# Can we bring back tall boots for men? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571 "2009-01-29T16:45:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/21 "2009-01-30T14:19:12Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Not modern cowboys. Many of the ones I knew in Texas didn’t even wear “cowboy boots.” They wore lace-up workboots like you might see on a construction worker. > Based on what I’ve seen in old photographs, though, at least some old-timey cowboys did tuck pants into boots. We’re talking about “style” here–not work! I know that guys who work on ranches wear boots like [these](http://www.cavenders.com/dept.asp?page=ALL&cat=8&dept_id=550). (In fact, I’m wearing Justin Lacers from Cavender’s today–under a long skirt.) Pointed toes & higher heels are functional if you’re actually riding–not so good if you’re driving a pickup & walking. ([These gems](http://www.cavenders.com/product.asp?cat=8&dept_id=555&pf_id=JUS02113) might be worn outside the pants; for me, they are Yet Another Reason To Remain Urban!) In the future, perhaps [boots outside](http://www.rocketbuster.com/) will come back into style! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/22 "2009-01-30T15:04:51Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > See, this is precisely what I’m talking about. Sure, tall outside-the-trousers boots for men exist, but it’s really difficult to wear something like these with any panache. You know what really says panache? A man’s regular boot, with long tube socks extending out of the top to stuff your pants inside to protect them. Go ahead, try it! Extra points if it’s these boots [http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3007683/0~2376778~2372807~2372829~2376165?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2376165&P=1](http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3007683/0~2376778~2372807~2372829~2376165?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2376165&P=1) and the tube socks have stripes at the top. Demure version: [![](https://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/vector/images/pants.jpg) ](https://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/vector/images/pants.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/23 "2009-01-30T15:34:04Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Every woman I know (well, the ones I talk clothes with) was jumping with glee at the beginning of this winter because _some Spanish shoemakers are making boots in different foreleg sizes!_ No more assuming that you can’t have 42" hips (and the legs that go with those) if your feet are a size 3! You can go to the store and say “I want knee-high boots, black, size 3, wide foreleg.” I bought three pairs just in case the idea fades off… > > And those aren’t tall boots, they’re just reg’lar. Tall are the ones above the knee 😛 > > In Spain the “jeans tucked into boots” look has become known as “Gavilana style,” because it’s how women in the _culebrón_ “Los Gavilanes” wear them. It’s not the most stylish option, given the hips widths common among Spanish women, but if anybody dares say anything we can threaten with, dunnow… forcing them to actually watch the series! Non stop! And no bathroom breaks either! And yes, you have to look whenever they’re beign complete idiots, too! Oh, I really hope that catches on here! And, never fear, it’s not that I want to tuck jeans into my boots (Seriously, I’d look one of those prehistoric fat mama [carvings](http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e372/Babitonga/miscelanea/aaa600px-Venus_de_Lespugue_28replic.jpg)with little pegs for feet if I did that), I want to wear them under _skirts_, with or without leggings for warmth. (And yes, I know skirts with boots are a major fashionista landmine right now, but I’m old enough to not give a shit. \*I \*like the look, therefore I’m pursuing it.) ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/24 "2009-01-30T15:36:12Z")
Actually, I think we stand a better chance of making cowboy boots and cargo shorts fashionable than we do bringing back trousers tucked into boots. I already see a fair number of guys wearing workboots and hiking boots with shorts during the warm months. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/25 "2009-01-30T17:11:04Z")
You want tall boots? Go [here](https://www.westcoastshoe.com) and look for the “Big Boss” entry under “Find boots and more”. (I have a pair of the “JH Classics” shoe and love them. I also have a pair of the Jobmasters, but I haven’t worn them enough to break them in effectively yet.) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/26 "2009-01-30T20:59:43Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > Look at the variety of colors, materials and styles women have to choose from [here.](http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/6007694/0~2376778~2372808~6007659~6007694?origin=6007732_Shop+by+Boot+Height6007732) And that’s just one page worth. I think it’s high time we had similar fashions for men. But if you look more closely, you’ll see that many of them aren’t actually actually wearable outdoors. Some have thin little soles that can barely be worn on dry pavement on a warm day, much less in snow. Some of them will be ruined if they get anywhere near water in any of its forms (much less snow mixed with salt) and water scoffs at leather protector. Some of them are just too silly looking to wear and no one pulls them off with the panache you seem to be seeking. Women’s tall boots are one of those things that are brilliant in theory but not so much in practice. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/27 "2009-01-30T21:19:05Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > You want tall boots? Go [here](https://www.westcoastshoe.com) and look for the “Big Boss” entry under “Find boots and more”. Wow. I’m having a hard time picturing them bending at the knee. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/28 "2009-02-01T01:21:10Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > I mean riding-style boots into which one tucks one’s trousers. I suppose I could be iconoclastic and simply do it, but I’m too much of a fashion non-icon to make that bold a statement. One thing that has to happen is that most of us guys would need to stop wearing such baggy trousers or jeans. Personally, I don’t…I always hated baggy clothes and when everything ballooned out ca. 1990 I refused to go along with it. I think the jeans in boots look is great on women. I can’t judge fairly with regard to my fellow men, because once a style becomes associated with women only, one tends to be prejudiced against it for men. I think knee-high boots would be more comfortable in cold weather even if worn inside one’s trousers. