I never really subscribed to the saying that the clothes make the man, but I do recognize the importance of a good hat. You see, I have always been a pretty simple dresser in most ways. The clothes that I wear tend towards cowboy western wear, but I am hardly a “rhinestone cowboy”. Mostly, I wear jeans, boots, a comfortable work shirt, and a thick leather belt with a buckle. My Stetson cowboy hat, however, is my pride and joy. I would never go anyplace without it.
It might seem strange to people now, but it was not so long ago when everyone wore hats. You see, a broad-brimmed hat is a practical thing. It shields you from the sun, keeps you cool when it gets hot and warm when it gets cold, and cuts down on glare. With all of these benefits, I can’t see why more people don’t wear cowboy hats! Everywhere I go, I see people either hatless or with a baseball cap on their heads. I get compliments on my cowboy hat from time to time, but I also get a fair number of strange looks. People even ask me if I am an actor, as if western wear were some exotic costume!
Still, my cowboy hat can be counted on to impress the people who I want to impress. You can tell a lot about people by the way that they dress. I like to think that my choice of clothing says a little bit about the person that I am. It says that I am a practical, hands-on type of guy, not vain, but proud of myself and the things that I have accomplished. A cowboy hat marks you as a sort of lone wolf – someone who values the approval of friends but does not need it to get by. I’m someone willing to go my own way.
I don’t mind seeing kids dressing in cowboy party hats. When I was a kid, I loved to dress up like a cowboy and have imaginary gunfights in the street. Even so, there is a difference between a real cowboy hat and a costume. A good, solid, leather hat will last for a long time and be fine to wear in any season. I don’t think of it as dressing up. To me, it is just a simple, sensible, good-looking accessory. I don’t feel like myself without it.
Cowboy hat
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