“I was pretty darn pleased!”
I bought the cowboy shirt in a vintage shop in London that specialises in Western-style gear. It’s fun to shop vintage since you can get high-end clothes at low prices. I’d been looking for a proper cowboy shirt for years. So I was pretty darn, rootin’ tootin’ pleased to find it!
In the old West, cowboy shirts were mostly worn by rodeo riders and designed to be flamboyant. Each one was a one-off garment tailor-made to the wearer’s preference.
When I wear my cowboy shirt, I feel like I’ve been transported back to the wild frontiers. I’ve always fancied wrangling cattle or riding a bull at a rodeo!
In more recent times, cowboy shirts have become basic attire in country and western music. But, in the 70s, they crossed over into rock. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Motorhead – they are just a few of the wild men who felt the draw of the Wild West.
“I feel like I’m in Miami Vice”
My uncle David gave me this Armani suit. It’s from the 80s, obviously. An art teacher with a flamboyant dress sense, he generously passed down much of his old wardrobe to me. This suit is my favourite. It makes me feel like I’m in Miami Vice.
With Michael Mann as showrunner, the series was perfect for the MTV-era, blasting out pop as the guns went bang. But the show was iconic in its fashion. Undercover cops, Crockett and Tubbs, dressed in ways that a visually-impaired drug dealer could have spotted.
Even today, influenced by Don Johnson’s look, some lads still roll up their jacket sleeves or wear loafers without socks. So, you know, call the fashion police.
