User:Biffthree

Biffthree
Russian boot is the name applied to a style of calf- or knee-length fashion boot for women that was popular in the early part of the 20th Century. Russian boots fell out of favor in the 1930s, but were the inspiration for the high-leg fashion boots that returned to popularity in the 1950s and 60s. Today the term Russian boot is sometimes applied to the style of low heeled boots worn by some folk dancers.

History
The original Russian boot was the valenki, a flat heeled, wide topped, knee-length boot worn by Russian soldiers. Designed to combat the extremely cold Russian winters, valenki were normally made from thick felt. The term was later applied to women’s boots in leather that appeared in the second decade of the 20th Century.

In the 19th and early 20th Centuries, ankle and calf-length boots were common footwear for women. Rising hemlines made longer styles of boots popular, particularly when the alternative was exposure of the ankle or calf, which was still considered shocking. In 1913, Denise Poiret, the wife of celebrated French couturier Paul Poiret, caused a sensation in Paris and New York by wearing knee-length boots in wrinkled morocco leather. 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 By 1915 the New York Times was reporting that, inspired by Mme Poiret, these "Russian boots" had become extremely popular with more fashionable women. However, high-leg boots did not catch on, possibly because the skirts at that time were still too long for these boots to be practical.

By the 1920s, hemlines had risen above the knee and Russian boots were back in fashion. They were available in a variety of styles, calf- or knee-length, with a Cuban or Louis heel, which could be pull-on, or zip-fastened for a closer fit. . Worn with knee-length skirts, they often featured decorative features such as elaborate stitching or fur trims. Russian boots were sporadically popular during the 1920s, as a more fashionable alternative to galoshes. They acquired a racy reputation, as the sort of footwear worn by girls that frequented saloon bars and speakeasies.

Russian boots fell out of favor by the 1930s. One reason for the decline in popularity of high boots during the first half of the 20th century may be because streets became cleaner as roads were surfaced and horse-drawn transport gave way to the motor engine. The additional protection provided by boots was no longer needed. It was not until 1950s that boots were again regarded as fashion items.

Today
Russian boots were the inspiration for the modern fashion boot, some of which closely resemble styles that first appeared in the 1920s. The term “Russian boot” is usually applied to the flat-heeled, calf-length boots popular with some traditions of folk dancing, especially those from Eastern Europe. In 2009, The New York Times reported that the original felt valenki was being reinvented as a fashion item in Russia

Pre-1960s
In the 19th and early 20th Centuries, ankle and calf-length boots were common footwear for women. Rising hemlines made longer styles of boots popular. In 1913, Denise Poiret, the wife of celebrated French couturier Paul Poiret, caused a sensation in Paris and New York by wearing knee-length boots in wrinkled morocco leather. 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. 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. By the 1920s Russian boots were available in a variety of styles, calf- or knee-length, with a Cuban or Louis heel, which could be pull-on, or zip-fastened for a closer fit. Worn with knee-length skirts, they often featured decorative features such as elaborate stitching or fur trims. Russian boots were sporadically popular during the 1920s, as a more fashionable alternative to galoshes, but fell out of favor by the 1930s.

One reason for the decline in popularity of boots during the first half of the 20th century may be because streets became cleaner as roads were surfaced and horse-drawn transport gave way to the motor engine. The additional protection provided by boots was no longer needed.

New Look

This is the user page for Biffthree, where I test out significant chunks of text for formatting before posting.

Mendes, Valerie; de la Haye, Amy (2010). Fashion Since 1900 (World of Art). London: Thames & Hudson. Fig.187

Florence Ledger, 1982. Put Your Foot Down, p.178. Melksham, The Uffington Press, 214pp

John Peacock, 2000. Fashion Accessories: The Complete 20th Century Sourcebook, pp.114,125. London, Thames & Hudson, 192pp

Desire Smith, 1998. Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalogs: The Early 1970s, pp 138, 143-144, 147-148, 150, 158-159. Atglen PA, Schiffer Publishing Ltd

Genevive Antoine Dariaux, 1964. Elegance, p.21. New York, Doubleday & Company

Caterine Milinaire & Carol Troy, 1978. Cheap Chic, pp.40-41. Harmony Books Joan Nunn, 1984. Fashion in Costume, 1200-1980, p.239. London, The Herbert Press Ltd, 256pp.

