03-02-2006, 11:17 AM
A boot with a fur lining can still chafe bare skin at the top. Turning the fur over the boot would prevent this. It could be that the best way to cut the skin for boots brings those odd lappets to the top and the makers thought, "Oh, that looks cool - and it will stop the boot chafing - serendippity!" (Just a wild guess-I firmly believe that many more things are the result of happy chance than of genius - though geniuses, who work hard, tend to get lucky more often than others!)