Between “Old Town Road,” Kacey Musgraves, Jackson Maine, and that yodeling boy, we’ve reached peak “Yee-haw Agenda.” For Arizona-born, New York City–based stylist Jessica Bobince (she’s worked with H&M, Sony Music, and Refinery29), it’s a lifestyle. Bobince grew up on her dad’s horse ranch, barrel-raced in middle school, and plays George Strait on the guitar (she performs at Williamsburg honky-tonk bar Skinny Dennis and is working on her first country album). For those interested in the trend — or, as Bobince puts it, putting on something a badass rodeo queen might wear — we asked Bobince for eight of her cowgirl essentials.
I own a couple pairs of Mother jeans — their denim is super soft and stretchy. I’m one of those people who can’t wear stiff denim, it just won’t go over my hips. Cropped flares are always fit on 5’11” models, but the reason I love these jeans so much is that you can trim them if you need to. I always have to cut an inch or two off. I love high-rise pants; they keep everything nice and tight up there. And they look great with oversized ’90s country T-shirts. You tuck it in all the way, and it just looks super flattering.
I don’t normally wear Forever 21 boots, but I saw these the other day, and I was like, Mmm, let me try these on. And they’re actually really awesome. They’re only $40, and as comfortable as my more expensive boots. The problem with some ankle boots is they’re not tight enough around the ankles. But these are nice and tight, so they’re flattering. They’ve got a Bowie-cowboy-boot feeling going on. They look nice with shorts, but also dresses and skinny jeans.
I own a very similar belt; mine cost a bit more, though. I got it after I went to the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi. She had ten of these belts in, like, every color. So I got one from a cowboy store when I was down there. It really polishes an outfit. You can wear it with high-waisted denim shorts, and it just makes it fancy. Rhinestones just catch people’s eye.
This is the softest fake fur I’ve ever felt. You know how fake fur can feel gross and scratchy? This one is so nice; people always want to touch it. When it was colder, I’d wear it in 35-degree weather with just a T-shirt. I’ve gotten rained on a few times in it. I just let it dry and brush it with my hand, then it looks brand-new again.
The fringe on these makes them feel a little ’80s-country. Whoever does the jewelry at Express, it’s always quality. If I’m shopping for a job, I’ll always go there and buy jewelry.
If you going to buy a cowboy hat, it’s got to be a Stetson hat. Because people will constantly ask you if it’s a Stetson hat. And it’s a lot cooler to be like, ‘Yeah.’ A weird thing about cowboy hats is getting the right height of the crown — the top of the hat. They look good or bad based on how tall or short they are, but this one’s right in the middle. Even though they’re kind of expensive, they can last you 20, even 50 years. I have another Stetson that my dad gave me, and he had it for 20 years. It’s one thing you shouldn’t skimp on, because it’ll treat you good. And when you’re storing it, always lay it upside down, not on the brim, which can ruin its shape.
This guy that owns this shirt line is a ’90s country DJ. He’s probably the only other person my age that likes ’90s country music as much as I do. I like rolling up the sleeves on this shirt a few times, then tucking it into a cropped flare.
I feel like girls just check out each other’s shoes and their bags. If you told me this Topshop purse was $500, I would believe you.
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