About Western Costumes for Adults
Is there any grown-up who didn't pretend to be a cowboy or cowgirl as a kid? Or Zorro or the Lone Ranger? You can dress in a Western costume that fits both your secret wish and the party to which you're going. You can be a ranch hand, a campfire singer, rodeo star or movie cowboy with all the expensive tailoring and glamor. A Western costume allows plenty of room for your own personal taste. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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One set of clothes lasted cowboys for many months and miles as they drove cattle to market, repaired fences and windmills and lived outdoors in all weather conditions. Long sleeves and pants protected a cowboy's skin from sunburn, insects and irritation from hours in the saddle. Pants were dungarees like the miners wore while digging for gold in 1849 in California. It was more important to have a good horse and saddle than to have fancy clothes.
Features
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Everything from what someone puts on his head to his toes can have a western flair to it--ten-gallon hats, cowhide chaps, decorative and colorful shirts, red bandannas, cowboy boots with beautiful tooling on the leather uppers, silver spurs with rowels, jeans or western-cut slacks (these take a boyish, slim-hipped figure to look good), fringed leather jackets, shoulder-caped overcoats and, of course, the shiny guns and holsters on leather belts.
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Function
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The chaps, a type of coverall for jeans, were invented to keep chaparral and cactus from tearing a horseback rider's legs. The cowboy's hat had a wide brim to protect against sunburn on the back of the neck, and the bandanna was used either to tie the hat on in a windstorm, wipe a sweating face or protect a cowboy's nose and mouth from stinging sand or smoke.
Types
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Rodeo wear can be different from regular Western costumes, as the rodeo event determines the clothing. Calf-ropers and bull riders generally wear the same working gear as a regular range-riding cowboy. But someone competing in barrel-racing or for the rodeo queen title wears the sequined, spangled and very feminine clothing that would be too delicate to wear while repairing fences. Western singers of the 1940s and 1950s also tended toward the more flamboyant clothing.
Expert Insight
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Find your shoulder-caped overcoat (called a duster) at Shepler's and your vests and hats at Western Emporium. Rent a Western-style suit from Western Costume in California. If you want to sew your own, Denver Fabrics has patterns. And don't forget specialty used clothing stores, like Vintage Western Wear, or looking at your neighborhood Goodwill store for a fancy shirt. For chaps and authentic rodeo clothing, try Gene's Western Wear.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Microsoft Office
