“High button boots
were the dominant boot style for men and women through the end of the
century. In the 1880s, James Morley began production of high button
boots with a new sewing machine attachment that more securely
stitched the buttons. The making of one pair of boots from start to
finish could be accomplished in 15 minutes. Boots featured between
12-20 buttons depending on individual style and taste, and either a
scalloped design around the button hole or a simple and plain lap. As
the style continued into the 1890s, actresses and dashing women
favored the high button boot for it’s fashionable method of hiding
the ankle while hinting at the leg. The iconic Gibson Girl is shown
wearing high button boots in the Edwardian style after 1900.
Because so many tiny
buttons were on the boots, the button hook was invented. At first,
they were a luxury item, but as they became more common they were
viewed as a regular dressing accessory, much like a hairbrush and
mirror. Button boots were considered more secure than laced boots
because they didn’t come unlaced or loosen with wear through the
day. Certainly there were many other styles of boots available for
men and women, but just a quick browse through an antique ladies’
magazine will reveal that the high button boot was considered the
most fashionable, the most modest, and the most necessary type of
boot for ladies to wear. Men were encouraged to own a pair of laced
shoes for bad weather, a pair of Oxfords for the summer and a pair of
button up boots for all other occasions.
After the turn of
the century, the high button boot lingered until World War 1. In
1914, rationing of leather and other goods necessary pushed the boots
to the side and frugality took hold. The rise of hemlines and the
flapper fashion demanded new shoe styles and the Mary Jane and
T-strap styles took hold. In America, President Franklin Roosevelt in
1933 announced that high button shoes would no longer be indexed on
the Bureau of Labor Statistics charts. While they had waned for many
years, the high button boot was officially “over” after a good
30+ year run of dominating shoe fashions.”
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"The Victorians
certainly loved buttons. They'd use them everywhere. On their boots,
on their gloves, on their corsets, on their jackets... It would take
a woman hours to hook them all on her own. The solution? Button
hooks. They came in all shapes and sizes. Some were as long as a foot
to prevent the wearer from bending down when fastening buttons, while
others were as small as a finger and could easily be carried around
in a purse and used whenever it was necessary.
Button hooks could
be elaborate, made of gold or silver and decorated with jewels, or
simple and plain. But they all worked the same. Button hooks have a
"hook" (obviously!) made from a loop of wire. The wearer
would thread this hook through the button hole and grab the button
with it. Then, she'd pull the button hook, with the button safely
secured, through the hole, pull the hook free and start the whole
process again with the next button. These hooks made dressing easier
and faster for decades, before they started to go out of use after
World War I. Nowadays they are found mostly in antique shops."
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