Vintage Western Wear terminology

all you need to know about the clothes you're wearing

"He sat the horse...He wore a black hat with a high crown and a rawhide hatband, and he wore high-heeled boots and spurs and a pair of blue jeans that were worn and faded..."

Cormac McCarthy surely knew how to get the reader's imagination to work with all the meticulous details. Without them, the character he's describing wouldn't have that Western flare and grit; rawhide band, worn and faded jeans - these things tell a lot about a person, don't they? But that's a story for another time. 

When it comes to Western wear, there are a few things that are exclusive to this style, such as yokes or the number of 'X' in the composition of a fur hat. 

I spend countless hours on the internet, so you don't have to. Digging through websites and forums (often in languages I don't speak, such as Japanese), comparing blurred images of unreadable details, ordering books and magazines with yellow-aged pages, to get that info about a button or zip that I NEED - I call it a 'me time'. But jokes aside here's what I learned and am happy to share.

Vintage Western wear glossary 

Yoke - it’s a panel across the back (and sometimes front) of a western shirt, a jacket or a blazer. Often curved, scalloped or pointed and frequently in a contrasting color. Yokes were originally designed to add strength and support to the shoulder area of garments, particularly important for workwear as both a practical element for ranch hands and cowboys and as a distinctive stylistic element. Yoke usage was first spotted in the 19th century and derived from a way cowboys used to wear scarfs - as a protective layer against the sun and the cold. Some of them would sewn down the scarf to their shirt.

Snap buttons - a primary design element of a western shirt, snap buttons are actually not that old of an addition. Apparently introduced to western shirts by Rodeo Ben, who - while designing shirts for rodeo riders, would witness a bull's horn being stuck in between regular buttons and blocking the rider. But other and a more common theory suggest that it was Jack Weil, the founder of Rockmount Ranchwear, who first introduced this type of closure on a shirt, after seeing a similar incident. We might never know (nor care) who was first, but the important outcome of it is that what we now associate with western shirts, are the snap buttons. They are usually round, but come in other shapes too - hex or diamond. 

Piping - a decorative trim created from a thin strip of fabric, usually folded into a cord that often incorporates contrasting colors to highlight the yoke design, front placket as well as the cuffs and collars. It has its origins in traditional tailoring techniques, so it's most likely present on boldly embroidered shirts, such as those created by California rodeo tailors.

Saddle stitching - refers to a type of stitch that mimics the look of the leatherwork technique, where the double-thread, interlocking stitch creates a very strong seam. The decorative saddle stitch uses thicker thread and wider spacing between stitches, making it stand out on yokes, pockets and cuffs. It is often done with a bright, contrasting thread. 

Embellishments - popular decorative motives amongst western wear, such as rhinestones, fringe and applique. 

Border print - a design across the chest (front and back) featuring Western-inspired landscapes or themes, like images of cowboys, horses, Native American scenes etc. 

Wallpaper print - if a shirt is made of an 'all-over' design, such as floral or paisley, that's a wallpaper print. 

Bib shirt - this type of shirt gained its popularity during the Civil War, where the bib not only gave extra protection around the chest (similar to yokes around the shoulders and back) but also served as easy access to store things like tobacco, letters and picture of a loved one. Made from wool, they were virtually indestructible, so when the soldiers came back from the war and carried on ranching duties, these shirts became associated with the cowboys since then. 

Types of pockets on a western shirt

''Pockets in western shirts are like the grill on a car: they define the western shirt more than any other element''

Steve Weil, President of Rockmount Ranchwear Mfg.

There are, and there have been, uncountable variations of the western pockets, but the most common ones are: 

• single point pocket  

• sawtooth pocket

• smile pocket, also comes as a two-tone smile pocket

• slant pocket

types of pockets - Sawtooth (Indian with beer can, Fritz Scholder 1969), the single point pocket (Townes van Zandt), smile pocket (Indian Cowboy and Horse, Fritz Scholder,1979).

Types of cuffs on a western shirt

Similarly to the pockets, the shirt's cuffs are another element that hasn't been overlooked by western designers. The most common types are:

• barrel cuffs - with round or diamond snaps 

• shotgun cuffs - with four to five snap closures, adding a bolder style statement.

In any case, the number of snaps can vary depending on the manufacturer or the style. 

The X rating system in cowboy hats - the X's directly represent the percentage of beaver fur used in making the hat felt, and the higher the number of X's, the better quality of the hat. However, the X's do not directly represent the precise percentage of beaver fur used, but instead work as a relative grading scale and on top of that, what a 50X hat means for one company might be very different in another. AND ON TOP OF THAT (it's getting even more complex, y'all) the grading changed throughout the years. In the past, 10X was the highest rating a cowboy hat could have, today, there are 1000X hats. The best advice if you were hoping to find one here - whether buying a vintage or a new hat, do not compare Xs between manufacturers and get familiar with different fabrics - this way you'll be able to spot a high-quality hat. 

Wild rag - traditionally made of silk, these are western scarves people often put in the same bin as bandanas. But they're not exactly the same. They're larger (typically a 33-36 inch square), softer (hence the use of silk, so they were breathable and had moisture-wicking properties), and their origin is different. Wild rags evolved from the needs of cowboys and ranchers, prioritizing protection from the elements. Similarly to other cowboy garments, rags became fashionable pieces - they were embroidered and more luxurious. Bandana was more of a general-purpose handkerchief. 

John Wayne almost always had a wild rag around his neck in the movies

All of the above are the foundation of western wear elements that any western wear enthusiast should know (and I bet some of y'all reading are familiar with these). But there's so much more worth learning about - the types of hats, boots, boots' heels, belts and buckles, and other accessories. And then there are some elements associated with vintage western wear - phrases you'd find on the tags, brands of zippers, and types of fabrics used. It is a journey, and like with any other hobby, it takes time to possess all the knowledge. Therefore, expect more to come!