Toronto 
Events Description
The Bata Shoe Museum is excited to celebrate the exhibition publication launch of Rough and Ready: A History of Cowboy Boots with a special one-hour, live performance by acclaimed Canadian band, The Sadies.
Come for the history, stay for the music, and leave inspired by footwear that’s walked through rodeos, rebellions, and rock shows.
Rough & Ready is a richly illustrated history book that tracks cowboy boots from the early cattle trails to contemporary fashion, revealing the diverse craftsmanship that continues to shape and influence contemporary fashion. The book accompanies the acclaimed exhibition, Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot, which opened at the Bata Shoe Museum in May 2025 in honour of the Museum’s 30th anniversary, and runs until September 2026.
Written by Bata Shoe Museum Director & Senior Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack, and published by Rizzoli, Rough and Ready includes engaging narratives, insightful interviews with Lee Miller, Lisa Sorrell and Jamie Nudie, and vibrant images that showcase the evolution of the cowboy boot through five transformative eras: “Real” explores multicultural origins and the authentic cowboys who wore them; “Rodeo” examines Western mythmaking through Wild West shows, early film, and dude ranches; “Rhinestone” delves into country western music, Nudie Cohn’s designs, and the shifting archetypes from Gene Autry’s moral code to John Wayne’s tougher persona; “Right” investigates the boots’ emergence as luxury commodities during the Reagan years and Urban Cowboy phenomenon; and “Reclaimed” presents contemporary reinterpretations from the Western-inspired fashion of Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams to modern bootmakers.
Who is it for?
All ages
HOW MUCH
Tickets : $30 – $90
$30 general admission or $90 including a signed copy of Rough and Ready, a custom bandana made by Canadian designer Hayley Elsaesser, and one beverage.
How to get tickets?
At the door: At the door
WHEN & WHERE
Date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm – 10:30 pm
1 hour
Venue & Address
Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Wheelchair accessible
