A fashion boot is a boot worn for reasons of style or fashion (rather than for utilitarian purposes – e.g. not hiking boots, riding boots, rain boots, etc.). The term is usually applied to women’s boots.
1 History of fashion boot
1.1 Fashion boot —— Pre-1960s
In the 19th and early 20th Centuries, ankle and calf-length boots were common footwear for women. Rising hemlines made longer styles of boots popular. In 1913, Denise Poiret, the wife of celebrated French couturier Paul Poiret, caused a sensation in Paris and New York by wearing knee-length boots in wrinkled Morocco leather. Designed by her husband, made by the bottier Favereau, and styled with a low heel and a square toe, she had versions in red, white, green, and yellow. By 1915 the New York Times was reporting that, inspired by Mme Poiret, women had adopted these “Russian boots” as an acceptable alternative to baring ankles and calves. By the 1920s Russian boots were available in a variety of styles, calf- or knee-length, with a Cuban or Louis heel , which could be pull-on, or zip-fastened for a closer fit. Worn with knee-length skirts, they often featured decorative features such as elaborate stitching or fur trims . Russian boots were sporadically popular during the 1920s, as a more fashionable alternative to galoshes, but fell out of favor by the 1930s.
One reason for the decline in popularity of boots during the first half of the 20th century may be because streets became cleaner as roads were surfaced and horse-drawn transport gave way to the motor engine. The additional protection provided by boots was no longer needed.
1.2 Fashion boot —— 1960s
American designer Beth Levine is widely credited as the first person to introduce boots into Haute Couture. As early as 1953, Levine introduced a calf-length boot in white kidskin, which sold poorly. Most retailers saw boots as a separate category of footwear from shoes, to be worn for protection from bad weather or for work. By contrast, Levine argued that boots were shoes and could be an integral part of a woman’s outfit. In 1957 Levine and her husband produced an entire collection of based around fashion boots, and despite widspread skepticism on the part of other designers and manufactuers , calf-high, kitten-heeled fashion boots for women began to grow in popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. By 1963 Yves Saint Laurent’s couture collection included thigh-length alligator skin boots by designer Roger Vivier and Vogue was able to announce that boots of all lengths were the look of the moment .
Rising hemlines and the availability of new, brightly colored artificial materials such as PVC, combined to make boots an attractive fashion option for younger women. In 1965 André Courrèges released the first of his iconic white leather calf-length boots and designers such as Mary Quant, who launched her own ‘Quant Afoot’ line of footwear in 1967, produced inexpensive, machine-molded plastic boots in a variety of different colors to be worn in tandem with mini-skirts. The rising price of leather during the 1960s made these plastic and vinyl boots a popular alternative to more traditional footwear . As skirts became even shorter in the late 1960s, there was a resurgence of interest in thigh-length boots or cuissardes Pierre Cardin featured shiny black PVC thighboots as part of his futuristic 1968 couture collection and Beth Levine designed seamless, stretch vinyl and nylon stocking boots tall enough to do double duty as hosiery . The tallest boots from this period were so high that they were equipped with suspenders to hold them up. High laced boots, similar to those worn in Edwardian times, were also popular.
1.3 Fashion boot —— 1970s and 1980s
Although fashion boots and particularly ‘go-go boots’ are often described as ‘typical’ of 1960s fashion, it wasn’t until the 1970s that boots became a mainstream fashion staple for women ; for many women in the 1960s, boots were seen as ‘a superfluous accessory’ more suitable for teenagers and college girls than a grown woman . By contrast, the end of the following decade saw fashion boots occupying multiple pages of mainstream mail-order catalogs by companies such as Sears, Wards, and Kays .
The early 70s were typified by tight-fitting, vinyl boots rising to the knee or higher. These sometimes had mock lacing on the front and zipped up at the rear; they could be worn under the new maxi dresses, which had slits in them to show the leg. In summer, pale, high-legged boots in printed or open weave fabric were teamed with summery dresses ; these often had extensive cut-outs, so that they were more like high-legged sandals than conventional boots. Platform-soled styles were also popular. The multi-colored suede and canvas over-the-knee boots produced by the London store Biba were so sought-after that queues would form outside the store when a delivery was due . By the late 1970s, form-fitting, shaped-leg boots were being replaced with straight-legged designs, frequently worn over jeans or other pants, which were often pulled-on rather than zip-fastened . As well as high-heeled dress boots, more rugged designs, by companies such as Frye, were widely worn. The end of the decade saw a growth in popularity of shorter, calf-length boots, often worn layered with socks and tights , and a revival of interest in over-the-knee and thigh-length boots, which were popularized by punk and new wave performers such as Blondie’s Debbie Harry.
