The Cowboy Boot

If you love cowboy boots far too much that you are now planning to make one yourself, then you would have to learn how to make a pair of cowboy boots.

We all know that this is not easy, so what should you learn first? You should learn how to measure your feet or the feet of the person you will be making the cowboy boots for. Learning how to trace the foot, selecting the leather to be used, cutting out the uppers and bottoms, crimping, making insoles, attaching them, sewing the cowboy bots and doing the heel slide assembly are all important in making custom cowboy boots.

There are a lot of other things for you to learn and this means you may have to either spend time watching how-to videos from youtube or working as an apprentice to a master bootmaker in your area. All you have to do is send the bootmaker an email or talk to him or her personally and talk about how much you want to learn how to make cowboy boots. Whether you are thinking of making this into your trade or just want to learn how to do it, talking to a master bootmaker is a good idea.

All bootmakers agree in one thing –you would have to keep your stitching tight, tight, tight to ensure that you make sturdy cowboy boots. A good pair of cowboy boots is handmade and they are also made from quality materials preferably cowhide leather or other types of leather that are sturdy enough to thrive well in all types of environments.

Cowboy boots are stylish but the core of making these shoes is their sturdiness –they were mainly used for ranch work and for protecting the feet from snake bites, or from getting hurt when riding a horse.

Are you planning to buy a new pair of boots? You’re in the right place because we’ve got the coolest picks for you to choose from.

Veronica Short By Frye

Fine, these are not really your usual pair of cowboy boots but if you want a roper-like pair that look stylish, the Veronica Short by Frye is good buy. This mid shaft boot features 1 ¼ inc heels, a rubber outsole and leather lining. The upper is of course 100% leather and even has a buckle hardware detail right on the upper shaft and on the vamp. Talk about stylish!

Melissa Button By Frye

This chocolate vintage leather roper-like footwear features a 13 inch shaft with a 13 ½ inch circumference, 1 inch heels, leather lining, and leather outsole. This is a pull-on, round toe boot that makes it easy for you to slip it on or slip it out. This costs around $350 and is one of our favorites from Frye.

Billy Hammered Stud By Frye

This studded boot features a leather outsole and leather lining. It is made from 100% leather of course and it is one of Frye’s cutest designs. Need I say more? The stud detail from this cowboy boot just made our day!

Miranda Slouch By Frye

This one’s for the ladies. If you are looking for high heeled cowboy boots then this one is definitely a wonderful choice. For the fashion conscious, do not worry, this has been given the Rachel Zoe stamp of approval. It costs a little over $250 but it’s worth it, it is made from sturdy materials after all and by sturdy materials we mean 100% leather and other high quality items to make this pair last for seasons to come.

Harlow Campus By Frye

This is a bestseller and is one of our favorites. If you are looking for uber sexy boots, then this cuts it. We are not sure how much these cost but last we heard they are selling for around $350.

Still can’t decide what kind of cowboy boots to buy? There are a number of nice cowboy boots from Frye. Other brands to take a look at include Nine West, Ariat, Justin, and Lucchese.

Cowboy boots are sexy but cowboys are sexier, don’t you agree? They are always sexy both in their cowboy hats or their cowboy boots but mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the sexiest cowboy of them all? You decide.

Imagine this cowboy riding with his top down, or his top off rather. If that isn’t hot, what is?

Well we all know that cowboys are friendly with the horses in a horse whisperer kind of way but they sure are friendly with the ladies. Cowboys are real gentlemen really and are oh-so-dreamy.

Alright, here’s another cowboy with his top off. Cowboys don’t need to take their tops off to look sexy really but if it’s hot out, why stop them?

What do cowboys do after a good lunch? Chew on hay maybe but whether they chew on hay or smoke a cigarette, it still looks very sexy. We do not mean to put photos with cowboys with their tops off but really ladies, these photos look super awesome. Now it makes me want to go to Boot City and buy a new pair of cowboy boots.

Now this one is for the ladies who focus on the face and the cowboy hat! A nice felt hat made from pure beaver fur is a wonderful addition to every cowboy’s wardrobe. A cute, boyish face is also a wonderful thing (sorry, can’t help it). For the ladies who would like to buy a cowboy hat, getting a Stetson is always the best choice. There are other hats one can take a look at though and some are also of great quality. A Stetson Malibu or a Stetson Durango are fine choices for a cowboy hat, so what are you waiting for? Search for cowboy hats now and get your hands on one if you do not have one yet.

