So, in about a week I’m going to the wedding of a good high school friend of mine, who after growing up his whole life (including going to college) in NYC, moved out West about twelve years ago and enthusiastically “went native”. He now lives on a ranch, owns, rides and maintains his own horses in a stable, does C/W dancing, etc.
His wedding invitation specified that guests should come in “dress Western” gear.
I have engineer boots that serve as a reasonable facsimile to cowboy boots, a denim shirt, blue jeans (of course), and a leather vest and hat, so I’m pretty close to what I think is meant… But I feel maybe I should wear a tie, and clearly a silk tie in a Windsor or Four-In-Hand knot would not go with the rest of the gear.
I’m thinking of getting an onyx-and-silver bolo tie (for $18, it’s a fun most likely one-time thing), but my denim shirt has a button-down collar. Would wearing a bolo with a button-down shirt be comically incongruous?
Should I get a regular point-collar “Western” shirt for the occasion, or just go with the denim shirt and jeans with a black leather vest as sufficiently “formal” without the bolo (as seen here?)
Bola ties are only worn with button-down collars by politicians and folks from back East. Get a different shirt or a different tie. (I don’t think denim would be “dress Western,” IMHO - Western, yes, but not dress.)
I think it would be cute with a button down, city meets country-style. I wear one with all sorts of things, including low-cut tops, but I’m a girl. And remarkably fashionable.
I was referring to the shirt. Denim jeans are OK, as long as they’re not worn out or torn. Something like this would be even better, IMHO. I like the shirts you linked to - cotton, slim fit, free collars and curvy pointed pocket flaps. The shirt should be worn tucked in, of course, with a substantial leather belt (although the really huge gaudy belt buckles are optional, a dignified silver tone buckle to match the bolo would be nice.)
That was going to be my first answer! Bolo ties aren’t *my *taste, but the OP is clearly looking at a situation where it’s appropriate, and a better choice than a fat double windsor, certainly. And I have known men that can pull the look off quite handsomely, so I’ll just assume the OP is one of them.
I dunno… I’ve never worn a bolo(a), in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person, so it’s hard for me to say. If wearing an open-collar shirt with a vest is dressy enough I’m happy to go that route.
Tight fitting and long inseam - the better to have a good “stack” (folds of jean) on your boot (which of course is worn outside the boot, never tucked in).
Wranglers are, naturally, the best known for that, at least 'round these parts.
At least one cultural commentator has written on the semantics of the bolo tie. It supposedly symbolizes the shriveling of the male libido, thus explaining its popularity among the elderly.
I only wore a bolo a few times in my life. The first time I put one on, I made the ends the same length. My father, who grew up in farm and ranch country, informed me that the ends were supposed to be artistically asymmetric.
Make sure you get them well-polished. There are work boots, and there are dress boots, and never the twain shall meet.
At my cousin’s wedding, the groom and groomsmen wore cowboy boots, blue jeans, white dress shirts, bolo ties, black tuxedo jackets, and black cowboy hats. It actually looked pretty good.
Many thanks for all the advice on the C/W look I’m getting from all of yous. (Or should I say, y’all?)
What do you folks think, do I need a bolo to be formal, or is an open-collar white dress shirt OK? I would think it might seem too much like “business casual” but then again, I’ll be wearing (well-polished) boots, jeans and a hat.
If I do wear a bolo, should it be tucked inside of a vest, or hang on the outside?
I’m pretty damn western, and I’ve only seen bolo ties on my grandfather. You’d look fine without one. A very nice, starched white collared shirt, no tie; brand-new and heavily starched (with a crease, of course) black Wranglers; dress boots (which are, as mentioned above, a whole different ball game from work boots. Which engineer boots lean towards); a nice black felt hat; and a western style jacket (leather is fantastic for this.)
It’s all a little expensive if these aren’t your everyday dress-up clothes. If you care to shop online, I buy most of my clothes at Rod’s. The Fort and Shepler’s also have a good selection of dress clothes, but those last two can get you into Grampa’s territory pretty quickly if you’re not careful.
I checked out Shepler’s to give you an example of the slacks that you should stay away from, but it seems that they’ve finally updated their look. However, unless you were actually a rodeo cowboy in the fifties, I’d still stay away from slacks. Pressed jeans (and they can be the other Wrangler lines) are what’s done. My best-dressed cowboy friends have sport coats that look something like this.
Do please stay away from shirts with snaps, although they do come in and out of vogue. But if they’re polyester AND have snaps, run screaming for the hills. Natural fibers only! And starch! More starch!
I will happily help you shop. I dressed my boyfriend for years, as well as having input with his son’s clothes. I’m good at spending money that’s not my own!
The tie, however? Eh, maybe you can pull it off. It’s not necessary.
OK, I’ll skip on the bolo, though I’ll try one on at some point just to see what it looks like.
Is a leather vest an appropriate substitute for a jacket? If not, how about a black leather bomber jacket. I’m not quite up for buying a whole new leather jacket. I’ve got a “car coat” (3/4 length) as well but my wife says it definitely looks “urban chic” and not at all Western, but the bomber is possibly passable.
Black jeans rather than blue? I’m OK for getting those, if blue ones are considered too informal.
Brand new dark blue jeans are also good. Starch them! I forgot to mention a belt; no, you don’t need a big shiny buckle (and you’d get looked at funny for buying one [those things are earned]) but a black leather belt with a plain buckle if you go with black jeans, or maybe a nice brown one with blue jeans.
I don’t know what to say about the vest. I really only see bikers or meth-heads lost in the 80s wearing them, except for the occassional nicely dressed older gentleman cowboy. They were western 25 years ago, I believe. No ::shudders:: fringe!
As far as jackets, what kind of suit jackets or sport coats do you already own? Lots of cowboys wear a sport coat over jeans, and it looks pretty sharp.
Where “out west” is your friend? If he’s with the clogging/line dancing crowd out in Arizona, he will probably be used to a completely different sense of style than the rodeo crowd that I run with. In which case, a leather vest may be perfectly appropriate. Ask him! I suspect, if he actually calls anything “country-western,” that that might be the case.
There are definitely regional style variations that may not be apparent to someone unfamiliar with the culture.
Bolo ties aren’t *my *taste, but the OP is clearly looking at a situation where it’s appropriate, and a better choice than a fat double windsor, certainly. And I have known men that can pull the look off quite handsomely, so I’ll just assume the OP is one of them. 
