Sorry for the absence!

Hey folks!
Sorry we've been MIA for awhile. Hope you had an excellent Christmas- We'll be back real soon with lots of new stuff for you to look at.

Cowgirl jewelry

I have an honest (albeit snarky) question here. All this trendy "cowgirl" jewelry- the huge pendants/bead/flotsam- don't it make your neck tired? And doesn't it do a number on your hair? With all that's going on there, I'd think it would make for a big tangled hair mess within a few minutes of putting it on. Questionable fashion aside, it just don't strike me as being at all wearable.

These images from SookieSookie brought these questions to my mind today. I don't get it.

Mondays make me cross.

I promised you more from Arkcotex, and today we have it. These are made by Adiktd. The brand name alone promises to make your eyes hurt and the clothes don't disappoint- I gather it's supposed to be "Addicted" but no doubt that name was already taken.

Here are some that definitely have crosses on them.

These ones, I really can't tell if they have crosses or not, so I'm just going to assume they do. 

A vest by any other name

Let's be clear here, because this is just silly. A shrug is a type of extremely short open fronted jacket with long sleeves.

Cowgirl Kim's list of sins just keeps growing. They pawn off all sorts of non-western items as things as western and now they're pawning dorky ass vests off as "shrugs." Yes, I know that the term vest conjures up all sorts of ugly in many people's minds- the Christmas vest, the school teacher vest- all tragic (but at least humorously so) examples. But just like calling something western does not make it so, calling a vest a shrug doesn't make it one.

Not a shrug.

Also not a shrug.

I also wanted to take a moment to make note of the fact that Cowgirl Kim's website is one of the worst I've run across in ages. It's cluttered, hard to navigate, and OMG the GIF sparkles on the modified 1980's nail salon looking graphics make me want to shoot myself in the face. 

Saturday Shootout

Which is western? Answer after the jump.

Authentic

I want to take a moment today to talk about those makers and retailers who sell roots western wear. In some ways, you really can't get more western than what they make/sell because most of what we see today grew from there. At the same time, a lot of what they sell isn't exactly wearable in a day to day modern world way. Sure, there are some folks out there who can pull this look off as their style, but for most of us, we'd end up looking like we're part of some fringe fundamentalist group if we dressed this way.

Still, I'm glad this stuff exists. It makes me pause and think that perhaps the fans of this stuff think what I see as good modern western wear as just as impure and bad as the products/trends I talk trash about. And there probably are people out there who feel that way- but that's good. I'm sure I could have a darn good conversation with those folks too.

What do you folks think of really really real western wear?

From Wild West Mercantile (I bought my first Scully shirt from this company many years ago!)
All are made by Frontier Classics.

From CattleKate, a little bit more modern-

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are some Indian themed Nudies to help you celebrate the holiday. Couldn't find any pilgrim Nudies, though I bet they're out there somewhere.

Wear this, not that.

Awhile ago we dubbed Troy Gentry the worst dressed guy in "country" music. Today we're following that up with a photo I found when digging for that post. If you recall, his buddy Eddie Montgomery is a sharp dressed man, so today's wear this, not that, is the two of them together.

We have Eddie rocking what's gotta be a Manuel coat. And Troy wearing... god only knows. It's freakin' hideous though! The 70's lapeled shirt under a crushed velvet jacket could work under some circumstances (like at a costume party), but when paired with the string necklace that looks so tight that a properly placed flick to this guys forehead could send his head flying off, along with whatever huge pendant is hanging from it- it sends the whole thing straight to superdoucheville. And that haircut is just atrocious. Please folks, take your pop country fashion cues from the man on the left. 

Tuesday Reality check

Today we're gonna take a peek at some lovely western silver buckle sets. I gotta admit, once you step into the higher end of the market, there's really not all that much to complain about, but since it's Tuesday, that's a good thing.

First, take a gander at these from Bohlin. Western to the core and beautifully made.

Next, let's look at a few pieces from Vogt. 

This buckle set leaves me speechless. Scrolls done right? No doubt. This is sharp!

This one hopped off the screen and slapped me in the face too. 

We'll close today with a $10,550 Vogt buckle set. While I do think it's just a touch insane to spend that much money on a buckle, it is quite a work of art. 

Mondays make me cross.

National Roper Supply again, with cross covered ugly to wear. Today we'll focus on some of their shirts. They is all kinds of tacky.

 Wrangler Tee

 Petrol tee

A little bit western.

I stumbled upon this duster by Renegade at CowgirlKim today. I'll admit that it does have some western to it, it really does.

But something about it as a whole makes the duster scream Hot Topic 2000/Tripp trench coat to me. It's not too far off from this Tripp one available through violentdelights.

Saturday Shootout

Which is western? Answer after the jump.

Overkill.

I know why this model is wearing a cowboy hat, and it's not to make this outfit western. The hat is the one the designer (Marrika Nakk available at CowgirlKim) put slips of paper with design elements on them into and plucked them out to create this outfit.

I was going to list all the crap this outfit has going on but I got exhausted somewhere between the ruffles and tiers on the skirt and the strange construction of the sleeves. It started to literally hurt my eyes, so you're on your own figuring it out.

Stuck on PFI

PFI has become my go-to site when I'm looking for fodder for this blog. I've found some garbage on most  retailers websites, but PFI is setting the super high standard for douchy "western" wear. They carry affliction, that should say enough, but I can't stop looking at this trainwreck.

I wanted to take a look at some of their products that are ugly. Just plain ol' ugly. I'm not even going to fuss about the merits of each item, it doesn't matter today if it is or isn't western as long as it's ugly.

Also, I think one of their buyers might have a drinking problem. That could explain a lot, right?

Wear this, not that.

A couple Ariat purses today, available from good ol' PFI.

This first bag isn't super exciting, but those buckles add a little bit of western flair and if you're a practical lady this would be a good bag for you.

This one? Also Ariat. Reads universally as a diaper bag. Should not be used as a purse. 

Tuesday Reality check

Here's a nice modern trendy take on a classic. Made by Roper and available through AJ's Western. It does have a fair bit of scrolly decoration- that's the trendy bit- but it's quiet enough to work with the design.

Crossed pistols are a fairly common design choice, and when done right, they're a good thing. Here's a somewhat similar design from Ellie Monster. This one is inspired by mounted shooting and has some cowgirls shootin' on the front with those crossed pistols on the back. It's fun too.

Mondays make me cross.

Isn't this kinda disrespectful to Jesus? And, of course, that barbed wire trim is just plain tacky. Made by Montana Silversmiths, available through PFI Western.

Made by Ariat (oh, Ariat, sob), also at PFI Western.

Wrangler @ PFI.

Wrangler again.