These wellington boots are available in a wide range of lovely colours – and for me this is their main selling point and reason to buy. In addition to the light blue (bleu clair) colourway that I tried, the Le Chameau Iris boots are available in black, light green, forest green, red, pink or dark blue.
They are Le Chameau’s lightest and cheapest full height wellington boot. Having previously tested the Le Chameau Vierzonords, I was intrigued to see how these would compare – and I found they were far more different than I expected.
While the Vierzonords are a highly technical boot designed for winter yard use, the Irises are less technical and aren’t designed to keep your feet warm in cold weather. They are quite thin in general and would offer really minimal protection if a horse was to stand on your foot. They are, however, far superior to a pair of wellies you might pick up on the high street.
I am UK 4½. When testing the Vierzonords, I found myself wondering whether I might have been dropping to UK 4, rather than sizing up to UK 5, so I tested these in a UK 4. I found these wellies to be a very different shape and, while they did fit comfortably and felt true to size, in hindsight I think a 5 would probably have been better, so I would suggest sizing up if you’re between sizes.
I felt the wellies were slightly shorter than I’d have liked
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I loved the summery colour – it makes a nice change as most of the other wellies I have, while very smart, are in more working colours. I didn’t find them as flattering as other wellies I’ve tried. They are a bit shorter than others and I felt they looked a bit short on me (I’m only 5ft 3in).
The Iris boots are incredibly flexible
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
As with the Vierzonords, I found the shaft to be incredibly flexible, which has its pros and cons. This made them very comfortable and easy to move around in, but you need to use two hands to get them on or off. They were very soft, and I would be very surprised if these wellies would cause any rubbing – they didn’t for me and I’ve even tried them with sports socks one day when I couldn’t find my trainers. They were also great for driving in – very flexible and I could really feel the pedals.
For me, if you’re going to invest in wellies for the yard or walking (and I’m a big believer of this) that you’re better off going for a more technical style at a higher price point than the Irises. However, if you’re looking for a pretty pair of wellies in a nice colour, for comfortable wear on a less regular basis, these are ideal.
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Verdict
I don’t think these are your best option if you’re looking for winter yard boots, but I would say, of all the wellies I’ve tried so far, these are the best wellies to wear to a festival this summer. They’re so light to carry around and they would even fold up small if you wanted to pack them in a bag.
Georgia Guerin looks after Horse & Hound’s shopping, fashion and product content. She owns a Norwegian Fjord horse, is at the yard twice a day every day and wellies are her go-to footwear of choice. Georgia was even once stopped by a stranger on Henley high street who commented on how she wore her wellies like a second skin. The shopper then questioned about which wellies she’d recommend – it was her lucky day as this is exactly what Georgia does for her day job.
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Georgia is Horse & Hound’s deputy website editor and equestrian products expert. She curates content across the website with a particular focus on upcoming equestrian events horse care and buying advice. She also manages all the ecommerce opportunities that allow us to give you easy access to the best products at the lowest prices via our buying guides. Georgia has first-hand knowledge of all the equestrian brands and their ever-evolving product lines, having been working with them closely since she started in equestrian media in 2015.
