Chelsea boots

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Non-leather Chelsea boots made by Vegetarian Shoes of Brighton, England.

Chelsea Boots (also known as dealer boots) are tight-fitting, ankle-high boots that became fashionable in the early 1960s. The most notable feature of the Chelsea boot is its elastic siding, running from the heel to the top of the shoe. The design began as a type of riding boots known as paddock boots or jodhpur boots.

Paddock boots, also called jodhpur boots, were a predecessor to Chelsea boots.

Chelsea boots were considered an element of the 1960s mod scene. Their popularity is often attributed in part to musicians such as The Beatles (who wore what became known as Beatle boots) and The Rolling Stones, who primarily wore Chelsea-style boots with Cuban heels. A similar boot is the heavier Blundstone boot, which is popular in Australia.

One source states that Charles Goodyear's discovery of vulcanised rubber enabled Sparkes-Hall, bootmaker to Queen Victoria, to invent the elastic gusset boot in 1837. The advantage of elasticated boots meant they could be easily removed and put on again, which appealed to busier and more demanding lifestyle of Victorian women. By the late 1840s, the fashion began to catch on. This became a prominent style in the West until the onset of World War I.^[1]

They have recently become in fashion again amongst men, particularly in formal wear and even casual.

The boots were featured in the first three 'Star Wars' films, worn by the Stormtroopers of the Empire: The Stormtrooper boots were standard Black UK Chelsea boots which were stained white (50 pairs of boots were ordered)