Exclusive fashion, boot and jewelry styles set tone for rodeo season

2024-02-25 - By Amber Elliott STAFF WRITER

Rodeo season means different things to different people. Some visit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for the food. Others, for the performances. Or the livestock and horse show exhibitions.

For local designers and makers, rodeo fashion is the main event. Think custom boots, custom hats and jewelry stacked high enough to be spotted across NRG Park. Here’s what to wear during RodeoHouston 2024 to make western style your entire personality Feb. 27 through March 17.

Parker Boot Co.

Zephan Parker is a graffiti artist turned boot maker. This year, the Heights native celebrates a decade of crafting custom boots in Houston. His team of 10 young artisans builds each pair onsite from a wide range of exotic materials, such as giraffe, hippopotamus and shark; there’s a healthy selection of American alligator from Louisiana, too. They work on Singer sewing machines from World War II.

Attention to detail has become Parker’s calling card. Most of his business has grown organically, via word of mouth. “People will call me up and say, ‘Hey, I knew this guy who was wearing your boots,’ ” he said. “We get a lot of repeat clients and friend groups.”

Brookhollow Central, 4120 Directors Row A; 832-694-8300

Vintage Contessa

Repeat rodeogoers want to stand out from the crowd. Trends come and go, but a heritage brand layered into a more traditional western wear outfit says, “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Vintage can be classic cowgirl. Take the recently re-issued Christian Dior saddlebag. Or, hands-free crossbody styles from Gucci’s horsebit collection. Want to breathe new life into a well-loved cowboy hat? Donae Chramosta has an Hermès Twilly scarf for that.

6222 Richmond Ave. #540; -713-977-7296 Vintagecontessa.com

Christina Greene

Jewelry designer Christina Greene has a full rodeo season ahead. For the 2024 show, she’s the youngest voting member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo director’s board. This year also marks her 10th anniversary of operating a RodeoHouston booth. To celebrate, she is launching a fresh take on her bestselling Desert Blossom Collection.

“We’re bringing it out in green strawberry quartz for a little bit of a different look,” she told the Chronicle. “We’ve experimented with it in the past, and it was such a hit. People loved it.”

For tried-and-true turquoise-lovers, Greene is also debuting new squash blossom-inspired hat bands and a concho-style belt in the classic stone.

2528 Amherst; 832-803-9152; RodeoHouston booth

Miron Crosby

West Texas sisters and boot makers Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means moved their “boots for fashion girls” boutique, Miron Crosby, into the space formerly occupied by River Oaks Bookstore late last year. Just in time for the rodeo, they’ve designed a boot exclusively for the Houston outpost.

The “Sophie” comes in various metallic shades, with “y’all” etched into the upper shaft. There’s an exclamation point and star on there, too — ya know, for extra sass.

3270 Westheimer; 713-232-9679

Teressa Foglia

Some of the biggest names in country music have worn Teressa Foglia’s hats, including Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. In addition to Foglia’s signature #bighatmagic styles, she recently unveiled an accessible line of wool felt toppers. They start at $550 and up.

Try one in an unexpected shade, like pistachio, or pull the trigger on one of her bespoke creations. Add hat jewelry or custom verbiage on-site in Foglia’s Houston store.

River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer; 917-341-1407

?? Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer ?? Zephan Parker, owner of Parker Boots Co., designs custom boots in his Houston showroom. — Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Zephan Parker, owner of Parker Boots Co., designs custom boots in his Houston showroom.

?? Courtesy of Miron Crosby ?? Miron Crosby will launch an exclusive Houston boot style, the “Sophie,” in time for the rodeo. — Courtesy of Miron Crosby Miron Crosby will launch an exclusive Houston boot style, the “Sophie,” in time for the rodeo.

?? Courtesy of Vintage Contessa ?? The Vintage Contessa sells Christian Dior saddle bags and other Western classics. — Courtesy of Vintage Contessa The Vintage Contessa sells Christian Dior saddle bags and other Western classics.

?? Courtesy of Teressa Foglia ?? Designer Teressa Foglia has created hats, such as the “Cojo,” for country music stars. — Courtesy of Teressa Foglia Designer Teressa Foglia has created hats, such as the “Cojo,” for country music stars.

?? Paige Beitler Photography ?? Jewelry designer Christina Greene offers a fresh take on her Desert Blossom collection. — Paige Beitler Photography Jewelry designer Christina Greene offers a fresh take on her Desert Blossom collection.