Suit Yourself, Cowboy

So you’ve decided to go cowboy — a little, anyway. You’ve seen people strolling around confidently in boots and you’ve decided that you want to make a Western fashion statement by slipping into a handmade pair of your own.

And we’re not big fans of stating the obvious but you’ll be joining many, many people who agree that Western fashion is cooler than the other side of the pillow right now. If it were up to Texans, owning a pair of cowboy boots would be a stately requirement. Anything less would just be uncivilized. For this reason we’ve profiled a couple noteworthy boot outfitters in Austin.

Heritage Boot, located at 1200 S. Congress Ave. in Austin offers a world of colors, shapes, and stitches that are uniquely eye-catching. Owner, Jerome Ryan has quite the story. He’s originally from Ireland and owned and operated London’s very first western boot store back when Western style was just taking off in Europe.

When he says Heritage Boots puts a lot of heart and soul into every boot, he literally means it.

“We manufacture every boot that comes through here and on average we produce about 10 boots per day,” he said. “It’s the closest you’ll get to a full-custom boot.”

The range of materials are calf, ostrich, shark, alligator, stingray and hand tool leather and the prices go anywhere from $250 to $1,000.

The beauty of cowboy boots is that they are genderless. They can be worn by anyone, with anything, for any occasion — though Ryan suggests the only thing he wouldn’t wear them with are acid wash jeans.

Allens Boots, located at 1522 S. Congress Ave in Austin will lure you in and invigorate you with the aroma of leather. It’s that strong. And just the boot selection alone will blow your mind.

Walk down the aisles ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the various styles and colors. It’s OK to do that. The dynamics range from plain brown and black boots to boots with skull embellishments and rhinestone crosses. There are purple boots, pink boots, Texas reptile boots, boots with spurs, boots with tassels, boots for kids, boots with bells and much more.

There are over 4,000 boots on display, and representing 12 boot manufacturers, Allens Boots is a serious shop for serious Western Wear.

Take your time in choosing the right boot for you. Remember, the first sign that someone is becoming a real Texan is the moment they purchase their first pair of cowboy boots.