Fashion isn’t created in a vacuum – it comes in waves, and is influenced by everything. It can also be a crucial indicator of where our culture’s at. Western fashion, also known as cowboy fashion, is no exception. It’s been hugely popular over the years, with a recent resurgence thanks in part to Orville Peck, Lil Nas X, and of course, the Cowboy Carter tour. But how has cowboy fashion changed over the last century? Together, we’ll explore its evolution decade by decade, paying special attention to:
- The influence of television
- The influence of musicians
- Native and Latin American influence on cowboy fashion
It’s interesting to note that though it’s had several additions and changes over the years, at its core cowboy fashion has always been about utility – every piece of clothing involved in the typical cowboy outfit has a very specific function. High-heeled boots and toes were excellent for stirrups, chaps protected you from friction, and cotton, wool, and leather offered both protection and comfort. Even later changes, such as snap buttons, had practical benefits.
1920’s Cowboy Fashion – The Beginning of High Fashion in Cowboy Wear
This Ain’t My First Rodeo
Though still primarily designed for utility, cowboy fashion began to shift in the 1920’s, as stars of western movies slowly drifted to high fashion. Originally, they stayed close to the working cowboy, but began to adopt Spanish influences, making the pants tighter, the colors brighter, and the chaps bigger – rodeos began to adopt these styles, and dude ranchers in turn followed rodeo fashion. With rodeos rising in popularity as an entertaining and exciting pastime, it’s no wonder everyone wanted to look the part.
1930’s Cowboy Fashion – Dude Ranching Goes Big
Dude, Where’s My Horse?
Though the first Dude Ranchers Association meeting was in 1926, dude ranches – “vacation” ranches where city slickers could get a taste of Western life and the great outdoors – really took off in the 1930’s and 1940’s, when wealthy denizens of the East Coast began to fear travel to Europe and instead looked westward. Though fringed leather shirts were already somewhat popular thanks to the likes of George Armstrong Custer and Teddy Roosevelt, DRA founder and Princeton alum Larry Laram further popularized them through his advertising campaigns drawing easterners to his dude ranches. The fashions of these dude ranchers were further influenced by the Crow natives they crossed paths with.
1940’s Cowboy Fashion – Everyone Wants to be John Wayne
And Who Can Blame Them, Really?
With the 1940s came the rise of mass-produced Western shirts – rather than the practical wear of the working cowboy, these Western shirts had a Hollywood flair, including snap buttons, signature yokes, and decorative piping. Wayne was notably choosy, wanting authenticity, but also mindful of what made him look good on-screen. With his movie star popularity, his concept of cowboy fashion was brought to the forefront.
1950’s Cowboy Fashion, and its Effects On American Culture At Large
Western Wear Ain’t Just For The Dudes Anymore
With the rise of cowboy musicians such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, Western fashion began to influence casual styles, especially when it came to mens’ shirts. Button down shirts, shirt-jackets, coats – all were influenced by cowboy fashion. Denim blue jeans also became more popular in this decade thanks to Marlon Brando and James Dean, transitioning from a cowboy icon to popular symbol of teenage rebellion, to the point Levi’s changed their marketing strategy for their blue jeans from “Dude Ranch Duds” to a more general “Western Wear.” Rather than serving as an escape, cowboy clothes became the new fad, stylish for anyone and everyone to wear.
1960’s Cowboy Fashion – How Clint Eastwood Changed Everything
Where Would We Be Without The Man With No Name?
Whether or not you’ve seen a Clint Eastwood film, you’ve no doubt heard the name – a legendary Spaghetti Western actor, Eastwood played a massive part in the revitalization of cowboy fashion. His character “The Man With No Name” wore an iconic Mexican sarape, making it synonymous with the cowboy image in the minds of Americans. Thanks to him, the Stetson hat, long utilized by working cowboys, also saw a resurgence in popular fashion. As in the past, and as we still see today, celebrities had a huge influence on American fashion, and everyone wanted a piece of the hot new look.
1970’s Cowboy Fashion – Rise of the Boho
Nostalgia Meets Rebellion
With the arrival of the 70s came bohemian, or “boho,” fashion. Boho fashion sought to upend the norms of the time, as well as reconnect with a supposedly carefree past – and so, the 70’s revitalized cowboy fashion. Fringe was slapped on everything, from jackets to boots to handbags, and denim, suede, and leather were chief in what came to be known as “cowboy chic,” a more modern take on Western wear.
1980’s Cowboy Fashion – A Crash in the Markets
The Rise (And Fall) of the Urban Cowboy
Thanks to John Travolta’s Urban Cowboy (1980), Western fashion got a brief kick in the pants, leading to some short-lived new trends. Western shirts and cowboy boots practically flew off of the shelves, this time less in the image of the stereotypical “Wild West” and instead with more of a blue collar flair. Women’s cowboy fashion also got an interesting spin thanks to Debra Winger’s character of Sissy, leading to a trend in tied-up shirts. However, the fad died quickly, leading to a sharp nosedive in Western fashion sales by 1982.
The Star-Studded 1990’s Cowboy Fashion
Thanks, Shania Twain!
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Shania Twain – the country star had a huge influence on cowboy fashion in the 90’s, making Rockies, crop tops, colored boots, and concho belts (a beautiful fashion adopted from Native American wear), all the rage. In fact, these looks were so iconic that people still try to emulate them today.
2000’s Cowboy Fashion – The Influence of Y2K
Y2K Fashion Is Everywhere – Especially in Your Cowboy Fashion
Y2K Western became the latest craze, blending popular wear of the time with Western fashion – low-rise jeans, rhinestones, and fitted Western shirts. For good measure, some 1960s wear is revived, making for a fascinating blend of eras. Men’s fashion in particular looked to earlier movies for inspiration, and found it in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy.
2010’s Cowboy Fashion – Pushing the Limits
Cowboy Fashion Gets New Life
This decade was a little quiet for cowboy fashion, though Calvin Klein’s Chief Creative Officer at the time, Raf Simons, revitalized it with some fresh new looks. This comeback was further popularized – driven to entirely new measures, in fact – by Lil Nas X, a country singer and rapper who released his “Old Town Road” in 2018. Be it pink, blue, or yellow, the artist has worn cowboy fashion in that color, pushing the limits of the idea of traditional Western fashion.
2020’s Cowboy Fashion – Where We’re At, And Where We’re Headed
Got Your Cowboy Carter Tickets Yet?
Gigi Hadid, Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Carter – following the late 2010s, musicians have only continued to cash in on the cowboy craze, touring in beautiful rhinestone-studded outfits and cowboy boots of every color. With the Wild West back in fashion, everyone’s looking to match the vibe, and eagerly predicting what will come next. If cowboy fashion interests you, throw on a Stetson and some fringe, and join the party!
Now that our tour of the decades is over, you can see how cowboy fashion has been influenced by so many different factors – Latin and Native American traditional wear played and continues to play a huge role in the most stunning looks, and TV stars and musicians have been vital in keeping the look alive and popularizing it in the more mainstream crowd. Many see the Wild West as a simpler time, and even though you were roughing it, you looked damn good doing it. Today, you don’t have to be roughing it to achieve a breathtakingly creative cowboy look.
