I've been looking for knee-high lace up boots and given the low price on these (15.99-16.99 when I bought them) I tried a few colors.  The boot has a nice look to it, the materials are okay (I've had better faux leather) but the fit was all over the place depending on the color.  I bought ice, two shades of brown (which looked exactly alike), tan and black in my usual 6.5.  The tan fit fine, the black was okay but one shoe felt slightly smaller than the other - I kept them anyway.  The ice was way small and I had to exchange for a 7, which fits better in the foot but sagged a bit at the ankle - I'll still keep it as I like the lighter neutral.  One of the brown boots was too small, the other fit in the same size but the price was higher than the other colors.  Given the material and the sizing issues I wouldn't pay any more than $16.99 for this boot, so I sent both brown colors back.  And, yes, they have a strong chemical smell as some synthetic materials do.  Okay for the price and I know I'll get use out of the ones I kept.