When I talk to European friends over the age of 40, even those who I hung my hat with regularly when I lived in Europe, they still think that a lot of yanks walk around wearing cowboy boots, as if the Wild West is still alive and well as it was in John Wayne movies. While many of these friends are well traveled and have even been to the states, most tend to land in the popular coastal cities and very few of them have made it to the South or the West.
Truth be told, I owned a pair of cowboy boots as a teenager – the seventies and eighties brought with them a fad of cowboy boots alongside the glitter of disco balls, matching colored shoes and silver dangles. It was a small town in the northeast however not the southwest, so top designer names were a mystery to me as were brands beyond a teenager’s budget at the time.
On our recent drive across country, we took the southern route because it was winter and fell upon an eclectic and fun array of cowboy boots in Nashville, Oklahoma City and then again in Texas and New Mexico before we hit the coast.
A favorite of mine is the Old Gringo brand although sadly I have never owned a pair. Others in my path on this trip included Ariat, Corral, Eight Second Angel, Dingo, Miranda, American Rebel, Dan Post, Justin, Lucchese, Ferrini, Nocona, Durango and Tony Lama, among others. Each brand obviously has their own unique style.
You can get them embroidered, studded, laced, with fringe, rhinestones, diamonds, crosses, horseshoes, feathers, hearts and embellished. You can wear cow leather or snake leather and everything in between depending on your budget. Want heals in bright pink with turquoise trim? Not a problem. There are plenty classic rich brown options as well – make a statement or go more sophisticated and tame.
Join me on a visual tour through some of the stores I visited, from Nashville and Oklahoma City to Amarillo Texas and Santa Fe New Mexico. What’s your favorite? Starting in….Oklahoma!!
Moving on…
What’s your favorite and why? Let us know in the comments below.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
