A little bit country
Country stars mix styles to create their own look
At Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon on Hempstead Highway, 19-year-old budding country singer Savannah Berry shows off her style; it’s a little bit country and a lot bohemian.
“I don’t think you have to wear spurs and cowboy hats all the time,” said the petite Berry, who was a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice” last year. “I guess my look is more natural, laid back. I love things with lace and floral prints that have an outdoorsy feel.”
On Wednesday, Berry will perform on the Salute to the Troops stage at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Onstage and off, Berry pulls together Westerninspired outfits from stores such as Free People, Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. On “The Voice,” the show’s fashion stylists coordinated looks
from Free People specifically for Berry, who lives in Missouri City.
“They asked us each to create a vision board of what we wanted to wear, then they shopped for it. We all had a say in what we wore on the show. That really makes a difference in how you feel onstage,” she said.
Rodeo fashionistas who take their cues from country singers add daring accessories to the traditional boots/buckle/ hat look, said Tiffany Gifford, a Katy native who is Grammy-winning Miranda Lambert’s stylist.
Lambert’s edge comes with her mix of sequinned skirts, leather jackets and T-shirts. It’s a defining look that the singer feels comfortable in onstage.
“She’s is the epitome of country,” said Gifford, who has worked with Lambert for four years. “She’s not a pop star. She sticks to the roots of who she is. She loves to wear jeans, tank tops and boots. She lives on a farm in Oklahoma.”
Even so, for a Country Music Awards performance, Lambert wore a custom patchwork corset by the Blonds fashion duo, who also created styles for Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Katy Perry.
Lambert recently has turned to the bohemian label Haute Hippie for concert looks. But her country roots are evident in the boot line she launched last year for DSW, Miranda by Miranda Lambert.
Up-and-comer Berry is inspired by country music stars such as Kacey Musgraves, who wore a satin halter, short sequinned circle skirt and a pair of light-up cowboy boots when she performed on the Grammy stage last month.
“I think that’s pretty cool,” Berry said of the East Texas singer’s style. “I don’t know if I’d wear light-up boots, but it does inspire me to do something bold. It’s says you’re not afraid to take chances.”
Pinto Ranch, the upscale Western apparel store on Post Oak, received calls from fans looking for boots just like them after Musgraves’ TV performance.
“Those boots were made especially for her,” said Elizabeth Goetz, public relations and marketing associate for Pinto Ranch. “But when you see something like that, within months we usually see it as a trend somewhere.”
Boots are more customized these days. “They are lot more exciting than they used to be,” Goetz said. “We have some with Swarovski crystals.”
Styles are taller, too, with an 18-inch shaft instead of the standard 12 inches, she said.
For the first time, Pinto Ranch, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, will be among the 300 vendors in Reliant Center during the livestock show and rodeo. The Houstonbased retailer, which also has stores in Las Vegas and Dallas, has partnered with Lucchese boots for the 2,400-square-foot booth. It will showcase Lucchese’s handmade boots and Pinto Ranch’s Western apparel and ac- cessories for men and women. The booth will feature local designers Rhed Lucy Jewelry, Pat Dahnke of Waller and the Lyle Lovett Collection by Hamilton Shirts.
While there’s a current buzz around trendy Western looks, classic custom boot sales are rarely impacted, said Dave Wheeler, owner of the 54-year-old Wheeler Boot Co. He makes 150 pairs of custom boots a year, with prices staring at $2,220. To date, his most expensive boots went for $25,000.
Starting next year, Wheeler will no longer accept new customers in an effort to cut down the waiting list from 15 months to eight. At 64, he says he’s eyeing retirement.
“I don’t get people asking for trendy leather,” he said. “Our boots are for people who want boots, not need boots.”
While there are distinct looks in Western fashion right now, there are no rules, said Gifford, who studied fashion at
Parsons The New School for Design in New York and now lives in Nashville.
“As long as you stay true to who you are, that’s what matters most.”
That mantra fits Berry, who got her start at age 8 when her grandmother brought her onstage at an opry in Houston. The teen singer admits to owning only one pair of cowboy boots.
“I know, I’m ashamed,” she said. “But I really like the bohemian look and pair it with a cute pair of lace-up boots. My look doesn’t really match what I sing.”
joy.sewing@chron.com