Even cowboys have their own fair share of formal occasions that call for a boot that knows how to clean up, even at a red carpet premiere. And the Nacogdoches boot comes in a slick black colorway that can take to a shoe shine and features a lizard leather toe for some added texture. Pair it with your favorite suit or dress up your trusty blue jeans in a snap.
Ariat Boots
If you were to ask most real-deal cowboys what boots they wear, it’s likely a pair of Ariat boots. They’re favored by folks who need a pair of boots that can handle some hard labor since they’re built with comfortable insoles and durable lugged outsoles.
Ariat offers everything from riding boots and ropers to square-toe boots and work boots, all at a decent price point (and readily available on Amazon, if that’s your sort of thing). More traditional bootmakers will keep to staid materials and techniques, but Ariat embraces modern materials that offer comfort, breathability, and longevity along with leather uppers and old-school stitching.
The Sport Big Country is a perfect hybrid of old-school looks and new-age materials, so if you’re after a pair of boots that can rough it and not leave your dogs barking at the end of the day, consider these. But just because they’re known for their modern cowboy work boots doesn’t mean they don’t have their feet in the old-school ways. If you’re willing to pay a little extra, peep Ariat’s bench made boots, which are made by hand in Mexico using traditional methods and high-end materials.
Frye Boots
Frye might be better known for its work boots and dress boots that skew more rockstar than ranch hand, but their tight collection of western boots is well worth considering. And though Frye doesn’t possess the same fervor of other brands, the brand’s commitment to classic silhouettes, high-quality materials and construction make them seriously underrated.
Frye’s Harness boots take after the boots worn by the American cavalry. These days, you’re more likely to see them on motor-fueled hogs than on horses, but their history as a boot of the west still remains. The harness hardware might be a vestige of its past, but the attitude it gives will turn any western outfit even more badass.
RRL
Yes, RRL. The spittoon-hawking western sub-brand of Ralph Lauren actually makes some of the choicest cowboy boots you’ll ever see. Ralph’s been known to use the best factories around, whether it’s for jeans, suits, shirts, or even cowboy boots. Though the details on the exact factories they use are understandably hush-hush, they do make their boots in the USA and judging by the supremely fine stitching, real leather welts, and lemonwood pegs, they’re not skimping on anything.
Fun fact: Some styles even use leather from Mr. Lauren’s Colorado ranch. How cool is that? RRL’s lineup of boots has its core players that return every season, but the limited edition boots are what true Lauren-ophiles obsess over.
Unmarked Boots
As the name would suggest, Unmarked is kind of a low-key brand. The Léon, Mexico-based label crafts their shoes and boots with a multi-generational pedigree. And though the brand is by no means strictly a cowboy boot brand, they make some of the best-quality western boots around (whenever they get to it). Complicated embroidery stitching, lemonwood pegs at the soles, super clean welt stitching—the works, as they say.
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