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Cowboy Boots


Silky Johnston

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Huge Anderson Bean fan as well. I own lots of brands of boots and even a pair of custom mades, and none are as comfortable as the Anderson Beans. I have put a ton of miles on them, and they are holding up fine. Will need new soles in a year or so I suspect. Wearing some Tony Lama's right now that were twice the money and not near as comfortable. In fact, I might kick the Tony's off under my desk for a bit. 

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Longtime lurker in this thread....

My wife bought me a pair of Maida's for my birthday earlier in the year. I finally went and did the fitting this week and should have them back sometime in January or February, hopefully in time for the HLSR. Going with black full quill ostrich. They are crazy expensive compared to any other boot I've ever owned, but everyone I've spoken to says I will like them.

I also bought my first pair of Tecovas recently and have been pleased. Will probably buy another pair when one of my cheaper brand pairs finally blows out. 

 

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On 10/2/2019 at 8:26 AM, billfromlaketravis said:

I wear a 10.5 in sneakers, 9.5 M/D in dress shoes, 10 D in Tecovas, and a 10.5 D in Dan Post. 

I’d say Dan Post runs a 1/2 size small. I’d order up a half from what you wear in Tecovas. 

So if I normally wear a 12, you think go with the 13 then?

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  • 2 weeks later...

interesting article from TM about boots:

Texans and Their Boots: Reflections From a Few of Our Favorite People
The stories, the traditions, and the deeper meanings of the boots in their lives.    

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/texans-boots-reflections-favorite-people/

Lyle Lovett is the first guy they talk to about his boots (spoilered below) but there are a number of folks in the article. good read.

 

Spoiler

 

Lyle Lovett

THE CONNOISSEUR 

At this point in his career, Lyle Lovett’s deftness in doling out dry wit has arguably surpassed his triple-stacked curls as his primary calling card. But the Klein native takes the subject of cowboy boots quite seriously. One of the most revered singer-songwriters Texas has produced, Lovett has a deep appreciation for the craft of making boots and the art of wearing them well. 

I started wearing boots consistently when I went to college. You get to A&M and see guys that have a certain, very consistent look. For me, it was one less fashion variable to have to think about.

But there have always been a few general rules when it comes to boots. First, wear your pants long enough. Real cowboys have a stacked effect with their jeans. When they rest on the foot of the boot, they kind of wrinkle up. That way, if you’re in the saddle, they’re still long enough. If you see somebody whose pants aren’t long enough, it might be a tell that it’s their first pair of boots.

If you’re wearing a black hat, you wear black boots. Your belt should match your boots and your hat.

And I wouldn’t wear a pair of python boots to church. I wear boots that would be the equivalent of a dress shoe. That’s just common sense.

 

Guy Clark first took me over to Texas Traditions, in Austin, in 1985. It was the legendary bootmaker Charlie Dunn’s shop. Charlie worked at Capitol Saddlery before opening his own place. Lee and Carrlyn Miller, who own Texas Traditions now, met while working for Charlie. Charlie was famous for firing people, so I asked Lee one day, “How did you survive Charlie? How did Charlie never fire you?” And Lee said, “Oh, Charlie fired me every day. I just kept coming back.”

Lee and Carrlyn made me my first pair of custom boots in 1989. They were a pair of bone kangaroo-skin boots with a twelve-inch top and a half-inch box toe. Before that, I grew up wearing Tony Lama and Justin Boots, until I finally graduated to a pair of Luccheses. By my front door I keep a pair of off-the-shelf Lucchese ropers. They’re really easy to slip in and out of, so I wear them to go to the trash can or get the newspaper.

My favorite pair my wife, April, made for me for my birthday in 1998. They have white tops and black lowers. Lee and Carrlyn tried to direct April to a bone top, something not quite as contrasty as stark white. They do a great job of guiding their customers. But April stuck to her guns. I wore that original pair of black-and-whites to every show for twenty years. Two or three years ago we made an identical pair, which I wear now. I wear them because I love them. But also I love that April gave them to me and they were her idea. That means something.

The pair, designed by his wife, that he wears onstage.

The pair, designed by his wife, that he wears onstage.

Photograph by LeAnn Mueller

With boots, there are a million design choices, and those choices can define who you are. Different activities require different kinds of boots. I mainly wear a style that would be considered a dress boot, but if I’m home on the farm or going to a horse show, I’ll wear boots that are really functional—tough enough for being knocked around all day in the pasture.

So much comes down to color and the type of skin. A nicely finished cowhide or kangaroo, something that takes a really nice shine, always dresses up whatever you’re wearing. With jeans, you can more easily wear an exotic skin that might make a bolder statement. Alligator always makes for a beautiful dress boot but looks great with jeans too. 

