Western Apparel at Hawkeye Tack and Western Wear
Western Apparel
Western wear has undergone many changes since the days of the open range, cattle drives, and outlaws. The apparel of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the James Brothers is drastically different than most of today’s western fashions, but led the way to the western apparel we know today. The cowboy way reigned supreme throughout America until the early 1900s. The west was settled, the population booming, and Americans were looking for new fashion choices as they adapted to new ways of life.
Western apparel got its start as did the cowboys after the American Civil War. Texas ranchers had to find a market for their large excess of beef cattle. Meanwhile, on the east coast beef was in short supply. Thus, the ranchers drove their cattle north to the nearest railroads in Kansas. Mexican vaqueros and American men fleeing the law also made up a large number of cowboys roaming the untamed west.
The attire of these early cowboys was usually very plain and simple. Full length canvas trousers were tucked inside of cowboy boots, allowing the cowboy to ride several rough trails before his jeans wore out. Shirts of the early cowboy were usually cotton or wool, sometimes with simple pin striping, and had no collar. These shirts pull-overs with buttons running only partly down the front of the shirt. A bandana was used to protect the cowboy’s neck and from the elements while riding the trail. A cowboy’s hat was used for everything from protecting him from the sun, to providing him with something to drink out of.
The early days of Hollywood revived the old west spirit, the cowboy way of life, and sparked new interest in western wear across the nation. Gene Autry, John Wayne, and Roy Rogers lit up movie screens and television sets everywhere dressed in western apparel. Western wear was prominent in American pop culture until its decline in the 1970s. Western apparel popularized by this era included ten-gallon hats, fashionable cowboy boots and jeans, as well as collared shirts featuring designs and patterns.
Nashville’s country music has kept the nation’s interest in the western way of life, and its artists have heavily influenced the western wear of today. Sand-blasted jeans, distressed leather, and ultra-casual dress have become the frontier in modern western apparel; however, classic western wear is still commonplace in American culture.
Hawkeye Tack and Western Wear
515-264-1622 or 800-310-8225
720 East 30th StreetDes Moines, Iowa 50317
Fax: 515-264-1539
(Just West of the Iowa State Fair Grounds
On East 30TH St.)
Click Here for Map to Hawkeye Tack and Western Wear
Specials:
Notify me whenever specials are available.Store Hours:
- Monday-Friday: 9am - 7pm
- Saturday: 9am - 5pm
- Sunday 11am - 4pm
