While their exact origin is unknown, these boots were most likely introduced to the Americas by the Spanish Vaqueros in the early 16th century. They’re characterized by a pointed toe and an elevated beveled heel. The Vaqueros and the Native Americans were the first cowboys in America, in charge of migrating herds of bovine across the United States. Originally, the boots were quite uncomfortable and had little aesthetic value. Made of a supple shaft of kid leather that could be adjusted to the cut of the foot, an upper, and a flat heel. Since the upper would usually get worn out before the leather shaft, many cowboys would get a new one sewed by shoemakers of the mid-1870s, particularly in the West. These artisans were bootmakers rather than shoemakers in the strictest sense. They notably offered a variety of the shafts used to make these boots, made of all sorts of leather, and even took custom orders. This is how a new type of leather shaft, slightly rounded on top and on bottom, was developed. Proof of their fertile imaginations, these bootmakers decorated their leathers with topstitching in the shape of flowers, insects, and reptiles. The famous heel, made of strips of leather that were then stuck together and beveled, was born from the experience of Mexican caballeros, who noticed that the beveled shape was more adaptable to mounting a horse without losing their stirrups. With time, the leather shaft’s cut would differentiate itself according to the cowboys’ individual tastes. The art of uniqueness began to intrude into the fabrication of these boots, and would largely contribute to their success.
In the first years of the 20th century, incrustations began to appear around the leather shafts. They would immediately appeal to cowboys, and enthusiasm for these new “fancy boots” was widespread. When Hollywood producers started sensing the onset of a Wild West fashion, they began to have boots made for the stars to wear both onscreen and off. They were custom made for showbiz, using exotic skins like alligator, ostrich, elk, bison, snake, lizard, or elephant. What’s more, the lines and colors were often more sophisticated. They were adorned with hand-engraved motifs, or more often embroideries in the leather done with gold or silver threads.
Primarily worn by men, cowboy boots got a feminine twist in the 50s. The boots were democratized and became unisex. Considered to be a boot for bad boys, bikers, and rockers in the 50s and 60s, these boots definitively take the cake for success and originality. This creation has sailed through more than a century of evolution, all the way to Paris, where today they’ve ended up with one of the world’s most chic couturiers.
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