[ed note: metric conversions fixed] Over the last six years or so, cowboy boot styles have been changing with influences from fashion design. Yeah, you might not want to think about it, but fashion design invades even the most basic of masculine footwear — the cowboy boot.

There are two reasons for this fashion-oriented change:

…style preferences by younger men, and marketing response by manufacturers. Sometimes, fashion stylists promote changes to boot styles because they review sales data and see that boots with certain styles — shorter, square toe, and lower heel — sell better than traditional taller, pointed-toe boots with a traditional cowboy heel. Some production cost issues are influencing what we are seeing as well.

This is a review of cowboy boot toe, height, and heel styles and what we’re seeing out there more often these days. Read on…

TOE STYLES

The true shape of a classic cowboy boot toe is a subject that gets cowboy boot enthusiasts engaged. Some people say that cowboy boots with pointed toes that we have been seeing (and wearing) for decades are the most authentic. Others say rounded toes make the most sense. To clear things up, both parties are right (kind of). Real, classic cowboy boots feature a toe that is tapered (i.e. smaller towards the tip), but also rounded. The shape of this toe let the cowboy of the old west easily slip his foot in and out of the stirrups. The rounded toe was just a little more practical than the extreme point.

POINTED: Pointed toe cowboy boots have been popular since at least the 1950s, but have been particularly prominent in modern fashion since the early 2000s. Pointed toes can be “needle pointed” (come to a sharp point), or can be slightly blunted (snipped) at the end of the toe. Lucchese boots give this toe style a #5.

SQUARE SNIP: This is a name I have given to boots that are tapered, but have a square toe. Lucchese boots label their toe style by number, and what I call a square snip is #7. This type of toe style has become far more popular in the 2010s (this decade), replacing the more pointed toe style of yore (#5) in popularity.

The snip toe is a nice bridge between the wide square toe and the round toe (see below). It is a dressier look then the wide square toe, but it’s still casual enough to be worn with jeans and a t-shirt. Most snip toe boots come with a western heel as opposed to the flatter walking heel of the wide square toe boots. This has become the boot toe of choice for professionals who want a dressy look to wear to the office but also want to have a casual boot for date nights or weekends.

The popularity and sales of the #7 toe style may be for two reasons: 1) some men mistakenly believe that their toes will not have enough room to spread and think that a pointed toe style will pinch their toes. That is not true; the brand takes the room requirements for the pointed toe into account. There is, in most cases, no reason to order up a size. 2) younger guys are making squared toes more of their generation’s preference. Any company worth its marketing salt will want to encourage the younger generation to choose to wear boots, and if that’s what the young dudes want, that’s what the manufacturer will make.

ROUND TOE: Round toe boots are very comfortable, as they allow the toes a little more room to spread out. Many western work boots come with round toes, as do ropers, a very popular boot choice for men who don’t really care that much about fashion. Young men shun the label “cowboy” but still want to wear boots, so a roper style is a frequent choice. Also, roper boots usually cost less than a traditional cowboy boot — the cost being about the same as a pair of shoes or sneakers. Thus, the lower cost appeals to people on a budget. This toe shape is generally not ideal for riding long distances but is a great choice for a walking boot or casual boot.

SQUARE TOE: This fresh, young take on the classic cowboy boot has surged in popularity over the past few years. A Square toe can be found on riding boots and walking boots and is a great alternative to the more traditional styles. More and more boots are being made and sold with square or broad square toes.

BROAD (WIDE) SQUARE TOE: Broad square toes are found on some of the best-selling boots on the market today. A broad square toe gives the toes the most room to spread out, making boots with this shape an excellent footwear choice for people who are on their feet all day. Also, marketing trends dictated by sales demonstrate that this type of toe has become the most popular since 2012 and later. We are probably 10 years into a 30-40 year cycle. Fashion cycles may become more compressed, but I concur that this is a major shift, and this toe will be the dominant toe for men’s boots for the next few decades.

