Known for a rugged style, the Code West Boot Company comes from a division of the Tennessee-based Dan Post Boot Company. The Genesco apparel company launched the brand in the 1980s.

Code West manufactures boots for men and women—using distressed leather that looks aged by rough use—intended for fashion not function and marketed to a young, urban demographic.

Earning a reputation as a cowboy boot titan since the 1960s, Dan Post started a new breed of comfortable cowboy boots designed for fashion, introduced Dingo boots in 1970s, and has since acquired other boots companies such as Code West, Laredo and John Deere Boots.

Code West offers harness boots and traditional cowboy boots for men. The company does sell some dressy boots and shoes in sleek leather but "worn leather" appeals to most.

Code West styles for women differ little from its boots for men, with harness boots and traditional cowboy boots that look distressed and rugged. The "Strappy Wingtip" style, however, looks more "biker chick" than cowgirl—sleek in black leather, with a 1½-inch heel and a strap around the ankle.

Major shoe retailers, as well as Western apparel and footwear stores, sell Code West Boots—at prices from $100 to more than $200, according to NexTag Comparison Shopping.