A work boot needn’t be a crude piece of work. There are really nice leathers that are extremely durable. Like ostrich. It’s soft and comfortable but tough at the same time. I wear a pair of black tall-top ostrich boots around the farm.

If I wear a pair of boots that get muddy enough that I’m worrying about dirt working its way in and eroding the leather, I will simply hose them off at the end of the day and let them dry really well overnight. Then I wipe them off and condition them with a non-oil cream.

There’s no such thing as an out-of-style boot. There’s an era for that style, and it can be fun to go back, especially if you understand the tradition.

 

Real cowboys haven’t worn pointed-toe boots like mine since the fifties or sixties. In the seventies, a round-toe boot became fashionable. The last twenty years, it’s gone from a blunt round toe, among the horse folks that I associate with, to a really square toe. So if I’m around real cowboys with my half-inch-box-toe, fifties-throwback sort of dress boots, they ask me if I’ve been hanging out in Hollywood and tease me about it. But if you’re a musician or you do something unconventional for a living, you get forgiven for a lot. They assume you just don’t know any better.

Typically, the fanciest part of the boot is the top, but if you wear your pant leg over it, it’s like you’re not showing off. And it’s fun to be able to reveal the top of your boots to somebody that might be interested. Somebody says, “Oh, those are nice boots!” and then you show them the tops. It’s the next level of the conversation.

I once took Lauren Bacall to Texas Traditions. I got to know her on the Robert Altman film Prêt-à-Porter. She was a big fan of nice footwear. In 2005 she told me she was going to be in Austin for the Texas Film Hall of Fame, so I drove over from Klein, picked her up at the Four Seasons, and took her to Artz Rib House. She had a Pekingese in her purse and was feeding it under the table. Then we went to Texas Traditions and got her measured up for some boots. She wound up with beautiful black ones with the old Charlie Dunn pinched-rose pattern on the tops, with a roper heel.

Read More: The Power of Boots

Boots become part of your life. The little nicks and scratches that you get on them really endear them to you. You remember what you were doing when you marked ’em up. Those little nicks are character builders. They are your life.

In 2002, when my leg was broken by our bull, the paramedics couldn’t have been nicer. They wanted to cut off my boot. And we all knew my leg was broken, but I had the clarity of mind enough to say, “Hey, don’t cut off my boot.” They wiggled it off. I’m glad they could save them.

Tourists to Texas who buy a pair of boots, I wonder how often those boots actually get worn. But I think it says a lot about our culture and about our identity down here that somebody from somewhere else would want to take a little bit of that home with them. I’m not going to judge that. You might be able to laugh a little, good-naturedly, the first time they trip over themselves. But I think we should be flattered. If I maybe saw somebody like that, I’d thank them. And I’d say something like “Nice boots!” and let them figure out what that meant.

With a boot, you’re sending a message. Fashion is all about communication. You’re saying, “This is who I am. This is what I think is important.” If you dress in an innocuous way, maybe you’re saying, “I just want to fit in.” But if you’re stepping onstage and into a white light and everybody’s looking at you anyway, what is it that you want to say about yourself? For me, I’m just trying to communicate who I feel like I am. I’m not trying to assume a character. By wearing boots, I’m just trying to say, “This is where I come from. I’m from Texas.” —As told to Andy Langer

 

 

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Surprised the editor didn't throw a note in there with the Mexican author lady's part. Cowboy boots are one of the few things white American settlers contributed to the vaquero culture. The origins of the cowboy boot are more from the Wellington and Hessian boots from Europe, although vaquero culture probably did play a bit of a role in the modifications to those styles that eventually resulted in the cowboy boot. But I guess if they threw a note in there about her being wrong about boots coming from Mexico it would kinda undermine her whole bit.

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27 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Surprised the editor didn't throw a note in there with the Mexican author lady's part. Cowboy boots are one of the few things white American settlers contributed to the vaquero culture. The origins of the cowboy boot are more from the Wellington and Hessian boots from Europe, although vaquero culture probably did play a bit of a role in the modifications to those styles that eventually resulted in the cowboy boot. But I guess if they threw a note in there about her being wrong about boots coming from Mexico it would kinda undermine her whole bit.

Yeah, definitely European in origin. 

But, the lines between Mexico and the US haven't been as clear as they have been for the last century or so.  Lots of Californios and Tejanos, and interior Mexicanos that were genetically pretty much puro europeo that are just as Mexican as anyone could possibly claim. And I would venture that most land/cattle owners that produced "vaquero culture" were of this type and outfitted or inspired their vaqueros with botas.

