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How about that vintage western look
- Thread starter bburtner@moran
- Start date
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- 10,883
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- Portage, Wis.
Viola, you reminded me of a song by Mel Tillis
"You're just a Coca-Cola Cowboy, you got an Eastwood Smile and Robert Redford Hair..."
"You're just a Coca-Cola Cowboy, you got an Eastwood Smile and Robert Redford Hair..."
I loved the line in the John Wayne movie True Grit, where the girl meets the character Glen Campell was playing. Glen Campbell hadn't TOUCHED his hair or anything for the role so you can imagine what it looked like... but they addressed the anachronism, the girl said, "I was unaware in Texas they cultivated hair like cabbages..." lol
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BellyTank
I'll Lock Up
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alden405 said:here is some classic 40s western being worn on the then Tibetan,Chinese border
Fort Reno remount men buy horses from Lolo Tribesman for use by the Chinese army
Classic US Army/Cavalry- I don't see any Western in there...
B
T
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- Portage, Wis.
Viola said:
True Grit is the Best movie John Wayne movie ever. I'm a bit biased though, I'm also a Big Glen Campbell fan.
Highlander
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 473
- Location
- Missouri
Well, here's vintage western in a vintage picture, Circa Nov '61....
lazydaisyltd
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 123
- Location
- Southern Middle Tennessee
I love that picture--it reminds me of all the pictures we have of my uncle Randy as a boy.
My Great-Uncle Phil is a true Texas cowboy...he lives on his ranch in Orange Grove, Texas where he was born in 1920. He mostly wears Wrangler jeans, a cowboy hat and a starched oxford shirt and has worn this outfit with very slight variations every day of his entire life. He has a western-style suit for church and special occasions, but it is always worn with boots and a hat. He has never worn casual shoes of any kind, only cowboy boots, every day, for everything. Western wear has always been in fashion in South Texas, in one form or another, and his traditional western style never looks costume-y down there. And of course, he is the real thing.
If anyone likes western wear and hasn't heard of these, you might enjoy Tyler Beard and Jim Arndt's series of books on cowboy boots and western wear. Really fun pictures!
My Great-Uncle Phil is a true Texas cowboy...he lives on his ranch in Orange Grove, Texas where he was born in 1920. He mostly wears Wrangler jeans, a cowboy hat and a starched oxford shirt and has worn this outfit with very slight variations every day of his entire life. He has a western-style suit for church and special occasions, but it is always worn with boots and a hat. He has never worn casual shoes of any kind, only cowboy boots, every day, for everything. Western wear has always been in fashion in South Texas, in one form or another, and his traditional western style never looks costume-y down there. And of course, he is the real thing.
If anyone likes western wear and hasn't heard of these, you might enjoy Tyler Beard and Jim Arndt's series of books on cowboy boots and western wear. Really fun pictures!
Highlander
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 473
- Location
- Missouri
Hi lazydaiseyltd:
Thanks for the nice comments. I too love the photo, and spent most of my youth in cowboy boots and a hat. Not quite the cowboy your uncle was, but grew up with cows and riding a horse, and "playing" cowboy about everyday. I still "play" cowboy
Anyway, your uncle sounds like a cool guy. Have a great Memorial weekend.
Steve
Thanks for the nice comments. I too love the photo, and spent most of my youth in cowboy boots and a hat. Not quite the cowboy your uncle was, but grew up with cows and riding a horse, and "playing" cowboy about everyday. I still "play" cowboy
Anyway, your uncle sounds like a cool guy. Have a great Memorial weekend.
Steve
Gatsby84
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 88
- Location
- Western South Dakota
I would have to say that Jimmy Stewart is one of my favorite movie cowboys. I really wish I could find a hat like the one he wore in most of his movies but more specifically "Two Rode Together" and "The Man from Laramie".
Out here where I live I think it's especially easy to pull this look of on a daily basis. I even know a rancher or two that will wear a wide ribbon hat on occasion.
-Allen
Out here where I live I think it's especially easy to pull this look of on a daily basis. I even know a rancher or two that will wear a wide ribbon hat on occasion.
-Allen
Chad Sanborn
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 428
- Location
- Atlanta, Ga
I love some of the old vintage western shirts. Lots of colorful embroidery and pearl buttons. You can usually find a few on ebay, but they go for a pretty penny.
Every once in a while you can find a Nudie Suit on there. That's the fancy western holy grail!
Every once in a while you can find a Nudie Suit on there. That's the fancy western holy grail!
Chaperon
New in Town
- Messages
- 35
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
Western Wear?
Lately I have an interest in things traditional and western. "Open Road" hats, bolos, suits, boots, etc., especially the kind my Texas forebears would have been at home with in the thirties, fourties and on to the early sixties.
I'm not as much interested in super blingy modern stuff, more the dressier and/or traditional items.
It started when I bought a pair of Dan Post boots (black cherry, calf) styled in the traditional cowboy boot motif. I find I like them more than I would have thought and wear them quite alot.
My problem is that I haven't found a whole lot of info nor an on-line community for this. Some manufacturer's sites are helpful; some just raise more questions. (eg. What is "Ranch Hand" as a boot material? A thrifty use for a deceased employee!? I finally found out it's horse hide - why not say so?)
I'm not even sure what's right to wear with what. Is a bolo formal or daily wear? Are roper boots a post modern invention or an older alternate style?
Anyone know where I can find out a bit more? My dad's family were all Texans (all gone now) but I grew up in Georgia, so I guess I never was immersed in the western clothes culture. If I were to have been reared there, I guess I'd have known....
Lately I have an interest in things traditional and western. "Open Road" hats, bolos, suits, boots, etc., especially the kind my Texas forebears would have been at home with in the thirties, fourties and on to the early sixties.
