Brands are going all-in on boots for the fall 2024 season. Whether beaded and embellished to evoke “caviar” as at Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe, skintight as seen at Nicolas Di Felice’s Courrèges, or even bulbous “Stompers” like at Demna’s Balenciaga, boots were presented as a must on runways in Paris and Milan. Chitose Abe’s Sacai underscored that with a pant boot on every look of the brand’s latest collection, which was introduced on Monday.
The silhouette of the style stretched well above the knee to mid-thigh, almost meeting the collection’s mostly-high hemlines. They came in black, navy, white and a plaid, matching the collection.
Due to their height, the tops of the boot often disappeared beneath coats and pouffy skirts, giving the effect of pants, but revealing lines of flesh when in motion. The legs of the boot stand on their own with nothing holding them. The visual effect elongates the leg.
On closer inspection, the footwear is revealed to be not quite a boot: it is a pointy toe stiletto with columnar leg warmer-esque encasement that created a silhouette reminiscent of a tuxedo trouser leg.
Sean McGirr’s McQueen winked at this idea, encasing some of his stilettos in fabric for fall 2024, as well. Those designs were much shorter than what was seen at Sacai.
Rick Owens also recently encased boots in inflatable rubber in collaboration with London designer Straytukay. At the brand’s show for menswear in January, Abe designed platform furry boots. One option featured white and brown long-haired fur while another was all black.
