Crowns and Banners
The role of most modern day rodeo queens is that of promotion of the rodeo they represent and the education of the general public about the sport of rodeo. The more you are out and about and seen by the general public in your crown and banner the more people become aware of the rodeo you represent. The proper wearing of your crown and banner goes a long way in fulfilling your job duties.
Handle all crowns with care, especially rhinestone crowns that may break easily. If you are honored to wear a custom crown that is passed from titleholder to titleholder ask about adding the crown to your homeowner's insurance. Always remove crowns from your hat as they may leave marks and indents. When wearing your crown make sure it's centered on your hat. A crooked crown makes for an unkempt appearance.
Rodeo queen banners traditionally are worn from the right shoulder to the left hip and do not wrap fully around the titleholder. Banners can be attached at the shoulder in several ways including safety pins under the banner, brooches and custom pins on top of the banner and with heavy-duty magnets. Magnet pins are often used to adhere banners to leather garments or double-sided carpet tape can also be used. Most queens place the hip end of the banner either inside their pants or they wrap the end around their belt. One advantage to tucking the end into your pants while riding is that in the event your banner is caught on the saddle horn it is more likely to pull out and not tear your blouse.
When wearing your banner with an open vest or jacket pin the top to the outside of the garment and then tuck-in or wrap the end of your banner around your belt under the open jacket. If the jacket or vest are closed keep the end out of the jacket. It may be possible to take the end of the banner and tuck it under the hem of the jacket and then pin it to the jacket lining.
Archer Monograms provides many of the banners for local, state and national titleholders. When ordering a banner for your pageant take into account the length of the title's name and the height of the wearer. For instance, a standard queen banner is about 30" in length. For a princess or junior queen this size is over half their overall height so it's nearly impossible for this age of queen to properly wear the banner. Archer can vary the size of their banners to meet your needs and they can make banners in a rainbow of background and thread colors to match your outfits.
Banners should always be clean and wrinkle free. If your banner becomes stained during an appearance spot wash it or use a handy stain remover to take out the grime. Once home have your banner dry-cleaned or hand wash in a mild detergent, hang the banner to dry and then press with a warm iron.
When taking promotional shots for your title it is acceptable, and often preferred, to not wear a banner in head shots especially if your outfit has intricate detail. However, this is not true if you do not have a custom crown that can be easily read in the photo (and it can be difficult to photograph crowns). If this is the case a banner should be worn and the photographer should take the photo from a distance that allows the majority of your banner to be seen.
Unfortunately many queens have stopped wearing banners. While this may be acceptable at your pageant when you are the outgoing queen, during appearances it isn't. While those who are involved with rodeo queen pageants may recognize the title a custom crown wearer is representing, the general public has no idea who you are. This is especially true when you are in a group of queens. The four young women in the above photo are doing a fantastic job of representing their titles by wearing their crowns AND banners.
Your job as a reigning titleholder is to proudly represent your title. Double checking to make sure your crown is centered on your well shaped hat and wearing a clean, pressed and properly placed banner is an integral part of doing your job.
Handle all crowns with care, especially rhinestone crowns that may break easily. If you are honored to wear a custom crown that is passed from titleholder to titleholder ask about adding the crown to your homeowner's insurance. Always remove crowns from your hat as they may leave marks and indents. When wearing your crown make sure it's centered on your hat. A crooked crown makes for an unkempt appearance.
Rodeo queen banners traditionally are worn from the right shoulder to the left hip and do not wrap fully around the titleholder. Banners can be attached at the shoulder in several ways including safety pins under the banner, brooches and custom pins on top of the banner and with heavy-duty magnets. Magnet pins are often used to adhere banners to leather garments or double-sided carpet tape can also be used. Most queens place the hip end of the banner either inside their pants or they wrap the end around their belt. One advantage to tucking the end into your pants while riding is that in the event your banner is caught on the saddle horn it is more likely to pull out and not tear your blouse.
When wearing your banner with an open vest or jacket pin the top to the outside of the garment and then tuck-in or wrap the end of your banner around your belt under the open jacket. If the jacket or vest are closed keep the end out of the jacket. It may be possible to take the end of the banner and tuck it under the hem of the jacket and then pin it to the jacket lining.
Archer Monograms provides many of the banners for local, state and national titleholders. When ordering a banner for your pageant take into account the length of the title's name and the height of the wearer. For instance, a standard queen banner is about 30" in length. For a princess or junior queen this size is over half their overall height so it's nearly impossible for this age of queen to properly wear the banner. Archer can vary the size of their banners to meet your needs and they can make banners in a rainbow of background and thread colors to match your outfits.
Banners should always be clean and wrinkle free. If your banner becomes stained during an appearance spot wash it or use a handy stain remover to take out the grime. Once home have your banner dry-cleaned or hand wash in a mild detergent, hang the banner to dry and then press with a warm iron.
When taking promotional shots for your title it is acceptable, and often preferred, to not wear a banner in head shots especially if your outfit has intricate detail. However, this is not true if you do not have a custom crown that can be easily read in the photo (and it can be difficult to photograph crowns). If this is the case a banner should be worn and the photographer should take the photo from a distance that allows the majority of your banner to be seen.
Unfortunately many queens have stopped wearing banners. While this may be acceptable at your pageant when you are the outgoing queen, during appearances it isn't. While those who are involved with rodeo queen pageants may recognize the title a custom crown wearer is representing, the general public has no idea who you are. This is especially true when you are in a group of queens. The four young women in the above photo are doing a fantastic job of representing their titles by wearing their crowns AND banners.
Your job as a reigning titleholder is to proudly represent your title. Double checking to make sure your crown is centered on your well shaped hat and wearing a clean, pressed and properly placed banner is an integral part of doing your job.
