RM owns a six-hundred piece, fifty-years-in-the-making cowboy clothing collection with vintage leather jackets and tooled western belts. She’s seventy now, so it’s time to sell these objects. She’s in luck! 2026 is the Year of the Cowgirl, especially in the American West at California’s music festivals. Classic western boots, hats, denim, and endless fringe work are fashionably paired with crop tops, bohemian dresses, tiny shorts, and Western belts. She prides her vast collection of belts.
RM portrays three of her belts set against a leather turquoise dress and fringed beaded jacket from the 1970s. One belt is braided horsehair with a massive rodeo-style German silver buckle. Known also as Nickel silver, this is a copper-nickel-zinc alloy with no silver content. The other is an embroidered Mexican vaquero ranch belt. The third is a cobra head snake belt with red glass eyes. All originated in the mid-20th century.
These Western belt’s creation dates to the early 19th century work of Mexican craftspeople. The intricate embellishments act as both symbols of identity and utilitarian tools for supporting requisite gear around the waist. Riders found suspenders difficult to wear on horseback, making the belt necessary, so trousers acquired belt loops.
Enter the Rodeo
The advent of competitive rodeo culture in the late 19th century took the western belt a step further. The buckle became bright silver, engraved, and oversized—the “trophy” for rodeo winners. Conchos of silver first appeared as buckle fasteners on saddles and bridles. On a man’s belt these engraved rodeo buckles became symbols of identity and achievement in the 1920s and ‘30s. Hollywood noticed, and Gene Autry popularized the cowboy style of tooled leather belts and large silver buckles. Autry’s museum in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park features his belt and buckle collection. The museum includes a collection once belonging to Pat Garrett (1850-1908), the man who shot Billy the Kid.
I located another museum focused on the Western belt in Cody, Wyoming: The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a Smithsonian affiliate. Their exhibition Spur of the Moment, runs until March 15, 2026, at the McCracken Research Library, and features buckles and belts through the years. Montana Silversmiths, the maker of RM’s buckle, will design a custom buckle, even if you’re not a winner of a bull riding or barrel racing contest.
Cowgirl Style In 2026
The first 20th century “wave” of cowboy fashion happened in the 1970s with Southwestern style. Much of RM’s collection dates to that vintage. Cowgirl style 2026 is popularized at rodeos and music festival, arguably made famous by Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album.
Here are the style’s features:
- Calf-clinging knee high, or short classic cowboy boots, decorated, tooled, or fringed.
- Denim! The darker the better; high rise, straight legged pants, denim jackets and blazers, fringed, and paired with Western vests in colors of camel brown, ivory, rust, and indigo.
- Western belts, tooled, with extravagant buckles which are concho-shaped (a shape created by the Navajo) or rodeo style in German silver. These belts carry engravings: the date of a rodeo or festival, Future Farmers of America livestock events, a contest name, and often the name of the prize awarded. These buckles are the reverse “pin” type, allowing for a greater surface area for words and designs. On the other hand, the essential elements of a classic belt buckle are the frame, the bar, and the prong, which work together to fasten the belt on a leather strap. Materials ranging from simple metals like steel and brass, to zinc alloys for durability and decorative finishes. The most prized buckles are made of chased sterling silver.
- Fringed leather and Western belts are worn on top of bohemian flowing cotton dresses or short shorts, and velvet blouses.
- Simple, minimal, clean lined felt cowboy hats, and button-down oxford-style shirts, with Zuni fabric accents.
- An important element is long wavy hair – and loads of makeup, turquoise Native American sterling silver jewelry and bolo ties, and the occasional fur piece. Legs are long and boots have heels. The jeans must accent the posterior and the waists are cinched. The ‘look’ is not dusty or muddy working cowgirl. Instead, think of that young attractive horsewoman who proudly carries the American flag; she rides out and negotiates a large circle in the competition ring, announcing the beginning of a rodeo.
The value of RM’s six-hundred-piece cowgirl collection? Almost Priceless!