6 November 23 - 29, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents HOW THE WEST WAS WORN (AGAIN) Dallas is all about hoity tonk style. BY KENDALL MORGAN T hey’re a little bit country. They’re a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. They’re a little bit Alexis (Rose, of Schitt’s Creek fame). This trend-conscious tribe might la- bel themselves boho — Texas division, but we have an even better term to describe a sleight-of-hand style with a luxurious twang: #hoitytonk. Front row at The Texas Gentlemen show, you’ll find the ladies clad in artfully ripped jeans, floaty tops, $1,400 brushed beaver hats and colorful Miron Crosby boots. For the guys? Swap the blouse for a pearl-button shirt, a vintage Hermès scarf, plus a lot more accessories. “It’s mixing designer with Wranglers; it’s a used beat-up boot and a bolo tie with a lit- tle ‘70s dress like Kacey Musgraves,” says Dolly Python owner Gretchen Bell, who has sold to Musgraves as well as country artist Nikki Lane and Lana Del Rey, who recently visited the shop. “It’s a Brittany Cobb thing: she created Flea Style,” Bell says. “She’d put on a modified Chanel scarf with a Stetson hat. [For men] it’s like the Lost Boys showed up in Yellowstone, a younger guy trying to experiment with his look and try to be a little bit Leon Bridges and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.” Forty Five Ten marketing director Jona- than Merla says he’s noticed the West has permeated all ends of the fashion spectrum, from well-loved Luccheses available at Dolly for $150 to Maison Margiela’s tabi cowboy boots that retail for $1,890. “Few clothes give a sense of place any- more, and I think with Western, you know clearly what this comes from and what it’s trying to say,” Merla says of a trend he’s spotted everywhere from the streets of Dal- las to New York’s Dimes Square neighbor- hood. “Post-pandemic, people are shopping with a little bit more expression in silhou- ette and color, and the thing that sticks out with the most character is Western wear.” It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment the cowboy chic redux kicked off, but there were a few signposts along the way. It’s now become the unofficial uniform of Dallas’ creative class, from musicians Jonathan Ty- ler and Charley Crockett to anyone vying for a spot on a musician’s arm. Stylist and Penny Lane Vintage store owner Sarah Bull cites 2019’s rap-meets- country “Yee Haw Agenda” as a crucial point when Western got creative. “When did the floodgates open?” muses Bull, who has styled musicians such as Leon Bridges and Abraham Alexander. “When Lil Nas X and that crossover be- tween rap and country happened, it brought a whole new element and surplus of different people [to Western wear]. Now we’ve got Beyoncé in a fringe cowboy hat and glitter on stage. It’s blending classic country glam in a modern way of dressing down but dressing out.” At least locally, the opening of Uptown’s restaurant/venue The Rustic a decade ago helped give Dallasites a gathering place to show off their style. Created by FreeRange Concepts’ Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz with musician Pat Green, the sprawling space screams “Texas” from the moment you belly up to the bar backed by a giant American flag crafted of beer cans. Observer editor Eva Raggio coined the term “hoity tonk” in 2014 to describe The Rustic’s up- scale Western. The idea for The Rustic started with a blue-sky moment. The partners were in the Hill Country on a bachelor party retreat, grilling steaks and listening to tunes under a big oak tree. “I looked at [Josh] and said, ‘We need to bottle this experience and open a restaurant around this vibe — music, friends, oak tree, big stars,’” Noonan, a California native, re- calls. “I think everybody has that nostalgic memory from a childhood campfire, even if you’re a city boy. The whole Texas vibe just bubbles up.” From the start, he wanted the space to possess a patina like “a really nice, expensive pair of boots that have been worn and just gotten better with the wear and tear.” And patrons followed suit. The homey environs made a mix of fashionable 20-somethings and suited businessmen eager to pull out those boots from the back of their closets. The Rustic was so successful that ▼ Culture >> p8 Nichole Stephens