Jose Blanco F., Scott Leff, Ann T. Kellogg, and Lynn W. Payne, 2008. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through American History, 1900 to the Present, Vol.2, p.201. Westport CT, Greenwood Press Valerie Mendes and Amy de la Haye, 2010. Fashion Since 1900, fig.187. London, Thames & Hudson, 312pp

Caroline Cox, 2008. Vintage Shoes, p.45. Harper Collins 978-0-06-166576-9

Georgina Howell, 1975. In Vogue, p. 280. Allen Lane

Valerie Steele, 2005. Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, Vol.1, p.175. Farmington Mills MI, Thomson Gale, 3 volumes 978-0684313948

Helen Verine, 2009. Beth Levine Shoes, p.43. Stewart, Tabori & Chang 978-1584797593

Eugenia Sheppard, 1967. "Shoes, Like Sundials, Tell Time." Hartford Courant, August 22, 1967, p.11

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/931975752.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+22%2C+1967&author=EUGENIA+SHEPPARD&pub=The+Hartford+Courant+(1923-1984)&edition=&startpage=11&desc=Shoes%2C+Like+Sundials%2C+Tell+Time

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/trendspotting/3346989/How-to-do-skinny.html http://www.whowhatwear.com/website/full-article/trend-report-over-the-knee-boots/ http://www.coutorture.com/Fall-2009-Trend-Report-Over--Knee-Please-2984254

As men’s footwear
Over-the-knee boots first became popular as riding boots for men in the 15th Century, when the growing popularity of doublet and lightweight hose meant that extra protection was required for the legs when on horseback. This was also linked to the decline in the use of full plate armour as the use of firearms became more widespread in warfare. Heavy cavalry in the 16th and 17th centuries had only limited armour, in the form of a helmet and breastplate, or cuirass. Thigh-length boots in heavy leather provided additional protection for the legs. Today, many cavalry regiments still retain these high boots for ceremonial dress.

Riding boots of this style were widespread in the 17th and 18th Century, and remained in common usage through to the late 19th Century. They were the likely source of the term bootlegging, which originally came from the practice of concealing hip flasks of alcohol in the legs of boots. Because of these historical associations, cuissardes came to convey an image of potent masculinity, conjuring up images of cavaliers, pirates, or musketeers.

As women’s footwear
The earliest examples of women wearing over-the-knee boots come from the traditional principal boy role in pantomime theater, in which the young male protagonist of the play is played by a young actress in boy's clothes. These Breeches roles were also a rare opportunity for an early 20th Century actress to wear a revealing costume, potentially increasing the size of the audience. When playing historical characters such as Dick Wittington, the principal boy would often wear over-the-knee boots as part of their costume, emphasizing their swashbuckling, heroic character.

The adoption of over-the-knee boots as a fashion item began in 1963, when Yves Saint Laurent's couture collection included thigh-length alligator skin boots by designer Roger Vivier. These were based on a design originally produced by Vivier for the dancer Rudolf Nureyev in the ballet Swan Lake. The adaptation of hyper-masculine boots as fashion footwear for women has been interpreted as part of a broader Sixties trend against the femininity of Dior's post war " New Look".

Rising hemlines and the availability of new, brightly colored artificial materials such as PVC, combined to make boots an attractive fashion option for younger women. As skirts became even shorter in the late 1960s and early 1970s, cuissardes became even more popular. Pierre Cardin featured shiny black PVC thighboots as part of his futuristic 1968 couture collection and Beth Levine designed seamless, stretch vinyl and nylon stocking boots tall enough to do double duty as hosiery. . The tallest boots from this period were so high that they were equipped with suspenders to hold them up.

Over the next three decades, the popularity of over-the-knee boots as a fashion item for women waxed and waned. In the early nineteen seventies, the multi-colored suede and canvas over-the-knee boots produced by the London store Biba were so sought-after that queues would form outside the store when a delivery was due. The end of the decade saw a second-wave of over-the-knee and thigh-length boots; these were a longer version of the stack-heeled knee-length boots popular in the late seventies and were usually worn over jeans. In the early nineteen nineties, there was a brief vogue for thigh-length riding boots” and over-the-knee styles were intermittently popular throughout the first decade of the 21st Century. In 2009 thigh-length boots were a subject of major attention by the fashion press,   receiving guarded approval and a level of mainstream acceptance that they had never previously achieved; this trend continued in 2010  and by the following year over-the-knee styles had become commonplace.

As work boots
Hip boots (sometimes colloquially called "waders"), are a type of boot worn by river fishermen. Hip boots are typically made out of rubber, and cover the legs to the tops of the thighs or to the waist. They are designed to protect the fisherman when wading into deeper waters and keep the feet and legs warm in autumn and winter. Hip boots are also worn by ecologists and environmental scientists who do tests in swamps or lakes to determine the quality of water.

In contrast to hip boots, waders are waterproof boots that extend from the foot to the chest. Waders are available with boots attached or can have attached stocking feet (usually made of the wader material), to wear inside shorter boots. In addition to being used for leisure purposes, such as angling or waterfowl hunting, industrial, heavy-duty waders are used as protective clothing in the chemical industry, agriculture and in the maintenance of water supply, sewerage and other utilities.