It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garments popularized by Western film and television or singing cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in the 1940s and 1950s.
[4] Originally part of the traditional Plains Indian clothing, coonskin caps were frequently worn by mountain men like Davy Crockett for their warmth and durability.
The cavalry shirt was made of blue wool with yellow piping and brass buttons and was invented by the flamboyant George Armstrong Custer.
[10] In recent times this shield-front shirt was popularised by John Wayne in Fort Apache and was also worn by rockabilly musicians like the Stray Cats.
In 1946, Papa Jack Weil put snap buttons on the front, and pocket flaps on the Western shirt, and established Denver's Rockmount Ranch Wear.
[11] Other early Western wear labels included California-based H Bar C, and Panhandle Slim, from Westmoor Manufacturing, which migrated from Minneapolis, to Omaha, and finally in 1975 to Fort Worth, Texas.
[15] More modern interpretations include leather waistcoats inspired by the biker subculture and jackets with a design imitating the piebald color of a cow.
During the Victorian era, gentlemen would wear silk cravats or neckties to add color to their otherwise sober black or grey attire.
Following the Civil War it became common practice among working class veterans to loosely tie a bandana around their necks to absorb sweat and keep the dust out of their faces.
This practise originated in the Mexican War era regular army when troops threw away the hated leather stocks (a type of collar issued to soldiers) and replaced them with cheap paisley kerchiefs.
[27] This was a favorite for gamblers and was quickly adopted by Mexican charros, together with the slim "Kentucky" style bowtie commonly seen on stereotypical Southern gentlemen like Colonel Sanders[28] or Boss Hogg.