Fashion world is getting the boot
Who can forget those black, vinyl, thigh-high boots Julia Roberts wore -- with little else -- when she first spied her man in Pretty Woman? Twenty years later, tall boots are back.
Thigh-high boots rocked the runways a year ago, but it's taken some time for the trend to evolve and gain acceptance from a broader audience. Now, over-the-knee styles are adding a sexy-yet-chic statement to skinny jeans and leggings, skirts and dresses.
"Every girl wants to be a little sexy," says footwear designer Stuart Weitzman. "Do you know an American woman who hasn't seen Pretty Woman?"
Weitzman, who has made tall boots in past seasons, says over-the-knee boots are popular now because women wear tights with many looks -- even miniskirts and shorts.
"They complement the new kind of dress that many, many girls are using today. It sort of breaks up the whole naked-leg look and becomes an acceptable adaptation of modern dressing."
Options are plentiful: Choose a dramatic pair with a high heel, a midheight wedge or a flat-bottomed boot. They come plain or embellished with chains, buckles and studs, and with details that include distressing and lacing. Depending on the style, they can add glamour to an evening ensemble or keep you warm running errands by day.
"They're sexy and fun, and everyone can wear them in their own way," says Brian Atwood, just named Footwear News' designer of the year. He offers a midthigh platform boot with a 51/2-inch heel as well as a flat shearling style. "Definitely don't be afraid of the over-the-knee boot."
The beauty of the style, he says, is that it lengthens your appearance, regardless of height.
The success of the high-end designer collections led retailers to realize that the everyday shopper was ready for the look this year, said Avril Graham, executive fashion and beauty editor of Harper's Bazaar.
"It had been seen as a very high-fashion look and super trendy," she says. "Now, it's so much more accessible. I've been traveling across the states in the last few months, and I've been noticing so many more regular women are wearing this look."
Graham advises wearing the boots with a "minimalist chic" look. Don't pair the boots with every other trend or pile on too many accessories, she cautions, and keep hemlines higher than the top of the boots.
"The look has to be a linear, long, clean silhouette," she says. "The whole object of this look is to keep your entire look very simple and chic."
That means close-fitting jeans or cigarette pants tucked into the boots, no flared pants or skirts, and nothing flouncy.
"You want to avoid having any resemblance to anything theatrical and the appearance of anything remotely looking like Pirates of the Caribbean," Graham says.
There's a lot of variety in boot style, shaft and overall vibe, and that lets the trend live longer.
Weitzman, whose best-selling item is an over-the-knee boot, says 10 percent to 15 percent of boots for his pre-fall 2011 collection will reach over the knee. Atwood is reissuing the limited-edition RZ boot, a collaboration with celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe that sold out.
"These boots are here to stay, I think," Atwood said of the tall style.
The growing popularity of over-the-knee boots surprised online retailer Piperlime, which says women of all ages and heights are booting up, making them a top seller.
"We did think it was going to be a smaller trend," says Brooke Banwart, divisional merchandise manager for shoes and accessories. "It's gone mass."
Tall boots, which started out as a men's style in the 17th century with the cavalier look of The Three Musketeers, were adopted by women in the 20th century, when hemlines began to rise, says Beth Dincuff, a fashion historian and faculty member at Parsons The New School for Design.
The boots' return to style comes during a time of change in fashion, Dincuff says.
"On the street, I think we're in a very hyper-sexualized way of dressing right now," she says, attributing fashion influences not necessarily to designers but to pop culture. "What we find acceptable has changed."
