The Postal Service’s Western Wear stamps, an homage to cowboy couture, will be released July 23.
The stamps come in booklets of 20 and depict four iconic garments and accessories: cowboy hat, boots, shirt and belt buckle. Cacti, stars and other symbols of the West dot the stamps’ backgrounds.
Cowboy clothing often was inspired by the garb of vaqueros, herdsmen who plied their trade in Mexico and what is now the American Southwest.
For example, the sombrero influenced Stetson’s smaller-brimmed “Boss of the Plains” cowboy hat, and cowboy boots borrowed the heel (to keep feet in stirrups) from vaquero footwear.
The Forever stamps were designed by Greg Breeding with original artwork by Ryan Feerer.
They will be available at Post Offices and usps.com.
