Western Shirts

[Inker19]

I picked up a western shirt recently, it looks just like this:



It doesn't have any crazy, artistic designs on it. Only difference from the photo is the snaps are red.

My question is are there any special rules when wearing a shirt like this? In other words, would it look stupid if I wore it with a tie and/or a blazer?

 

[FaceOfBoh]

I have several and I just wear them open collar with jeans. If you want, embrace the western ethos and skip the tie and go for a bolo tie.

You could even go for a kerchief like:

 

[comrade]



only a little. unless you own it. maybe even a bit then. but we'd all be in animal hides if no one stepped out of the norm. on another note: it's a western shirt. I suggest wearing it rugged like a cowboy. the tie and blazer would tame the shirt. don't cover it up, own it. what i'm getting at is sometimes, you have to let a wild stallion roam his domain. the rarey only works on the timid of the herd. not the alpha dog. not the leader of the pack... not the western shirt.

only a little. unless you own it. maybe even a bit then. but we'd all be in animal hides if no one stepped out of the norm. on another note: it's a western shirt. I suggest wearing it rugged like a cowboy. the tie and blazer would tame the shirt. don't cover it up, own it. what i'm getting at is sometimes, you have to let a wild stallion roam his domain. the rarey only works on the timid of the herd. not the alpha dog. not the leader of the pack... not the western shirt.

Your facility with the cliche and metaphor is breathtaking! You draw a compelling picture of the testosterone- saturated prairie. Tomorrow i'll wear one of my Western shirts.

 

[12345Michael54321]



In other words, would it look stupid if I wore it with a tie and/or a blazer?

Well, given the pockets, the color, and the buttons, it'd look stupid to me if I saw someone wearing it with a tie and/or blazer.

It's the kind of shirt that'd strike me as being an odd choice for almost anything other than jeans.

Then again, I'm admittedly middle aged, inclined more toward classic Brooks Brothers than toward classic cowboy fashion, and I'm in Baltimore, MD, not Billings, MT. All of which could be relevant, if you're trying to figure out where and with whom you could pair that shirt with a tie and blazer and not look stupid.

True, fashion only advances when daring people challenge the rules. But bear in mind, for every 1 who challenges the rules and winds up being hailed as a visionary, probably 50 wind up being regarded as laughing stocks. Choose carefully which rules you wish to break, and how you wish to break them. Or just accept that some people may think you look stupid. Sure, you might not want the people important to you to think you look stupid, but if strangers think you look stupid, so what?

But I'm curious - Do you think it'd look stupid wearing your shirt with a tie and blazer? I mean, you must have some opinion, even if you're looking for people here to either reassure you or warn you. So what do you think? (And, where are you? Alaska? NYC? Tokyo?)

 

[romafan]

Wear it w/ jeans & boots while vacationing out west (e.g. out to dinner in Taos, Bozeman, Durango, Sun Valley, etc.)

 

[Inker19]

Then again, I'm admittedly middle aged, inclined more toward classic Brooks Brothers than toward classic cowboy fashion, and I'm in Baltimore, MD, not Billings, MT. All of which could be relevant, if you're trying to figure out where and with whom you could pair that shirt with a tie and blazer and not look stupid.

I'm not middle aged, I'm in my 20s, but I'm also more inclined towards classic fashion and I live in Massachusetts. This was just an attempt to try out something new and see how it looks, which is why I didn't get one that was really loud plaid or had artsy designs on it.

I don't really know much about style rules, so if I had to guess, I think a knit tie would look ok with it since it's casual and I would wear it with raw denim.

 

[12345Michael54321]



if I had to guess, I think a knit tie would look ok with it since it's casual and I would wear it with raw denim.

I would disagree with your assessment.

Any tie with a western shirt like the one in question would strike me as looking wrong. It's not a question of whether it's a casual tie, or a tie that could be worn with denim, or anything else. I just don't regard that as a shirt with which a tie or a blazer is at all appropriate.

Okay, maybe it could be worn with a bolo tie. But I regard bolo ties as inherently ridiculous. (I acknowledge the possibility that in other parts of the country, there might be certain people, who in certain situations, might be able to wear a bolo tie. At least, I acknowledge this in theory. In practice, I've never seen someone and thought to myself, "He'd look better dressed were he wearing a bolo tie.")
--
Michael

 

[Inker19]

I would disagree with your assessment.

Any tie with a western shirt like the one in question would strike me as looking wrong. It's not a question of whether it's a casual tie, or a tie that could be worn with denim, or anything else. I just don't regard that as a shirt with which a tie or a blazer is at all appropriate.

Okay, maybe it could be worn with a bolo tie. But I regard bolo ties as inherently ridiculous. (I acknowledge the possibility that in other parts of the country, there might be certain people, who in certain situations, might be able to wear a bolo tie. At least, I acknowledge this in theory. In practice, I've never seen someone and thought to myself, "He'd look better dressed were he wearing a bolo tie.")
--
Michael

Yeah I have no interest in bolo ties, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc.

I probably won't have this shirt very long, but I haven't worn it out yet. So I'll just wear it with the collar open and see how it goes.

 

[JLibourel]

The bright red color would tend to render this shirt incompatible with most sport coats. Western shirts of this type are most appropriately paired with Western cut jackets with the yoke, I think. There was a character so attired in the excellent new movie "Mud." He came to a bad end, deservedly.

 

[Inker19]

The bright red color would tend to render this shirt incompatible with most sport coats. Western shirts of this type are most appropriately paired with Western cut jackets with the yoke, I think. There was a character so attired in the excellent new movie "Mud." He came to a bad end, deservedly.

I'd be willing try out a western jacket like that if I found one at a thrift store, but given the area of the country I live in, I'm not likely to find one.

 

[JLibourel]

^You can get a lot of jackets like that new for not much money. Check out www.sheplers.com. Can't imagine the quality is very high at those prices, but for occasional fun/costume wear they might be okay.