kiltie
Practically Family
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Edward said:
Easy, Edward
. The cultural significance is still very divisive here is the States, particularly between the Southern born and bred and the ( less informed ) rest of the country.That said ( cautiously stepping back into full view ), I've recently likened the Western get up to, for lack of a better term, the "metrosexual" mindset. A goodly portion of my senior relatives have always dressed "Western", in that they wore (wear) starched shirts with scalloped pockets and pearl snaps and boots, with the occasional hat. It alway struck me as country because they lived in the sticks. In the city, however, the Western look is often so contrived that it would simply be impractical for a real cowboy to dress like that; far more influenced by modern Music Row and it's loathesome ilk than by working cowboys ( save for the more high profile rodeo scene - some of the cowboys look more flamboyant than the clowns ).
Working downtown, I often pass by both the county and municiple courts. A lot of what I take to be lawyers sport suits ( both traditional and what you'd consider western cut - with piping and scalloped yoke, etc...) with cowboy boots and, as often as not, hats - ranging from the Open Road to the C&W monstrosities as seen on TV. I assume this is a costume assembled to give one a sense that they're good ol' boys, fresh out of the field or stable, there to help you. And to be honest, in San Antonio, it's probably a bit more genuine than say, Houston or Dallas, where they want desperately to be cosmopolitan. For some reason, that look, in those cities, positively reeks of "politician". Not necessarily of the "running for office" variety, but just a weasel [huh] . Needless to say, this is just a casual observation, and our own member Suitedcowboy might tend to disagree.
When I was in highschool, we called the western crowd "kickers", shortened from "s**tkickers". It was a clique like any other, with only the relatively smallest number actually working on or towards something of an agricultural or relative pursuit.
Now, I think most Texans who would care to make a comment on the matter would easily be able to tell you who's the "real deal" and who's playing Urban Cowboy. For me, one of the big tell tales has always been the pants: real cowboy's pants are almost always a little too long in the legs. And real cowboys don't roll up their sleeves ( sweeping generalizations, by the way ). Oddly enough, the Country-pop scene is so freaking huge that when you go to the big C&W clubs, you're as likely to see people in hoodies and saggypants as a Stetson. A cheap drink is a cheap drink, I suppose.
Finally, Texans are so proud of being Texans that the music scene is sort of a touchstone, in that you always come back to it if you're "for real" and want to be a part of it if you're not.* So there's a lot of different folks with a lot of different styles at the bona fide dancehalls: cowboys, bikers, bums, urbanites, etc... I don't get a second look in a bowtie and fedora, so that must be my western costume.
What did I start to say? Oh, yeah - so here in Texas, it's sort of an ID badge, with subtle subtexts attatched to each (western type) outfit. None particularly calls attention to itself but rather, to me, it tends to classify a person.
* and I'm talking about REAL music: seeing Willie at Floore's Country Store, Two Ton Tuesdays at Gruene Hall ( or any band at Gruene Hall ), etc...
