Aug 9, 2012

Big-Ass Belt Buckles

"Western-Style" belt buckles have become a popular fashion accessory today. To those around you they say flare, they say style, and they say, well, basically anything you can think to write on them. These buckles have been worn by everyone from Presidents of the United States to that guy some people wished had been president- Willie Nelson. Next Friday, show up to the Whiskey for My Men, Beer for My Horses fundraiser wearing a "big-ass belt buckle" to get $5 of your admission!

But wait  Big-ass belt buckles?
Jack Daniel's Big-Ass Belt Buckle
It was rumored that the belt buckle was invented in the sixteenth century by Italian Blacksmith Tomaso Kellioni. His buckles served a purely practical purpose- fastening boots, shoes, and pants. However, it was discovered that buckles were actually first worn in Asia during in the second and third century B.C. Make no mistake, though this was the Asian Bronze Age, belt buckles were made of silver and gold and were only worn by the most wealthy and unassuming fashionistas. But before the belt buckle evolved into a conscious fashion statement the design had to expand from being simply an expensive mechanism for holding up ones pants.

Old West Ranch Hands

Today the "Western Belt Buckle" or the "Cowboy Belt Buckle" has become a staple of popular imaginings of the American West and likewise a significant item in Western-American folk lore. But in actuality, most cowboys of the old west wore suspenders and not buckles to hold up their trousers. Some argue that popular notions of cowboys and belt buckles are inventions of early Hollywood. In westerns like these, buckles began to emerge from set closets everywhere to set apart the personality and status of the wearer. And since their induction into Hollywood the trend of the big-ass belt buckle has flourished, finding its way into the military, the rodeo, couture, rap music, and finally the FAC's WHISKEY III! 

Fri., August 17 | 6 - 9 p.m.
Non-members $25 (FAC Members $20) — $5 discount if you wear a big-ass belt buckle
Tickets online, Box Office 719.634.5583, or at the door

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