Boyfriend Boots
Fashion Terms — the Apparel Search fashion terminology directory
What are boyfriend boots? Women's boots that have a hint of men's footwear. You don't have to steal your boyfriend's shoes anymore — boyfriend boots are made specifically with women in mind, designed to properly fit a woman while keeping some aspect of styling that makes the boot appear similar to a man's boot. This page defines the term within the wider boyfriend fashion family.
What are boyfriend boots?
Women's boots that have a hint of men's footwear. You don't have to steal your boyfriends shoes anymore. Now boyfriend boots are made specifically with women in mind. Wear boys that properly fit your beautiful & trendy feet.
In fashion design, boyfriend fashion is any style of women's clothing that was modified from a corresponding men's garment. Examples include boyfriend jackets, boyfriend jeans, and boyfriend blazers, which are often more unisex or looser in appearance and fit than most women's jackets or trousers, though still designed for the female form. Boyfriend boots are boots that are designed to properly fit a women but have some aspect of the styling that makes the boot appear similar to a mans boot.
You can find boyfriend boots and other types of footwear at shoe retailers such as Bakers, UGG Australia, and many others.
Pictured below looks like a mans workboot, but this boot is designed and manufacturered specifically for women. This type of boot can be worn by female construction workers or fashionistas that wish to create a trendy look to be worn with a dress, skirt, or jeans.
Need a pair of hiker-chic boots?
You may want to learn more about boyfriend jeans here in our fashion terms section.
Steal is heart, not his fashion.
Learn more about boyfriend fashion on our blog.
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Why Borrowed Styling Works
The boyfriend idea succeeds because it changes proportion, not just decoration. A boot built on a rugged men's last shape — chunkier sole, heavier leather, plainer hardware — reads as sturdy and relaxed next to women's clothing, and the contrast is the style. Makers keep the borrowing at the level of appearance: the internal fit, sizing run and weight are engineered for women, so the boot performs like women's footwear while looking like it came from the other side of the store. The same formula runs through the whole boyfriend family linked from this page, from jeans cut loose through the thigh to blazers with a longer, straighter body.
Retailers such as Bakers and UGG Australia sold the look because it solved a real gap: women who worked in boots, or simply liked the workboot aesthetic, previously had to size down in men's styles and accept a poor fit. A purpose-made boyfriend boot closes that gap. When shopping, the checks are the same as for any boot — leather quality, sole construction, and whether the shaft height works with the trousers, skirts or jeans it will be worn with.
Common Questions
What are boyfriend boots?
Boots designed and manufactured specifically for women that borrow the styling of men's boots — workboots, hiker boots and similar rugged forms — while being cut to fit a woman's foot properly.
What is boyfriend fashion?
In fashion design, boyfriend fashion is any style of women's clothing modified from a corresponding men's garment — boyfriend jackets, boyfriend jeans and boyfriend blazers are the examples given on this page — often more unisex or looser in appearance and fit than most women's versions, though still designed for the female form.
How are boyfriend boots worn?
With the same range as other boots — this page shows them styled with skirts and jeans, and notes both fashion wear and real work use, such as by female construction workers who want a workboot made for them.