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Country Cocktail Attire?

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66K views 99 replies 27 participants last post by  Bjorn  
#1 ·
I'm a traditional North Eastern traditional dressed man. I wear bow ties, tweed, seersucker in the Summer. I know how to wear a kilt for Scottish themed events, but I've been invited to a wedding in Montana at a Ranch and the attire requested is "Country Cocktail" with comfortable shoes for walking around the ranch. I am completely out of my comfort zone.

The first action I took was to go to a local haberdashery (yes, that's really what the place calls itself, in Newark, no less!) and bought a cowboy hat. As an aside, Orange, N.J. is the original home of stetson hats. Go figure.

I don't have anything that makes any sense to go with a cowboy hat. I'm kind of wishing I'd just gone with a seersucker suit and straw boater and owned my "city slicker from the East" traditional style.

Any idea how one should dress in "country cocktail" attire with a cowboy hat without looking like an extra from Bonanza? Or is the idea to look like an extra from Bonanza?

I don't own cowboy boots and will not dress in all black - I don't think I have anything black except socks and a tuxedo. Although, I would buy cowboy boots if I thought I could wear them with the hat and something non-embarassing between them.

Help!

Jersey Boy
 
#3 ·
Skip the cowboy hat, put on some jeans, a flannel shirt, a tweed jacket, and some comfortable boots than look half-decent.
 
#5 ·
It's in the Summer!
Light jeans or chinos, gingham shirt, chukkas, lightweight and "rustic" sports coat. Skip the cowboy hat, go for something like a panama.
 
#9 ·
Okay. I think I have all of that except the panama hat. I REALLY want to wear the hat I bought today. But, it's still today. That impulse may fade.

Thanks!
Honestly, that'd probably mark you the most as a yankee city-slicker. I imagine you'd feel self-conscious wearing it and that would be pretty evident, plus you haven't had any time to knock the new off of it. It's like someone showing up in their brand new Nantucket reds and feeling embarrassed to be wearing "salmon" pants.
 
#12 ·
My first thought at "country cocktail" made me think tweed suit with a knitted tie and brown double-soled Norwegians or wing-tips. That's what I would wear to dress up in the country as opposed to the city. But I have no idea what one should wear on a ranch in Montana.
We live in the the same fantasy world. "Country Cocktails?" Of course, I'll be dressed like the cast of Downton Abbey on a deer stalk. Shall I have my man bring the pick-a-nick baskets, or will they be provided, tut tut.

I don't think that's the idea in Montana at. all.
 
#15 ·
Honestly, that'd probably mark you the most as a yankee city-slicker. I imagine you'd feel self-conscious wearing it and that would be pretty evident, plus you haven't had any time to knock the new off of it. It's like someone showing up in their brand new Nantucket reds and feeling embarrassed to be wearing "salmon" pants.
I'm definitely noting the location of the posters: Reuben, from Georgia, advises against the cowboy hat. Noted.

The funny thing about this hat is that it doesn't have any band on it besides a thin ribbon. I think that'll be the give away even if I break it in between now and the wedding by wearing it daily. (Causing everyone in New Jersey to think I've lost my mind.) How do you get a cool hat band? Do I want one, really?

I'm not really planning to look like I'm not a yankee. I think everyone there will be visiting from areas far outside Montana. There is a branch of the family from Hawaii who will probably be wearing Hawaiian "dress shirts" with a cowboy hat. That can't be helped.

I have to decide how to be the dude from New Jersey at a dude ranch.

All hat, no car jacking.
 
#17 ·
My father's favorite hat has a rattlesnake band with the rattle sticking up like a feather would.
 
#20 ·
Hmm. Nice. If I had that, nothing else would matter. Are there even rattlesnakes in Montana?

Did they legalize marijuana? That would mellow out the whole situation.
You did ask for it . .

https://www.rattlesnakebelts.com/

This is where I got my belt, and I believe it's where he got his hat band. It's local-ish to my hometown. You'd probably have to call and do a special order for the band, though.
 
#22 ·
There are rattle snakes in Montana. I just Googled it.

https://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ARADE02120.aspx

Also, pot is semi-legal:

So, I'll definitely bring my harmonica. Not sure what that has to do with clothes, but it just seems like a good idea given the whole cowboy hat/rattlesnake/pot/comfortable shoes/country cocktail mish mash that this is.

And, keep posting. It's all appreciated.
 
#24 ·
"Country cocktail attire"? With respect to your host, it baffles me why people make up dress codes whole cloth and do not simply spell out what they want from their guests. Miss Manners may not approve, but it's better than slinging around confusing terminology or using a traditional dress code that doesn't actually convey the desired effect. (Such as the case of another OP's situation with "black tie" being used incorrectly.)
 
#25 ·
1. Ask the hostess what she thinks the other men will be wearing. 2. I think this is to be cocktail attire with a bit of a theme bent, so a suit of some kind, unless you are told most won't be in suits. I would take "country " as style influence, and "cocktail " as the level of formality. Better to be overdressed, than underdressed. Never show up to a wedding in jeans, unless you're told to, or the theme makes it obvious. Never show up on chinos unless you're told to, or it's on a break.

I suggest a suit in a country colour. You could go for something more versatile, like sand, that could be worn in the summer the rest of the year. If avoid blue and grey suits, of course. Perhaps accessories like a big belt buckle, or a bolo tie, would be appropriate.

But, the most courteous thing to do, is to ask the hostess.