Cowboys are something that have always ridden adjacent to Proper. We love Westerns, and have seen the Dollars Trilogy more times than we can count (although they do kind of merge into one, so maybe that’s why we’ve lost count). Clint Eastwood is one of Hollywood’s greats. And Ennio Morricone’s cowboy scores are some of the finest used in any films, ever.
Gun slinging, lassoing, whiskey drinking – we’re into it all, which begs the question, why have we not spoken about cowboys more on here?
And ultimately, it’s probably down to the way cowboys dress. Don’t get us wrong, leather chaps and tasselled jackets are a serious look on actual cowboys – but us? Wandering around Manchester with a soggy Stetson on our head? I don’t think so.
In recent years, though, cowboy style has unquestionably ridden its way back into the cultural conversation. Maybe not quite in the form of the aforementioned jackets and chaps, but look around you…
Double denim is back with a vengeance, enjoying its biggest resurgence since the ’70s. Plaid shirts are being tucked into heavy-buckled belts once again, and down at your local dive bar, there’s a good chance you’ll catch a pair of worn cowboy boots peeking out beneath some faded bootcut jeans.
We’re not saying that everyone’s going to start wearing woven ponchos anytime soon, but to ignore cowboys’ influence on menswear would be nothing short of ignorant.
And it’s easy to see why cowboy couture has gained a foothold in modern menswear. At its core, cowboys wore pure, unadulterated Americana. Faded flannels, crisp white tees, stiff denim, bandanas, layering. It’s all there. But the calling card – the dead giveaway that tells you the person is, in fact, an undercover cowboy, is the boots.
Leather, platform-heeled and with embroidery stretching up the side. Cowboy boots were the backbone that kept John Wayne in the saddle for all those years, and are now what’s keeping cowboy core in the contemporary menswear conversation. If you’d have asked us six months ago where best to purchase a pair of cowboy boots, we’d have told you to book the first flight to Oklahoma. But six months ago, our eyes weren’t opened to the work of Durango…
As western-looking as their name suggests, Durango has been manufacturing some of the finest cowboy boots in existence since 1966. Full grain leather, dazzling embroideries, and heaps of comfort – they’re basically what would happen if a pair of Danner Mountain Lights binge-watched all 5 seasons of Yellowstone in one sitting.
Nowadays, brands like Durango feel more relevant than ever thanks to this new cowboy couture resurgence, but in reality, is this even a resurgence after all?
As we’ve already mentioned, western wear has always existed alongside Americana, and Americana has been menswear’s comfort Navajo blanket for decades now. RRL, and to a lesser extent its parent brand Ralph Lauren, have built an entire identity around rugged ranch aesthetics, romanticising the American West through denim, suede and weathered flannels.
Even contemporary brands like Satisfy are drawing on cowboy imagery through graphic tees and campaign films. Across generations, brands seem to agree on one thing: cowboys remain undeniably cool.
And when you strip cowboy style back to its fundamentals, it’s really not that far removed from how most style-conscious people already dress. Everybody owns jeans. Most people have a plain white T-shirt knocking about somewhere. Add a belt, tuck one into the other, throw on a checked overshirt, and you’re basically there. We’ve all been dressing ‘cowboy couture‘, ‘cowboy core‘, or whatever you want to call it, for years – only without the boots.
And the simple reason that cowboy boots haven’t broken into the mainstream like every other element of western wear has is that they take a little bit of something to pull off. You can’t go into it half-heartedly. Cowboy boots require confidence, and historically, that’s why they’ve made their way onto the feet of musicians.
When you think about it, cowboys and musicians aren’t that far removed from one another. They both live by different codes to regular people; they’re often idolised by regular people, and neither of them dress like regular people. The only real difference between cowboys and rock stars we can think of is that one wields a guitar, and the other a revolver.
You’ve only got to look at the rock & roll royalty who have sported cowboy boots over the years. John Lennon. Bob Dylan. Tom Petty. Johnny Cash. The list is as long as your arm. Cowboy boots have been entangled in a love affair with musicians for eternity.
So, when we received an email from Durango the other day, stating that they wanted us to take their cowboy boots out onto the streets of Manchester, we instantly knew that we had to go in search of the musically minded. The sort of people who can pull cowboy boots off with an annoying amount of ease.
And after a little while of searching, we found exactly what we were looking for – cowboy-boot-sporting musicians hailing not from Nevada, but Newcastle. The Pale White – a band whose name even references the Pale White Horse that represents death in Western folklore. They fit perfectly, and fortunately so did Durango’s boots on the band members’ feet.
So to better understand why western wear is gaining traction in contemporary menswear – while maintaining a longstanding influence on music – we joined The Pale White at a gig in Manchester. – undoubtedly appearing like eager fangirls, quizzing them relentlessly on everything cowboy culture, their favourite films and what they thought about the boots that were strapped to their feet.
But to learn more about that, you’ll have to pick up the upcoming Issue 52 of Proper Magazine, which contains the full interview alongside an extended feature on Durango.
Find out more about Durango here, and read our interview with The Pale White in the upcoming Issue 52 of Proper Magazine
