Woman's Go-Go Boots

The final object studied was a pair of go-go boots from the second half of the 1960s. The boots are white, ankle length, and have a side zipper and low heels. The boots are made of vinyl, specifically polyvinyl chloride. They are meant to resemble leather but examining the material up close shows its spongy appearance and reveals their man-made nature. There is also a blue knit fabric lining the vinyl.

The go-go boots are a perfect example of Space Age fashion as they are very similar to the flat, white boots Courreges became known for. The material they were made with, called vinyl or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), was one of the new and exciting materials being developed in the 1960s. It was first used as a fashion fabric in a line of rainwear designed by Mary Quant. (Bernard 1978). PVC falls into the category of plastic films, and there are two types: plain and expanded. Since the boots from the HTCC are made with an expanded film, the method for making that type only will be discussed. An expanded film is soft and spongy due to the air cells incorporated into the film during the production process. Plastic fabrics can be supported or unsupported. Again, since these boots are a supported fabric, only that type will be discussed. A supported fabric has a woven, knit, or bonded fabric backing. To make a supported PVC fabric, the film is made on a calender, or formed by “pressing a molding powder between two hot rolls to exert tons of pressure”. The advantage of a plastic film is that it can be embossed to resemble different types of leather.

At a time when fashion was becoming increasingly democratized, as the authors of Textiles appropriately put it, plastic made the “leather-look” available to everyone. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s article An introduction to 1960s fashion, “the 1960s fell in love with new, man-made materials”, and many designers were eager to experiment with them. André Courrèges, considered one of the “avant-gardists” of the sixties (Seeling 1999), was famous for his futuristic looks including a silver and white color palette, angular designs, and “astronaut-style accessories” including flat boots (An introduction to 1960s fashion, n.d., para. 5).