Going To The ‘Cowboy Carter’ Tour? Here’s Your Outfit Inspiration

In a society in which fashion – and popular culture more broadly – tends to turn to the past in order to see the future, there’s one figure who will always gallop back into the picture: the cowgirl. She’s certainly not new, but she does seem freshly relevant every few years, reawakened via music, on the runway or on screen. She may not be wielding a pistol anymore, but she carries something else – undeniable swag. Where the cowboy – bolstered by Hollywood clichés and Marlboro ads – was once an icon, women have now taken the reigns.

The latest iteration of cowgirl mania comes courtesy of one Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and her Grammy-winning 2024 album Cowboy Carter. Not merely country-tinged, it’s also heart-wrenching and floor-filling in equal measure. The accompanying tour, which kicked off in Los Angeles at the end of last month, has seen thousands of fans donning cowboy hats and boots, leather fringe and suede embellished jackets. Queen Bey herself, of course, is dressing to impress, too: think custom Loewe stars and stripes, Burberry chaps and LaPointe sequined fringe – and that was just night one.

It follows, of course, the spectacle created by Cowboy Carter’s predecessor, Renaissance, which saw concert-goers marching to stadiums in a sea of sequins and chrome, silver becoming the colour of 2023, and local economies experiencing what financial experts termed a “Beyoncé Bump” when Club Renaissance rolled into town.

Now, Ms Carter’s five dates at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are imminent, and you might be wondering what on earth to wear. At a time when method dressing is all but mandatory, and attending a stadium gig feels about as stressful and exciting as getting married (acquiring the tickets, curating the wardrobe, travel planning…), how does one manage to feel on theme without being a carbon copy of the rest of the crowd? The key is to look to the past. Forget fast fashion (ditch the pleather chaps and faux suede), here’s some alternative inspiration…

Annie Oakley

No modern cowgirl guide could start without a nod to the original sharpshooter: Annie Oakley. The woman who could outshoot any man, and did so in a corset and ballet flats.

Sharpshooter Annie Oakley shooting over her shoulder using a hand mirror.Bettmann

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson in the video for her cover of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” gave us yee-haw Barbie in the best way: Daisy Dukes, a ripped up band tee, an oversized belt and those signature red boots. It was cheeky, sure, but it was memorable – and great inspiration for a laid-back take on the wild West.