Cowboy up: A city slicker’s guide to surviving Country Music Week

There are plenty of options to consider once the boot is actually on the foot.

“There’s bull hide ones. We can get into exotic ones. You can get oiled leather. You can get this shiny leather. This is ostrich. There’s deerskin.”

For a first pair, though, Bergen isn’t interested in making things complicated.

“If it’s your first time buying a pair of boots, comfort is everything.”

Don’t just walk into the store, grab your shoe size and hit the dusty trail! Toni Bergen said your size in cowboy boots will typically be half to one size smaller than your shoes. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

It’s worth getting the right fit, she says, because cowboy boots aren’t exactly an impulse purchase.

“They are a big investment, but if you get the right boot, yeah, you’ll wear them a lot.”

Cowboy boots come in just about every shape, size, colour and material imaginable. At some point, choosing a boot starts to feel less like shopping for shoes and more like a western-themed choose-your-own-adventure.

“There is something like that,” Bergen said, motioning toward a cheetah print pair of boots, “for the lady who likes a little bit of a high heel.”

Bergen’s own preference is a little more practical these days.

“My high heel days are done.”

Fair enough, partner.

The right way to wear Wranglers

Bergen says the jeans are where a cowboy imposter is most likely to be uncovered.

“You can tell by the way that they wear their jeans,” she said. “There’s a certain way to wear your jeans.”

The dead giveaway is the length.

“You need them to be long to stack on your boot,” Bergen explained.

That extra denim around the boot isn’t just for show. When you’re on a horse, or even sitting down at the local watering hole, the jeans ride up.

“You don’t want to show your ankle.”

As for what’s fashionable, the pendulum has swung away from skinny jeans and toward a little more room to roam.

“Wide legs are in, especially with the younger crowd,” Bergen said. “But a lot of the older ladies wear them.”

While wide-leg jeans are currently in fashion, Toni Bergen said the best pair of jeans out there is the one you feel great in. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Whether you’re riding, roping or just spending a long day in the saddle, comfort is clearly part of the cowboy dress code.

“A lot of the jeans now come with stretch, so a lot of men and women like that.”

Then comes the great cowboy jeans debate: tucked in or left out?

“Most it’s out,” Bergen said.

Skinny jeans are the exception, particularly when the wearer wants to show off the tops of those fancy new boots.

But there’s more to finding the right pair of jeans than getting the cowboy look right. Bergen says when you find a pair that fits just right, you can see it on the person’s face.

She remembers one customer in particular:

“We had one lady that came in here. She was 85 years old. She’s never worn jeans in her life. It was her birthday, and her daughter brought her in because she wanted a pair of jeans,” Bergen recalled. “And she tried on probably four pairs of jeans, and she walked out of here just happier. Like her face, she was glowing, right?

Apparently, the right pair of jeans can do more than pass the cowboy test.

They can put a little extra spring in your step.

The 10-gallon question

Once the boots and jeans are sorted, there’s one more item that can instantly transform the look, for better or worse.

The cowboy hat.

“The most popular is black, of course,” Bergen said, although brown, grey and lighter-coloured hats have their fans, too.

And the shape of the hat has changed over the years.

“Back in the day they were just basic cattleman’s crease,” she noted, “and now you can get open crown ones that look like a sombrero, actually.”

While black tends to be the most popular colour choice for cowboy hats, there are quite a few cowboys who like to mix it up with brown or grey. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

There are plenty of options. But according to Bergen, there’s no guarantee every face is improved by one.

“Hats look dumb on me,” she laughed.

Her advice to everyone else? Take a good, long look in the mirror before leaving the store.

Buckle up, buttercup

Once the hat is on, it’s time to accessorize.

A belt can be understated, or it can announce itself from across the room.

“You can go with a plain belt, or you can go with something a little more fancier,” Bergen said.

A few years ago, bling was everywhere. Now, she says, it’s “slowly coming back again.”

Toni Bergen said bling went out of style for a few years, but is slowly making a reappearance in women’s western accessories. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Then there are the belt buckles.

For people involved in rodeo, the buckle can mean something. It’s often a prize, something they won and take great pride in.

“Most of the people that are involved in like rodeo events and stuff like that, if they won a buckle, they wear it.”

Other people buy a buckle simply because they like the Western look.

Bergen said she has definitely seen people in the store who apparently believe there is no such thing as too much buckle.

“I’ve seen guys with almost like a dinner plate on there,” she laughed.

Can a belt buckle ever be too big? Toni Bergen answered this question with an emphatic “No!” (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

But the accessories don’t stop at the waistline. There are bolo ties, which Bergen says tend to be more popular with older gentlemen, as well as Montana silver bracelets, rings and even hair clips.

As for the shirt? It doesn’t have to be a pearl-snap button-up.

“We have Western-like golf shirts and T-shirts as well,” Bergen said. “You don’t have to wear a button-up one. You can just wear whatever.”

So, yes. You can cowboy in a T-shirt.

Cowboyin’ ain’t cheap

There is one final piece of information anyone considering a full Country Music Week transformation should probably know.

According to Bergen, the real answer to what you need to become a cowboy is:

“Lots of money.”

“A lady’s got to have a purse,” Toni Bergen said of the vast array of western-themed purses displayed around the store. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

She’s seen it happen, particularly around Craven.

Guys come into Cowtown ready to build an entire western wardrobe.

“They’ll blow like $1,200,” she said. “They buy boots, they buy jeans, belt, belt buckle, shirt, few hats. They just buy everything.”

But before anyone starts pricing out horses to really complete their western look, Bergen has some good news:

“You don’t have to be a cowboy to wear all the cowboy stuff.”

Which is good news for anyone whose cowboy experience begins and ends at the clothing rack.

Perhaps the real goal isn’t to convince everyone you’re a cowboy. It’s to find a little western style that feels like your own.

Try on the boots. Find some jeans. See what happens when you put on the hat.

If it makes you feel good, that’s probably all the cowboy credentials you need.

Just don’t forget your wallet.

Cowboy boots. Stacked jeans. Belt buckles the size of dinner plates. With Country Music Week returning to Saskatoon, Toni Bergen of Cowtown has your essential guide to looking the part. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)