What boots are definitely not is indigenous Mexican or Latin American.

It drives me a little crazy sometimes this whole "pobres Mexicanos" thing.  You kinda need to be precise about which Mexicans you're talking about.  A fair number of them don't need or deserve any sympathy.

Edited by TwiceHorn
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18 minutes ago, Masshole Horn said:

It depends on your foot. For me, Cueros go on more easily, but Tecovas fit better once on. Order both, keep the one she likes better.

No doubt, , but I was referring to the fact that it's the same business model and even a lot of very similar marketing copy, with a VERY similar product line. And from what I have heard the factory is the same factory in Leon that made Tecovas initially, using the same processes and people. Different lasts, and apparently slightly a few material tweaks.  

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2 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

No doubt, , but I was referring to the fact that it's the same business model and even a lot of very similar marketing copy, with a VERY similar product line. And from what I have heard the factory is the same factory in Leon that made Tecovas initially, using the same processes and people. Different lasts, and apparently slightly a few material tweaks.  

Yeah, it's what RTIC does. I believe they're made in separate facilities though. Not sure where I heard that exactly, and don't care enough to look it up, but I think it was from Hedrick. Regardless, my response was to NoName and suggestion to just order both and return one.

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58 minutes ago, Masshole Horn said:

Yeah, it's what RTIC does. I believe they're made in separate facilities though. Not sure where I heard that exactly, and don't care enough to look it up, but I think it was from Hedrick. Regardless, my response was to NoName and suggestion to just order both and return one.

Just to be clear- I have NO problem with what Cuero or RTIC does. 

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If you can find a style you can stomach, there are a goodly number of boteras Mexicanas to buy from at great prices.  Many with websites en ingles.

https://www.vaqueroboots.com/collections/cowboy-boots Cuadra

http://www.losaltosboots.com/images/catalog2018/index.html Los Altos, which are sold here with some frequency

Can google around for mas.

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I'm in no need on any new boots, so I'm not really looking. But, something just doesn't seem right to me about these new boot companies. Seems a little " let's get stylish for the new stylish guy". I'm probably just being an asshole, old dude. I'm just not used to seeing boots marketed like Nikes.

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So....jeans being an important compliment to boots, I thought I’d offer that anyone looking outside of Wranglers or Levi’s....the Tecova jeans are pretty damn awesome.

$125 a pair...but they are as comfortable as sweat pants. I’m 6’3 195 and the slim cut 34x34’s are not skin tight, don’t bind at all. I could easily sleep in them.

Leg opening is not flared, but also isn’t tight around the boots and doesn’t get “stuck” when you stand up after sitting.

I’ll definitely get another pair in a different wash.

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On 11/27/2019 at 7:12 PM, Steel Shank said:

I'm in no need on any new boots, so I'm not really looking. But, something just doesn't seem right to me about these new boot companies. Seems a little " let's get stylish for the new stylish guy". I'm probably just being an asshole, old dude. I'm just not used to seeing boots marketed like Nikes.

From what I've seen, I would guess these boots are no higher quality than your basic Ariats or Justins. They pay a little more attention to detail and exterior finish, but from what I can tell without tearing a pair apart they are not constructed in any superior manner. Go back to my posts about tearing apart of Anderson Bean Horsepower boots in this thread, and these boots are probably constructed almost the exact same. It's not low quality per se, but it isn't high quality hand lasted boots like you would see in the premium Lucchese boots or the American made Anderson Beans.

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Tecovas' store in Rice Village opened last week but has their official grand opening this weekend.

Quote

We are thrilled to welcome you to the Grand Opening Celebration of our Houston store!

We will be kicking things off on Saturday at 9 AM with complimentary breakfast tacos, coffee, and hot beverages!

Join us all weekend for live music, boot shines, complimentary cocktails, Garrison Brothers Distillery tastings, and beer from our friends at 8th Wonder Brewery and Karbach Brewing Co.. Plus a proper Tecovas tailgate for all of the weekend's big games!

First 100 in the door each day receive a free leather gift!

Swing by and say howdy, y’all!

Saturday, December 7th 9AM - 7PM
Sunday, December 8th 11AM - 6PM

 

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On 12/6/2019 at 6:10 PM, Celery Man said:

I'm 6'1 and wear 33x32's 🤷‍♂️

I doubt I buy anything but Levis but am curious if the waist sizing is similar (as similar as you be to something as inconsistent as Levis).

Damn maybe it’s my odd shaped self. I’m 6’ and anything under 34” rides up quick.    35/34 and 36/34 here.  Need to get that back down to a 33 waist buts that’s a whole other thread. 

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