In contrast to the preceding decade, the 1980s saw a sharp decline in the popularity of high-legged boots. Instead, ankle boots in a variety of styles were particularly popular, as were low-heeled, calf-length, pull-on styles. Knee length boots, if worn at all, tended to be low-heeled, faux riding boots that were combined with long skirts.
1.4 Fashion boot —— 1990s and 2000s
The early 1990s saw an explosion in dance club culture and its associated fashions, many of which looked back to the 1960s for inspiration, as well as drawing on fetish-themed elements. Knee-length go-go boots, platform-soled boots, and even thigh-length PVC boots were worn by clubbers, but although some designers flirted with these styles of footwear (e.g. Gianni Versace) mainstream take-up was limited. Nonetheless, by 1993 boots were popular enough for the U.S. edition of Vogue to declare that it was “The Year of the Boot” . Knee-length boots became commonplace again, initially as lace-up styles which were subsequently replaced by zip-fastened boots in the second half of the decade.
By the turn of the 21st Century, fashion boots in a variety of styles were back to the same level of ubiquity that they had enjoyed in the 1970s. A pair of knee-length boots, often with metal accents, was widely regarded as a must-have wardrobe item for the clothes-conscious woman, paired with knee length skirts and dresses for business and casual wear. Ankle boots also remained very popular and in the latter part of the first decade knee-length styles worn over pants, especially jeans, were common. In 2009 thigh-length boots were a subject of major attention by the fashion press, receiving guarded approval and a level of mainstream acceptance that they had never previously achieved; this trend continued in 2010
2 Design of Fashion boot
Fashion boots generally employ the same range of soles and heels as are found in shoes. The defining character of the boot is the length of the shaft. Ankle boots generally have a shaft height of less than 8 inches (20 cm), calf-length boots 8-15 inches (20–38 cm), knee-length boots 15-19 inches (38–48 cm), while over-the knee boots have shaft lengths of 19 inches (38 cm) or more; however these divisions are arbitrary and at the boundaries the decision as to whether a boot is, for example, calf-length or knee-length is largely subjective.
The shaft of a fashion boot can be fitted (i.e. following the curve of the wearer’s calf), straight-legged, or loose-fitting (or “slouchy”). In close-fitting boots, flexibility is achieved by the use of gussets; slits in the material either at the top of the shaft (in knee-length boots), or wider panels at the sides of the shaft (in ankle boots), which are backed with elasticized fabric. Compression folds around the ankle allow for movement of the foot. In over-the-knee boots, flexion of the knee is usually attained by a vent at the back of the boot, running from the top of the shaft to the back of the knee. This may be closed with laces, elasticized, or left open. Where a vent is not used, freedom of movement is achieved either by having the top of the shaft flare outwards above the knee, or making the entire shaft out of a stretchable material.
A variety of fasteners are seen in fashion boots. Laces are commonly used in ankle boots, but are too time-consuming for longer styles. Zip fasteners are widely employed in all styles of boot – they may run the entire length of the shaft, or just the ankle and lower calf – these partial-length zips make it easier to insert the foot into the toe of the boot by relaxing the fit around the ankle. Pull-on boots have no fasteners and tend to have a looser fit than zip or lace-up boots; they sometimes have a loop of leather at the top of the shaft, called a boot-strap, to assist with pulling the boot on. Finally, button-fastened boots were common at the beginning of the last century but are rarely seen today. If present, buttons are usually employed as design accents on boots; other decorative features include straps, buckles, studs, and decorative stitching.
3 Fashion boot In popular culture
There are numerous appearances and references to fashion boots in popular culture. A small selection is shown here:
3.1 Films of Fashion boot
* In Arabesque (1966) Sophia Loren is seen trying on a selection of 1960s shoes and boots, including white thighboots.
* In Klute (1969) Jane Fonda wears black leather, flat heeled thighboots and lace-up knee-length boots.
