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Dress boots have their place in fashion and so do casual boots and you can never have too many pairs of boots. Let us take a quick minute to compare dress boots to casual boots and then figure out if you have enough pairs of both!

A boot is defined as a form of footwear that covers at least the foot and usually the ankle, and sometimes extends up to the knee or even the hip. A great many boot styles have a heel whether it be low or high and modern boots come in every color, material, height and style that a person could imagine. Boots started out being meant to wear in rough working conditions, such as in the wilderness or in hazardous or industrial environments but have evolved into more mainstream wear. Today boots are not only practical but also stylish and downright fun to wear and pair with a variety of outfits. To give an example, many types of work boots (such as the well known Doc Martens) became the boot of choice in the 1960s for the extremist group, the skinheads, as well as those participating in the pink culture in the 1970s but have since made their way into the mainstream of fashion and are worn by both men and women in our society today. Doc Martens first made their stunning appearance on the boot scene in the United Kingdom on April 1, 1960.

There are many kinds of boots on the market today to choose from and women have so many options when it comes to both casual as well as dress boots. Among the variety of casual boots for women there are Doc Martens, western (in other words, cowboy) boots, hiking boots, and motorcycle boots. As far as dress boots for women are concerned, there are the ever popular Go-Go boots and knee-high boots.

Doc Martens (also known as Dr. Martens, Docs, or sometimes even abbreviated to DMs) were first developed by a doctor in the German army during World War II by the name of Dr. Klaus Maertens. Black leather Doc Martens are easily identified by their characteristic yellow stitching around the sole. Doc Martens first appeared on the market in April 1960 and were the boot of choice for the working class. People employed as policemen, postmen and factory workers enjoyed the comfort and look of these boots that contained an air-cushioned sole, which was especially good when a worker spent many hours on their feet. Skinheads and street gangs caught onto the appeal of Doc Martens in the late 1960s and in the early 1970s punks in Britain, beginning with Sid Vicious, began sporting them. Today however they are an acceptable casual boot for both men and women alike.

Cowboy (or western) boots are a casual fun boot that was originally designed for cowboys, ranchers and cattlemen. Western boots have been around for a long time and were first worn in the early 1860s. Cowboy boots feature a high heel, and a high shaft. These type of casual boots are sturdy and durable and they are pull on, not lace up and have a rounded to pointed toe. The majority of cowboy boots are made from leather but some are made from more exotic animals such as the sting ray, elk, buffalo, alligator, ostrich, elephant and snake. Today cowboy boots can be as colorful and decorative as one desires them to be.

Many women favor the style, versatility and comfort of a pair of hiking boots. Hiking boots, as the name implies, were originally created for those who enjoyed hiking. They are geared for walking many miles at a time and treading over difficult terrain, such as rocks, mud, water and any other kinds of wilderness.

Motorcycle boots (also called bikers) are tall boots made of heavy leather that have a shorter heel in the majority of cases. There are two types of motorcycle boots and they are the engineer boots and the motocross (or racing) boot. The women version of the motocross boot is favored by lots of females for casual enjoyment. These are good boots to wear on a relaxing day off.

Go-Go boots are dressy boots that burst onto the fashion scene in the 1960s and were very popular from the beginning. Many versions of these boots are still worn today and many believe that Go-Go boots are a form of female empowerment. The term was created by Andre Courreges who designed a white, low-heeled boot that rose slightly above the ankle. The original intent of these boots was for dancing. The term Go-Go boots is often used loosely in our modern day society to encompass a variety of dress boots worn by women, only today they are usually knee high boots worn with a dress or miniskirt. It was singer Nancy Sinatra who is believed to have popularized the term Go-Go boots through both her lifestyle and her music with the song, These Boots Are Made for Walkin.

Knee-high boots are dress boots for women that have become a staple for the fashion conscious and in some cases have a sexual connation attached to them. Knee-high boots first appeared in one form or another as far back as the 1950s. These dress boots are generally made of leather and are most frequently to be found in the color black. Most knee-high boots have a zipper closure, are tight as opposed to loose boots and have a heel that is at least three inches and higher. Check out the boots Julia Roberts is wearing in the first few scenes of the movie Pretty Woman (1990) in which she starred opposite Richard Gere, to get an idea of what knee-high boots look like and how sexy they can be.