Versace goes cowboy (sort of....)

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Italy's Versace fashion house has gone cowboy (sort of) for its Men's Fall/Winter 2014-2015 collection that was shown yesterday in Milan.

Click here to see a video of the entire 10-minute show

The collection features narrow suit jackets sprinkled with rhinestone cactus, horseshoe and sheriff's star designs, and with shoulders broadened and enhanced by what looks like leather. Some of the models wore necklaces with big shiny stars -- I guess they were sheriff's stars, but they look like enormous Stars of David.

And then there are skin-tight tank tops -- and underpants -- in classic bandana-style prints. And oh, boy, the butt-baring chaps!

Actually, I likes some of the clothes -- especially the jackets with the leather shoulders, and some of the long, frock-coat length jackets.

But the rhinestone devices are pretty much a cliche -- I imagine they were supposed to be ironic comments, harking back to Nudie et al, but I don't think they were ironic enough, at least not on the bodies of the Ken-doll-like models who rather reminded me of Star Trek the Next Generation's android Data, but without as much personality.

Associated Press correspondent Jennifer Clark, however, called the collection "outrageously fun, even by Versace standards" and mostly "a camp celebration of manhood in many forms."

"Our cowboy is macho, he's a biker ... he doesn't have a horse," designer Donatella Versace said backstage after the show.
Donatella's cowboys wear their boots with sharp, tight suits decorated with rhinestone horseshoes and cactus plants on both front and back. These cowhands head out on the town wearing red leather chaps over their jeans, or sometimes just over their bandanna-print underwear. Cheeky indeed!

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Hmm. Well. I think I'll stick with Nudie.

Duds -- Cowboy Boot Sneaker

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I'm not sure about this......(by Jeremy Scott and Adidas)

Fashion: (Very) Imaginary Wild West

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

From Nudie to Ralph Lauren (and beyond) the fashion industry has long looked to an imaginary vision of the West, cowboys, the Frontier, Native Americans and all that for inspiration. The Autry Museum some years ago chronicled this love affair in a major exhibit, How the West Was Worn, which also resulted in a book by my friend Holly George Warren.

The latest (very) imaginary take comes now from the LA-based designer Jeremy Scott, whose Spring-Summer 2012 menswear line, called Urban Cowboy Couture, "updates an American classic" goes way beyond Rhinestone Cowboy glitz with a collection that features everything from rubber cowboy boots to crotchless fringed plastic pinto pants.....

Belgium -- "Nudie Suits" exhibit/Bobbejaan Schoepen

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The Fashion Museum in Antwerp, Belgium is presenting the first exhibition in Europe of the flamboyant clothing designed, mainly for country music stars and other popular entertainers, by Nudie Cohn, the "Rodeo Tailor" (and king of sartorial rhinestone glitz).

The show, called "Dream Suits", opened Oct. 28 and runs til Feb. 12. It features clothing owned -- and worn -- by the popular Belgian entertainer Bobbejaan Schoepen, who died in 2010 at the age of 85.

Drawn from the personal collection of iconic Belgian entertainer Bobbejaan Schoepen and his wife Josée, this show — curated by fashion historian Mairi MacKenzie and designer R. Cerimagic — will be the first European exhibition to examine the work of the Ukrainian born tailor who revolutionized the clothing of Country & Western Music.

Originally a designer of highly embellished g-strings for New York strippers, Nudie Cohn moved to Hollywood in 1947 and originated the rhinestone cowboy look that has become visual shorthand for Country & Western style. His fantastical, intricately embroidered and heavily ornamented outfits adorned the backs of numerous music and film stars, including Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Elton John, Cher, John Lennon, Steve McQueen, Johnny Cash, and Bobbejaan Schoepen. Today his work is still sought after and admired. Contemporary musicians such as Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream, Mike Mills from R.E.M. and Beck, fashion photographers such as Craig McDean and fashion designers from Tommy Hilfiger to Ralph Lauren have been inspired by his incredible designs. Bobbejaan Schoepen was a lifelong client and collector of Nudie Cohn designs. This resulted in a close friendship between the two men, and an exceptionally large and well-preserved collection of Nudie designs. This exhibition will celebrate both Nudie’s very particular aesthetic as well as the relationship between these extraordinary men.

