What better place to show off your best costume accessory -- the cowboy hat -- than at a Wild West Theme Party. The range of cowboy hats in various shapes, colors and materials makes for interesting viewing in photographs taken at these galas. The Beer cowboy hat, fabricated from 18 pack beer cases, is an innovative example.

Today, there are wide selections of cowboy hats in any hat store you go to. From straw to felt to PVC, cowboy hats come in all kinds of materials. Designs include flocked, with cord, a tiara above the brim, painted, sequined, a-shine with glitter of every hue or you can request to custom order your own. Team a cowboy party hat with a snazzy pair of cowboy boots, a cowboy gun, some tinsel pompoms and you’re sure to be the toast of the party.

Party cowboy hats are a natural fit with the outdoors and can be teamed with plaid shirts, jeans and maybe a bandana. Square dance and barbecue parties are ideal to strut out in your best-loved cowboy headgear. It could be the inspiration for theme parties that reek of hay and ropes and Wild West menus like hot dogs, corn, marshmallows and beer.

For a man, a cowboy hat adds the romance of the Wild West – the rodeos, the low-slung guns, the leather-and-hide era of horses and wagon trails, of open spaces and nights under the stars. For a woman, a party cowboy hat could transform her into a sexy siren and star of the rodeo. The accessory tends to lend certain oomph to any outfit. And when it comes to parties on the beach, bikinis and cowboy hats seem to be the current preferred combination. Kids aren’t left out of this fashion swirl. There is a great selection of children’s cowboy party hats available at hat stores across the country.