Wild West

The American Frontier is home to a rich history of cowboys, horses, gold mining, saloons and showdowns. This history came to life in my recent photo shoot in Heber City, Utah where there is a replica city built that looks exactly like a small town in the wild west. All of these rustic buildings are fully-functional shops ranging from antique stores, to fine dining, to a pet washing store. In my case I used this area to capture the ambiance of the wild west featuring classic cowboy pieces mixed with a modern twist. The Stetson hat I’m wearing is the fanciest style cowboy hat one can find. I put a few pheasant feathers in it for an authentic look. I asked my horse-back riding instructor if his hat was a Stetson and he responded, “Nope! This is my work hat. I do have a Stetson and I only wear it when I’m going out for a night on the town. It’s my dancing hat.” After borrowing this hat from my mother-in-law I am seriously considering buying myself a Stetson hat. They retain their original western style, while giving the trendy hat scene currently going on a run for its money.

My top is from Free People and it is currently on sale for $20.00 and is available in four different colors. This plunging neckline features a tie accent, and although it isn’t a bolo tie, I think this will do! My pop of color is my turquoise necklace, which is also from Free People. Turquoise is a great color for spring and it adds so much liveliness to an otherwise monochromatic look. You can bet I will be wearing a lot of this stone and color this spring! My waxy jeans from Spanx (c/o) were the perfect pair of pants to match with this look. They have a rugged yet high fashion look and can be worn in a small town in Utah to the avenues of NYC. My boots have a western look to them and they were a must to style with my outfit. The little leather detailing and small jewel embellishments make them the perfect knock-off cowgirl boots for girls who want that style but really aren’t true cowgirls, hahaha! I like to think that all of the individual pieces in my outfit have a western inspiration with a fashionable twist. We see so much Western and even Native American-inspired style throughout runway fashion and in magazine editorials so it was so much fun trying to incorporate these trends into my outfit.

Tell me in the comments below: what do you think of western fashion? How do you incorporate this trend into your personal style? Do you have a favorite western piece?

Shop my look here:

My sunglasses are Elizabeth and James c/o Ditto – a rental designer sunglasses service for $24 a month. You can choose from a variety of designer sunnies from brands such as Prada, Karen Walker, Miu Miu and more! Sign up and get your first month FOR FREE using the code STOPDROPVOGUE.