The jester-style boots that are no laughing matter: How Mexican men have embraced bizarre trend for pointed footwear



We last saw them on court jesters in Medieval England, but pointy-toed boots, it seems are making a major comeback in Mexico.

Young men have developed an obsession with the bold footwear, with toes so long, they are curled up in a giant spiral.

Cobblers in the farming town of Matehuala in northeastern Mexico, described how it was a single mystery customer that sparked the trend.

Now shoppers are competing for ever more outlandish variations.

The Aladdin effect: Young men in the farming town of Matehuala in northeastern Mexico have developed an obsession with pointed footwear, with toes so long, they curl up in a giant spiral

Shoemaker Dario Calderon described a client known only as 'Cesar of Huizache', who showed him a cellphone picture of a sequinned cowboy boot with pointy toes so long, they curled up toward the knees. He wanted a pair, but with longer toes.



Mr Calderon, who is more used to making cowboy boots, said: 'I thought, "What's up with this dude?"'

He explained how the boot in the photo measured 60 centimetres (23 inches) 'but we made him a pair that were 90 centimetres (35 inches) long.'

The next thing Mr Calderon knew, everyone wanted the bizarre pointy boots, from young boys attending church ceremonies to teenagers for nights out at the local disco.

Dance-off: The trend has coincided with a dance craze, which sees male troupes compete in local nightclubs

Footwear fad: Francisco de Jesus Garcia, 18 (left) and Guadalupe Silva, 20, (right) pose in their pointed boots during a night out at the Mesquit Rodeo nightclub in Matehuala

He fashions the elongated toes from plastic foam and charges 400 pesos ($34) for the extensions.

Young men who can't afford a bespoke pair have been using garden hoses to make their own, decorating them with glittery butterflies, stars, flashing lights and disco balls.



The trend has coincided with a new craze for 'tribal' dance, which sees male troupes dressed in matching western shirts and skinny jeans to set off their shoes.

They dance to a mixture of pre-Columbian and African sounds mixed with fast cumbia bass and electro-house beats.

Making a point: The shoes are made from plastic foam and cobblers charge $34 for the toe extensions

Showtime: In Matehuala, all-male teams compete in nightclub dance-offs for prizes of $100 to $500

In Matehuala, all-male teams compete in weekly dance-offs at nightclubs for prizes of $100 to $500.

Miguel Hernandez, 20, of Los Parranderos, who regularly participates in these dance nights, said: 'At the beginning there were people who would criticise us and would say, "How tacky that you are wearing that. I wouldn't wear them." But we feel good dancing with the pointy boots.'

Jorge Chavez, 16, whose dances with the group, Los Aliados, added that dancing tribal in pointy boots is 'like going crazy.



'We dance it as if we were chasing chickens. It's all about goofing off.'

Babe magnet: Several young men have described the dramatic pointed boots as a way to attract the ladies

Sole trader: Young Mexican men create their own pointy boots in preparation for a dance competition

But dancing in such outlandish footwear is no mean feat.



Francisco Garcia, 18, of the Los Primos dance crew, revealed: 'There are some steps where you have to cross your feet and throw yourself to the ground and you can't do that with the pointy boots.'



For others, though, it's worth the effort, as the unlikely trend is become something of a babe-magnet according to one young fan.

University student Pascual Escobedo, 20, said: 'At the beginning I didn't like them very much, but the girls wouldn't dance with you if you weren't wearing pointy boots.'