HEEL STYLES

These days, there are two major heel styles, with one of them overtaking the other.

TRADITIONAL COWBOY HEEL: A traditional cowboy walking or riding heel is about 1-3/8 to 1-3/4 inches in height (3.5 to 4.5cm). These heels are high enough to provide stability in the stirrup, but not so high as to make it difficult to walk or cause a tripping hazard for men more accustomed to wearing sneakers and dorky dress shoes. This heel style has been popular throughout the 1800s and 1900s; however, it has become less popular in the 2000s. This heel style is also dressier and despite fears of some timid men, go well on boots worn with dress clothes to the office as well as with jeans in casual settings. This heel can attract attention, as it usually makes a distinctive noise (“boot clunk”) when worn. Confident men like that; timid men don’t and choose…

LOW ROPER (FOWLER) HEEL: A low heel has become a much more popular choice and found on many styles of cowboy boots sold today. With a heel height of about 3/4 inches (2cm), this heel is easy to wear when you are on your feet all day. It places less stress on the muscles and tendons of the lower leg and foot. Also, a low heel doesn’t scream “cowboy,” which some men fear ridicule of the association. More than 3/4 of new mass marketed cowboy boots sold today come with a low heel height. This type of heel barely makes any more noise than heels found on dorky dress shoes.

BOOT HEIGHT

While boots can be made of any height, from very low six inches (15cm) to 18 inches (45cm), these days, there are two “manufacturer default” boot heights sold, and again with one height overtaking the other in marketing and sales. [ed note: cm conversions corrected]

The traditional height of a cowboy boot has been 13 inches (33cm). Before the 2000s, the only other default size has been 10 inches (25cm) found on ropers. A 13-inch boot is comfortable, and comes up high enough on the legs so you know you are wearing “real” boots, but not so high as to squeeze legs, especially on older men. This height works well when riding a horse, as well as when worn with dress clothes and slacks over them. One may see a slight wrinkle on the leg that defines the boot’s height. Confident men appreciate that, while timid men fret about avoiding it.

In the 2000s, economics drove fashion choices causing a lowering of boot height. Think about it — when a manufacturer can cut leather for shorter boots, the manufacturer can make more money by taking advantage of what’s called “shrinking the size” in the retail world. While shrinkage has been reported in the media mostly about food items — such as a “half gallon” of ice cream that used to be 64oz is now 56oz for the same price — it applies also to the boot world. Manufacturers were quick to realize that by making boots shorter, they could sell them at the same price and make more money, yet publicly say that they are not increasing prices. Tricky sleight-of-boot, if you ask me.

When manufacturers saw what each other were doing, they all began quite aggressively to market shorter boots to men, making men think that shorter boots were their preference. These days, more than half of new cowboy boots sold are 10 inches (25cm) in height. Many men fell for that, thinking that they are wearing the current fashion trend (while they won’t admit it, many men are sensitive to fashion by what manufacturers market to them.)

Personally, while I still prefer the traditional 13-inch cowboy boot height, I do not mind the shorter boot on occasion. Like most men, I do not wear pants tucked into the boots, so it really doesn’t matter how tall the boot is. However, my “inner cowboy” resents marketing shrinkage and forced fashion.

SUMMARY

As noted above, fashion cycles run in 30 to 40 year trends, though for boots (and most clothing products) the fashion cycle is more compressed.

We will likely continue to see broad, square toe styles dominate the market due to fashion influence.

We will also likely continue to see lower heel heights on new boots rather than traditional higher cowboy boot heels, but in my opinion, that is likely due to the fact that we are an aging population, and older feet demand more comfort.

Finally, we will likely continue to see shorter boots marketed aggressively, because manufacturers are forcing retail shrink upon us, and want us to think the lower height is a fashion trend, and not a production cost conserving choice by manufacturers.

Life is short: regardless of trends, styles, and fashion — dump the dress shoes & sneakers and wear boots!