I have a confession to make… I don’t rodeo. But I’ve started dressing like I do. Or at least my feet have.

Why Western you ask?  Well, it comes down to what’s on the box. As you know, Gossip Girl was the fash-spiration behind my pale blue hued jeans. And once again the stylist team behind a TV show have inspired me. This time to cowboy boot scoot (purchase). (Thankfully my Vampire Diaries watching phase didn’t provide ensemble inspiration. Fangs don’t go with anything. Just look at Dracula. Or don’t. He looks crazy. And he bites. Also, what’s with the cape? Seriously. What’s going through a bloodthirsty guy’s mind when he selects a full length cape as his go-to going out gear?… Probably that it matches his fangs.)

Back to the boots… My TV is currently playing a show called Nashville. Tune in for the best cowboy boot showcase on the planet. Plus excellent drama with a country music twang. Or… If you don’t like drama/country music, press the mute button and just watch for the boots and Connie Britton’s hair. It’s the best in show. By a country mile. Sorry. Too many country puns? Either way it’s 40 minutes of couch time very well spent.

Okay, so now you’ve Goggled and found the Nashville series stills. Don’t let the pics of Hayden Panettiere pairing cowboy boots with daisy dukes and a Tight, sparkly corset scare you. She plays an ambitious country/pop singing star in the show. So unless that’s the role you play in real life, that’s not the look I’m talking about.

The cowboy boot ensemble I’m loving is the trans-seasonal boots with skirt/shorts/dress/jeans & singlet combo – keeps you warm but not so warm that you have to hit the ice rink to stop the sweat.  (Although… This is actually a super fun activity. Take a seat rink side and enjoy the razzle dazzle of the ice dancers. Yes. That’s where all the sequins and lycra went.)

I started my cowboy boot search local. And discovered my ‘hoods idea of cowboy is a horse riding ankle boot. Which I understand you must be a card carrying Polo Club member to wear. Or, at the very least consider Polo a sporting rather than champagne drinking event.  So I moved my cowboy boot hunt online.

And found a fabulously authentic looking American western online store (it’s probably based in New York City) and purchased from a brand (guy?) called Tony Lama. I liked the sound of Tony. Solid. Dependable. Real. Exactly how cowboy boots should be.

Tony’s boots arrived and they are all that and a bag of chips. Which incidentally could have also fit into box they arrived in. It’s Large. And has the American flag and AUTHENTIC in bold large type on it. I feel a wild west yee-ha thrill just looking at it… Packaging aside, I can’t believe how comfortable the boots are and how rad they look. I heard real cowboys even sleep in theirs. I would have tried that out, but I’m pretty sure my husband’s not going to be on board with sleeping on the floor. Because Tony is taking up all the room in the bed. Three’s a crowd.

If you’re not ready to go the whole hog (sorry… can’t stop the puns) with real deal cowboy boots, the high street and high end designers do some excellent work in lo-fi cowboy inspired boots. Like Isabel Marant… She’s French. The French don’t rodeo. Ever. But she designs a killer cowboy inspired boot and all the It gals wear hers. In the city.  Case in point: Kate Bosworth, casually riding the Isabel Marant lo-fi cowboys city-side.

Jump on that band/hay wagon people and enjoy the ride!