The aesthetic playground: Coastal Cowgirl

If you’re into fashion at all, you’ll know that the Western style has been back for a while now. This is the great thing about fashion being circular – there is something exciting and playful about bringing a style back into fashion, like picking up a piece of jewellery that was forgotten about at the back of the box.

I think there is something effortlessly iconic about the Western style. So naturally, I was delighted when I discovered that the Coastal Cowgirl exists, originating from coastal areas of the US like North Carolina. The basic premise: cowgirls on the beach (in case you couldn’t guess that). If you look it up on Pinterest, the deserts, fields, and mountains of the Western style are replaced by visuals of the sea, sand, and seashells.

Coastal Cowgirl […] is the perfect solution if you want a summer look

Whilst I love the Western style, the colours and fabrics feel more autumnal than summery for me. Coastal Cowgirl, then, is the perfect solution if you want a summer look. The key colours in the pallet include baby blue, cream, and tan, and it swaps out leather for linen and flannel.

The high street shops right now give us a lot of creativity to complete the look. Linen trousers are an ultimate summer staple (having said that, I don’t actually own any, being more of a skirt person), so they’re quite easy to find in the shops right now. Stradivarius has a lot of Coastal Cowgirl-esque items, including linen trousers in a number of colours (though the light blue and brown are best for achieving this look specifically, the khaki would also work well) and embroidered fringe tops. Pair them with some brown or tan sandals to complete the look.

There’s a lot of space to lean into either side of the style as much as you want to

Floral dresses are also a staple of the Coastal Cowgirl. They’re not exactly hard to find, but Hollister always comes out with a nice collection every summer – take this blue and white mini dress, for example. For a perfect Coastal Cowgirl look, pair it with Western-style boots; Stradivarius again have a great selection, whether you want ankle- or knee-length.

If you want to fully commit to the aesthetic, cowboy hats are a great addition. Bonus points if you wear shells anywhere on your body, whether it be on the hat, as a necklace, or even as a belt.

Some aesthetics can be quite narrow in what you can wear to achieve it. What’s great about Coastal Cowgirl is that it’s relaxed; there’s a lot of space to lean into either side of the style as much as you want to. Now all I need is a horse… does anyone know a place where they do student discounts?