Thigh Highs Are Back

Oh my, the thigh highs are back again in full force.

The New York Fashion Week shows displayed many varieties of the off again on-again thigh high trend. There were so many different variations and takes on the style. Long ago thigh highs were once a taboo but now they are a sophisticated must have for every fashionista. Models strutted across the runway for Jeremy Scott, Discount Universe, The Blonds, and AF Vandevorst. Celebrities walked the red carpet in the hot look as well, such as Cardi B during Milan Fashion Week and FKA Twigs at a Christopher Kane show in London.

Thigh high boots are a style of the past which pops up every now and again as a must have item for the season. There are traces as far back as the 15thcentury, where the style can be seen in many paintings. Early versions of the shoe were known as cuissardes and initially intended for men for about 400 years, until women jumped on the bandwagon in the 19thcentury. During the Victorian era the laced leather boot was a hit for women, but slowly fell off after London prostitutes caught on to the style. The thigh high boots appealed to their clients with foot fetishes and those looking for a dominatrix. The style soon became overly sexualized and judged heavily by society.

In the late 1950s the thigh high style came back as an of Fetish Clothing. It was seen mainly in the costuming of models for adult photography and erotic magazines. This style was seen a lot in the work of Irving Klaw “The Pin Up King”, an influential American merchant of sexploitation, fetish, and Hollywood glamour pinup films and photography.

In the late 2000s the trend began to change from erotic to fashion forward as couture designers began to experiment with different extreme designs in their shoes. Changing this style from raunchy to sophisticated and fashionable in the blink of an eye. Here are some prominent moments in history where the trend appeared and played a role in its popularity.

Trend pops up again in 1990 when Julia Roberts rocks the vinyl thigh high boots in her movie Pretty Women
2004 Madonna wore a laced up pair during her Re-Invention Tour
2007 they were seen in the film Devil Wears Prada after Anne Hatheway wore a pair of Chanel boots as a transformed fashion assistant
2007-2009 Rhianna performed on three separate occasions in black thigh high boots (Dublin, MTV Video Music Awards, and Pepsi sponsored Super Bowl event
Spring 2009 Fashion week showcased thigh high boots all over the runway making it one of the biggest trends of Fall 2009

According to Roxanne Flores, Production Manager in handbags and shoes at Oscar de la Renta, thigh highs were all over fashion week and Oscar made sure not to miss out! The style is on its way back, this time incorporating laced up styles which stress power and authority in our current rough political climate. Brittany, trend forecaster and owner of Estate boutique in Doylestown, says that thigh high boots aside from the negative connotations, represent power and strength in women. It shows that times are tough but society is tougher. Styles such as these takes the political climate by the horns and makes a statement. This trend is coming back with a purpose.

Thigh high boots will always have a place in the closets of top fashionistas. The boot has its high points and low points, but it will never go out of style. Designers will always use it whether it is on trend for the season, or if they just want to make a statement. So don’t throw those boot away or donate them, keep them in the back of your closet for a rainy day, you’ll never know when you need to pull them back out.