New Trends in Western Wear
Manuel took his spectacular Western clothes to a public clientele in 1996 with his Manuel Couture label, which included a line of Western theme shirts. His dress and jacket "Manuel Collection" debuted in 1997 and is a popular line at Billy Martin's, a premier Western store in New York and Los Angeles that Billy Martin and his agent Doug Newton opened when Martin was manger of the New York Yankees. Martin once said, "Western wear to me means freedom, comfort, individuality, romance, unlimited possibilities, unlimited horizons. It's America and American." No wonder all kinds of celebrities shop there--from Dwight Yoakum to Billy Bob Thornton, who is starring in Mike Nichols' Primary Colors. Like several other Western firms, Billy Martin's also has branched into home furnishings with a motto that states, "There's no place like home."
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Manuel Cuevas of Nashville cut his fashion teeth working for Nudie, the flamboyant North Hollywood couturier. Manuel grew up watching Lone Ranger movie serials and learned to sew at age seven. Since then, he's dressed everyone from Elvis to Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakum to the late John Lennon. Johnny Cash once said, "I wore black before I met Manuel. It was Manuel who put me in good black."
