FeaturesB-Western Retro
Making ANOTHER Comeback on the Cowboy Scene
THE WESTERN SHIRT OR the B-Western Shirt as some call it today is an offshoot of the costumes worn by America’s famous Western actors beginning in the early 1930’s. Back then these colorful and distinctly “Western” shirts were created for actors such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, John Wayne and Clark Gable by custom tailors like Fay Ward, Nudie Cohn, Nathan Turk, and “Rodeo Ben” Lichtenstein. Unless you were a big star or willing to part with a big bundle of greenbacks, these shirts were few and far between. As the years rolled on, the Western shirt became popular out west as it conveyed the stature and demeanor of the true American Cowboy.
It didn’t take long for clothing manufacturers to catch the wave and ride it for more than 75 years. Companies like Miller Western Wear, Rockmount Ranch Wear, H Bar C, Levi Strauss & Company, Karman, Inc and Westmoor manufactured the colorful and distinctly unique shirts that began appearing at dude ranches, rodeos and other western cultural occurrences. Visitors to the “Wild West” from back east eventually brought the shirts to the big cities and the colorful fashion trend spread worldwide. The Western Shirt hit the big time in the late 70’s when John Travolta was adorned in them in the film Urban Cowboy. Western clothing of all kinds nationwide left the shelves in record numbers by consumers who could not get enough of the fad that particular movie brought to the nation. But by the early 80’s the fad had faded and the B-Western shirt slipped quietly back into history.
But now hold on little doggie, it’s making another comeback! For cowboys of the 21st century the shirt is re-emerging in a fashion trend called Retro. In fact it has become a big part of the Cowboy Action Shooting phenomenon with a high predominance in Cowboy Mounted Shooting. With the relaxing of the dress rule by the major shooting organizations, the B-Western or Retro shirt is the perfect accompaniment to the blue jean and chaps crowd and it does wonders to dress up that Old West design so popular among a large contingent of shooters. And who might you ask is responsible for its major resurgence and reintroduction, none other than Scully.
Dan Scully, owner of Scully Apparel is the largest manufacturer of Old West Clothing and now the B-Western Shirt. A long time supporter of both Cowboy Action and Mounted Shooting, Scully has his finger on the pulse of this emerging trend and has pulled out all stops to create the festive and colorful garments made so popular by the cultural vestiges of our Western past. Complete with snaps, colorful front and back yokes and creative designs, cuff and pocket treatments, the Scully retro shirts bring back the early days of the Western movie with today’s modern quality and comfort in a variety of different materials.
Scully is not new to this. The company is proud of its heritage which dates back to 1906…. a time when the “Old West” was in its infancy. In those days, Dan Scully, Sr. would trot off on a selling trip in his horse and buggy, often having to wait for low tide to ford a river. They made gloves and fine leather jackets. They later made flight jackets and flying helmets during WWI & WWII for the pilots. They now have clothing from all periods of the American West. From traditional old west shirts, jackets, vests and pants in their Wah Maker and Rangewear line, to contemporary rockabilly embroidered western cowboy shirts. Scully is one of the premier vintage style western shirt makers in the country. Their Wah Maker clothing line is the recognized leader in the design and manufacture of authentic old west clothing and they are the official clothier of SASS and the CMSA.
When asked what goes into a Scully B-western shirt, Dan Scully explains they use a variety of materials including silk and suede. Each shirt is decorated with everything from snap buttons and smiley pockets, to tone on tone patterns and contrast piping. “We make our shirts using only the finest materials, the way these type of shirts have been made over the years,” says Dan.
When Scully first began making the shirts they adapted themes such as cactus, Wild West, floral, musical, sports and even bowling. And it wasn’t just Western minded folks buying the shirts with the rock & roll crowd making a heavy dent in sales nationwide. Some of their best sellers are shirts with patterns translated into embroidery from actual tooled leather. Scully also uses material such as sueded fabrics and lots of contrasts. Dan notes that men make up the largest contingent of buyers, although women do purchase a major portion of Scully’s offerings.
With More than 70 different styles in each of the men’s and ladies lines, the creativity never stops. “The production and creation of new styles is never ending,” says Scully. “We just keep coming up with new ideas all the time and we love what we’re doing.”
The B-Western shirt is appearing more and more at mounted shoots around the country and can be purchased at almost any western wear store or on the net. It’s a great trend with a lot of American history. Two great books on the subject include Western Shirts, A Classic American Fashion by Steven E. Wail and G. Daniel DeWeese published by Gibbs Smith and 100 Years of Western Wear by Tyler Beard and Jim Arndt also published by Gibbs Smith.
Take a look at the extensive line of B-Western Retro shirts at scullyinc.com.  Related posts:
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Could you let me know the address for Scully shirts since I’d like to contact them regarding a shirt I bought in Sedona, Arizona when I was on holiday there please.
Many thanks, Mike