# Beatle boot
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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatle_boot
> Source revision: 1352912293
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{{short description|Style of footwear}}
{{distinguish|The Beatles bootleg recordings}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2010}}
thumb|210px|A pair of Beatle boot replicas
A '''Beatle boot''' or '''Cuban boot'''[{{Cite web|title=THE LOOK – adventures in rock and pop fashion:: » The Baba boot: 60s pop footwear of choice|url=https://rockpopfashion.com/blog/?p=1339|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025050602/http://rockpopfashion.com/blog/?p=1339|url-status=usurped|archive-date=25 October 2011|access-date=2022-01-28}}] is a style of boot that has been worn since the late 1950s but made popular by the English rock group [the Beatles](/source/the_Beatles) in the 1960s. The boots are a variant of the [Chelsea boot](/source/Chelsea_boot): they are tight-fitting, [Cuban-heeled](/source/High-heeled_shoe), ankle-high boots with a sharp pointed toe. The style can feature either elastic or zipped sides.[{{cite book| last = Bassett McCleary| first = John| title = Hippie Dictionary: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the 1960s and 1970s| publisher = Ten Speed Press| year = 2004| page = 44| isbn = 1-58008-547-4}}]
Beatle boots saw the reintroduction of [high-heeled footwear](/source/high-heeled_footwear) for men.[{{cite web|url=http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/boot.html#beatle |title=Beatle Boots |access-date=2007-10-11 |last=Kippen |first=Cameron |work=The History of Boots |publisher=Department of Podiatry |quote=The Beatle Boot saw the reintroduction of heels for men. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010001055/http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/boot.html |archive-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}]
== History ==
thumb|The Beatles, seen here in 1963
Beatle boots are a direct descendant of the [Chelsea boot](/source/Chelsea_boot), but have an even more pointed toe{{mdash}}compare the slightly earlier [winklepickers](/source/winklepickers){{mdash}}and a centre seam stitch running from ankle to toe, and the [flamenco boot](/source/Flamenco_shoe), from which its Cuban heel was derived. Beatle boots originated in 1958, but in October 1961 English musicians [John Lennon](/source/John_Lennon), [George Harrison](/source/George_Harrison) and [Paul McCartney](/source/Paul_McCartney) saw Chelsea boots while in Hamburg, being worn by a London band, and then went to the London footwear company [Anello & Davide](/source/Anello_%26_Davide) to commission four pairs (with the addition of Cuban heels) for the Beatles, to complement their new suit image upon their [return from Hamburg](/source/The_Beatles_in_Hamburg).[{{cite book| last = Bramwell| first = Tony| title = Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles| publisher = Robson| year = 2004| page = 34| isbn = 0-312-33043-X}}]
Beatle boots were very popular with rock bands and artists during the late 1950s, but started to decline during the late 1960s. They were worn by subcultures such as [Teddy Boy](/source/Teddy_Boy)s, [beatnik](/source/beatnik)s, [rockers](/source/Rocker_(subculture)) and [psyches](/source/Psychedelia) etc. The boots saw a surge of popularity during the punk movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but again started to decline throughout the 1990s.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} During the late 2000s and early 2010s, the boots saw a steady surge in popularity.
==Notable wearers==
===Non-fictional===
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[The Beatles](/source/The_Beatles)
*[Carl Barât](/source/Carl_Bar%C3%A2t)[{{cite web
|url=http://www.popstarfeets.co.uk/2005/04/carl_barat.html
|title=Carl Barât
|access-date=2007-10-11
|last=Lawrence
|first=Helen
|date=18 April 2005
|publisher=Popstar Feets
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907095046/http://www.popstarfeets.co.uk/2005/04/carl_barat.html
|archive-date=2008-09-07
}}]
*[Michael Jackson](/source/Michael_Jackson)
*[The Dave Clark Five](/source/The_Dave_Clark_Five)
*[The Monkees](/source/The_Monkees)
*[Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley)
*[Johnny Cash](/source/Johnny_Cash)
*[Chuck Berry](/source/Chuck_Berry)
*[Little Richard](/source/Little_Richard)
*[Bill Haley](/source/Bill_Haley)
*[Eddie Cochran](/source/Eddie_Cochran)
*[The Who](/source/The_Who)
*[James Brown](/source/James_Brown)
*[Roy Orbison](/source/Roy_Orbison)
*[Jimi Hendrix](/source/Jimi_Hendrix)
*[Alice Cooper](/source/Alice_Cooper)
*[The Dandy Warhols](/source/The_Dandy_Warhols)
*[The Brian Jonestown Massacre](/source/The_Brian_Jonestown_Massacre)
*[Claude François](/source/Claude_Fran%C3%A7ois)
*[Neil Tennant](/source/Neil_Tennant)
*[The Doors](/source/The_Doors)
*[MC5](/source/MC5)
*[The Velvet Underground](/source/The_Velvet_Underground)
*[The Grateful Dead](/source/The_Grateful_Dead)
*[The Kinks](/source/The_Kinks)
*[The Zombies](/source/The_Zombies)
*[The Sonics](/source/The_Sonics)
*[The Yardbirds](/source/The_Yardbirds)
*[The Byrds](/source/The_Byrds)
*[The Beach Boys](/source/The_Beach_Boys)
*[Steve Lukather](/source/Steve_Lukather)
*[Ryan Ross](/source/Ryan_Ross)
*[Daedalus Howell](/source/Daedalus_Howell)
*[Iggy Pop](/source/Iggy_Pop)
*[David Bowie](/source/David_Bowie)
*[KISS](/source/KISS_(band))
*[Queen](/source/Queen_(band))
*[Jef Aerosol](/source/Jef_Aerosol)
*[Marc Zermati](/source/Marc_Zermati)
*[The Pretty Things](/source/The_Pretty_Things)
*[Whatevr](/source/Whatevr)
*Peter Gunn of [The Inmates](/source/The_Inmates)
*[The Kills](/source/The_Kills)
*[The Hellacopters](/source/The_Hellacopters)
*[Russell Brand](/source/Russell_Brand)
*[Bob Dylan](/source/Bob_Dylan)[{{cite news
|url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20070417/ai_n19013421
|title = Bob dylan
|access-date = 3 February 2008
|date = 17 April 2007
|work = [The Independent](/source/The_Independent)
|page= 2
}} {{dead link|date=September 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot|fix-attempted=yes}}]
*[The Gruesomes](/source/The_Gruesomes)[{{cite web
|url = http://exclaim.ca/Features/OnTheCover/gruesomes-back_from_grave
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121017213339/http://exclaim.ca/Features/OnTheCover/gruesomes-back_from_grave
|archive-date = 17 October 2012
|title = Back from the Grave
|access-date = 2007-12-29
|last = Lejtenyi
|first = Patrick
|date = June 2000
|publisher = Exclaim!
