Western wear facts for kids
Western wear is a cool style of clothing for both guys and girls. It gets its unique look from the clothes worn in the 1800s in the Wild West. This style includes everything from real historical outfits to the fancy clothes seen in Western movies and TV shows. Think of the outfits worn by "singing cowboys" like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in the 1940s and 1950s!
Today, Western wear is still popular in the West and Southwestern United States. Many people who love country music or a Western lifestyle also wear it. Common Western clothing items include Western shirts with cool snap buttons, blue jeans, cowboy hats, leather belts, and cowboy boots.
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Cool Cowboy Hats
In the early days of the Old West, the bowler hat was actually more popular than the cowboy hat. It was less likely to blow off in the wind! But by the 1870s, the Stetson became the most popular cowboy hat. This was partly because the Union Cavalry used it during the American Civil War.
Cowboys often added "stampede strings" to their hats. These long strings, usually made of leather or horsehair, kept the hat from flying off when riding fast. They would go around the hat and tie under the chin or behind the head.
The tall, white "ten-gallon hats" you see in old movies weren't very practical for real gunslingers. They made them an easy target! That's why famous lawmen like Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, and Bat Masterson preferred low-crowned black hats.
Coonskin caps were originally worn by Native Americans. Mountain men like Davy Crockett also wore them because they were warm and tough. These furry hats became popular again in the 1950s after a Disney movie starring Fess Parker.
Western Shirts
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A Western shirt is a classic piece of Western wear. It has a special design called a yoke on the front and back shoulders. These shirts are often made from chambray, denim, or tartan fabric. Modern Western shirts sometimes have snap pockets, patches made from bandana fabric, and even fringe! The style comes from the late Victorian era, which was the time of the "Wild West."
Fancy Western dress shirts often have cool details like piping, embroidered roses, and a different colored yoke. In the 1950s, movie cowboys like Roy Rogers and Clayton Moore (who played The Lone Ranger) often wore these. They were inspired by the detailed Mexican vaquero costumes, like the guayabera. Cowboys wore them at rodeos so they could be easily seen. Buffalo Bill wore them with a fringe jacket in his Wild West shows. They were also trendy for teenagers in the 1970s and late 2000s.
Another type of Western shirt is the shield-front shirt. Many US Cavalry soldiers wore these during the American Civil War. They were made of blue wool with yellow piping and brass buttons. George Armstrong Custer is said to have invented this style. More recently, John Wayne made this shirt popular in the movie Fort Apache. Rockabilly musicians like the Stray Cats also wore them.
In 1946, Papa Jack Wilde added snap buttons and pocket flaps to the Western shirt. He then started the company Rockmount Ranch Wear.
Cool Coats and Jackets
When it's chilly, there are many types of Western jackets to choose from!
- Frock coats: Long, formal coats.
- Ponchos: Blankets with a hole for the head, made famous by Clint Eastwood in his "Spaghetti Western" movies.
- Short Mexican jackets with silver designs.
- Fringe jackets: Popular with outlaw country, southern rock, and 1980s heavy metal bands.
- Duster coats: Long coats that protect from dust, worn in the Wild West.
More modern styles include leather waistcoats (vests) inspired by biker culture. There are also jackets that look like a cow's black and white spots! Girls might wear bolero jackets (short jackets), shawls, denim jackets that match their skirts, or a fringe jacket like Annie Oakley.
For dressier events, people in the West might wear a suit with "smile" pockets, piping, and a yoke like Western shirts. This could be an Ike jacket, a leisure suit, or a three-button sportcoat. Country and Western singer Johnny Cash was known for his all-black Western suit. This was very different from the super fancy Nudie suits worn by stars like Elvis Presley and Porter Wagoner. The most amazing Western wear is custom-made by rodeo tailors like Nudie Cohn and Manuel. Their clothes have amazing embroidery and rhinestones. This fancy style, made popular by country music stars, is where the phrase rhinestone cowboy comes from.
Western Trousers
In the early Wild West, trousers were made of wool. In summer, canvas was sometimes used. This changed during the Gold Rush of the 1840s. That's when denim overalls became popular with miners because they were cheap and breathable. Levi Strauss made them even better by adding copper rivets. By the 1870s, ranchers and cowboys started wearing this design. Other companies like Wrangler jeans and Lee Cooper soon made their own jeans. These were often worn with "kippy belts" that had metal conchos and big belt buckles.
Cowboys often wore leather chaps (pronounced "shaps") to protect their legs from cactus spines and to keep their pants from wearing out. Two common types were tight "shotgun chaps" and wide "batwing chaps." Some batwing chaps were even made from animal hides with the hair still on them, called "woolies." Chaps appeared on the Great Plains around 1887.
Girls and women wore knee-length prairie skirts, red or blue gingham dresses, or suede fringed skirts inspired by Native American clothing. "Saloon girls" wore short red dresses with corsets, garter belts, and stockings. After World War II, many women started wearing jeans just like men. This was because they had worked in fields or factories while the men were away at war.
Neckwear Styles
During the Victorian era, gentlemen wore silk cravats or neckties to add color to their dark clothes. Respectable Westerners continued to wear these until the early 1900s. After the Civil War, working-class soldiers often tied a bandana loosely around their necks. This helped soak up sweat and kept dust out of their faces. This idea came from the Mexican War era. Soldiers threw away their uncomfortable leather stocks (a type of stiff collar) and used cheap paisley kerchiefs instead.
Another famous Western accessory is the bolo tie. This was invented by an American pioneer and was supposedly made from a fancy hatband. It was a favorite of gamblers and was quickly adopted by Mexican charros. The slim "Kentucky" style bowtie was also popular, seen on famous Southern gentlemen like Colonel Sanders. Today, the bolo tie is formal wear in many Western states, like Montana, New Mexico, and Texas.
Footwear
See Cowboy boot
Images for kids
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Will Rogers's Western wear would inspire the clothing of the singing cowboys of the 1940s
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Early use of the embroidered Western shirt by Buffalo Bill
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A typical western shirt has mother of pearl snap fasteners, two breast pockets, and a v-shaped motif.
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Roy Rogers in fringed Western shirt and Dale Evans in matching fringe jacket
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Mariachi singer wearing silver embroidered charro outfit
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Example of the garish Western shirts popular in the 1970s and among the modern-day indie rock scene
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Porter Wagoner wearing elaborate Nudie suit
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Annie Oakley wearing a prairie skirt
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Authentic historical reenactor in buckskins
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Wild Bill wearing sombrero and frock coat
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Authentic Stetsons from the 1880s
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Modern re-enactors dressed as saloon girls
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Tom Mix in Ten Gallon Hat
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Ernest Tubb (third from left) in Western suit
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John Wayne in battered slouch hat and more authentic costume
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President Reagan wearing stonewashed denim jacket and jeans
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Arizona cowboy wearing a "John Wayne" style Western shirt
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Poncho still worn by modern-day working Huasos
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See also
In Spanish: Moda western para niños
