Not everyone needs a cowboy hat. But if you’ve found yourself pricing out boots, listening to country music you swore you’d never like, bingeing the latest Taylor Sheridan drama, or wondering if you can pull off turquoise jewelry, it may be too late. Consider this your guide to Colorado’s Western-style ecosystem—from bespoke Aspen hatters to Denver institutions that have been outfitting cowboys for generations.

Read More: Inside the Eastern Colorado Cowboy Dynasty That Rules Rodeo

5280 June 2026
More From The Issue

Jump Ahead:

Where to Find Cowboy Hats in Denver

A tan cowboy hat from Kemo Sabe
Kemo Sabe. Photo by Paul Miller

Kemo Sabe

  • Where: 217 S. Galena St., Aspen; 227 S. Bridge St., Vail
  • Vibe: Ranch royalty

When your hat costs more than your ski pass, you’ve arrived. Kemo Sabe has a cult following among celebrities and mountain mavens, offering bespoke designs decked out with everything from diamonds to tiny daggers to exotic duck feathers. Find prime-real-estate storefronts in Aspen and Vail.

Tela Tequila

  • Where: 5505 W. 20th Ave., Suite 134, Edgewater
  • Vibe: Cosmic cowgirl

Less pony, all party, this vibe is more at home in the honky-tonk than on the range. Skip the pricey felt toppers and go for a cheeky trucker hat instead: At Tela Tequila, a bachelorette-core shop in Edgewater, you’ll find options stamped with lines like “This is my cowboy hat” and “Tini bit country.” Intricately stitched details add sparkle.

El Forastero

  • Where: 8246 E. Northfield Blvd., #1415, Denver (Central Park); 14200 E. Alameda Ave., Aurora
  • Vibe: Old-school wrangler

Colorado’s Western style has long been shaped by Mexican influence, and El Forastero, an apparel retailer with two metro-area locations (Central Park and Aurora), leans into that legacy by carrying brands like Richie Moon, a local label whose hats’ wider, upturned brims provide lots of shade.

Gift Shop at the Denver Art Museum

  • Where: 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, Denver (Golden Triangle)
  • Vibe: High-desert horse girl

The gift shop at the Denver Art Museum is full of beautifully crafted, Indigenous-made pieces. Instead of an oversize brim, try fastening a scarf featuring designs by Shoshone-Bannock tattoo artist Kira Murillo around your head. (Bonus: It’ll protect your hairdo and fit nicely under a riding helmet should you actually mount a steed.)

Where to Find Cowboy Boots in Denver

Black and purple cowboy boots from Lucky Bastard Custom Boots
Lucky Bastard Custom Boots. Photo by Paul Miller

Holly Henry Custom Boots

  • Where: Boulder
  • Vibe: Ranch royalty

Not in a rush? Good. The proprietor of Holly Henry Custom Boots in Boulder moves at the same pace as a trail ride. The Houston-born artist crafts each order by hand from sustainably sourced leather. (Don’t hem and haw too long, though—her waiting list is backed up to 2027.)

Lucky Bastard Custom Boots

  • Where: 2559 16th St., #101, Denver (LoHi)
  • Vibe: Cosmic cowgirl

A space cowgirl’s grounding piece should still feel out of this world. Make your vision reality at Lucky Bastard Custom Boots in LoHi, where Brian Tomajko and his team build boots from scratch. Go full whimsy with turquoise butterfly inlays, hand-tooled florals, or even cherry red leather dotted with tiny hearts.

Roper

  • Where: 16456 E. Airport Circle, Aurora
  • Vibe: Old-school wrangler

Roper-style boots are designed for function first, with a shape that stays steady in the stirrup. You don’t need a ranch job to wear them, but the point is, you could saddle up at any moment. Roper, a family-run, primarily online retailer, has outfitted the real deal for decades. Its Aurora HQ opens for occasional sales; keep an eye out on social media.

Midsommar Hat Co.

  • Where: 302 S. Main St., Unit C, Breckenridge
  • Vibe: High-desert horse girl

Midsommar Hat Co. in Breckenridge offers custom and ready-to-wear hats as well as high-quality footwear with “I discovered this” flair. Check out the bohemian boutique’s pairs from Fraulein Boot Company, whose distinctive designs are handmade in Mexico and inspired by ocotillo and prickly pear.

Where to Find Cowboy Clothing in Denver

A black shirt with red roses from Rockmount Ranch Wear
Rockmount Ranch Wear. Photo by Paul Miller

Stratton Robe Co.

  • Where: Online
  • Vibe: Ranch royalty

Pueblo designer Jordan Stratton is a character, and so are his robes. The fur on these high-fashion dusters might be faux, but the attitude is pure inheritance energy. Robes start at $375, but add velvet, satin, a duster slit, and pockets, and the price tag is closer to $850 for an heirloom-quality piece that gives land, legacy, and a lawyer on retainer.

Urban Cowgirl

  • Where: 2501 Dallas St., Suite 271, Aurora
  • Vibe: Cosmic cowgirl

If subtle isn’t on the mood board, head to Urban Cowgirl in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, where boots, spurs, and stars adorn oversize hoop earrings, bull heads decorate charm necklaces, and double-buckle Western belts tie it all together.

Rockmount Ranch Wear

  • Where: 1626 Wazee St., Denver (LoDo)
  • Vibe: Old-school wrangler

Rockmount Ranch Wear founder Jack A. Weil popularized the pearl-snap Western shirt in the 1930s after finding that snaps were safer for cowboys than snag-prone buttons. His flagship LoDo store is still a phenomenal place to find a button-down. Don’t leave without picking up a cotton bandanna bearing the brand’s proud motto: “Styled in the West by Westerners.”

Sweet Bird Studio

  • Where: 1711 Pearl St., Suite 101, Boulder
  • Vibe: High-desert horse girl

Artist and collector Nancy Anderson fills her Boulder shop, Sweet Bird Studio, with a rollicking mix of belt buckles, jewelry, and folk art. She calls it “spiritual hardware, wearable shrines, and sacred scraps,” which tracks—especially when you’re holding a turquoise-studded buckle that feels like it’s lived a few lives already.

Read More: