Bolo: the Tie that won the west

Have you ever seen Texans or Arizonians wearing what looks like a thin leather thong around their necks leading from a buckle at the shirt collar? If so you’ve probably thought it dates back to the Wild West. That’s what I thought until a little research revealed quite a surprise. It’s called a Bolo or Bola and proclaimed the official neckwear for Arizona. This must be one of the most original American styles, the Converse All Star being another; ironically its advent was the outcome of an accident. Had it not been for the loss of a hat in the wind and a quick thinking Arizonian, the style would never have come to fruition? It’s a bit like the story about the advent of the first school tie, another accidental style, which also involved hats and hat bands.

In the late 1940s, a silversmith named Victor Cedarstaff went riding with friends in the Bradshaw Mountains outside Wickenburg, Arizona. When the wind blew his hat off, Cedarstaff removed the hatband, which had a silver buckle he did not want to lose, and put it around his neck.

When his friends complemented him on the new apparel, Cedarstaff returned home, and wove a leather string. He added silver balls to the ends and ran it through a turquoise buckle.

Cedarstaff later patented the new neckwear, which was called the bolo because it resembled the lengths of rope used by Argentine gauchos to catch game or cattle.

Now mass-produced, and bolos are usually made of leather cord, with a silver or turquoise buckle. They are common throughout the west and are often worn for business. In 1971 Arizona legislature named the bolo the official state neckwear.

These fascinating innovations are what make the evolution of style and the progress of fashion through the ages so unique. No experience necessary; a man creates neckwear after his hat blows off in the wind.