Desert Boots
When soldiers are in the desert they wear desert boots. These became popular particularly after Desert Storm in the 1990’s. But now there aren’t only the standard military looking boots, but also Clarks style work casual or recreational loafer type half boot. Both are quite popular for every day use, but don’t use Clarks if you need to hike in the desert.
Desert boots are well adapted to use in the desert. They generally go all the way up the ankle. People don’t realize how bad it can be to have sand in your shoe. It can ruin your feet. Pants tucked into the boot form a shield against the sand. Deserts get very cold at night, to the boots are also insulated. Insulation, believe it or not, is also useful to have when it’s hot.
Dune, a science-fiction series, featured a special kind of desert boot. Still suit bootswere something to behold. In these books a stillsuit was cooled by pumping the wearers own sweat throughout the system. The boots contained pumps in the heel that performed this function. Kinetic energy from walking powers the pumps. Sounds like something that would be pretty useful.
Back to the Clarks. Soldiers couldn’t wear these on duty. In fact no working person would or could wear these on the job. They’re made for look and recreation, not for function. They were an effort to convert the popular boot and jeans look from the 70’s into something that could work in an office setting or for a casual night on the town. They sell well. Many folks love to wear them because they look good. Of course, they can pretend to be working.
Soldiers never thought of this when they laced up their boots. Their minds were on the next mission. But it was these soldiers who brought back the idea of wearing desert boots. It caught on and took off from there.
So in a way it was soldiers who brought desert boots from the battlefield into the fashion world.