Denver Market: Fabulous Cowgirl-Glam Eyewear

If I had a PERSONAL favorite from all the thousands of incredible items at the Denver Market, it was the cowgirl-themed sunglasses from Reata Ranch Eyewear.

They come in many styles--only two shown here--ranging from silver concho to turquoise nugget to found-image vintage cowgirl, and more. Each pair is hand-decorated.

Gotta make a point of showing you the vintage cowgirl motif, because it picks up on a style that, as I've been saying, is a current designer favorite. (Great for me, because I'm now of an age where I AM a vintage cowgirl, haha...but also great for me because it's a look I've fancied for some time on my own.)

These sunglasses are one way to protect your eyes while blinding 'em with cowgirl bling! 

Denver Market: Trends in Western Boots, Part 2

Ariat was among the boot/apparel makers showing its lines at the Denver Market, and our Equine Network gang got a personalized tour of what their designers have been busy creating.

Many of Ariat's styles caught my eye, including the new Ranchbaby that comes in three colors--brown bomber (Style #10005911--distressed leather with blue stitching on the tops), black deertan (Style #10005912), and brown rebel (Style #10005913, dark brown tops with lighter-colored  stitching).

This promises to be a terrific all-around boot at a great price point ($99.95). It features a full-grain leather foot and suede shaft, 8" tops, plus ProCrepe Light sole and Duratread heel for longer wear. The wide, square toe puts in squarely in style, too. And don't let the term "crepe" fool you, because these are crepe-soled boots you CAN safely ride in, thanks to the boot technology that Ariat is famous for. As a matter of fact, this boot is designed to be a performance riding boot as well as a comfy walk-about boot.

Along with its multiple lines of short, pull-0n styles (Ranchbaby, Probaby, Fatbaby, Rodeobaby, Gembaby), Ariat also makes a host of other Western (and English) footwear. Check them out here.

Denver Market: 'Fashion Tack' is Big

Once upon a time, horse tack was divided, basically, between work/everyday, and silver-adorned show tack.

Now, horse tack has a level  of fashionability to it as well, where it's possible to coordinate all kinds of colors and motifs (same ones seen in boots) into a full statement of personal expression. From peace signs to purple crystals, from animal prints and tattoo stamping to colored exotic leathers and biker-chic or more, any fashion theme you might want to go with can probably be supported.

Think of it as tack for personal use, for matching up a drill team, for getting decked out for a mounted shooting event, or...whatever suits your fancy.

Many people think of Mayatex as an affordable source for solid saddle pads in many hues. However, this display of PATTERNED pads was evidence of a trend that I picked up on from various fronts--that of Hispanic-inspired design that also expresses color schemes that promise to be strong.

Note  the combo of turquoise/black (seen in boots, and other apparel), soothing blue tones, a bricky shade of red that can work with black OR browns, a from-nature shade of green, plus less-dark shades of brown than have been popular in recent seasons.

Pink, and various shades of rose and coordinates are still very strong, thanks in no small part to the "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" campaign supported by Wrangler. However, as Wrangler launches its new "National Patriot" program just announced at the Denver Market, expect to see a new emphasis on interpretations of red, white and blue.

Denver Market: Trends in Western Boots, Part 1

 Since I hardly own any footwear that isn't some kind of a Western boot, I was real keen on attending showings of the boot designs being offered by various bootmakers. I'll show you some examples of boot styles/trends you can expect to see soon at the retail level.

Nocona Boots style LD8903 is part of their Ladies Exotic collection. Note the cross motif in the stitching pattern of the 13" upper, plus the shade of red used in the upper, plus square toe, plus a muted tone of brown that Nocona calls 'mink' for the boot shaft--all stood out to me as hot design trends. The shafts are smooth ostrich (an exotic leather that's much more durable than you might think). These boots are going to match jewelry motifs and clothing colors also ready to hit the market, and with their non-clunky soles and ultra-current square toes, are a style you can wear in the show ring as well as for dress boots. They're set to retail for about $239. http://www.nocona.com/.

The black and turquoise boots are Tony Lama style VF3022. They are part of the 100% Vaquero Collection. Note the buckstitching on the 12" tops, and the lacing at the toe: these are retro-inspired design details that will be in stores soon. Note that this boot has a NARROW square toe, not a boxed square toe; this gives it a great silhouette for wearing with skirts, cropped pants, leggings, or narrow, tucked-in jeans. And, the black/turquoise color combo is a Western classic that's easy to coordinate around. Retail on these will be about $190. http://www.tonylama.com/.

