Chelsea boots are close-fitting, ankle-length boots withelastic side panels, a low heel and a snug fit around the ankle. 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.[1]
Chelsea boots and some of their variants were considered an iconic fashion element of the 60s in Britain, particularly in themod scene.[citation needed]
The design is credited toQueen Victoria's shoemaker Joseph Sparkes Hall.[2] Hall claimed that "She (Queen Victoria) walks in them daily and thus gives the strongest proof of the value she attaches to the invention".[3] In his advertising they are brandedJ. Sparkes Hall's Patent Elastic Ankle Boots.[4] The boot became popular for horse riding as well as walking.[3] The term "chelsea boot" emerged a few years before the beginning of theVictorian era, being the name used by Londoncobbler Thomas Cotton by 1831.[5][6][7][8]
Charles Goodyear's development ofvulcanised rubber enabled the invention of the elastic gusset boot. The advantage of elasticised boots meant they could be readily removed and put on. By the late 1840s they had become fashionable, and it remained a prominent style in the West until the onset ofWorld War I.[9]
In the 1950s and 1960s, Chelsea boots enjoyed a resurgence in the UK – and their association with trendyKing's Road (a street inChelsea andFulham in inner western London) social set ofSwinging London – worn by everyone from theRolling Stones toJean Shrimpton – is whenChelsea became contemporary name of the boot.[3][4]
Theatrical and ballet shoe makerAnello & Davide created a variant of the Chelsea boot in 1961 withCuban heels and pointed toes forthe Beatles, afterJohn Lennon andPaul McCartney saw some Chelsea boots in its shop window and commissioned four pairs with higher, Cuban heels – this style became known asBeatle boots.[10]
Beatle boots, as were Chelsea boots, were frequently adopted bymods and worn with tailored suits.[4]
Variants used as work boots include a type ofriding boot calledJodhpur boots, originating from India, as well as other designs, includingAustralian work boots like those manufactured byBlundstone and other companies.[11] Such work boots may havesteel toes. In Brazil this kind of boot is known as abotina. Often rugged and utilitarian in design, and similar to Australian work boots, they are commonly associated withcaipiras or the rural population in general.[12][13][14]
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