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/29 "2009-02-01T04:35:56Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I fear, like so many other areas, the Nazis pretty much destroyed tall, black boots as a fashion option. Here’s the thing, though…who destroyed tall _brown_ boots? Was it the [Aggies](http://thegeraldjones.com/images/HannahCorps.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Superorganism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Superorganism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superorganism)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/30 "2009-02-02T00:13:38Z")
Everything requested in this thread is available for sale at prices you are likely unwilling to pay. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Falling\_Reverend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Falling\_Reverend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Falling_Reverend)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/31 "2009-02-02T02:58:41Z")
Screw waiting for fashion to catch up, every once and a while I sport my mid-calf engineer boots over my jeans when I’m feeling saucy. It gets you some strange looks but I like the way it looks. Unfortunately I have since moved to a warmer climate that does not facilitate the wearing of leather and tight jeans a majority of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/32 "2009-02-07T04:43:57Z")
> [@The\_Falling\_Reverend](#): > > Unfortunately I have since moved to a warmer climate that does not facilitate the wearing of leather and tight jeans a majority of the year. Where could you have moved to that it’s too warm to wear jeans most of the year? I live in L.A. but would not be comfortable in any kind of shorts for most of the year; hence jeans are my default the year round. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/33 "2009-02-07T08:18:43Z")
I generally tuck my jeans into my ‘muck boots,’ it’s kind of the point. And I’ve worn those a lot with little excuse. Then again, years of street bicycling made me unfond of pantaloons flapping about the ankles (to catch in the gears). The California roll was a revelation, & I’ll blouse my pants into my Chuck Taylors if it keeps them out of trouble. I’m so not normal… ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/34 "2009-02-07T08:25:56Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I fear, like so many other areas, the Nazis pretty much destroyed tall, black boots as a fashion option. This amuses me. Jackboots may be the coolest thing the Nazis had going for them. They even have a cool name. If the Nazis couldn’t ruin the rep of bureaucracy, mysticism, or armored military vehicles, why ruin jackboots? ---
**Author:** ![Ask\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ask\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ask_s)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/35 "2011-11-23T19:46:35Z")
I like the idea. Seeing men’s pants tucked into ankle high shoes is just odd - looks like your pants got stuck! Why can’t we wear calf high leather boots - flats are just fine! Alot of the sci-fi, romance & vampire book covers show men wearing boots - lets shake up the fashion world a little and get out of the low quarters, sneakers, clunky boots and live it up a little! Men’s fashion is boring enough! ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/36 "2011-11-23T20:21:09Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > But if you look more closely, you’ll see that many of them aren’t actually actually wearable outdoors. > Some have thin little soles that can barely be worn on dry pavement on a warm day, much less in snow. Some of them will be ruined if they get anywhere near water in any of its forms (much less snow mixed with salt) and water scoffs at leather protector. Some of them are just too silly looking to wear and no one pulls them off with the panache you seem to be seeking. > > Women’s tall boots are one of those things that are brilliant in theory but not so much in practice. What Amarinth said. In my impetuous youth I ruined many a pair of nice leather boots on Toronto’s slushy, snowy winter streets in the name of fashion. Now with the wisdom and indifference of age, I wear ugly, sensible, waterproof Muck boots with my pants tucked in and don’t care how it looks. My feet are warm, dry and comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/37 "2011-11-23T21:35:07Z")
(Brains, zombies, etc., etc.) My friend wears [gaiters on his lower pant legs](http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Footwear/Gaiters.jsp) in snowy or wet weather. I think they look sort of snazzy, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/38 "2011-11-23T21:54:47Z")
Or you could be like my Father-in-law and walk out in your [puttees](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttees). Of course he traps possums for a living, so you might get some odd looks around the office. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/39 "2011-11-23T22:24:35Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > In the worst snow I suppose we could get away with some big insulated snowmobiling type of attire on our feet, but there’s no style there. > > Who’s with me? Anyone? Nah, I’ll pass. Anything else besides snowmobiling boots will come across looking like a chick. Unless it’s those Conan the Barbarian type boots, and I don’t see those getting popular anytime soon unless we get to carry swords. Crom. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571/40 "2011-11-24T00:38:05Z")
You and my boyfriend think alike. He wants tall, black leather boots (yes, like in the Nazi uniforms. To be fair, though, I don’t think it’s so much a Nazi thing as it is a mid-20th century European thing). We cannot find them anywhere. Get on that shit, fashion designers. Though I suppose it might be a titch awkward for Hugo Boss to sell them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-bring-back-tall-boots-for-men/483571.md?page=3)