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Boots underwent another radical change. During the eighteenth century, men's boots became refined and slimmed down; they had turned-down tops, lined in brown, contrasting with the black leather of the rest of the boot, and were based on the boots worn by jockeys for the newly fashionable sport of horse racing. In fact, the Universal Spectator in 1739 refers to 'sparks who choose to appear as jockeys, seldom to be seen without
boots'. From the late 1800s to the mid-1950s, the cowboy had been seen as the epitome of the existential outsider. But then the biker took over as the new symbol of rebellion.
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| Although men wore boots and shoes that were becoming increasingly practical tools for living the active life, they did not entirely turn their backs on pattern and colour. Black and brown were the favourite colours but tan and pale shades were by no means uncommon among the gentry. In the 1954 movie The Wild One, Marlon Brando wore heavy, lowheeled bikers' boots. And, like movie cowboys before him, he wore blue jeans with the legs turned up so that the upper part of the boot could be admired. These boots had returned to their functional roots. They were high enough to protect the biker's ankle from the heat of the engine and the exhaust pipe, and they had thick soles to protect the rider's foot, which was often trailed along the road while making a turn. It is notable that Brando's boots did have a solitary adornment-a strap fastened with a buckle across the top of the instep, which was curiously reminiscent of the straps used to secure spurs. |
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