Any clothing that also has history is bound to have it's interesting twists and turns. One aspect of western wear that certainly has it's praises sung often is the functional nature of the apparel. While western apparel might have many points of aesthetic appeal, but it also has strong design lines that exist for more reasons than just the way it looks. Cowboy boots are a very popular example to look at. The reasons for this can be quite clear: when it comes to western wear, there are few items that are more classic and recognizable than cowboy boots. Beyond just being easily recognized, cowboy boots also are in the top running for being the most popular piece of western wear- particularly with its cross over into mainstream fashion. You'll find western wear boots sold all over the country, not just in the west or similar communities. You'll even see these boots on fashion runways, on the feet of movie and music stars and on the feet of average citizens in big cities as often as in the country. So, let's look at how cowboy boots got to be the boots they are today.
It all starts with cows- literally. The cattle drives of the late 1860s required men to drive the cattle from their grazing lands in (mostly southern) Texas to the railroad towns in Northern Texas and Kansas. Some of these trails took several weeks, considering that there is a careful balance of speed that had to be maintained to ensure a timely delivery- and also a delivery of nourished and still hefty cows, so cowboys had to be sure to plan for grazing time along the way. During the time that riders were on the trail, there was nothing between them and their destination except wilderness, and occasionally Native Americans who sometimes would charge per head of cattle for safe passage. Obviously, the lifestyle left a little to be desired in the luxury category and it also came with many hazards. There were snakes, rocks, briars, brambles, rivers and the daily grind of having one's foot in the stirrup day in and day out, to name just a couple of the most common concerns among many others.
The boots that many were wearing in the beginning of the cattle drives were civil war style military boots, but somewhere during those early years, the first pair of cowboy boots were commissioned by a cowboy. They were first sold by traveling salespeople who would trace a man's foot and then custom-make the boots. Eventually, ready-to-wear cowboy boots came about, and boy were they popular, and quickly! These early cowboy boots had a pointed toe, stacked heel, and a thick leather shaft with the stitching on the outside, along with just about everything else a man on the trail could need from a boot. The fact cowboy boots and western apparel was designed only for function, it is even more amazing that they have become the classic and recognizable fashion phenomenon, with varying times of popularity, but never going away. It is certainly easy to say that western wear is here for the long haul and you won't soon find quality cowboy boots on the clearance rack at the shoe store either.
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The Boot Store has cowboy boots and western apparel, for function or fashion- even though western apparel was never intended for the fashion runway. Cowboy boots were designed when the cowboys on the early cattle drives realized that there were no boots or apparel suited to the harsh conditions and demanding life they lived. Early cowboy boots were sold by traveling salesman and boot makers that would make the boots to order from each mans measurements. Western wear and cowboy boots are not going anywhere, since western apparel is still being worn for function and fashion.
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