Fashionable boots for women may have all the variations seen in other fashion footwear: tapered or spike heels, platform soles, pointed toes, zipper closures and the like. The popularity of boots as fashion footwear ebbs and flows. They were popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but diminished in popularity towards the end of the 20th century.

Go-Go-Boots

The idea of a woman’s mainstream fashion boot was revolutionary. Before the introduction of go-go boots, women’s boots were generally worn during only inclement weather, rugged activities, or horseback riding, but not as street shoes.

This new style of footwear was designed for to complement the shorter hemlines of the new, modern look. Go-go boots drew attention to the legs, accentuated the simple A-line silhouettes but also offered some modest coverage for the less daring but fashion-minded women.

André Courrèges is often cited as the originator of the fashion go-go boot: a low-heeled, calf-high boot made of white plastic with a clear cut-out slot near the top was featured as part of the “Moon Girl” look featured in his Fall 1964 collection. ^[7]

Manufacturers began mass-producing runway knock-offs in contemporary colors and materials. These knock-offs were extremely popular with teenagers, who could be seen wearing go-go boots on both the street and television dance shows. They were often seen worn by "Dolly Birds" in London during the 1960s. The boots usually had a zipper in the back although some styles featured the zipper on the side or with no zipper at all.

Girl dancers on the TV shows, "Hullabaloo" and "Shindig" also wore the short, white boots. As such, those came to be called Hullabaloo Boots and Shindig Boots.

Nancy Sinatra’s 1966 number-one pop hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" helped popularize go-go boots, and the Space Age boots worn by Jane Fonda in 1968’s science fiction film Barbarella were a nod to their erotic past.

Other designers (including Mary Quant) designed their own versions of go-go boots. As hemlines rose, so did the height of the boot, and the heel height dropped proportionately, culminating in a pair of thigh-high garter boots designed by Yves St. Laurent which clipped up underneath the tiniest of skirts. ^[8]

Fashion trends progressed and as women’s trousers and maxi-length skirts where only the foot showed became popular, legs were de-emphasized. By the early seventies, go-go boots were referred to simply as boots, and the emphasis shifted to the height of the heel and the development of the platform