|quote = ...and the Beatle boots...
}}]
*[The Rolling Stones](/source/The_Rolling_Stones)[{{cite news
|url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419201042
|title = The Rolling Stones
|access-date = 1 February 2008
|last = Bone
|first = Martyn
|work = St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture
|year=2002
}}]
*[Alex Turner](/source/Alex_Turner_(musician))[{{Cite web|last=Turner|first=Adam|date=28 January 2019|title=11 Best Chelsea boots for men 2019|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/shopping/esbest/fashion/shoes/best-chelsea-boots-for-men-a4048906.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221235217/https://www.standard.co.uk/shopping/esbest/fashion/shoes/best-chelsea-boots-for-men-a4048906.html |archive-date=2019-02-21 |access-date=2021-02-10|website=Standard Evening|language=en}}]
*[Richey Edwards](/source/Richey_Edwards)
*[Andy Warhol](/source/Andy_Warhol)[{{cite web
|url = http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/life-and-style/warhols-foot-fetish/2007/11/19/1195321829121.html?page=2
|title = Warhol's foot fetish
|access-date = 29 December 2007
|date = 19 November 2007
|work = Brisbane Times
|agency = The Daily Telegraph
|page = 2
}}]
*[Kanye West](/source/Kanye_West)[{{Cite web|last=Watamanuk|first=Tyler|title=The Future of the Chelsea Boot Has Arrived|url=https://www.gq.com/story/raf-simons-chelsea-boot-upgrade|access-date=2021-02-10|website=GQ|date=5 August 2020 |language=en-us}}]
{{div col end}}
===Fictional===
* Riff Raff from the 1975 film ''[The Rocky Horror Picture Show](/source/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show)''[{{cite web
|url= http://www.rockyhorrorcostumelist.info/anlriff.htm
|title= Riff Raff: Costume List}}]
* [Austin Powers](/source/Austin_Powers_(character)), from the [''Austin Powers'' series](/source/Austin_Powers_(film_series))[{{cite web
|url= http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/Austin_Powers_IMM.html
|title= ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' script|author= Myers, Mike|date= 17 July 1996|quote= We start on a pair of BEATLE BOOTS...}}]
* [Ned Flanders](/source/Ned_Flanders), from ''[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)''[{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/BABF01.txt|title="Treehouse of Horror X"|quote="I've resisted these for thirty-five years. Why did I wear them today?"}}]
*Sid from ''[Hey Arnold!](/source/Hey_Arnold!)''[{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Philip |title=20 Dark Secrets About Hey Arnold You Really Don't Want To Know |url=https://www.thegamer.com/dark-secrets-about-hey-arnold-you-really-dont-want-to-know/ |website=The Gamer |date=8 November 2017 |quote=#11 – 'Down And Out', One night Sid is ambushed by the same assailants, who end up stealing his beloved beatle boots.}}]
*Starfleet officers in ''[Star Trek: The Original Series](/source/Star_Trek%3A_The_Original_Series)''[{{cite web|url=https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/costuming-tos-boots.238261/|title=Costuming TOS Boots|website= The Trek BBS|date=17 February 2014}}]
*Eddie Dean from Stephen King's ''[The Dark Tower](/source/The_Dark_Tower_(series))'' series.
*[Cat](/source/Cat_(Red_Dwarf)) in ''[Red Dwarf](/source/Red_Dwarf)''.
==See also==
* [Pointed shoes](/source/Pointed_shoe_(disambiguation))
* [Chelsea boots](/source/Chelsea_boots)
* [List of shoe styles](/source/List_of_shoe_styles)
* [1960s in fashion](/source/1960s_in_fashion)
* [Music and fashion](/source/Music_and_fashion)
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.thehistorialist.com/2016/04/chelsea-bootbeatle-boot-origin-story.html Chelsea Boot/Beatle Boot: The Origin, The Story & The Legacy]
*[https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/john-lennon-s-beatle-boot/FgEWPUlpJm2eZg John Lennon's Beatle Boot], at [Google Arts & Culture](/source/Google_Arts_%26_Culture)
{{The Beatles main}}
{{Mods}}
{{Footwear}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatle Boots}}
Category:Boots
Category:1960s fashion
Category:1970s fashion
Boots
Category:High-heeled footwear
Category:Music and fashion
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beatle boot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatle_boot) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatle_boot?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.