Beyoncé and Dolly Parton lead Western fashion trend as TikTok shows off new styles and searches for hats and boots skyrocket online

In January, Pharrell Williams, the singer turned men's creative director at Louis Vuitton, transformed the runway at the brand's men's fashion week in Paris into a giant pop-up box reminiscent of a barren desert.

Models strutted in cowboy hats, shearlings, accessories made in collaboration with Native American artists, Timberland boots and other nods to the Western aesthetic that Williams called workwear.

On another continent, in March, renowned Indian fashion designer Rajesh Pratap Singh presented his polo-inspired collection in collaboration with Argentinian brand La Martina at Mumbai's Mahalaxmi Racecourse.

Referencing his upbringing in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, in the 1980s, surrounded by fashion with a nod to the Western look, Singh offered an Indian take on the cowgirl aesthetic. Argentinian boy, which manifested itself in a sprinkling of native prints on the pants. and cowboy shirts, plaids and long coats, hats and riding boots.

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Looking for the beginnings of the cowboy trend, a look punctuated with fringe, denim, embroidery and more, would be like looking for a needle in a haystack the size of Texas.

However, Patricia Mears, deputy director of the Museum at FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology), in New York, sheds some light on the trend which explains its resonance today.

Everyone knows that Americans did not invent blue jeans, a staple of the cowboy trend, she says. Indigo-dyed twill fabric was filtered through Americans from Europe, with southern slaves importing technologies from Asia to India to Western Europe.

According to Mears, America's early adoption of mass production allowed brands to sell these clothes to workers across the country, and businessman Levi Strauss in particular called it a very Western version of clothing of work.

Mears also explains that the cowboy has a patchwork aesthetic.

Elements like fringes come from the indigenous people of the [US] East Coast. The suede fringed jackets that Native Americans wore, combined with embroidered elements from Latin America and Eastern Europe, combined with the silhouettes that were often traditional work jackets from the men's tailoring tradition , all [became] merged, she said.

Cowboy style evolved from workwear to glitzy country music garb thanks to early singers who worked on ranches during the day and performed in bars at night.

Now we're seeing the look undergo another evolution.

Behind the vanilla mid-calf Paloma boots worn by Beyonc on the cover of her new album, Milan-based Paris Texas is a fashion brand named for the chic sensuality of the French city and the boldness of American state.

Its creative director, Annamaria Brivio, says the fascination with Western style evolves in cycles and is growing today due to the search for versatile pieces that evoke tradition, trans-seasonality and individuality.

In Brivio's opinion, this is precisely what Western clothing offers.

Paris Texas styles include classics like the cowboy boot and riding boot, but it's part of our DNA to reinterpret classic designs with a Parisian twist, says Brivio.

We use prints, special materials and small details such as buckles on more feminine styles like necklines, flowers on western boots and printed calf hair on stiletto boots.

The boot seen on Beyonc, worn by Shiona Turini, features a pointed toe, stiletto heel and Texas-style panels for added style.

Paris Texas has become the go-to brand for fashion-forward cowboy boots, according to Libby Page, market director at online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter, alongside American brand Khaite, particularly for its Dallas boots .

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Over the past six months, according to Net-a-Porter, sales of Western clothing have increased by 101 and 41 percent in the EU and US markets, respectively, and as the trend grows , it acquired new characteristics.

For starters, the body is more exposed, Mears says, adding that the rise of overtly feminine elements is something a traditional country music singer would probably avoid.

We saw this [new trend] with Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey of course, but also [with] one of America's most beloved cultural figures, Dolly Parton, really brought that to the fore in this highly controversial performance she just gave [at the NFL game between the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys].

Parton, now 78, was seen in a cheerleading-inspired cowboy outfit featuring an abbreviated bikini crop top, denim shorts that stopped before mid-thigh and dazzling stars a short denim jacket.

Dolly Parton's ability to transcend almost every band beloved by feminists, country music fans, and people of all ages has resulted in a feminization of the trend with greater body exposure, a freedom that did not exist in the traditional trend before, Mears says.

On social networks, another trend is emerging. Searches for the Coastal Cowgirl aesthetic on TikTok have skyrocketed, something that is described by Instyle magazine as coastal beach on top and rugged cowgirl from the knee down. The trend is for nautical prints and patterns, feminine details like ruffles and ribbons, and sturdy boots for contrast.

Beauty isn't far behind either, with Cowboy Copper Hair seeing a surge in monthly searches on TikTok and other social media platforms, a relatively high volume compared to other hair color trends, according to Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of Consumer Trend. research company Spate.

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How can a century-old trend capture the imagination of all ages and stand the test of time? Perhaps its tight lasso hold is due to the fact that it has been, since its inception, a disparate global phenomenon.

In the digital age, its appeal to pop culture, beauty, fashion, luxury and travel means it will remain in the collective consciousness for many years to come.

In the meantime, we have celebrities like the Kardashian-Jenners and Bella Hadid (and new equestrian boyfriends) to thank.

And of course Beyoncé. As she sings in Leviis Jeans: Denim on denim on denim on denim / Treat yourself to high fashion in a simple white t-shirt / Give yourself those blues, it's in my genes.