CASPER, Wyo. — Forget about the bad guys wearing the black hats and the good guys wearing the white.
That may work in the movies, but for the rodeo it just doesn't work.
"Black is still the most popular color," said Greg Carpenter, master hatter at Jackson Hole Hat Company.
For every cowboy there is a hat and a pair of boots.
And you can tell a lot about rodeo competitors by the hats and boots they wear.
For example, most bull and bronc riders prefer hats with lower profiles - a shorter crown and flat brim. Some still prefer a wider "cattlemen" crease on the crown, while Louis Taubert of Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters in downtown Casper said many are beginning to ask for a brick crease again. The brick crease is a square-shaped indentation on the crown instead of the more traditional style.
"That's the wonderful thing about Western wear," Taubert said. "It's classic. I can take a pair of boots from 30 years ago, bring them back and the young guys will go nuts for them now."
On the boot side, bull riders and saddle bronc riders may favor boots with higher riding heels. True to the swagger of bull riders, many of the most popular boots for them are brightly colored or intricately designed.
Most bronc and bull riders prefer boots with deep scallops so they can be removed easily if necessary.
"What they'll wear for competition and what they'll wear out on the town are two different things," Taubert said.
The riding heels serve a practical function while trying to stay in the saddle. Meanwhile, ropers will wear boots with thinner soles and a "roper" or Wellington heel. These heels have very little or no angle and are wider for when the rider needs to dismount.
Ropers also tend to favor more traditional cowboy hats. Taubert said the next generation of cowboys and rodeo stars have also started to revive older styles like the flat crowned, flat brimmed hats made popular by the spaghetti Westerns several generations ago. Lou Taubert's has also seen a growing number of cowboys come in for open crowned hats that have no creases in them.
Boot Barn assistant manager Sam Borden said that any boot with square toes and bright colors seems to be more popular than ever.
Western wear — especially boots and hats — seems to be taking on bolder patterns and colors, allowing for people to tailor their own style and look. And that's really the point, said Carpenter.
"Each hat should be molded to the person, and it has to match his or her personality or style," Carpenter said.
He started making hats about six years ago when the then-owner of the Jackson Hole Hat Company needed a helping hand. He's been making hats ever since.
Though his custom hats take an average of between 13 and 14 hours to make, they'll also stand up to the mud, dust and being stomped on by stock animals.
"I had one rider who had a horse step right on (the hat)," Carpenter said. "I cleaned it up and reshaped it. That's why you buy a good hat. It's like a part of you. It is important they last a long time."
Often rodeo contestants start off with one style of hat and then personalize it. Lou Taubert's keeps its Apollo steamer ready so it can hiss and belch steam for customizing creases and brims. It doesn't matter if the hat is straw or beaver pelt, each rider seems to want the hat to look just a bit different.
For Lou Taubert's and Boot Barn, the College National Finals Rodeo means hundreds of new customers and thousands of dollars' worth of business.
"It is like Christmas. It's our busiest time of year - from folks looking to be outfitted from hats to jeans to boots, to rodeo participants," said Boot Barn's Borden. "Sometimes we have cowboys running around in their underwear - we try not to let that happen, but it's wall-to-wall people and they're excited about new clothes and the rodeo."
Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com