Text & Drawings by Floyd D.P. Oydegaard
If you've done your homework you'll have a fair idea what sort of clothes to have made by your favorite seamstress, and those that must be store bought. A true gunfighter has the ability to blend into society with ease. He'll wear the same clothes one might find on the local marshal or sheriff of the town, such as a black wool frock coat with many pockets where he might hide a few small pistols and a dagger. Black wool pants held up with a pair of galluses and tucked into his square-toed boots. He might be wearing a white cotton or linen shirt with paper collar or no collar at all. He might have a black tie tied in one of the many bows of the day. Over all this he might wear a lapel vest of black wool, either single- or double-breasted. In his pocket might hang a gold watch and chain taken from some hapless traveler. Around his waist he may have one or two revolvers of various sizes and calibers. Holsters and belt would rest on the hips, affording the best protection for the trusted tools of his trade. The average pistolero might have as many as six firearms on his person when out looking for trouble. He might have a dark beaver or felt hat that suited his manner, and possibly stolen spurs to round out his wardrobe. Under all this one might find him wearing his union suit or long johns. As stated above, this description would do for the regular citizen as well as the the town law, and is the standard dress of western towns of the Victorian Age. Of course, there are variations that one might encounter, which a perusal of the following pages will reveal!