Schoepen was a singer, actor and comedian whose career and style included a hefty dose of old-style comic country music -- including virtuoso whistling and yodeling. He got his first breaks entertaining American troops in Europe after World War II. He was one of the first Europeans to appear at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, performing three times there in 1953 with Roy Acuff.

A short film made by Alice Hawkins to accompany the exhibit is very consciously retro -- but I find it fails to capture the joy, verve and dazzlingly ironic sense of fun that Nudie,  his often outrageous costumes and his over the top cars embodied.

Royals go western!

 By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I know, I know. It was pre-ordained, de rigeur and all that. But William and Kate did don cowboy hats in Calgary....

The Washington Post runs a lot of pictures of the great event and reports that:

Apparently there was some hubbub surrounding the wearing of the traditional hats. When William and Kate arrived at Calgary’s airport, Mayor Naheed Menshi presented the royal couple with the white hats, which they apparently didn’t try on because it was windy. People were outraged! But their spokesperson told the Associated Press, “In no way are they snubbing what is a very honored gifts.”
They more than made up for the perceived snub by dressing like classy cowboys later that day.

Imaginary Wild West: Michael Jackson's Western Style

The Autry National Center in Los Angeles has just opened a special exhibit on How the West Was Worn... by Michael Jackson.  

It's a sartorial Imaginary Wild West that traces its way back to the glamour clothes of Buffalo Bill, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and a host of rhinestone cowboys and glittery country and western singers.

In the world of style, pop icon Michael Jackson’s willingness to try different patterns and designs made him truly unique. Millions of people around the world saw his elaborate costumes, but very few realized the Western influence in the design. The Autry National Center’s installation shows how Jackson’s use of Western wear evolved over the years, reflecting his ability to use classic Western styles in distinctive ways.

 The Autry is a wonderful museum that pays particular attention to the West of the Imagination as well as the reality of the American frontier experience. I had a fellowship there a few years ago to study the creation and marketing of the western myth, and I have a date to speak to museum docents there next month.

Sauerkraut and Rhinestones/Sparkle and Twang: The Myth at the Autry

The Autry National Center is mounting an exhibit showcasing the rhinestone appeal of sauerkraut desire. It's a show called Sparkle and Twang -- and it consists of items from the country singer Marty Stuart's vast collection of memorabilia, including embroidered and besequinned Nudie suits.

The Autry National Center of the American West takes you on a tour through the life and times of American Music with Sparkle and Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey. The exhibition tells the story of country music icon Marty Stuart's personal experiences with some of the most famous stars of American music, highlighting several of the greatest performers on the country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and Southern gospel scenes. Visitors are invited to join the journey of Stuart's life and witness the road traveled by the beloved musicians encountered along the way. Discover what life on the road really meant, and learn about the struggles and triumphs these performers experienced in order to succeed.

This uniquely American collection underscores the importance of style and sound with performance costumes, handwritten lyrics, personal letters, musical instruments, and unpublished photographs of such legends as Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. The fashion-rich collection includes such items as Elvis Presley's sweater, Jerry Lee Lewis's black boots, Johnny Cash's white tuxedo, a Bob Dylan outfit, and a Patsy Cline dress. The exhibition would not be complete without a life-size dressing room and interactive performance stage. Plus, listening stations, ambient audio, and video documentaries can be found throughout.

"I made it my mission to save the historic relics of country music, not just because they were things I loved, but to preserve them as cultural artifacts," says Marty Stuart.

This exhibition was developed by and originally exhibited at the Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN.

I spent a wonderful month as a Visiting Scholar at the Autry a few years ago, researching the creating and marketing of the Western Myth -- and these sparkly costumes and accoutrements are certainly part of it. The lit up the dreams of innumerable fans in Europe, and spurred them on to create their own idiosyncratic looks. Like these fans at the Country Rendez-vous in Craponne:

Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Kenyan Cowboy Shirts

I love it! Cowboy shirts from Kenya! They are made from discarded clothing "from around the world" and shipped from Canada. Part of the proceeds goes to charity.

