At the forefront of the growing retro trend in women’s fashion, the legendary boot maker has brought new life to a classic design.
Gone are the days of digging through secondhand shops to find a unique pair of Tony Lama wingtip boots. Vintage boot aficionados can now get their hands on a fresh pair of these 1970s treasures. “One of the most frequent requests we get from our customers is for us to bring back our most popular vintage styles,” says Taylor Morton, marketing manager for Tony Lama Boots.
Tony Lama is re-introducing the iconic wingtip boots in bold color ways such as black, cognac, and electric blue.
“Tony Lama first made a big hit with ladies’ wingtip boots at a time when country-rock was popular—we’re talking early-to-mid-’70s,” says Lisa Smith, product designer for Tony Lama Boots. “These simple wingtip styles were a popular boot for young women because they were funky, but still very feminine. Tony Lama offered this boot in just about every color imaginable.”
Smith has been a designer at Tony Lama for 25 years, but has more than 35 years of boot design experience.
“These wingtip boots made their original debut in women’s styling. At the time, early 70s exotic leathers weren’t being offered for women as production items,” Smith says. “Since the boots were so popular, the style naturally migrated to men’s versions—the famous bone/peanut brittle lizard wingtip you saw John Travolta wear in Urban Cowboy. That particular style remained a staple in our line for decades.”
Over the last decade, Smith and her colleagues have seen more women scouring secondhand retailers and wearing well-loved vintage wingtips to music festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo.
“These Tony Lama wingtips are lean, simple, and sexy. They aren’t just a downsized men’s boot.”
“This clicked in our heads as a return to more simple, retro styling. I think this consumer was tired of all the glitz and bling that has been so prevalent in women’s Western styling of late,” she says. “These Tony Lama wingtips are lean, simple, and sexy. They aren’t just a downsized men’s boot.”
Four new styles of Tony Lama wingtips are available now at tonylama.com or at your local Western retailer, for under $300. Each boot offers premium leathers, a statement-making stitch pattern, and a genuine lizard wingtip with hand-laced buckstitching.
“I’m excited to introduce the timeless wingtips to a new generation,” Morton says. “I think our customers that wore them during the Urban Cowboy craze will wear them again, but I think younger women will be refreshed to see such sleek, retro styling on the shelves.”
