Cowboy hat & Boots.....?

[petr]

Life is short. Go out and buy a good straw hat that fits your face and disposition and wear it. Own it. It's practical in the South and if you have the balls to pull it off then do it. It's about being comfortable. It'll save your skin in protection anyway. It's always a good idea.

Now, the new square toe boots don't appeal to me much, but I've worn the RM Williams boots I picked up in Perth around the world literally. In dress slacks to jeans I love those things. Never out of place. Always complimented.

 

[RockyNomad]

I like cowboy boots and think they are timeless no matter where you live. If a cowboy hat is too much for where you live have you thought about a fedora. I'm 41 and have been looking at fedoras lately. They make so many different styles and some have a Western twist to them. Just something to consider.

 

[jlanger]

After I burned my nose really bad (blisters and scarring and such) I picked up a cowboy hat as this gave me adequate coverage of my face and looked fairly nice. This is what I got, not a huge hat but certainly a cowboy hat

 

[johnnyxxl]

Dingo's are great boots, also Justin and Chippewa. I wear them every day working retail they wear nice even on pavement and concrete floors.

 

[Cuttingboard]

Here are mine:

Lucchese Ostrich

Tony Lama Python

 

[alaskamcghee]

Being a child of the 80’s most hero/action stars in the movies wore cowboy boots, button down shirts, kakis, leather jackets and a cowboy hat. Granted the cowboy hat got lost early in the movies bit that was the cool guy uniform. Now that I am older Cowboy boots are more comfortable and last longer than most foot wear. Wide brimmed hats (fedora, western or cowboy) help protect me from the sun. I hate sunburns. Button down shirts just look so grown up compared to the tee shirt crowd.

Long story short, go get some and wear them with pride.

Johnny

 

[jkingrph]

You can wear that look ...

a) in Texas, or
b) anywhere you will fit in with the locals, not the tourists.

I live in E Texas, more like the deep south but that attire is common. I grew up over in NE Louisiana and it is also common there.

I have worn them enough, have several nice western hats, felt and straw, three pair of custom made boots one in sharkskin, two in alligator, which is about the only way I can get them to fit as I wear a 12 a shoe. Right now it's too hot for the boots,but a big hat is good out in the sun, however my taste as I have grown older is to Fedora style hats with dress shoes.

 

[mcmulvaney]

Like a number of other contributors, I have to say if you like 'em, wear 'em. I've worn both hat and boots for a long time and enjoyed both even when some folks gave me the eye

A few thoughts on boots...

Quality

Good boots aren't cheap and cheap boots aren't good. This is isn't a purchase you want to make at any old place that carries them. Find someone in your area who sells western wear to people who value it for it's utility as well as the style.

Fit

Properly fitted boots are comfortable, but they don't feel like other kinds of footwear. There will be some break-in time for both you and the boots. Once more, very important to find a good dealer who knows how to fit them.

Hides

Cowboy boots have been made out of almost anything that can be tanned, including trout skin, bullfrog, amadillo and manta ray. I'm guessing that you may not want to go too exotic to start with, but here are some things to know:

• Some exotic leathers need extra care. This is typical of almost any kind of snakeskin, some lizard, eel, crocodile, and alligator. (Unless you have a hankering for something truly unusual and want to drop a couple thousand dollars on a pair of boots, I'm guessing the latter two won't be a problem.)
• Some leathers are known for being hard wearing. Although many such hides show up in work boots, they also show up in dress styles. On the lower end of the price scale, you'll find cowhide, bull hide, and shrunken shoulder. On the other end you'll see things like Elephant and Shark (and shark is waterproof!)
• For good, comfortable dress wear there are a lot of choices that are available in a rainbow of colors and nice looking finishes. These include (in approximate ascending order of price): calfskin, goatskin, kangaroo, elk, deer, smooth ostrich (w/o the 'pimples'), ostrich leg (which looks a bit like lizard), and full quill ostrich.

Heels

I think a couple of folks have pointed this out, but it bears repeating - for normal walking around use, a walker or roper heel will be more comfortable. The mid-height cowboy heels are indeed handy if you're riding, and the real tall ones are pretty much for show (and sore feet).

Toes

If you have your boots properly fitted any toe style (including the most radically pointy ones) should be comfortable to wear.

Shaft Height

This one is one of those YMMV things, but consider this - unless you're tucking your jeans into your boots, only you will get to see the tall shaft with the fancy stitching. Most common styles are available in shaft lengths of 10 to 12 inches. I have always found that the 10 or 11 inch shafts are a little bit cooler to wear than the taller ones. You'll typically find the shorter shafts on style labeled Roper, Rancher, or Stockman.

Price

Don't know what your budget is, but even decent cowhide boots are going to set you back a not insignificant amount of money. On the low end, you should be able to find something in the $125 - $175 range in cowhide, calf, or maybe a lower end exotic if on sale. From $175 up to around $300 you'll get into fancier and/or higher quality versions of the other hides plus some of the snakeskins, kangaroo, and smooth ostrich. Above $300, the sky's the limit, including having a pair custom made. Once you pass around $500 - $600 the option of getting a custom pair is starting to be cost competitive with factory made boots.

Long Term

If you buy a good pair of boots, they will generally be repairable in terms of putting on new soles and heels. A decent pair of boots may last you more than a decade with reasonable care and such repairs. However, make sure that you find a qualified boot repairman. Usually the little shoe repair booth down at the mall (where such even exist any more) isn't where you want to go. Good boot repair people are a vanishing breed. Find out from your seller who they might recommend or find someone who wears their boots for the purposes they were originally intended and ask them who they take theirs to.


...and if you hadn't guessed by now, there was a period of time when I had a serious case of CBAD (Cowboy Boot Acquisition Disorder). So beware!

I hope this helps!

 

[WesternModern]

Can't help you with the boots, but here's the hat;
the Stetson Open Road



I own this hat and it's my favorite. Looks good with a suit or jeans and a t-shirt.
More "Western" than "Cowboy", with a cool retro look.
Think Harry S Truman, or LBJ.
I've worn it around from Chicago to the Four Corners area, and it always looks good.
I even got a complement from an attractive woman while wearing it when shoping at Merz!
You can find it in felt or straw.
This is a great hat!