White boot memories - YouLookFab Forum

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White boot memories

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Reading Angie’s blog about white boots brought back strong memories for me, of my dad in his bright blue patchwork blazer and white, white, very white loafers. This and one green liesure suit were as far as i have even seen him go into style. He looked good. Those shoes were flashy. Good memories.

In the comments, April mentioned those crinkly vinyl white tall boots that were popular in the 70s (apparently earlier where she was than in my rural corner of SE Ohio). I remember a girl in fourth grade had some, and they were special.

Several other people mention gogo boots and saddle shoes. I had the latter, and a bottle of shoe polish that was basically paint to cover up the marks. Do you have any memories associated with white footwear? What is it about it that strikes such a chord? And why were people able to wear white back then, but so many shy away from it now?

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19 replies

Latest reply was from ladypainter

K.M.

Veteran

My memory of white boots as a teen in the late 80s/early 90s is that they had fallen out of favor pretty bad. At least where I lived, we used "white boots" as synonym for bad taste. I had a good friend who ended up fighting with her mom because her mom (with maybe tastes from the 70s and early 80s) wanted her to wear knee-high white boots.

Times have changed! I love white boots now.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

That’s horribly funny! I can’t imagine a mom forcing a teen to wear any particular fashion, and knee-high white boots are about as noticeable as you can get.

I didn’t realize that the comments I was reading and my own response were so skewed to one age group.

Anonymous

I can remember 2 pairs of white shoes i had. Post high school when i started working i had cream pumps, which i liked. In retrospect i think those worked since they were low vamp, as i figured out recently with black shoes. I decided high contrast shoes work better on me if they're low vamp, while my gold/copper/cognac shoes are not a problem being higher vamp.
But, hanging head in shame, i had the requisite white Reeboks in the 80s. Worn with the requisite light blue jeans. Yes it was the 80s, but such an outlier for me, and i just realized why. At that time i had moved and gone from a multicultural school to a very homogeneous one. So, in the interest of trying to fit in for those years, i went normcore. And, influenced by a friend, put sun in in my hair-not good. Luckily in high school i went to a multinational school so i went back to normal!

Anonymous

In ‘86/‘87 I had a pair of pointy toe, flat heeled white booties with tiny pin prick perforations, that I loved dearly! This year I got a pair with a slightly less pointy toe, larger perforations and a 1 1/2 inch heel and am loving them.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I guess I think of white shoes as children’s shoes. When I grew up - in the late 70s/ early 80s— we got white patent Mary Janes for Easter. And I seem to recall wearing them with white ruffled ankle socks for other dressy events like family weddings.

However I am trying to get beyond these associations. I have white oxfords and white boots now.

cindysmith

Veteran

I avoid white shoes because I can't keep them white. I see all you gorgeous people wearing light colored shoes and get eaten up by the jealous

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I remember resisting the fashion for white shoes in the eighties as in the u.k they had connotations that I did not necessarily want to be connected with, until I finally gave in and wore a pair of white high heels briefly.l haven’t worn white shoes again until recently when l have been wearing white Plimsolls and white sandals.These are obviously much more stylish than my first foray into white shoes!(lol)

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

ALL my best footwear memories are white shoes/boots - dating back to a toddler. And the trend continues.

LaPed

Veteran

I always think of go-go dancers and Jane Fonda as Barbarella. Like KM, I'm pretty sure when I was a kid they had a strong tacky/trashy connotation. And white winter boots -- girls with furry white snow boots always gave off this snow queen/ski resort/"I'm not from around here" vibe that got on my nerves. Not for me.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Wow, such strong emotions about shoes!

Suntiger and La Ped, think you can ever get over your resistance like Cardiff Girl did?

Jessikams, yes! I'd forgotten about those, but we got them every Easter and wore them for church and anything else "fancy" all summer. And black ones in the winter.

Angie, no happy footwear during your "dark decade"--the 90s?

Opaline, the way fashion comes back is amazing, isn't it?

LaPed

Veteran

I have tried but have not yet found a white shoe or boot that makes my heart sing. I tried Angie's Naturalizer Blair boots last winter, because I quite like the contrasting look of the black sole and zips on bright white, but they really are quite pointy IRL, as Angie says. And the combination of long, pointy and bright white in a size 9 Wide on my 5'4" self is just... not good.

I felt the same way when I tried on Stan Smiths -- just clownish. I actually do like the look of Birkenstocks in white, but I don't really enjoy wearing Birks (too stiff, too much arch support). I guess I wouldn't mind wearing a slim white sneaker -- like classic Keds -- but I'm not sure I would choose white, when black or navy would complete most of my outfits just as well, if not better.

I have been working my way up to white via pastels, though! I have blush and mint shoes, colours which make me happy and seem fine for most scenarios where dark shoes look "heavy" to me, which is pretty rare anyway.

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

FashIntern, YES. My black Docs - just because my feet were soooooo happy.

binkle

Veteran

White gogo boots when i was in 4th or 5th grade (1967-1968-ish). So popular in Southern California, the gogo dancers on tv shows like Shindig and Hullabaloo wore them, as did Miss Sinatra. I did get a pair and enjoyed them so much. Can't get my head around them now, however. On me, even ankle versions, would look Bozo-esque or try-hard.

I also remember Ganymede sandals in the 60's. Simple flat sandals, with long ties that wrapped all the way to your knees. Think Veruschka or Marisa Berenson. The style did trickle down to the shoe stores, but only the coolest skinny girls could carry the look (and had moms who would indulge them in it).

Bad memories of saddle shoes. Saddle shoes in elementary school in the 1960's meant StrideRight, which meant Orthopedic, which meant you walked with pigeon-toes, which meant teasing as you walked up to the bus stop.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Binkle, haha, yes! I remember the uncomfortable feeling of saddle shoes. But we got one pair of school shoes per year, and those were mine--once.

Anonymous

Ive been measured at 5'3 and 5'4, and size 9 feet like LaPedestrienne. Its a lot of feet! I did mention on the original post that i may reconsider white(ish) shoes (probably sandals) when my hair goes grey, but for now ill stick to gold-tan-cognac as my light
I did have saddle shoes back in the day, forgot about those. I remember the soles were very slippery!

binkle

Veteran

FashonIntern - yup, maybe one, two pair per year as we grew! Maybe a pair of patent Maryjanes for synagogue services. One year the StrideRite store had "fashion" saddle shoes in patent - the white part was a lovely deep grey patent, and the black was black patent - so the saddle look was not so obvious. Something about that grey/black combo is still a favorite. Only one girl in school had them (not me!)

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

The only items I remember wearing were two colored Levi's bootcuts, one thrifted coat, and a few shoes. White boots mean go go dancing to me and I would love to find some.

K.M.

Veteran

FashIntern, well, my friend's mom had a strong personality... but she meant well... My own mom was way more democratic, but also our tastes were similar and I relied on her to guide me through fashion. I still do to this day!

ladypainter

In first grade (1968), I had a pair of white patent leather go-go boots. Ahh, the awesomeness! I also had a pair of white rubber over-the-shoes snow boots between 1st and 3rd grade. Ahh, the despair!
I had a pair or two of black-and-white saddle shoes in jr high (early-mid ‘70s). Of course, Happy Days was on, and the nostalgia then was for the 1950s.