Dress Shoes and Cowboy Hat?

Another search that landed a visitor to my "Cowboy Boots Tutorial" on my website. The searcher asks, "can I wear dress shoes with a cowboy hat?"

... and the searcher is from McKinney, Texas?

Really? ... the state with the most cowboy boot-wearing men in the U.S.? Really?

Well, I guess you "can," as it, yes, it is possible to wear a cowboy hat and dress shoes, but the real question is, why?

For so long I have blogged about having the freedom to choose to wear boots with dress clothes, urging guys to let go of their trepidations, fears of what others may say, and so forth ... so I guess I should not have a negative opinion about the other-way-around. That is, it is often perceived that cowboy boots are worn with casual, not business, attire. A cowboy hat is considered, inaccurately, as being a part of casual attire.

The opposite way of thinking is combining a "casual" cowboy hat with "business attire" dress shoes. Well, yeah, you can do that if you want. Probably few others do it, but that's their problem, not yours. Wear what you want! Even in Texas, there are no rules that require a man who wants to wear a cowboy hat that he must wear cowboy boots.

"Can" you wear dress shoes with a cowboy hat? Answer: yes.

The real question is, "do you want to?"

Well, that's up to you. Forget about what other people may say -- that is their problem, not yours. If you want to wear a cowboy hat with dress shoes, then go for it! Even in Texas. You will not be shot for wearing both. Even in Texas.

Life is short: wear what you want (but boots are better than silly ol' shoes... bleccchhh).