Montana Silversmiths is a big name thanks to their commitment to making stylish Western wear and accessories. With such good-looking, quality belt buckles and jewelry, it’s no surprise that Montana Silversmiths accessories are worn by so many cowgirls, cowboys and horse enthusiasts.

Montana Silversmiths: Belt Buckles

Montana Silversmiths belt buckles are a must-have accessory. At Allens Boots, we’re proud to carry a variety of these stylish buckles, including the 1840 Montana Silversmiths Medium Silver Engraved Buckle, the 5630 Montana Silversmiths Texas Buckle and the 11409RT Montana Silversmiths Oval Retro Steer Head Buckle. These are just a few of many to choose from, and there are both men’s Montana Silversmiths belt buckles and women’s Montana Silversmiths belt buckles. Surely, you’ll want to take care of your new Montana Silversmiths belt buckle, and here’s how. Simply wipe it with a damp cloth, and that should help the buckle keep its brilliance. Whatever you do, be sure to not use chemicals or abrasive materials to clean your Montana Silversmiths belt buckle, as it could be damaged.

Montana Silversmiths: Jewelry

Montana Silversmiths jewelry adds so much to an outfit. Ladies, pair a 2280 Montana Silversmiths Small Flat Rope Edge Buckle with your favorite jeans. Its silver oval and gold rope edge is a classic design. Montana Silversmiths Silver Star Dangle Earrings are silver engraved stars with star cut-outs in the middle. These are perfect as a gift for a friend or loved one, or just get ‘em for yourself!

Get Montana Silversmiths Buckles at Allens Boots

There are many Montana Silversmiths buckles to choose from at Allens Boots — come by and take a look! The detail on these buckles is truly gorgeous. You can also find Western wear and cowboy boots from Lucchese, Old Gringo and more.

Sadly, ACL Fest Day 3 is the last day of Austin City Limits Music Festival — until next year. So soak up the festival while you can!

How the ACL Fest organizers managed to book three days of fantastic bands is beyond us, but we’re not complaining. The headliner for ACL Fest Day 3 is alternative rock group Foo Fighters, whose lead singer is Dave Grohl, the former drummer for Nirvana. Foo Fighters are known for their live shows, so their ACL Fest appearance should not be missed.

Foo Fighters are from Seattle, so what about Austin musicians at ACL Fest? South Austin Jug Band, a local bluegrass band, is one set to perform from 6:40-7:40pm. Other musicians set to perform include The Raconteurs, whose guitarist and singer is Jack White of the White Stripes; Blues Traveler; Gnarls Barkley; and Nakia and His Southern Cousins.

There are just too many awesome acts to list, really, so we hope you’re looking forward to ACL Fest Day 3 like we are. Austin City Limits Music Festival is one of many things we just love about Austin. If you’re visiting from out of town, we hope you’ll be able to get out and see more of Austin. And don’t forget to stop by Allens Boots on South Congress. Cowboy boots and cowboy hats are perfect Texas souvenirs and will no doubt remind you of the great time you had in Austin, Texas for ACL Fest.

So you survived Day 1 of the Austin City Limits Festival (were you wearing a cowboy hat?), and now you’re ready for ACL Music Festival Day 2. Or maybe you just have a one-day pass. Regardless, there’s no denying that the ACL Fest Day 2 line-up is stellar and once again has something for everyone.

Saturday, September 27 at ACL Fest brings more big names, possibly the biggest of those big names being Beck. Beck has one of the headlining spots at ACL Fest Day 2, and rightfully so. Beck’s breakout single was “Loser” in 1994, and since then he’s continued to put out albums that typically blur the genres. His most recent album, Modern Guilt, was released in July of this year. The other ACL Music Festival Day 2 headlining spot belongs to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

Some other artists performing at ACL Music Festival Day 2 are The Black Keys, a blues duo; indie rockers MGMT; legend Roky Erickson; and Texas country musician Robert Earl Keen. Just like Days 1 and 3, ACL Fest Day 2 will have a special stage set up for kid-friendly musicians, which is a great place to stop by if you have little ones with you.

At the end of the day, you’ll probably be worn out from the hours and hours you spent in the hot sun watching fantastic live music. Come home, kick off your cowboy boots, and rest up — ACL Fest still has one more day!

This weekend it’s time again for the Austin City Limits Festival, better known as ACL Fest, an annual music festival here in Austin, Texas. And while last year’s festival line-up was one that many thought couldn’t be topped, it seems they have indeed topped it. Big names like Beck, Foo Fighters, Robert Earl Keen, Blues Traveler and The Raconteurs grace the lineup of this year’s Austin City Limits Festival. There seems to be something for everyone, really, with the large amount of musicians scheduled.