The made-for-cute-comfort pair with the 8' red tops is Justin Boots style L9967 from the Justin Gypsy Cowgirl collection. They have chocolate ostrich print vamps, perforated saddle vamps, and a new square toe. The outsole is black rubber, and the insole has Justin's J-Flex comfort support system. The shortie tops harken back to cowgirl styles of the 1940s, and you'll be seeing that as inspiration for some other areas of fashion and decor.  Set to retail at about $80. http://www.justinboots.com/.

Thoughts & Photos from the Denver Market

Per info from the sponsoring Western English Sales Association (WESA), the annual January Denver Market "is the single largest trade show for Western apparel and accessories, tack, leather goods, animal health products, English apparel and equipment, and equestrian-related home decor, gifts and jewelry."

For anyone who attends this event, as I did last week and weekend, the statement above ceases to be hyperbole, and becomes a matter of fact. The Denver Market really does have to be experienced to be believed. And there's truly no way for one person to take it ALL in in just a couple of days.

It's why companies like The Equine Network, of which H&R is a part, send delegations whenever possible. So much to see, so many to network with, so much to take in and process, that one representative just isn't enough. Several other Equine Network colleagues attended as well, the better for us to take more in.

A few highlights, as captured on the fly between appointments, receptions, style shows, and planned introductions (not to mention a WHOLE lotta lookin' at what you'll be seeing in stores by spring and by next fall):

* You are very likely to rub elbows with horse-world celebrities once your credentials (seller, buyer, media, for example) get you past the front door and into the labyrinth of booths and showrooms. In one snapshot, there's world champion trainer Bob Avila (brown shirt/natural-tone hat, next to his gesturing wife, Dana), at a meet-and-greet table in the Farnam booth; in another snapshot, I managed to interrupt the conversation that clinician/RFD-TV star Julie Goodnight (Western hat/blue shirt) is having at the Circle Y booth.

* The show is so vast that you must prepare to do a LOT of walking, all day long. Veterans bring briefcases and fold-up shopping carts on wheels. The briefcases are for doing business, the fold-up carts are for everything from hand-out literature (you end up with pounds of it) to the personal goodies you may find and buy from vendors who offer sample sales or cash-and-carry.

* It is VERY cool--as you might rightly expect!--to be privy to styles and trends just as they're being revealed to store buyers and to the media. I'll be giving you guys a separate report/post on some of that. Stay tuned!

 

Denver Market: It's Something You Have to See to Believe

I'm in Colorado for the annual Denver Market, the Western and horse-gear trade show that's the granddaddy of them all. Any brand you can think of is here, showing its new lines and perennial best sellers, and taking orders from the retailers who run America's tack and Western stores.

It's hard to grasp just how big this event is. The show takes place at the Denver Merchandise Mart and annexed buildings. The main Mart building is four stories of showrooms. On each floor, if you walked down every corridor and past each showroom, you'd cover a mile. It's impossible to see every vendor's wares in a day.

It's also hard to not suffer from sheer merchandise overload. Tens of thousands of boot styles...more saddles than you could sit in if you worked at it for a week...halters, headstalls, saddle pads, horse blankets...room after room after room of Western hats...vendors debuting the upcoming fashions for the show ring...JEANS, OMG!...Western shirts, vests, jackets, T-shirts, fancy outerwear...Western-themed housewares, furniture, and decor items...more jewelry and bling than you ever dreamed existed...and then there are the showrooms themselves, many of which are Western worlds unto themselves and designed to look like saloons, stagecoach stops, ranch bunkhouses, Old West main streets, etc.

This doesn't even get us to the fine sport of people-watching. Every Western style and combination thereof is represented by the thousands of buyers, sellers, and media reps who qualify to get past the front door. (The show is not open to the general public--you have to apply for credentials to attend.) Until you've seen it for yourself, you simply cannot imagine the personal costuming walking around in the Mart's set of multiple buildings--nor what it's like to be critically scanned, from toe to head (your footwear gets the first look) by virtually everyone you encounter.

No matter how great your Western wardrobe, there is just no way to win the best-dressed award here. EVERYONE is in his or her finest and most fully accessorized duds.

Today, I'll take my camera and attempt to record a few scenes from this merchandise extravaganza. I'll also hope to squeeze in a little time for sample shopping--one of the perks of being here.