Duds - Again

Couple of weeks ago, I was talking about buying some new duds.  I had ordered a pair of trousers and a shirt from Wild West Mercantile.  I wore them this weekend at the Invitational, and I'm here to provide a usage review.

Blue-Eyed Belle and Major D

Let's start with the hat:  It's a standard bit of Cav HOO-AH, immediately recognizable on any Army post in the world.   While the maker of the hat is lost to the mysteries of our modern supply system, it is a black slouch hat.  The brass is modern, purchased from the US Cavalry Store.  The hat may not be period correct, but I've earned the right to wear everything that's on it.  I may look around for more period correct accouterments, or I may not.

The shirt is from Frontier Classics.  It's a four-button pullover.  I ordered the 2X size and it was plenty large to cover my expansive belly.  Very nice shirt, extremely comfortable.

The gunbelt is by El Paso Saddlery.  Lots of folks overlook El Paso Saddlery, but I like their leather.  This belt is a #2 Texas belt.  The holster comes from Ken's Leathercraft.  It's his standard Quick Draw Holster.  It's very affordable at $70.00 and lots of people use Ken's work.  His holsters are quality competition holsters and you'll see them all over the circuit.  How he can build a complete rig for $130.00 is a mystery, but he makes very good leather.

The trousers are also Frontier Classic.  They're a button-fly with suspender buttons.  The only length they ship is 36", so be prepared to cut them to length and hem them.  They seem to be good, sturdy trousers made of denim.  Mine are black, but they come in various colors.

What surprised me about the outfit was how comfortable it is.  Really, truly comfortable.  This is an outfit I could wear all day, every day.  Maybe the folks who wore these clothes back in the 19th century knew something that we have forgotten.  If I buy several more of these outfits, I may cut up my modern bluejeans for shop rags.  Or, more likely, I'll simply buy suspender buttons and cut the belt loops off.