Here’s a Guest Blog from my long time friend, author Diane Maccani. Diane lives in the U.P. of Michigan and writes the What The Cowgirls Do series of  novels.

It’s The Image by Diane Maccani

             My daughter was twenty-one years old, a senior in college, and working at Dairy Queen weekends and summers. She came home from work one day and told me she is her mother’s daughter. I asked how so, and this is the story she told me.

            A young man came in to order lunch. He was okay looking but not what you’d call a real ‘hunk’. But there was something appealing about him, she said. He was wearing jeans, a Carhart jacket, and a hat. As he turned to walk away, she realized what that something was. His jeans were Wranglers, and he was wearing cowboy boots. That’s what made her my daughter–the cowboy image caught her notice.

            I’ve always thought the best clothes for a man are ‘cowboy clothes’.., Wrangler jeans, boots, and a western hat. My daughter agrees when a total stranger can make her take a second look.

            To use an old saying, ‘Clothes don’t make the man’, but the right kind of clothes sure can turn a cowgirl’s head. Those clothes have to be cowboy clothes.

            Wrangler jeans are the official jeans of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and, by far, the most popular brand among horsemen. Why? It’s the fit… they’re cowboy jeans, not a fashion statement. Did you know Wrangler jeans have a flat seam on the inner leg so they don’t rub when you’re in a saddle? Those French seams with extra stitching on the inner leg of other brands can make for some raw legs. While Wrangler does make ‘fashion’ style jeans also, a true cowboy wears only the basic, ‘cowboy cut’ Wranglers that fit like a second skin. And he isn’t a true cowboy if his jeans aren’t long enough to bunch at the bottom of his boots.

            The same goes for cowgirls. Any self-respecting cowgirl will wear only Wrangler or Rocky jeans. While there are a few new western ‘fashion’ brands with a reasonable western cut that are popular now, the diehard cowgirl is still a Wrangler or Rocky girl. Most women are ‘clotheshorses’, and most cowgirls are no exception. They  worry about wearing stylish clothes so the ‘fashion police’ don’t arrest them for being poorly dressed. Cowgirls may wear fashion jeans for social occasions, but when they want to get a cowboy’s attention they ‘trot’ out their Wranglers. Nothing turns a cowboy’s head quicker than a cowgirl in her tight-fittin’ jeans.

            Then there’s the hat. A good quality brand with a good shape is a must. It has to be a true cowboy hat, not one of the popular ‘Indiana Jones’ type. Color of the hat is important. A cowboy doesn’t wear white, even if he is the ‘good guy’. Black or silver belly are the colors of choice. It’s okay for the working cowboy’s hat to be beat up, but when he goes to town, he puts on the ‘dress’ hat.

            Boots too. There are many different styles and anything western works. A true cowboy doesn’t wear motorcycle boots. He has real cowboy boots, a pair for work and a dress pair (maybe even exotics) for dancin’ with the ladies.

            This mother-daughter horseman pair has a theory. Take an average looking guy and put him in hat, boots, and Wranglers and he becomes good-looking. Take a good-looking guy and put him in cowboy clothes and he becomes drop-dead gorgeous. Clothes may not make the man, but they sure do help the cowboy. Take it from a couple of cowboy watchers!