Vintage 1960s Tony Lama Red Checkerboard Rockabilly Cowgirl Boots
Size: Women’s 9.5 B
Maker: Tony Lama (El Paso, Texas)
Era: 1960s
Condition: Good Vintage Condition
The Boots
Stop traffic red. These vintage 1960s Tony Lama cowgirl boots are a jaw-dropping showpiece in red-and-white checkerboard woven leather — a design so bold, so unapologetically loud, that they could only have come from the golden age of rockabilly Western fashion. These are the boots that Wanda Jackson would have worn to burn down a honky-tonk.
The vamps feature an all-over red-and-white checkerboard pattern created through an intricate woven leather technique. Tiny squares of red and white leather are interlaced to create a dizzying, op-art effect that shimmers and shifts as the boot moves. This woven leather extends from the pointed toe all the way up through the lower boot and wraps completely around the heel counter — an extraordinary amount of labor-intensive handwork. At the front of each shaft, a dramatic tulip-shaped inlay of the same checkerboard leather rises into the red upper, creating a seamless visual bridge between the two sections.
The tall shafts are solid cherry red leather with elegant elongated diamond stitching in cream thread — classic Tony Lama craftsmanship that provides just enough traditional Western structure to ground the wild vamps below. The scalloped collar, cream piping, and matching red pull straps complete the look. The interior bears the iconic black “Tony Lama / El Paso” label in gold script.
Tony Lama: El Paso’s Finest Since 1911
Tony Lama founded his boot company in El Paso, Texas, in 1911 after apprenticing as a cobbler for the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss. Over the next century, Tony Lama became one of the most recognized names in Western footwear, known for combining traditional craftsmanship with designs that pushed the boundaries of what a cowboy boot could be.
During the 1960s, when these boots were made, Tony Lama was at the height of its creative output. The company was still family-owned, still manufacturing entirely in El Paso, and producing some of the most adventurous designs in the industry. The woven leather checkerboard pattern was among their most technically demanding offerings — each pair required hours of painstaking hand-weaving that made them a premium product even by Tony Lama’s high standards.
The Rockabilly Connection
Red boots have always been the rebel’s choice. In the 1950s and 1960s, as rockabilly music fused country with rock and roll, the cowboy boot became a symbol of that crossover — traditional enough for Nashville, wild enough for the Sunset Strip. A pair of red checkerboard Tony Lamas from this era is pure rockabilly royalty. These are the boots of a woman who dances on tables, sings along to the jukebox, and never apologizes for being the loudest thing in the room.
Condition
These boots have been worn and they wear their age with pride. The red leather shafts show natural creasing and softening throughout. The checkerboard woven leather vamps remain intact with the weave tight and secure, though some individual squares show minor wear and surface loss at the toe tips. The leather soles show significant wear. The stacked heels show scuffing and wear at the base. One pull strap shows wear. The interior Tony Lama label is intact and legible. These are boots with decades of stories in them — and they’re ready to make more.
