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New York Post
‘Year of Yeehaw’: Why cowboy-core is much ‘deeper’ than ‘fashion’s flavor of the month’
By Brooke Kato,
2 hours ago
This town is only big enough for one trend, and this year, everyone’s going country.
From blockbuster flicks and chart-topping hits to the proliferation of Western wear and cowboy chic, pop culture is inundated with the scenes, songs and styles of the great American West — fitting for a particularly patriotic year for the US, with the success of the Olympics and the upcoming election.
“When you’ve been around for nearly 160 years, you see trends come and go, but this moment does feel different,” Tyler Thoreson, Stetson’s vice president of marketing, told The Post of the iconic hat company, founded in 1865. “The current embrace of Western style represents something deeper than simply being fashion’s flavor of the month.”
The style of the American West embodies the spirit and identity of the US, industry experts say, making the trend a pop culture mainstay. beyonce / Instagram
Recent data from Pinterest revealed searches for “country glam” have skyrocketed 8,700% from last year, and queries for “Western style outfits” are up 418%, while a new report from the RealReal showed interest in vintage Levi’s denim and fringed leather has increased almost 70%.
Spurred by the March release of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album — with tracks such as “Texas Hold ‘Em” and a rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” — the trend has only intensified since, with the release of “Tough” by Lana Del Rey featuring Quavo and Post Malone’s country album “F-1 Trillion,” which claimed the No. 1 slot on Spotify’s debut charts last week.
“If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening,” Del Rey said earlier this year at a pre-Grammys event.
Post Malone, who partnered with Stetson on a line of trucker hats, debuted his first country album, “F-1 Trillion,” last week. FilmMagic
But the pendulum swing isn’t confined to radio hits. Coupled with the release of the Oklahoma-set, tornado-wrangling film “Twisters,” there is a perfect country-western storm that has flooded nearly every aspect of modern-day life.
Meanwhile, Schiaparelli took a space cowboy approach to this season’s collection, featuring futuristic designs married with traditional Western shapes and patterns, and Isabel Marant debuted a fall line brimming with fringe and suede.
Representing equestrians and horse girls everywhere, Bella Hadid has recently incorporated hallmark Western pieces into her closet, like this pair of cowboy boots. GC Images
Kim Kardashian has adopted the country-western style into her own iconic wardrobe. Kim Kardashian/Instagram Other A-listers have adopted the style, like Khloé Kardashian on her recent birthday. Kim Kardashian/Instagram Nick Viall and Natalie Joy’s nuptials featured Western motifs. Sarah Partain Weddings
But the so-called trend is a lifestyle for rural Americans, and the versatility of cowboy-core makes items such as denim a fashion mainstay. In fact, it’s “pretty rare” to find a garment that can be worn on the ranch or the red carpet, John Meagher, the senior marketing director for Wrangler, told The Post.
“Maybe for some people, they just gravitate toward the fashion or they’re more interested in the music and kind of the fusion you’re seeing between country music and mainstream music and crossover artists,” Boot Barn’s creative director and vice president of marketing Isha Nicole told The Post. “Maybe that’s their way into this world.”
And this trend isn’t all hat, no cattle.
“I don’t think this is something that will just come and go and we move on,” Nicole added. “It’s so embedded in what it means to be American.”
Schiaparelli models donned accessories and other detailing plucked from country couture, like leather belts with massive metal buckles. WWD via Getty Images Paisley bandanas and tufts of fringe ruled the Schiaparelli runway. WWD via Getty Images
Isabel Marant’s show also saw a more subdued take on cowboy-core, with suede and leather pieces. Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
So why now, 70 years after the heyday of country-western movies depicting gunslinging saloon regulars and shootouts with fictional outlaws, is the spirit of the American West suddenly back en vogue?
“I think there’s something kind of powerful about saying like, this is an American genre or an American style, an American story, that doesn’t belong to any specific group,” Ryan Hall, an associate professor of Native American studies and history at Colgate University, told The Post.
Indeed, Western style is associated with “something so much larger” than a pair of boots or cowboy-cut denim, Nicole said — it embodies ideal American characteristics: kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty and homeland pride.
Those values, Meagher said, can resonate no matter if you’re “18 to 21 and you live in Brooklyn or you live in Echo Park, or if you’re ranching in Texas or Wyoming.”
Pharrell Williams launched an impressive fall 2024 menswear collection featuring hallmark details and silhouettes from the American West. WWD via Getty Images Despite its northern name, the Canadian tuxedo is pure Western aesthetic. WWD via Getty Images “Being a cowboy — whether in practice or in spirit — is ultimately about living life by your own set of rules and blazing your own trail,” said Stetson’s Tyler Thoreson. “To me, that’s an idea that goes beyond generation, region, ethnicity or gender. It’s open to all. All you really need to embrace it is a bit of rebel spirit — and the right hat, of course.” WWD via Getty Images
Coupled with yearning for the great outdoors post-pandemic and nostalgia for normalcy in an era of economic hardship, rapid AI advancement and a nation divided, people are looking to the traditional styles of the Great American West.
“To me, putting on a Western hat, denim shirt or pair of cowboy boots is an expression of individuality, but it also connects you to a set of traditions and values that span generations,” Thoreson said. “That’s a powerful combination.”
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