Never mind ‘Come Hell or High Water.’ Stampede 101’s slogan could very well be the Good, the Bad and the Unusual as far as fashion is concerned.
From garbage bags worn as ponchos on the rain-soaked weekend to Tuesday’s heat-fighting tube tops and Daisy Duke short shorts, clothing on the grounds has run the gamut of taste.
“Oh, my god, it’s anything goes. People go crazy for this. I’ve even seen guys with raccoon hats,” said Andrew Lackie, WestJet’s Fun and Festival team leader. “It’s great, I love it.”
That said, Lackie wasn’t wearing the look himself. Instead, the Vancouverite was flashing a far more laid-back West Coast look with shorts and rolled up T-shirt (due to a request from a woman in line at the WestJet discount booth). That’s in part because it’s what WestJet required but Lackie insists he’d never do the faux cowboy thing. Well, except for the hat.
“I do love the cowboy hat.”
For some, Stampede just can’t come fast enough each summer. Lucy Thomas says this week is her favourite time of year.
“I have closets full of this,” she said, gesturing to her white daisy patterned lace dress, brown leather jacket and flower-bedecked boots.
“Even so, I went out and bought five new outfits on Saturday,” she said with a laugh.
Thomas lives on an acreage at De Winton, so she can claim some rural roots, if not pure cowgirl status.
“Well, I’m a wannabe.”
Dressed head to toe in red, Lee McNab is a kindred spirit. At the grounds Tuesday with her partner Bob Cucksey, they’ve never missed a Stampede in 44 years. They’ve even hosted their own Stampede breakfast for upwards of 80 people every year for 30 years.
McNab, like Thomas, has numerous western outfits, which makes it hard to choose.
“I have three of these,” she said pointing to her colourful top, “in red, purple and black. I put all my outfits on the bed and decide what to wear.”
The flip side of the fashion coin are multi-coloured hair, flip-flops, tube tops, legions of titillating T-shirts and even no shirts.
Vincent D’Amours, 20, was baring his bod and his triple five briefs down on the concrete in front of the infield. He chose rainbow-coloured sunglasses and a black bandana instead of a shirt.
The Quebec native who has been working in Banff since February realizes its not traditional Stampede wear. But since it’s his first time at the rodeo, he thought he’d do it his way.
“I know, but I’m different. I’m an amazing guy.”
And not to be missed are the ever-present short shorts that seem to be the anthem for an entire generation.
Under a sizzling sun, one group of young women said it’s the outfit of choice.
“We didn’t decide to all dress the same. We just showed up that way,” Stacey Garcia, 16, said of the tied-up red plaid shirts, shorts and boots three of the four girls wore.