We have mentioned before that cowboys and cowboy boots are an integral part of our culture –American cultural consciousness to be exact. In fact, while other nationalities say that America has no legitimate tradition since it is a melting pot, the most legitimate of traditions that one can have in this country is the cowboy culture. When we say cowboy culture, we do not only talk about cowboy boots or cowboy hats or cowboy fashion in general, we are also talking about the life of a cowboy or a cowgirl for that matter. The American cultural consciousness is not just felt in America though because in other countries such as the Philippines and Japan, there are western wear stores and even cowboy-themed restaurants. This is an indicator that this is what America is all about even though a great number of the population are not cowboys and do not wear cowboy boots.

Thanks to Hollywood, we were able to make this distinctly American tradition into something very popular. Decades ago, it would be weird to see an Asian donning a cowboy hat or wearing cowboy boots but today, cowboy couture is no longer just for the West but also for the fashion forward or the ones who want to stand out in a crowd.

The world’s fascination with spurs, lassos and cowboy hats and even six-shooters (and of course the Wild West) started when Western films became popular. In fact, a German guy I know remembers watching cowboy movies when he was a kid back in the 80s. Another indicator of its popularity and it being integrated in the American psyche is Hollywood making cowboy movies a separate genre altogether.

Alright, we admit that the movie industry casting charismatic actors made a difference too but actors such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry became more popular during their heyday because of their cowboy movies.

The popularity of cowboy movies is undeniable and because of this popularity, the cowboy culture has become quite an influence in terms of fashion. The most important thing about cowboy culture isn’t just the hat but the cowboy boots. According to an article published by the Los Angeles Daily News, stamps honoring cowboy legends such as Gene Autry, Tom Mix, William S. Hart and Roy Rogers is proof enough how much we care about cowboy culture and of course, how much we care about cowboy boots. No one has confirmed though if Mix, Hart, Rogers or Autry ever wore Justin boots –cowboy boots rather popular at the time.

Although we know that the cowboy movie legend Tom Mix died in his cowboy boots and his diamond studded belt buckle, no one has confirmed what brand he wore. Whichever the case, many are interested in what cowboys from long ago wore. One thing is for sure though, the cowboy boots they wore are most definitely sturdy.

If you are looking for cowboy boots, you must visit Boot City for the newest leather cowboy boots. The business has been around for 25 years and is definitely the best place to go to if you want premium service. The online shop is also giving big discounts for the month and you may be able to save $10 from your purchase or more if you are planning to buy more than one pair of cowboy boots. Boot City has a range of brands on offer –from Charlie 1 Horse to Justin cowboy boots to Ariat for men and women. You can choose from a range of designs too and one thing Boot City can promise is that there is always a pair of cowboy boots for everyone. We are not talking inventory-wise, we are talking about designs that will suit your style.

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. The whole family had lunch together right after church and later as my father sat on the couch to watch some TV, he realized that we forgot to buy me new shoes for school. It was a happy day for me especially when he said I needed new shoes so my sister and I hopped to his car while waiting for mom to get in.

Back in the early 90s when I was about seven years old, our town did not have a mall just yet. All we had was an old bazaar people bought shoes and apparel. When we got there I immediately smelled leather with all the leather shoes and goods on display. Much like every other kid, I ran around the bazaar with my sister right behind me. My mom told us to keep quiet though and said that we should go pick black shoes for school. I didn’t ask why it had to be black because as a child, I probably wanted something cooler than black –you know, something red maybe or green just to shock my peers? But anyway since she said we should pick out something black we went on to look at black shoes for girls. A pair of black cowboy boots with white ribbon embellishments caught my eye though so I slowly moved near it. When my mother saw me doing that she said, “Sigrid, no.” Like any child would, I protested and told her it is black and it’s leather and I want it. My dad smiled at my mother and said it’s okay for me to wear cowboy boots. My mother protested because we had to wear uniforms to school and that pair of cowboy boots would definitely not look good with it. I ended up getting the cowboy boots and it lasted me 2 years until I could no longer fit my feet in them. Realizing that they were quite sturdy, my mom started buying me and my sister cowboy boots. Now that I am working, I still wear cowboy boots whenever I feel like it even if I live in a big city.

So you’re getting married! With the number of weddings you probably have attended, you no longer know what theme would work for you and whether you should have a theme for you wedding at all. Fret not my friend because if you are a cowgirl, you might as well incorporate cowboy boots to your wedding. A cowboy and cowgirl wedding deserve the best attire though so let’s discuss about this wedding theme.

If the usual wedding theme of going barefoot at the beach just makes you roll your eyes and going to Vegas to get married is something you don’t really want to consider because you don’t want to replace a priest with Elvis, then a country or a rural wedding just might be the best fit for you.

Aside from your entire entourage rocking cowboy boots, you might want to consider getting married in a rustic barn to make your country wedding more memorable or unique for that matter. Brides in cowboy boots look amazing and so will their bridesmaids –just take a look at this photo.

