Cowboy boot, with its unique design, has become functional and folklore in modern-day pop culture. From the US presidents to Hollywood actors, everyone has worn cowboy shoes. Thus, these shoes have become quite a trend in our daily life.
As a result, many people consider it to wear even as a formal or casual business shoe. But are cowboy shoes acceptable for business casual?
Well, this has a tricky answer.
Let us be honest with it; cowboy boots aren’t welcome as a business casual in most workplaces in most offices. However, Texas, due to its ranch culture, has embedded cowboy boots in its daily life. Similarly, many offices and workplaces will accept cowboy boots as business boots with proper dressing. So, you need to consider your office culture to decide whether or not you should wear these boots as formal or business attire.
What's Inside:
Are Cowboy Boots Business Casual?
Before we answer this question, let’s check,” What does business or business casual attire mean?”
To put it shortly, business or formal dress means a formal outfit with regular suits, ties, and proper pair of boots. However, business casual is a mix of a formal look and casual attire. It refers to your rather casual look, but it must be presentable and shouldn’t violate the office and workplace culture. Also, you need to consider your colleagues and see what they are wearing.
With this being said, wearing cowboy boots as part of your casual business or business look is acceptable if your workplace approves it. You can pair the cowboy boots with suits even for business and official meetings. But make sure your office doesn’t have any objection to it. If you find your office complaining about your cowboy boots, you shouldn’t wear them.
Also, look at how your workmates dress up during office days and different occasions at the workplace. If they, too, are going with somewhat casual looks with western boots, you should be okay with the cowboy boots.
Otherwise, it is better to avoid these boots in your workplace for a casual, formal, or business look to avoid embarrassment.
Also, ensure that your cowboy boots are in good condition before you pair them with your casual business dress. It should be neat and clean and match your attire. For example, you shouldn’t match a brown-colored shoe with black pants largely because it doesn’t look soothing.
Also, ensure that the shoe color is in appropriate condition. If the shoe is discolored and looks dirty, you must not wear it, at least in the workplace. No matter how expensive or fashionable your shoe is, it is enough to ruin your look and personality if it looks dirty.
You can read another article that explains if you can wear Birkenstocks sandals as business casual. You might like to learn this information.
Why Should You Wear Cowboy Boots?
Cowboy boots are nothing but a fancy pair of shoes for a casual and informal look for many people. Also, cowboy boots are no cheap item that you can get within a few bucks. In fact, these shoes will feel much like novelty unless you are accustomed to them.
However, fashionable people consider cowboy boots a must-have item for their wardrobe, and they even use them with their semi-formal appearance. These are often made of high-quality leather material; cowboy shoes always have the edge over other shoes. But when you look closely at these shoes, you will find them even better.
The main benefits of wearing leather cowboy shoes include:
Added height and protection:
If you are a shorter person, you will undoubtedly love the cowboy boots for a simple reason; it adds almost ½” height to your physical appearance. However, there are cowboy shoe designs that will add almost 2-inch height to your physical appearance.
And even for the shortest people, this is a lot of height. So, you can quickly get a taller look with cowboy shoes. It can help a better appearance during your business and official meetings and to create a good impression.
Plus, the premium leather of the cowboy boots is made for durability and comfort. It has enough thickness to protect your feet from moderate hazards. In fact, many people prefer wearing cowboy boots instead of their working boots as part of their style statement and protection. So, with the cowboy boots, you will get a 2-in-1 performance.
Versatile decoration and aesthetics:
Cowboy boots were designed to match the colorful life of ranch owners and cowboys. Thus, you will find these shoes in all styles, colors, and designs to meet every people’s taste in the plant. Although it is difficult to get a plain pair of cowboy shoes, its unique design certainly captivates our attention.
When you look at the boot’s portion visible from underneath your pieces of denim, it doesn’t only showcases a simple but something more. The premium leather tooling surely elevates your look and sets you apart from others.
On top of it, the thicker stitching with a contrasting color to the leather surely creates a different taste for each shoe wearer. You will hardly find two persons in the same area with the same cowboy shoe style and design. So, you may quickly create uniqueness in our workplace with cowboy boots.
Also, the vegetable dye used to give the unique color to the shoe makes it even more attractive, if not the most attractive. Thus, many people wear cowboy boots as part of their memory and attractiveness for particular reasons.
Unique and trendy:
There’s no denying that the western cowboy style boots are unique to Texan and Southwestern people mostly. The shoe never loses its trendy look and always brings a cool and fashionable vibe to your overall appearance.
