16 Fashion Collections That Scream Cowboy Carter Energy
Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" ignites Western fashion trends in latest album.
Although Western style has been a part of the fashion world for some time, Beyoncé's new album, Cowboy Carter, released on March 29, has put it back in the spotlight. The singer has worn cowboy hats and clothing before – her Renaissance days included sequined diamond hats and horses – but the new album takes the Western trend to a whole new level. From posing on Instagram in a lace denim ensemble from Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2024 to the cover art for "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages," the singer has fully embraced the rodeo aesthetic. Check out 16 designer collections that scream Cowboy Carter energy to help you unleash your inner cowgirl or cowboy.
Chloé Fall/Winter 2024 Ready-to-wear
With an absolute American boho flair, Chemena Kamali, who made a big start with her debut collection for Chloé, designed pieces that transcended the legacy of Chloé and bohemian fashion. The collection, called Intuition, was about "...an intuitive way of dressing, about lightness, movement, fluidity, and emotion," according to Kamali. It includes glossy leather jackets, sheer dresses with embroidery, long leather boots, fringed pants and coats, capes in variable fabrics, and fresh silk blouses. It's no wonder that Beyoncé has already been spotted on her Instagram wearing a beige cloak, a brown embroidered overall, shiny leather boots, a cowboy hat, and the gold Chloé cursive belt from the collection. It perfectly emulates the energy of Cowboy Carter.
Louis Vuitton Fall menswear 2024
Although Beyoncé did not attend the show, she wore a variation of one of the looks for the 2024 Grammys. Picture it: Models grace the landscape of the American West, once dry and then transformed into a snowy runway, with iconic symbols of the American Western wardrobe, cowboy-inspired silhouettes, and workwear details. As for the singer, her award-winning look was a classic two-in-one: a white cowboy hat with a white blouse adorned with a black bow, a checkered embroidered leather jacket, pants, and a skirt with a Louis Vuitton chunky belt.
Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2023 Ready-to-wear
Through fringed western jackets, crystal-embellished distressed denim, and cowboy leather waist belts, designer twins Dean and Dan Caten focused on presenting courageous fashion with hints of Y2K.
Stella Mccartney Fall/Winter 2023 Ready-to-wear
At France's oldest riding school, Stella McCartney staged an equine show featuring a cast of savage horses. The stadium turned into a runway was topped with tailoring inspired by equestrian uniforms and army medals. Looser pants, British checks, and pinstripe blazers were elevated with sexier takes on suits. Fashion there wasn't supposed to be practical; rather, it aimed for effortless sophistication.
Ralph Lauren Spring/Summer 2023 Ready-to-wear
At his first-ever West Coast fashion show, Ralph Lauren staged a "mix of grit and glamour, energy and inspiration," as he puts it. Despite the glitz and allure that are hallmarks of his work, the collection exhibited a clear affinity for Americana style, featuring a diverse variety of Western-inspired pieces, such as ranch-style denim, bold leather belts, romantic floral prairie dresses, suede and leather apparel, cardigans, and of course, cowboy boots and hats.
Kim Shui Spring/Summer 2022 Ready-to-wear
Kim Shui's collection exemplifies her signature East-meets-West aesthetic, fusing Western elements, such as cowboy hats and boots, with Asian ones as corduroy and dragon-embroidered. With a camp rodeo fashion approach, Shui ensures that the most Y2K factor of the style is on full display, while simultaneously paying homage to her two nationalities.
LaQuan Smith Spring/Summer 2020 Ready-to-wear
In a collection at Pier 59 where latex met animal print and Western symbols, La Quan Smith reinterpreted the rodeo trend with a maximalist chic appeal. From snake-printed cowboy hats to denim structured and tailored blouses, the collection was all about elevating the look. In the grand finale, model Winnie Harlow closed the runway in a black cowboy hat with a long tulle veil and a white dress with crystals on the collar and sleeves. Imagine a chic Western bride.
Victoria Beckham Resort 2019
Victoria Beckham Pre-Fall 2019 exudes a hint of cowboy core through the animal prints, an American feeling through the use of red, blue, and white, and a sophistication in the tailoring that only someone as Beyoncé could possess.
Just Cavalli Pre-Fall 2019
Young, wild, and free, Just Cavalli Pre Fall 2019 brings together boho patterns, animal prints, cowboy boots, denim coats, plaid suits, leather skirts and dresses, embroidered and sequined sweaters, fringed blouses and dresses, and cowhide jackets.
