Dean Chalkley

From the early 1970s the Boot Boy emerged in the streets and on the football terraces across the UK. Elements of the Skinhead, Suedehead and Hard Mod styles blended together. Braces, button-downs and of course, boots, jumped on buses, climbed in Cortina’s and straddled Scooters to a sound track of Rocksteady Reggae, Soul, Glam Rock and football terrace chants.

These heady and often violent days produced shifting styles that stuck together. Outgrown cropped hair got longer, even feathered cut making this distant cousin of the aforementioned foundation subcultures. This unique and substantial shift in terms of style and taste became a predecessor to, amongst others, the ‘Football Casual’ that emerged in the 1980’s. Often passed by, the Boot Boy is a vital element of UK subculture and to this day there are steadfast outposts of this style.

Chris and Francesca wear a combination of their own clothes and other designer labels brought to the shoot by fashion director and stylist Mark Anthony Bradley.