Therefore, you will hardly find another guy wearing cowboy boots when you are outside Texas. It means you can create a unique style and also help people remember you. It is an easy way to create and highlight your identity at offices and workplaces.
Fun and different shapes:
One of the key differences between cowboy boots with regular ones is their uniqueness and difference in their shape. You can get these shoes in the following toe shapes:
- Traditional
- Square
- Rounded
- Snip
So, you can choose the right toe shape for a contoured and tailored fit to your feet. It exerts maximum comfort for all-day usability.
The tapered look is different and allows a dynamic shape and appearance of your feet. Thus, you will be less likely to face any pain and stress. On top of it, the toe sits nicely between thickness and thinness for added stability.
Tips on Wearing Your Cowboy Boots Appropriately:
The above discussion shows that cowboy boots aren’t classified as a standard pair of shoes. In fact, it has the farthest relation with formal attire. So, when you decide to wear these shoes for a casual business look and workplace, you need to be careful.
So, when you ask, “Are cowboy boots business casual?” you should know that these boots are nowhere close to a formal look. It means you have to pair the shoes carefully with your dresses to look presentable at offices and workplaces.
Many offices allow informal looks once a week or month allows employers to wear purely informal and semi-formal dresses. If it is the case with your offices too, you can experience different looks with it.
However, for pairing it with business or casual business suits, you have to be on your toes so that you don’t make a mess out of it.
But, fret not-
We have talked with fashion experts in this regard. We have prepared a list of what you can pair with cowboy boots for business casual and office looks.
- The cowboy boot goes best with the collared or polo T-shirts. You can choose a bright-colored polo t-shirt to pair with your black or brown cowboy shoes.
- Sometimes, pairing a white or light-colored shirt with dark jeans isn’t bad either. It should be enough to elevate your look and style. Make sure the color of your jeans contrasts your shirt and t-shirt colors.
- Also, fashion-conscious people suggest wearing these boots with patterned shirts and darker jeans for a bold and stylish appearance. However, patterned shirts may not be a good idea for workplaces unless your office has a fairly open dress culture.
- As for the color of the jeans, wearing dark-colored jeans is always preferable. Dark color jeans will also elevate the fashionable look of your cowboy shoes. If you wear too bright colored jeans, they won’t look stylish at all.
- Also, it would be best if you considered the fitting of your jeans. For instance, fashion-conscious people recommend using close-fitted jeans with cowboy shoes. If you wear loose-fitted jeans with cowboy shoes, it will look odd. Also, boot-cut jeans are fashionable that pair well with polo t-shirts and shirts.
- Next, especially in winter, you should try to wear leather jackets with cowboy shoes. The deep-colored jackets with black or brown cowboy shoes will truly uplift your look with excellent uniqueness.
- For belts, avoid thin belts. A broad belt with a larger buckle matches perfectly with the cowboy style. Also, you should match the belt’s color with your shoe color. For instance, if your shoe color is brown, the belt also should be brown color.
When you try these suggestions out with a good-quality cowboy shoe, you should get a perfect casual business look.
Tips on Picking the Right Cowboy Shoe for Business Casual Look:
When you choose cowboy shoes for the workplace and offices, you can’t just pick anything from the shoe store. Ensure that it has a proper fit, appearance, and durability.
For a casual business look, choose narrower toes and higher heels for the shoes. Nonetheless, broader toes’ aren’t bad either, given that you match it with the right dress. For the leather, ensure that it has premium quality. The leather also needs to be slightly flexible for comfortable wearing throughout the day at offices.
Next, look at the exclusive midsole and outsole design. It should be natural and comfy. The white welt stitches on the exotic leather shoes look stylish and are the most durable. But the welt design and bold colors are suitable for men. For women, neutral colors will be suitable. Shoe experts recommend choosing black, tan, and brown colors. Women may even try burgundy colors.
Final Words
Are cowboy shoes acceptable for business casual? Well, you can wear cowboy shoes as a business causal dressing if your office culture permits it. These shoes aren’t suitable for a classic formal look. Thus, you need to choose the right pair of dresses, belts, and the color of the shoes for a presentable and acceptable appearance at your workplace and office.
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Hello, I’m Kristin, the founder and main author of footwearsfact.com. I’ve been working as a footwear designer and have built a keen interest in different footwear problems, suggestions, and designing. I hope I’ll be able to serve your needs with my skillful team member.