This spiderweb boot was made by the Champion Boot Company. It doesn’t look particularly dated now, because in August 1964 it was ahead of its time.
The Western Horseman’s Gear Guides always came out in May. That’s the issue where you’ll find the best cowboy boot advertising and old-timey descriptions. You know, back when boots were made in rich colors of “amber and pie-crust.”
I was going to write a blog post this morning… but this is so much better. Go to David Rogerson’s flickr page and read his photo caption about “waiting.” It’s perfect.
Then go and read some more. Meet some of the all-stars of bootmaking. Visit Texas boot shops in San Antonio, Austin, Lampasas, up to Abilene. Dave does a beautiful job of storytelling. You feel like you were there… then you’re a little sad you weren’t.
“A picture’s worth a thousand words,” that’s what people like me say when we’re being lazy. Enjoy.
(Photo by Mr. David Rogerson.)
Overlay:
A decorative technique that adds layers of leather on top of a boot top. Overlay can be quite delicate, like filagree or scrolling, and is often combined with inlay.
Sometimes a bootmaker will place cotton batting or additional leather behind a piece of overlay in order to give it a raised or “puffed” quality. Overlay can be stitched using large or tiny pieces of leather.
Here… see how the thorny black leather is stitched onto the the red leather boot top? See how the petal of the yellow rose is stitched layer upon layer? Overlay can give a cowboy boot a wonderful carved or sculpted texture.
Photo by Marty Snortum. Boot top by Dave Little’s Boot Company (San Antonio, TX.)
(This photo glossary is a new feature on my website. Let me know what you think! …using the comments below. And, you can send me an email suggesting which bootmaking terms I tackle next.)
I like sawtooth inlay.
Look at the rows of stitching, in the many colors. How many? Maybe, 4? The thread gives a warm glow to that blast of white inlay. Bid (or buy) on eBay.
I think “triad” cowboy boots are once again picking up speed. So, what is a triad boot?
A triad boot is a cowboy boot made with three piece construction rather than the traditional four. In this style of boot, there is no heel counter. The boot top extends all the way down to the sole, and the vamp stops inches short of the boot’s side seams, giving this style the look of overlay.
In the 1980’s these were a popular style of dress boot. A couple of attributes make them fancy.
One, when you take away the fender stitching and the heel counter …the vertical styling of these make a girl’s legs look longer, not unlike a pair of uncuffed pants.
Two, these boots work well with exotic and extravagant materials. Since the vamp doesn’t wrap around the sides of the cowboy boot, you can showcase a lizard, snake or stingray skin without extra seams or patchwork piecing.
Today’s triad styles feature hand tooled leather and buck stitching. A new shorthand for luxury. Heritage Boot does a great job of filling their boot tops with stitchwork and balancing the weights of the contrasting leathers (see photo.) I like that.
Sheplers, Timsboots.com and eBay each have a selection of triad cowboy boots, go take a look.
“Riding High”
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.: President Ronald Reagan shows off his triad cowboy boots after signing the largest budget and tax-cutting measure in U.S. history August 13, 1981 at his “Rancho del Cielo” ranch. Reagan called it “only the beginning” as he set his economic recovery program in motion with the signing at the ranch, where he was vacationing.
CREDIT: UPI 8-21-81 Ron Bennett …purchased on eBay. (Zoom)
