Answer:

Answer

Spats are a protective covering popular in the early 1900's for fancy dress wear. They button on the outside edge of the material and are designed to "dress up" boots to make them look like dress shoes. Some spats had a strap across the instep to keep them in place over the top of the shoe.

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First answer by Doditov. Last edit by Doditov. Contributor trust: 1499 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 24 [recommend question].