* Jane Fonda wears high-heeled knee-length boots in The Electric Horseman (1979) which also appear on the film poster; Robert Redford makes various references to her unsuitable footwear.
* Julia Roberts wears black PVC thighboots in the movie Pretty Woman (1990); they also appear on the poster for the film.
* In the film version of The Avengers (1998) Uma Thurman wears a number of outfits featuring knee-length boots, in homage to the original TV series.
* In Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) Renée Zellweger wears black, knee length boots. Hugh Grant refers to these as “very silly little boots.”
* Milla Jovovich wears high-heel knee-high boots through-out the movie adaption of Resident Evil (2002), despite being trapped in an undergroud lab where they cannot be very practical to wear.
* Anne Hathaway wears thigh-high black leather boots by Chanel in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), which are commented on by other characters.
* In the movie All About Steve (2009) Sandra Bullock wears shiny red knee-length go-go boots, which are commented on numerous times by other characters
* In the film,The Spy Who Loved Me,the main Bond girl wearing fashion boots.
3.2 Television of Fashion boot
* The Avengers (1961-1969) gained notoriety for Honor Blackman’s leather outfits (1962–1964), which often included calf- and knee-length boots. Diana Rigg (1965–1968) wore ankle- and calf- length boots in many episodes, and Linda Thorson (1968–1969) wore both knee-length and thigh-length boots.
* In the original Doctor Who (1963–1989) series, it was common (particularly during the 1970s era of episodes) for the Doctor’s female companions to be wearing leather or suede platform-soled women’s fashion boots and knee-length boots, which was typical of the fashion style when the series was made.
* In Star Trek (1966–1969) Star Fleet uniforms for women included black, calf-length boots. In the episode Mirror, Mirror (1968) an alternate universe was depicted in which this uniform was much more revealing and featured thigh-length black leather boots.
* The principle female characters in the Irwin Allen series Lost in Space (1965–1968) and Land of the Giants (1968–1970) had costumes that included mini-skirts and brightly colored go-go boots typical of the time when the series were made.
* Pan’s People, the in-house dancers on the BBC music show Top of the Pops (1968–1976) frequently wore knee-length go-go boots for routines.
3.3 Music of Fashion boot
* The stars of the TV series The Avengers, Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman, released a novelty single entitled Kinky Boots (1963) which referred to Ms Blackman’s footwear on the show.
* When performing her single These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ (1966) on stage and TV, Nancy Sinatra wore knee-length go-go boots by Beth Levine.
* Brigitte Bardot appeared in a short film for her single Harley Davidson (1967) wearing black leather thighboots.
*Boots are also common on-stage wear for many female performers. Examples by decade include:
* 1960s
o Brigitte Bardot
o Lulu
o Nancy Sinatra
* 1970s & 1980s
o Anni-Frid Lyngstad & Agnetha Fältskog (ABBA)
o Debbie Harry (Blondie)
o Suzi Quattro
o The Runaways
o Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart)
* 1990s & 2000s
o Atomic Kitten
o Jennifer Lopez
o Madonna
o Kylie Minogue
o Rhianna
o Spice Girls
o Taylor Swift
o Carrie Underwood
3.4 Sports of Fashion boot
Since the 1970s, calf- and knee-length go-go boots have been part of the uniform of many of the cheerleading squads associated with professional sports teams. Examples include:
* National Basketball Association
o Boston Celtics Dancers
o Chicago Luvabulls
o Houston Rockets Powerdancers
o Milwaukee Bucks Energee
o Orlando Magic Dancers
* National Football League
o Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
o Houston Texans Cheerleaders
o Oakland Raiderettes
o New Orleans Saintsations
3.5 Literature of Fashion boot
* In Edna O’Brien’s 1964 novel Girls In Their Married Bliss, Baba purchases a pair of boots so tall that she “looks like a general in them” in order to please her lover.
* The September 14, 2009 edition of The New Yorker featured a cover by Bruce McCall in which a car is seen driving through a forest of redwood-sized thighboots, a comment on popularity of over-the-knee boots that year.
* Fahion boots are a common design element on the covers of novels in the Chick Lit genre. Examples include:
o Dark Cindy (M. Apostolina, 2006)
o Fourth Comings (Megan McCafferty, 2008)
o Gone With The Witch (Annette Blair, 2008)
o Over Her Dead Body (Kate White, 2007)
o Someone Like You (Cathy Kelly, 2002)
