you.
I will say that I’m happy with my purchase (for $200 a pair and free shipping from Smartpak; ain’t payin’ no $300 for too-short, fat-ankled, won’t hold a shine like my Dehners fugly boots). And boy-howdie they are warm and comfortable.
