What are Go-Go Boots?

Considered a staple of essential women’s fashions in the mid to late 1960’s, go-go boots were low heeled boots that often came to one of three different heights on the leg. Often paired with miniskirts, go-go boots were designed originally as fashionable footwear that was perfect for dancing in the discotheques of the day, with an added bonus of being the perfect way to call attention to the legs of the dancers.

Go-go boots were usually created with a simple and sleek look that was considered to be very modern at the time of their inception. The typical go-go boot featured a heel that was either flat or very low, a toe that was sometimes rounded, and usually rose to either calf or knee length. Toward the end of the 1960’s, go-go boots that rose to above the knee and even the lower part of the thigh found some favor with the new shorts that were marketed as hot pants.

The earliest go-go boots were created from synthetic materials, giving the boots a shiny appearance. White go-go boots were considered to be ideal for just about mini-skirted outfit, although many women preferred to match the color of the boots with one of the colors in the print of the dress. Special discotheque style go-go boots were mass marketed, giving teenage girls the chance to look just like their favorite dancers and female singers, who sported the go-go boots in discos, concerts, and television appearances. To keep the look of the boots sleek and simple, the zipper often was found on the inner side of the boot, or appeared on the back of the footwear.

As the sixties melded into the seventies and the idea of a disco began to lose ground, go-go boots also underwent a transformation. The synthetic materials began to give way to leather and suede types that sported lace up fronts became the perfect compliment to the new midi length skirts and dresses of the new decade. By the middle of the 1970s, go-go boots were generally referred to simply as boots, and became more common as part of stage costuming and cheerleader uniforms than street wear.

During the 1980s, go-go boots enjoyed a brief resurgence in popularity, owing to several fads connected with reviving Sixties music and culture. These newer designs often sported both the traditional low heel of the original go-go boots, as well as newer variations that featured spiked heels. Today, just about any boot designed to rise to a height that is somewhere around the knee is often referred to as a go-go boot, regardless of styling, color, heel choice, or material.