Round up some cowgirl chic (stetson not required)
ACONFESSION: I have succumbed to an ‘it’ trend. Indeed, I am wearing ‘ it’ right now. A beige check coat, voluminous grey check trousers, cream polo neck — so far so normal.
It’s what’s on my feet that is jarringly odd: a pair of killer cowboy boots. They are sleek, black, highpolished ankle boots with sharp, square, steel toes.
‘Do you mind me asking,’ says a man in the lift at work (a normal looking chap), ‘ Where are your boots from?’ ‘Calvin Klein,’ I say. ‘They’re the business,’ he replies. And they are.
I feel smart and pulledtogether. I like the fact that they skew my otherwise ‘comfort zone’ look with a massive wallop of Fashion.
I am pleased with my boots (that cost an arm and a leg) because they do all the things an expensive designer footwear purchase is supposed to: they make me feel confident, stylish, invincible. I can walk very, very fast in them. And complete strangers ask about them — in a good way. I think.
Without even realising it, the fad for all things Western has crept into my wardrobe. Me! A fashion person, sure, but one who prides herself on swerving the most obvious trends, particularly those everyone says you have to have.
LOOKINg back over this spring’s fourcity marathon of international catwalk shows, I’ve been wearing a host of all-American looks.
These range from my Canadian tuxedo (smart, dark, double denim) to my red, white and blue satin Country & Western singer shirt. I even bought a denim top-stitched shirt with a Western-style yoke from Marks & Spencer.
I’m also hankering after Massimo Dutti’s delicious tan suede trench coat (£ 349,
massimodutti.com). And I keep looking at Topshop’s Arrow Western boots (£79, topshop.
com) thinking, ‘Can I?’ I have the Western bug pretty badly, it seems. I am currently entertaining the idea of a pretty white prairie top, a saddle bag, a horse-buckle belt and a black leather rhinestone cowgirl coat, hand-embroidered and embellished with shells. Although not all at once, I hasten to add.
So why is this particular trend (which can so easily descend into fancy- dress territory) proving so popular with designer and High Street labels alike?
Because, despite its seemingly brash nature, it is actually extremely safe. Every single item has been done and seen before. It’s classic. Timeless.
It is also laced with nostalgia for a certain kind of America that was both simpler and also full of possibility.
Add to that the fact designer denim is so easy to manufacture and the Western trend is a dead- cert money spinner. growing up in the Seventies, country dancing was the closest we ever got to the Wild West, do-si-do-ing around the village hall in a blouse and big, frilled skirt.
And remember Sunday TV? My sisters and I grew up on Westerns with Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, and playground quotes such as ‘get off yer horse, drink yer milk, and get the hell outta here!’ — as well as re-runs of that epic series, Bonanza. But by the time I went to university in London in the early Nineties, Western style was all about being authentic.
I bought cowboy boots from R.Soles on the King’s Road that almost crippled me because they were so rigid, and Wrangler jeans — they had to be Wrangler — boot flares.
So, what’s the key to wearing Western now? One piece at a time. Don’t overdo it.
Try subtle styling nods that spread out the stereotypical Westernisms: wear a roll-neck under your Western shirt; if you’re buying a pair of jeans make sure they’re dark indigo, straight-legged and pin-sharp; sport your cowboy boots under wide-legged tailored trousers; wear tan suede with a punch of white.
Finally, there is one piece of advice you absolutely must adhere to no matter what temptations are placed in your way: Never buy a cowboy hat.
Trust me on this. If strangers are shouting ‘Yee haw’ when you pass, then it really is time to get off your horse, cowgirl.
Rebecca LowthoRpe is Fashion Director of Grazia.