So let’s take a look at the Day 1 lineup of ACL Fest, which is Friday, September 26. Headliners include The Mars Volta, named “Best Prog-Rock Band” by Rolling Stone this year, and Manu Chao, a musician born in France that sings mostly in French, English and Spanish. The Mars Volta is known for their live shows, often having more than 10 musicians onstage at once to perform their tunes. The Mars Volta get their name from a Federico Fellini book, in which Fellini used the word “Volta” to describe a changing of a scene or a new scene. As for Mars, well, the band members just really love sci-fi. As for the meaning of the combined words, The Mars Volta invites fans to come up with their own meaning.

Don’t go thinking The Mars Volta and Manu Chao are the only performers playing ACL Fest Day 1. No way — there are a ton of other fantastic musicians and bands to check out. There’s even a special stage aimed towards kids, the appropriately-named Austin Kiddie Limits Stage. Acts lined up for ACL Fest Day 1 that are creating a lot of buzz include Hot Chip, Gogol Bordello, David Byrne and Vampire Weekend, to name a few. If there are bands on the line-up that you’ve never heard of, be sure and try to stop by to give them a shot — part of the fun of the festival is being able to see new acts and hopefully go home at night with some new favorite artists.

Whoever you’re planning on seeing at ACL Fest this year, one thing’s for sure: Don’t forget your cowboy hat. The weather is expected to be hot and sunny, so wearing a cowboy hat will not only be stylish, but it’ll help protect you from getting sunburned. We suggest a Stetson hat, but with Allens Boots’ wide selection of great Western wear, you’ll surely be able to find the perfect cowboy hat to wear to ACL Fest.

Cowboy Boots Make the Essential List

Cowboy boots are essential for every fashionista’s wardrobe according to Nina Garcia, fashion director of Marie Claire magazine, and her new book, The One Hundred: a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own.  The book lists the items from A to Z and includes tips on how to wear them, along with some history on each item and a few, fun colorful pictures to boot.

Cowboy Boots Year Round

According to Miss Garcia you should always wear your jeans over your boots, which every good cowgirl knows is best whether you are working on the ranch or enjoying a night on the town.  The good people of Texas know that you can wear cowboy boots all year long.  In the fall and winter, they always look great with your favorite pair of jeans.  In the spring and summer, the women can pair them with long skirts and their favorite casual dresses.

Some of our favorite high-fashion boots are the Lucchese Classics Tan Ranch Hand boot for some of your more casual affairs; or the Justin Black London Calf for some of your fancier evenings out.

Cowboy Boots Aren’t the Only Essential Items

Aside from our favorite, the cowboy boot, the list also contained 99 other items for the fashion-savvy woman.  Some of these items included the Frye Harness Boot (a close cousin to the cowboy boot and one of our popular items), a denim jacket, jeans, a cuff bracelet, a hobo bag like our Ariat Corded Cowgirl Hobo purse, a statement necklace, turquoise jewelry, and a sunhat (which we are sure they meant a straw cowboy hat).

Seeing as how Allens Boots carries all of these above-mentioned wonderfully western items, it looks like we should be considered a fashionista’s shopping Mecca.  Now as far as the other 91 items on the list, you are on your own with those.

No Cowboy Boots Allowed

No cowboy boots were allowed at the Democratic National Convention.  Well at least that is what the city of Denver was screaming.  It seems that the city, in preparation for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, was working on creating a new reputation for itself.  The city of Denver is working hard to fight the typical Colorado stereotype and to make itself a hipper, trendier town.

Well we stopped to and thought about this for a minute.  Why can’t you wear cowboy boots to a hip and trendy place?

No Cowboy Boots, Really?

Now Austin, Texas is a pretty hip and trendy town and we still allow our guests and our residents to wear cowboy boots.  Boots are a major part of the Texas and Austin lifestyle, whether the person wearing them is into the western world of horses and cattle or not.

Aside from the wonderful Lone Star capital, all you have to do is take a walk along the streets of New York and Los Angeles, considered two of the coolest cities, and you will see all the stars wearing their cowboy boots.  Stars like Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba and Sienna Miller can be seen walking in their boots more often than not.

No Cowboy Boots for the Democrats

Now although the Democrats weren’t wearing their favorite pair of cowboy boots at their convention; it doesn’t mean that you can’t don them while you support your favorite candidate – be it Republican or Democrat.  Now if you really want to make a statement when you are out voting this year, we can supply you with a new cowboy hat to complete the look.

As far as Denver goes, go ahead and put on your boots with your best pair of jeans when you are partying there.  We are pretty sure that you will be in good, fashionable company.

*Photo by Rave DeLay