Fashion boot
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.
[1][2] 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.
[3] By the 1920s Russian boots were available in a variety of styles, calf- or knee-length, with a Cuban or Louis heel,[4][5] which could be pull-on, or zip-fastened for a closer fit.
[14] As roads were surfaced and horse-drawn transport gave way to the motor engine, the additional protection provided by boots was no longer needed.
Boots were seen as restrictive and uncomfortable when compared with the new styles of fashionable shoe that complimented a more streamlined and simplified look for women's clothing.
[35] Rising hemlines and the availability of new, brightly colored artificial materials such as PVC[36] combined to make boots an attractive fashion option for younger women.
[45][46] Pierre Cardin featured shiny black PVC thighboots as part of his futuristic 1968 couture collection[47] and Beth Levine designed seamless, stretch vinyl and nylon stocking boots tall enough to do double duty as hosiery.
[75] By the late 1970s, form-fitting, shaped-leg boots were being replaced with straight-legged designs,[76][77][78] frequently worn over jeans or other pants, which were often pulled-on rather than zip-fastened.
In contrast to the preceding decade, the 1980s saw a sharp decline in the popularity of high-legged boots, a direction that began with the introduction of shoulder-padded 1980s styles in fall of 1978.
In the late 1980s, over-the-knee boots made a reappearance; these were loose-fitting, low-heeled styles in suede,[93] often brightly colored or decorated with brocade.
[96]The early 1990s saw an explosion in dance club culture and its associated fashions, many of which looked back to the 1960s and 1970s for inspiration, as well as drawing on fetish-themed elements.
[96][104][105] Ankle boots also remained very popular and in the latter part of the first decade knee-length styles worn over pants,[106] especially jeans,[107] were common.
In 2009 thigh-length boots were a subject of major attention by the fashion press,[108][109][110][111][112][113] receiving guarded approval and a level of mainstream acceptance that they had never previously achieved; this trend continued in 2010[114][115][116] and by the following year over-the-knee styles had become commonplace.
[118] These come in a wide variety of colors and materials (e.g. leather, suede, fabric) and can be worn with skirts or dresses of any length, under or over pants, or with leggings.
[120] Also known as thighboots or cuissardes, these boots were originally worn by men in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to protect the legs while riding[121][122] before being adapted as a fashion item for women in the 1960s and 1970s.
In this context they have sometimes been considered provocative or daring because of past association with fetishism and the sex industry[123] and so have had patchy mainstream acceptance.
Even when popular, a combination of one or more features such as lower heels, softer materials (e.g. suede), muted colors, and avoidance of skin exposure (by wearing over pants, leggings, or opaque hose)[110][116][124][125][126] is usually employed to avoid the so-called "Vivian" effect (a reference to Julia Roberts' character in the 1990 movie Pretty Woman).
