Celebrate autumn by taking a look at how boot styles have changed through the decades
From patent leather styles in the Sixties to today.
Accepting that summer has gone and it’s time to pack away your flip-flops is always a sad moment. But there’s a silver lining – it’s now officially acceptable to break out your boots.
Most people have at least one pair in their wardrobe and, over the decades, boot styles have changed – ranging through knee-high to mid-thigh, slouchy to skin-tight. They’ve even had a velvet moment.
Here’s a nostalgic look back at the highs and lows of boots, from the Sixties to today.
Sixties
Nancy Sinatra rocks her white knee-high boots
Style icons in the swinging Sixties included Twiggy, Cher and Jane Fonda. One thing they all had in common was a love for shiny patent leather boots in block colours that came up to the knee.
Here Miss Yugoslavia also opts for a classic Sixties white look
Whether you went for a classic white pair or ones in a bold yellow, this was not a decade of shy or retiring footwear.
Seventies
A young Cilla Black styled out some mauve velvet boots
After the geometric patterns and bright colours that were so popular in the Sixties fell out of fashion, boot styles changed too.
No wonder Shirley Bassey took a tumble on stage with the size of those heels
Shiny patent leather was over. Instead, the fashionable Seventies boot wearer opted for a sexier look, with materials like suede or velvet.
Actress Suzy Kendall opts for a thigh high style
These were the peak days of disco dancing and Studio 54, which also ushered in a time of higher heels and boots that crept up women’s thighs.
Eighties
This model sports the shorter, flatter style of boots popular in the Eighties
After the glam styles of the Seventies, footwear fashion became slightly more sensible in the Eighties.
Lace-up styles also proved popular
These boots look a lot more comfortable to walk in than those from the Seventies
There was less thigh-high business as well, with most boots coming to just above the ankle. Laces became increasingly popular, meaning boot lovers in this decade could walk in their shoes all day long while still maintaining their fashion credentials.
Nineties
Girlbands like The Honeyz favoured chunky boots that came up to your mid-thigh
Ah, the Nineties. The high street currently seems set on bringing back fashion from that decade, but there are some trends we sincerely hope are never revived.
Popular boot trends in the Nineties fall firmly into the category of things we’d rather not see re-purposed in Topshop next season.
Presenter Jo Whiley opts for a stiletto heel
Two main boot styles reigned supreme in the Nineties. First was an all-leather model which had chunky heels, coming in at a particularly unflattering mid-thigh length.
The second was a shorter, ankle-length style which boasted tiny stiletto heels. Almost like kitten heels for boots – which is something we would also prefer never to see again.
Noughties
Slouchy boots
While some Nineties trends were questionable, it’s safe to say everything was dodgy in the Noughties.
Looking back, slouchy boots were an eyesore with their bunched up, loose leather, but back then, you proudly paired them with a skirt.
Jennifer Lopez goes for a classic slouchy boot with a high heel
Another key 2000s idea was the ever-climbing, stiletto heel – until we suspect it was nigh-on impossible for those poor celebs and fashionistas to walk anywhere in their boots.
Kylie Minogue nails the Noughties look by matching her boots to her outfit
Bonus points for celebs who managed to combine these trends when they – for whatever reason – decided to wear slouchy stiletto boots.
The Press Association
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