I'm not as much interested in super blingy modern stuff, more the dressier and/or traditional items.
It started when I bought a pair of Dan Post boots (black cherry, calf) styled in the traditional cowboy boot motif. I find I like them more than I would have thought and wear them quite alot.
My problem is that I haven't found a whole lot of info nor an on-line community for this. Some manufacturer's sites are helpful; some just raise more questions. (eg. What is "Ranch Hand" as a boot material? A thrifty use for a deceased employee!? I finally found out it's horse hide - why not say so?)
I'm not even sure what's right to wear with what. Is a bolo formal or daily wear? Are roper boots a post modern invention or an older alternate style?
Anyone know where I can find out a bit more? My dad's family were all Texans (all gone now) but I grew up in Georgia, so I guess I never was immersed in the western clothes culture. If I were to have been reared there, I guess I'd have known....
cowboy up
Check the SASS website. also, try the "Cowboy Hat Book" by Ritch Rand William Reynolds. Also, "How the West Was Worn". Bolos are a modern invention. I also subscribe to "American Cowboy" mag. Western clothing never goes out of style. I, too, am an aficionado.
Check the SASS website. also, try the "Cowboy Hat Book" by Ritch Rand William Reynolds. Also, "How the West Was Worn". Bolos are a modern invention. I also subscribe to "American Cowboy" mag. Western clothing never goes out of style. I, too, am an aficionado.
Mav
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 413
- Location
- California
As a country music freak, I tend to fringe on the look occasionally.
Dump the bolo ties and western suits. The easiest (and most authentic) way to do this is something of a "retro- country" look. Jeans, packers, and off- white workshirt, and an OR (or Akubra equivalent- the CD in my avatar tends to be my go- to, even for concerts) do a serviceable job. Or, at least, it worked for my eastern Montana rancher grandfather in the 40's and 50's. The glitzy/ modern stuff tends to look a little too urban cowboy, at least for me.
Dump the bolo ties and western suits. The easiest (and most authentic) way to do this is something of a "retro- country" look. Jeans, packers, and off- white workshirt, and an OR (or Akubra equivalent- the CD in my avatar tends to be my go- to, even for concerts) do a serviceable job. Or, at least, it worked for my eastern Montana rancher grandfather in the 40's and 50's. The glitzy/ modern stuff tends to look a little too urban cowboy, at least for me.
Corky
Practically Family
- Messages
- 507
- Location
- West Los Angeles
Get a good hat and a good pair of boots...
...and whatever you wear between them doesn't really matter.
The hat should be something soft, made out of fur felt. Avoid the cardboard look and feel of most modern hats. The Akubra Camp Draft or a vintage Open Road would fit the bill. A fairly tall crown and a brim of no more than three inches. Bash it however you please.
Go to your local leather craftsman and have him make up a good belt. One with a buckle that is not so heavy that it'll weigh down the front of your pants. Maybe have him make up a matching leather hatband for your hat.
A couple of pairs of jeans in whatever style you find comfortable. Maybe a few denim or canvas long-sleeve shirts in colors that say something about your personality.
A lot of people's ideas about Western wear have been shaped by movies and TV. The characters would wear the same outfits all the time, so they could spend a week shooting riding scenes outdoors and insert the footage into soundstage-shot episodes all season. You can benefit from this perception by finding your own look and sticking with it. First, select a shirt and pair of pants that fits comfortably, that feels good to wear, and that you really like the way it looks. Then, get a few duplicates of that same shirt and that same pair of pants in alternate colors and wear them in different combinations.
A good pair of unlined leather gloves might come in handy.
For an additional accessory, consider a leather or suede vest.
If you want to make a statement, get a fringed leather or suede jacket. It's OK to splurge on this item.
And if you're on the far side of 30, consider the use of button suspenders or braces in lieu of the belt.
With Western wear, remember that you don't want to look like you're wearing a costume or that you're trying too hard to be in style. Each item was designed with a function in mind: the broad-brimmed hat to keep the sun off of one's head, the boots to keep one's feet from getting stuck in a stirrup, etc.
Make your choices based on what feels like a natural extension of your body and wear them with style.
...and whatever you wear between them doesn't really matter.
The hat should be something soft, made out of fur felt. Avoid the cardboard look and feel of most modern hats. The Akubra Camp Draft or a vintage Open Road would fit the bill. A fairly tall crown and a brim of no more than three inches. Bash it however you please.
Go to your local leather craftsman and have him make up a good belt. One with a buckle that is not so heavy that it'll weigh down the front of your pants. Maybe have him make up a matching leather hatband for your hat.
A couple of pairs of jeans in whatever style you find comfortable. Maybe a few denim or canvas long-sleeve shirts in colors that say something about your personality.
A lot of people's ideas about Western wear have been shaped by movies and TV. The characters would wear the same outfits all the time, so they could spend a week shooting riding scenes outdoors and insert the footage into soundstage-shot episodes all season. You can benefit from this perception by finding your own look and sticking with it. First, select a shirt and pair of pants that fits comfortably, that feels good to wear, and that you really like the way it looks. Then, get a few duplicates of that same shirt and that same pair of pants in alternate colors and wear them in different combinations.
A good pair of unlined leather gloves might come in handy.
For an additional accessory, consider a leather or suede vest.
If you want to make a statement, get a fringed leather or suede jacket. It's OK to splurge on this item.
And if you're on the far side of 30, consider the use of button suspenders or braces in lieu of the belt.
With Western wear, remember that you don't want to look like you're wearing a costume or that you're trying too hard to be in style. Each item was designed with a function in mind: the broad-brimmed hat to keep the sun off of one's head, the boots to keep one's feet from getting stuck in a stirrup, etc.
Make your choices based on what feels like a natural extension of your body and wear them with style.
