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They’ll think your horse is tied to a hitching post just over yonder.
Even if you’re a visitor yourself, tourists will be asking you for directions once you outfit yourself in proper western duds like these.
If you’re looking to cowboy up your wardrobe this summer, you need only three essentials: boots, a belt, and a lid. “Shoppers in the summer go right to the boots,” says Lou Anne Roush, co-owner of Wyoming Outfitters at 12 Center Street. “All you really need are boots, a hat, and a nice, blingy belt.”
Her shop carries Black Jack Boots from El Paso, Texas, which range in price from $125 to $650 for the ladies and up to $1,895 for the men. The high-end men’s boot is the Nile Belly, made from the stomach skin of a crocodile.
Not far away, Bette Moore runs Baggit, a western wear boutique located at 35 West Broadway. She agrees the outfit is all about the boots, but says that despite the timeless staple of boots and belts, the demand for western wear has changed since she opened her shop in 1978.
“People used to want the ‘drugstore cowboy’ look, the generic cowboy,” she says. “But now, the better things to sell are the items that are adaptable, the things that get you the most from your dollar.”
The shop carries Boulet boots, Christiana bags, Rockmount Ranch Wear shirts, and countless other brands and accessories. But it’s her extensive collection of Anna Konya skirts that most excites Moore.
“We have the most fabulous collection of skirts,” she says. “And these skirts are versatile. They work with boots and a Concho belt for the western look or heels and a black top for the city. Some gals even wear them with a T-shirt and flip-flops.” The kaleidoscopic skirts range in price from about $99 to $250.
Helen Yenko, who has worked with Moore for years, has one of nearly every Anna Konya skirt ever made. “They wear like iron,” says the seventy-eight-year-old. “Her fabric is just top quality. You couldn’t go to any city to get them. I’ve been buying clothes since I was a teenager and haven’t found anything comparable.”
From Baggit, continue down the street to Michelle Julene Couture at 185 West Broadway. The Casper-born, self-proclaimed “Wyoming girl” says she considers her store a gallery and her designs art. “My life is in every piece,” the free-spirited designer said in a 2006 interview. “When you put that jacket on, you can just feel the hands that made it.” At her one-room shop, Julene designs sexy beaded jeans that lace up the back, fringed and fur-trimmed jackets, and suede and silk pants. Her originality has lured high-profile celebrities such as Robert DeNiro, Travis Tritt, and Britney Spears.
After visiting Wyoming Outfitters, Baggit, and Michelle Julene Couture (addresses for these are found in the main story), check out these other western-themed shops all located within walking distance of the Town Square.
Jackson Hole Clothiers, 45 E. Deloney Avenue. Old-fashioned, inlay-style cowboy boots and complementary traditional cowboy shirts. You can outfit the entire family in western getups here.
Jackson Hole Hat Company, 245 North Glenwood Avenue. Custom handmade felt cowboy hats, as well as straw and palm-leaf models. Ask about their beaded porcupine-quill western-style hatbands.
Cayuse Western Americana, 255 North Glenwood Avenue. Artifacts, books, flat art, jewelry and buckles, vintage national park collectibles, and western music galore.
Hide Out, 40 Center Street. Fine leather and fur for men and women, as well as jewelry made by Jamie Lavenstein.
Jackson Bootlegger, 36 East Broadway. Shoes of all sorts, from Birkenstocks to Chacos to Lucchese cowboy boots, handcrafted in El Paso.