Philipp Plein Fall Winter 2014 Ready-to-wear
Fringes! Sequined cowboy boots! Bull belts! Gun buttons! Leather and denim jackets! Fur coats! Letters attached that say, cowgirl! Phillip Plein's Fall 2014 collection, which included singer Rita Ora in a cowboy hat and all-black look, pretty much defined the show. With familiar faces such as Irina Shayk, Leomie Anderson, Lais Ribeiro, Izabel Goulart, and Naomi Campbell, who opened and closed the show, the models featured in all neutral-shade rodeo clothes. From the signature cowboy symbols to the selection of fabrics, its presentation of Western style was a wild ride with a touch of glamour.
Hermès Spring/Summer 2011 Ready-to-wear
Despite being known for his signature sailor look, in his Hermès days, Jean Paul Gaultier demonstrated the ability to flirt with a more earthy vibe. Clear it was in the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, where in an equine-style runway, he honored Hermès' horsey heritage through leather equestrian sets, boater hats, suede garments, fringed coats, chunky leather belts, gloves, silk dresses, and capes.
Roberto Cavalli Spring/Summer 2004 Ready-to-wear
Famous for his bohemian flair, Roberto Cavalli has never failed to deliver something a bit cowboy-esque. And Spring/Summer 2004 was no different. Visualize it: animal prints gracing the runway, followed by fur coats, flowing dresses, leather jackets and mini-dresses, sometimes fringed, cowboy hats, statement red gowns, leather-printed pants, and a prevalence of boho floral prints. Focus on denim with a leather waistband and tights. A true Old West cop feel. It was like they were ready to shoot - not bullets, but fashion.
Chloé Spring/Summer 2001 Ready-to-wear
Once a horse girl, always a horse girl. Since her childhood in Scotland, Stella McCartney has developed a special bond with equestrian activities. This passion has become one of her main design inspirations. And this has been clear since her Chloé days. While the Spring/Summer 2001 collection started with pineapple-printed garments, from look 10 onwards, horses began to dominate the show, whether in fresh dresses printed with their figures, lady suits with horses on the shoulders, or the iconic fitted pants with an image of a horse on one of the legs. These pants, by the way, were dressed by the designer when closing the runway.
Miu Miu Fall/Winter 1993 Ready-to-wear
Surprisingly, Miu Miu’s first collection had a cowgirl theme. Escaping from the definitive minimalistic Prada aesthetic, Miuccia Prada founded Miu Miu in 1993 to explore her own views. And the ideas shared first were a rodeo-like performance. Through lots of beige and brown looks, fur and fringed bags, suede and leather coats, boots reminiscent of Uggs, and cowhide-textured clogs and bags, Mrs. Prada innovated by challenging the boundaries of conventionalism, rejecting the constraints of traditional categories, and offering a gift to fashionistas who appreciate Western fashion. And in a sense, isn't that what Cowboy Carter has been doing?
Thierry Mugler Spring/Summer 1992 Ready-to-wear
A picture is worth a thousand words. But still, for safety's sake, here are a few magic sayings. It all started with a rodeo touch. Leather pants here, neck scarves there. But it was all accentuated by the appearance of glossy cow print leggings and matching boots. From then on, deconstructed cowboy hats emerge, plaid blouses, coco hats, and dresses, animals drawing tees, a bustier made of gold and decorated with a bull's horn, and a round skirt made from a cowboy hat. However, the climax was Look 79, in which the model Connie Fleming, one of the most notable Mugler's muses, graced the catwalk in a devil-red bodice, crotchless chaps, and a cowboy hat, which were all embellished with ruby gemstones and crystals.
Versace Fall/Winter 1992 Ready-to-wear
Titled "Miss S&M," Versace's Fall 1992 collection provocatively focused on bondage. While bondage has nothing to do with the album discussed, there was a lot of leather. And what is more cowboy than leather? With everything from suits to bomber jackets, the Western flair was on full display as Naomi Campbell wore a fringed leather dress and various colorful suede fringe ensembles graced the runway. One of the looks from Fall/Winter 1992 was even used by Beyoncé. For the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, the singer wore a head-to-toe leather archival look, which has been modeled by Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington.
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