From the FAQ from the web site:

The shirts cost $75cad - thats alot - what are you doing with the money?

Our tailors have set their own prices and we try to ensure that people involved in the process are happy. We hire people to help name the shirts, create exclusive music (mp3s) to go with the shirts (coming soon) and will continue to find ways in which more people can be financially involved in the process. Also, our costs for shipping from Africa is a bit on the high side.

Are you connected to a charity project like building schools or feeding children?

Yes. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to a lunch feeding program for school children in our neighbourhood of Rongai video link to some clips. Also, we plan to start a community cleanup & recycling business that will receive 10% of profits from Kilakitu - staff will work on cleaning up the environment in Rongai (where our business is based).

Is there a ladies line?

We have an awesome cowgirl dress coming down the pipelines - first thing in 2009. Its going to be amazing - designed to be worn over jeans (or not ;).

I see African models wearing the shirts, are they just for Africans?

The Kenyan Cowboy is for everyone! It just happens that this first model shoot we did at Olepolos, Kenya was an all Kenyan cast! Here is a pic of me in one of my shirts or watch the fashion show video for diversity.

Are all the shirts the same style?

Yes - the Kenyan Cowboy is cut after a classic 1970s Stetson shirt. The style and cut of each shirt is the same and only the size, color, fabric and patterns of the patches differ. Check your sizes

Speaking of Kenya and the global reach of American pop culture, one of the things I did when I visited Nairobi 30 years ago was to go to the movies to see a documentary about Elvis Presley.

More on the (late) King of Cowboy Clothing

Here below is a long personal take from Design Observer on Jack A. Weil, the "king of cowboy clothing" who died aged 107 in August. HIs creations were instrumental in spreading the western dream and look around the world. In particular he invented the snap-button "cowboy shirt". "Western apparel was suited to independent thinking people," he says.

Weil was one of lone line of Jewish cothing designers -- in westernwear, the most famous was Nudie Cohen, the creator of the famously flamboyant "Nudie suits."

An untold number of Jews from Eastern Europe ended up in the American West, were they became door-to-door peddlers, ran trading posts, and founded dry goods stores. My great-grandfather was one of them, as were others of my forebears: My mother's cousin, Joe Simon, ran the Simon's Department store in Elgin, Texas, almost until his death. When I visited the store about 15 years ago, it still looked like something out of a western movie -- the big covered porch, the jeans piled up, the western shirts....the main hint of modern times was the fact that he took credit cards. Joe reminisced to me about his father, who would travel with his goods by horse and cart, on sandy Texas roads. After Joe's death, the store was turned into a furniture store -- I visited there a few years ago. When I go to Fort Worth, I always make a pilgrimage to Luskeys, founded originally in Odessa, Texas, in 1919. My uncle always jokes that the founder ("old man Luskey") started out in Minsk (or somewhere similar) and ended up in Odessa....





The Inventor of theCowboy Shirt

By Adam Levy

A few years ago, I found myself lost inside a shopping mall with the man who, in 1946, invented the snap-buttoned cowboy shirt. Jack A. Weil, better known as Jack A, was one hundred and one years old and he was not happy. He was, in fact, highly annoyed. We had wandered into the shirt section of Foley’s Department store in Denver. He was holding up a red-and-blue-striped Tommy Hilfiger. He couldn’t get over the fact that clothes were made anywhere else but in the good 'ol USA. "Call me an isolationist, call me small-minded but why do people buy shirts made in..." — Jack A looked at the label — "Sri Lanka!"

Jack A, along with his son, Jack B, who was then in his seventies, ran Rockmount Ranch Wear, a manufacturer of classic western shirts, Stetsons and bolo ties. (Rockmont shirts have been worn by Clark Gable in The Misfits, by Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and by countless other cowboys, both real and imagined in between.) The three of us were trying to find a place to eat. But because Jack B refused to park in the parking garage and spend an extra five dollars, Jack A couldn’t find his way to his usual lunch spot, Spinnakers Restaurant. Jack A liked routine. He still opened the Rockmount shop every morning at 8:00am just as he did back in the 1940s, when he was an eager ex-hat salesman newly arrived in Colorado from Indiana.




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