The King And Bob And Rockmount Ranchwear

In the depression era 30's, Halpern and Christenfeld (shortened to H-Bar-C for authenticity purposes) were focused on the Hollywood ideal for outfitting a cowboy - think Tom Mix.
During that same period, Jack A. Weil's concern was for the workin man, the ranchhand, the true cowboy.
Jack A. Weil has long been credited with placing snaps on the pockets of western shirts - to keep gear in, and snaps on cuffs to prevent the sleeves from catching on machinery. The shirts were cut slim and the tails were long so they stayed tucked in.

Though H-Bar-C seemed to have a toe-hold in the movie studios, the entertainment aspect to western shirts was not lost on Mr. Weil. Not only did the yoke on the upper back of the shirt provide more durability, it gave the shirt a contrasting detail and gave the wearer a broad look to his shoulders.
With the workwear aspects of his shirts becoming more popular, Rockmount added styles with silky fabrics and louder colors so that after a long day of yankin bull horns, it was also the go-to shirt for the parlor rooms and the dancehalls where a cowboy could kick back er kick butt.



I put some time in of my own at Rockmount in the late 90s as a sales rep and discovered then that Jack A. Weil, at 101, was still driving himself to work everyday and unlocking the doors every morning to the family run business in Denver. He was a wonderful old man to aspire to, with many great stories who passed away in 2008. You would never know by talking to him that he had any idea what kind of mark he left on Americana, as he ended many conversations with "I think I gotta shirt you'd like to see."

Credits:
Rockmount.com
Ranch Dressing: The Story Of Western Wear by M. Jean Greenlaw

Too Much Too Soon

Our Mothers took Jacques and I on a day long shopping and entertainment extravaganza. As 10 year-olds with a fetish for fashion, we were on the hunt for the elusive Beatle Boot.
Legend has it, the boot was designed by Drury Lane, shoe and boot cobblers Anello & Davide. The Beatles wanted an adaptation of the historic Chelsea boot. Both boots were snug fitting and ankle high but where the Chelsea had an elastic panel on both sides, the Beatle had an inside zip. And either could or would have what's known as a Cuban Heel, its origins in Flamenco dancing.
One other design aspect was the long, pointed toe, derived from 50s London, Winklepickers. A stark contrast to the Teddy Boy Creeper.
Again our Mothers, God bless 'em, may not have been as dialed in as we had hoped. But they did the best they could with what they had to work with. Our first clue should have been our shopping destination for the day. Long known by those with an obscure sense of trend, the Muskegon Kmart on Apple Ave.
What we ended up with was as close as we could hope for. Besides, they did meet some of the qualifications. They were black and they were boots. A round toe, work boot cousin to the Wellington.
Still, nobody could dispute our feel for the now. We wore flared pants. We wore floral print shirts with kerchieves clasped around our necks...and we wore work boots.
We were the future.
We were tomorrows hope.
We were the harbingers of cool.
We were 6th graders.

Photo from beatwear.co.uk.com
Chelsea Boot history tapped from the Wikipeepee
History of the Beatle Boot bits from Anello & Davide and museumoflondon.org.uk.com

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's only mid October with plenty of leaves still on the trees. I have a funny feeling I'll be raking snow before I know it.
Mother Nature once again has a wild hair and seems hell-bent on testing our coping abilities. Not just nudging us but rudely shoving us back indoors. Forcing us to keep the fires stoked, swill more grog, feast on mutton and shop online. Eventually, the time comes when we must shower and brace for the frigid impact as we return, belching and cussing, to the very driveways, sidewalks and streets we sought refuge from.
This time, little does Ms. Nature know, there is a defense system in place, much like NORAD but under the guise of small storefront operation in Madison, Wisconsin called Context.
Just a few steps down from the state capital's rotunda, this operation has within its walls, not only the technically advanced, severe weather protection from Canada Goose, but other sophisticated garment forms as well from; APC, Apolis Activism, LaDurance, Band Of Outsiders, Nudie Jeans, Engineered Garments, Sugar Cane and Wings&Horns.
Their contact info is contextclothing.com . Shopkeepers Ryan and Sam work hard to inform, educate and protect us. After all, if you're gonna go outside, put a hat on.