Chelsea
boots commonly known as Dealer boots outside London, are close-fitting,
ankle-high boots with an elastic side panel. They often have a loop or tab of
fabric on the back of the boot, enabling the boot to be pulled on. The boot
dates back to the Victorian era, when it was worn by both men and women.
Chelsea
boots and some of its variants were considered an iconic element of the 1960s
in Britain, particularly the mod scene.
The design
is credited to Queen Victoria's shoemaker J. Sparks-Hall. The shoemaker, J.
Sparks-Hall claimed that "She (Queen Victoria) walks in them daily and
thus gives the strongest proof of the value she attaches to the
invention". In his advertising of the period, he refers to the boot as J.
Sparkes-Hall's Patent Elastic Ankle Boots. The boot became popular for horse
riding as well as walking.
Charles
Goodyear's development of vulcanised rubber enabled the invention of the
elastic gusset boot. The advantage of elasticised boots meant they could be
easily removed and put on again. By the late 1840s, the fashion began to catch
on. This became a prominent style in the West until the onset of World War I.
Theatrical
and ballet shoe maker Anello & Davide created a variant of the Chelsea boot
in 1961 with Cuban heels and pointed toes for the Beatles, after John Lennon
and Paul McCartney saw some Chelsea boots in its shop window and commissioned
four pairs with higher, Cuban heels – this style became known as Beatle boots.
Beatle
boots, as were Chelsea boots, were frequently adopted by mods and worn with
tailored suits.
Variants
and similar boots include a type of riding boot called jodhpur boots as well as
assorted work boot designs, including Australian work boots like those
manufactured by Blundstone and other companies: such work boots may have steel
toes.
In Brazil
this kind of boot, often rugged and of low-quality, are associated with the
countryside population and construction workers, being cheap to acquire,
popularly known as 'Botinhas Catitó' after one of its brands.
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