Admit it, there’s just something nice about brides in boots and in cowboy boots to be exact. The main reason why many feel that this is just to avant garde is because we have a tradition that dictates that brides should wear high heels underneath their bridal gowns. Imagine yourself wearing your bridal gown and cowboy boots appear instead of high heels, wouldn’t that be cool? We love this idea and maybe those who are planning to get married this year can use this idea as well.

Bright red cowboy boots would do well with a bridal gown. There are different brands to choose from –one is that of Jessica Simpson’s shoe line but if you don’t want to wear Daisy red cowboy boots ala Dukes of Hazzard, you can take a look at Ladies’ Lucchese Red Goat boots, Ladies Ariat Heritagee Wester J-Toe Bomber boots or Patent Red from Old Gringo.

When cowboys walked the earth thanks to the Spanish men who brought the tradition to Mexico and later on to the West, cattle raising became cool. Considered even before as a very macho job because of all that horseback riding and all that traveling from one place to the other when selling cattle or buying them for that matter, the image of the cowboy has stayed the same over the centuries. Centuries before however, cowboys didn’t wear denim and it took a long time before the iconic cowboy hat finally had one design. And it took a long time too before the classic cowboy boot design made its mark in history.

Through the years, the image of the cowboy never changed though. In fact, its image has inspired a number of legends and later on movies that made non-cowboys want to go to the West just to be a cowboy. Those with a taste for adventure ventured to the West and donned cowboy hats and wore pull on cowboy boots and started working in as cattle raisers. Cowboys also have their own code. In fact, they can be likened to a brotherhood –a fraternity of real men who drink from their cowboy hats, who brave the sun’s heat and who do ranch work with ease. It is an interesting thing really not only historically but also its effects on pop culture.

Although cowboy boots started stemmed from English riding boots according to its design, the classic cowboy boot now stands as an original American thing. Its Spanish caballero roots and the English influences can be found in history but it was in America where these boots made their real debut. It was in those desert lands and in the mountains of the West where cowboy boots were developed to suit the lifestyle of the cattle raiser.

When is it proper to wear a cowboy boots at the office? Many claim that wearing one at the office is a n-no while others say it’s okay. The answer of course depends where you work and where you are. In cities where cowboy tradition is not really popular, wearing cowboy boots draws attention but not because people in these particular areas are against it but because they are amazed at how good these shoes look. In cities where the cowboy tradition is known but not exactly as a lifestyle but a possible idea for a costume party outfit, wearing cowboy boots inside the office is a major no-no because according to office workers in such places, cowboy boots make one look less corporate and maybe even too casual.

Now is this a general opinion among city dwellers? No one knows really because no one has done a survey just yet but many a fashion blog has spoken against the wearing of cowboy boots in the office, our question is, why? Cowboy boots are comfortable and they are closed shoes so maybe they can be worn under jeans but not really accepted when seen on a woman wearing a skirt.

One particular woman who recounted on her blog abut her being sent a memo regarding how very unprofessional she dresses wrote about such a situation. Nope, her dress was not too short. In fact, she is 50-years-old and according to her can only wear dresses below the knee. It turns out that she was branded as being unprofessional when it comes to her dressing style because she wears cowboy boots. Another point of discussion is where should cowboy boots be worn? Which workplaces allow such shoes? But the more important question is, why are they not allowed in all kinds of offices? Is there a stigma to cowboy boots in certain places somehow or is it just because they draw a lot of attention that other office workers get distracted by them?

Photo via www.rowthree.com

Dating a cowboy is never the same as dating your regular city guy and it’s not just because of the shoes they wear. Aside from cowboy boots and denim, cowboys usually don cowboy hats making them stand out when in a city setting. This turns on city girls to the annoyance probably of city boys but there is something about cowboys and of course something about the country. What makes cowboys so appealing? Is it really them and their cowboy boots and their hats that make them hot? Sure there are cowboys that are oozing with sex appeal but truth be told, there are also those who aren’t so what’s the reason?

Cowboys have a certain appeal to women because of the general image one has of a cowboy. This general image is not necessarily a stereotype because it has been proven to be true for the longest time. What is this general image? The general image as we have been mentioning before is that cowboys are macho –they are the American macho counterpart of the caballeros and bull fighters of Spain and Latin American nations where machismo is celebrated. In country deemed by other nations to not have its own culture, the cowboy stands out as a true blue American tradition at least in areas where cowboys come from. In fact, many would agree that aside from being a melting pot of different peoples, America is the home of the cowboy.

Hollywood has also helped in building the image of the cowboy thanks to movies about the Wild West. Brokeback Mountain did not help in building that image though but not to worry, the movie did not ruin the cowboy image at all because this image has been around for decades nay maybe even for centuries when one looks at it.