Cowboy Boots In the City

By: xdavid

If you've been looking around at people's feet lately, you might have noticed a trend. Cowboy boots are just about everywhere, whether you're on a ranch in Montana or walking the streets of New York City. In fact, elements of western wear show up just about everywhere you look, from the everyday style of the working class to the high end clothing that adorns celebrities. Western apparel has even been spotted on runways around the world. You know you've seen everything when you've seen Japanese pop culture combine with American western wear! Of course, with the continual evolution in fashion, we certainly haven't seen the last of such combinations.

Meanwhile, the origins of western apparel had absolutely nothing to do with style or high fashion, and everything to do with adapting to the needs of the men who were staking out the new American west and participating in the Great Cattle Drive of the mid-to-late 1860s. When the men of the cattle drive left, they were still wearing boots and clothing similar to that worn by the military. Military boots, while meant for time on horseback, were not suitable for riding the trail. The shaft was too short, the toe too wide and the heel not quite right for staying in the stirrups. Eventually, some wise cowboy commissioned a pair of boots with a high shaft, pointed toe, and stacked heel and thus, the cowboy boot was born.

The rest of the western wear get-up was born of a similar need; jeans were the main option for pants because of their durability, and likewise, chaps were developed to further protect a rider's legs and pants. The button up shirts and vests of the time were born in much the same way. You will notice that decorative options in western wear tend to come in the form of colorful stitching and inlays. This is because these are ways of adding aesthetic flair without changing anything about the actual design of the shirt- which is, after all, based on function.

While the cowboy used to be the icon for the most macho man around, today's culture is much more accepting of a wide range of people who have adapted this look. When it comes to cultural openness, just look at the movie Brokeback Mountain- a heartbreaking tale of two cowboys whose desires didn't fit within the acceptable range for their culture, one of whom gave up his life for that in the end. What does this mean? It doesn't have to mean anything, but if you want to take it as a sign that the American spirit is stronger than any stereotype, you certainly wouldn't be doing anyone any harm.

Written by Melanie Rivers. Brand name cowboy boots and western wear at The Boot Store online store for western apparel. Ariat boots, Justin boots more at western-wear-store.com