Cowboy fashion started at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It drew inspiration from ranchers, farmers, oil workers, and miners. Here are some facts about the cowboy fashion style:
What do cowboys wear today? What are common among these outfits?
Cowboys would wear leather pants, boots, and vests, suspenders to keep the pants up, puffy-sleeved shirts called “chaleco” or guayabera in Texas, Panama hats, bandanas to cover their faces against sunburns and dust storms, gun belts with custom-designed Western belt buckles and one of two six-shooters on each side, and bandoliers. The boots are customized with silver designs on the vamp — the top piece of leather across the foot.
Today, cowboys wear different outfits depending on what part of the country they are located. Some common themes are leather, tassels, or embroidery on vests, chaps, and chinks (a type of pants worn by cowboys). The colors are usually earthy tones such as blue, brown, green, gray, etc., instead of the bright colors worn in traditional fashion.
Why did it become popular?
The cowboy hat has been a vital part of the history and development of the Wild West. Worn by cowboys for protection from the sun, rain, and most importantly, to keep cattle out of their eyes. It was the first thing most people saw in westerns. The term “cowboy” was used in literature as early as 1837 when a letter written by Davy Crockett mentioned a character, Mike Fink, who was a “cowboy.”
The cowboy style went out of fashion when the working class preferred modern clothing, which is more comfortable and easier to maintain. However, cowboy fashion has been brought back by TV shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Justified. It also became very popular among the Latino community in North America. Nowadays, many people wear cowboy hats, boots, and jackets as part of their regular fashion without necessarily associating it with the Wild West or even American culture.
The style is still very popular among ranchers, oil workers, and rodeo riders. Cowboy clothing has become a big business making $3 billion each year in the U.S. alone.
Cowboy Fashion Essentials
The basic essential pieces of cowboy fashion are boots, pants (chinks), jackets (coats), vests, hats, and bandanas. Pants come in different styles, including chaps which are short leather pants that go over long johns to protect against cactus thorns, chinks which are full-length pants that go over the boots to protect against dust, and jodhpur which are slightly flared at the bottom. Jackets include coats, vests, or guayaberas.
The shirts worn underneath are puffy-sleeved shirts called “chaleco” or guayabera in Texas. They are made of cotton and originally worn in hot tropical areas. Hats include a wide-brimmed felt or straw hat called a sombrero or Panama hat. Bandanas, originally used to cover the face from sunburns and dust storms, have become a fashion accessory for both men and women. The cowboy fashion is very rich in embroidery, usually on vests and chaps.
Sombrero is a brimmed hat worn in Mexico and some parts of the Southwestern United States as protection from the sun. It is made of woven straw or felt, usually creased along a conical crown. Today, the sombrero has found new popularity as a fashionable accessory in cities across North America, especially among those from Latino backgrounds.
Felt hats are intended to provide protection from the sun and rain as well as for insulation against cold weather. They were worn by cowboys, miners, gold prospectors, and other North American outdoorsmen in earlier times. The hats were usually made of felted beaver fur, rabbit hair, or wool (worn mainly by men).
Cowboy fashion has become very popular in Mexico and Canada among the Latino community during the late 20th century. Bandanas are still used as accessories instead of turbans or head wraps, but now they are made of cotton, silk, or even velvet. The colors usually associated with cowboy fashion are red, black, and gray. Justin Bieber wore a Justin Timberlake bandana in the 2011 music video for his song “Mistletoe.”
The cowboy fashion has been brought back by popular TV shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Justified. It is now very popular among the Latino community in North America. Many people wear cowboy hats, boots, and jackets as part of their regular fashion without associating it with the Wild West or American culture. If you’re looking for a comfortable and outgoing fashion style, the cowboy style might be a perfect fit for you.
