By Núria Luis
In terms of style, it is difficult to discern between the designs of The Attico firm and the way of dressing of its founders, Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio. They are the best ambassadors of their clothes and accessories, that's why behind the looks they share on Instagram there is usually a common thread that also defines their collections. This is what happens with the western trend and one of the last images of Ambrosio: the prescriber dressed up, in pink, with a matching cowboy hat. The same one that hangs the 'sold out' sign in her online store and that marks the inspiration for one of her stories: a mix of bright party clothes with somewhat more restrained hats, but just as colourful. Something similar happens on the Zara website, where you can see the model Anja Rubik wearing a black mini dress with fringes and rhinestones and a cowboy hat.
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Wait a minute, are you really proposing the western trend as party wear? What do cowboy boots have to do with potential brilli brilli New Year's Eve looks? Until now, fringes studded with rhinestones and crystals were associated with the firm Area and those Charleston-type dresses worn by the flappers of the 1920s to stand out while they danced. But with the proposals of both firms we can add another reference that is also part of the Wild West. Or to be more correct, country music.
Let's start at the beginning: the term that is most often found when we narrow down the searches related to this type of aesthetic is that of Rhinestone Cowboy (something like Cowboy of diamonds), the title of a song that singer Glen Campbell popularized in 1975. “Like a cowboy in diamonds riding a horse in a star-studded rodeo,” Campbell sang in a lyric that was also covered by Bruce Springsteen. In some photographic session of the 60s, the artist himself stylistically illustrated what the cowboy of his subject could be: dressed in gold from head to toe, including the belt and even the cowboy boots (not very different, by the way, from which we can find today in firms such as Margiela).
By Núria Luis
Although it is not a reference that has literally crept into the western trend of 2021, seeing those brilliants accompanying cowboy-type garments is also bringing up a figure from the history of fashion closely linked to country music. We are talking about Nudie Cohn (Nuta Kotlyarenko, 1902-1984), a tailor of Ukrainian origin who emigrated to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, fleeing the tsarist pogroms in Russia. From specializing in underwear for showgirls, he went on to make the famous 'Nudie suits', the suits full of embroidery and glitter worn by stars like Elvis Presley, Porter Wagoner or Glam Parsons. Elton John wore a custom look of his for the cover of his Rocket Man single in 1972. Dolly Parton herself would do the same for her album cover The best of Dolly Parton, vol. 2 (1975) in a look of the same yellow as the outfit she wore to the 2019 Newport Folk Festival.
Nudie wasn't just sparkling stage costumes. The excessive designer also created several suits worn by actor Robert Redford in the movie Electric Horseman. Purple jackets with cowboy hats studded with shiny, metallic threads... no detail was missing from Redford's suits, including the most garish of the film.
The brilli brilli cowboy image is not just a matter of the stars with the most country travel. In its own way, the western trend is much more than just a trend when you look at the wardrobe of stars like Lil Nas X. For example, at the 2020 Grammys the rapper hit the red carpet wearing a pink-dyed Western aesthetic suit. To perform, he donned a sparkly Gucci look accompanied by a rhinestone-studded cowboy hat. A look that spoke at the same time of the Yeehaw Agenda and that paid tribute, in his own way, to the Nudie Suits. Post Malone is also another artist in which this other heritage of American identity is best appreciated: a year before Nas, the rapper attended the Grammys wearing a pink suit with crystals and matching cowboy boots. In addition, he has on occasion worn costumes that were reminiscent of Cohn's. And although we haven't seen them on the catwalk, knowing them adds one more inspiration to our festive look: in 2021, less black bows and rhinestone headbands to say goodbye to the year, more sparkly cowboy hats and metallic jackets.
Western: 12 purchases to join the trend that will triumph this fall
By Mayte Salido
