Three weeks ago I’m sitting at this ridiculously overpriced beachfront place in Montauk – you know, the kind where a basic margarita costs what I used to spend on lunch for a week – and I see this woman walking along the water. White linen dress, totally normal beach attire, right? Except she’s got on this weathered denim jacket with all this Western embroidery stuff and I swear to god, a white cowboy hat. Just strolling along like she owns the place, which maybe she does because this is the Hamptons area and who knows.
I’m texting my friend Sarah who’s supposed to meet me but is running late as usual, when two more women walk by in similar getups. One’s carrying cowboy boots – thank god not wearing them in the sand – and the other has this massive turquoise belt thing that looks like it belongs on a ranch somewhere in Texas, not on a Long Island beach.
By the time Sarah shows up twenty minutes later (seriously, why do I even give people specific times anymore), I’ve counted at least seven of these coastal cowgirl situations and I’m halfway through my second overpriced drink trying to figure out what’s happening.
“You’re not gonna believe this weird trend thing I’m seeing,” I start, but Sarah cuts me off.
“The Western beach look? Yeah, I’m literally wearing it right now.” She gestures to herself and I realize she’s got on this sundress I’ve seen her wear a million times, but now there’s a braided leather belt and these turquoise earrings that definitely weren’t there before. “Got the belt at that vintage place in Brooklyn. Cute, right?”
This is when I knew this wasn’t just some random Montauk weirdness. Sarah’s closet is basically a shrine to beige and black basics. If she’s doing Western accessories, something big is happening in fashion land and I missed the memo completely, which honestly happens more than I’d like to admit now that I spend most of my time thinking about whether Jackson’s soccer cleats still fit.
“When did this become a thing?” I ask her while trying to flag down the bartender because clearly this conversation needs more alcohol.
“It’s been building for months,” Sarah says with the confidence of someone who actually keeps up with trends instead of getting all her fashion information from whatever Target’s featuring in their weekly email. “Started with turquoise jewelry coming back. Then Western boots with dresses. Now it’s like full cowgirl but make it beachy. I blame social media. And probably Beyoncé.”
On the drive home – thank god we didn’t fly because I can barely afford gas right now, let alone plane tickets – I’m doing that thing where you fall down an internet rabbit hole trying to understand something. My phone is full of screenshots of influencers in prairie dresses on beaches, celebrities mixing denim jackets with flowy skirts, and approximately eight thousand versions of turquoise jewelry paired with shell necklaces.
Apparently this coastal cowgirl thing has been brewing since last year. Started at Coachella where people were mixing crochet tops with Western boots, then slowly migrated to actual beaches. The whole thing exploded when some celebrities started posting pictures – Gigi Hadid in Malibu wearing a cowboy hat with linen pants, Taylor Swift carrying boots on a beach somewhere, that kind of thing. Once it hit social media algorithms, game over.
I mean, the numbers are crazy. There are literally millions of views on videos tagged with this trend. Online searches for “Western beach style” went up like 300% this spring, which I learned from some retail report I found at 2 AM when I should have been sleeping but instead was researching fashion trends like it’s my job, which it’s definitely not anymore.
What’s fascinating is how it makes perfect sense when you think about it. Beach style was getting kind of boring – how many white linen dresses and neutral everything can you look at before your eyes glaze over? Adding Western elements gives it personality, makes it feel less precious and more fun. Plus there’s something very American about smashing together two completely different regional aesthetics and calling it a day.
I decided to test this theory last weekend when we went to the Rockaways with the kids. I figured if coastal cowgirl had made it to New York beaches, I’d see evidence. Oh my god, did I see evidence. Cowboy hats everywhere, people carrying boots in their beach bags, prairie dresses blowing around in the ocean breeze paired with shell anklets and leather bracelets. It was like someone had taken a Texas ranch and a New England beach house and thrown them in a blender.
“It’s just more interesting than the regular beach stuff,” this woman Mia told me while we were waiting in the same line for fish tacos. She had on this white eyelet dress with a tooled leather belt and turquoise rings on practically every finger. “The all-white coastal thing was getting old, you know?”
Another woman, Zoe, was wearing denim shorts with this flowing kimono-style top and a silver concho belt that probably cost more than my monthly grocery budget. “I grew up in Texas but I live here now, so this is the first trend that lets me be both versions of myself without feeling ridiculous.”
That seems to be the appeal – it’s playful in a way that super precious coastal style isn’t. Less rules, more personality. And you can ease into it without going full costume, which is important because nobody wants to look like they’re heading to a themed party when they’re just trying to get lunch at a beachfront restaurant.
Stores have obviously caught on. Anthropologie has “prairie beach dresses” now, which is hilarious terminology but whatever sells, I guess. Free People has an entire Western resort section. Even J.Crew is doing subtle Western details, which tells you this thing has officially hit the mainstream because J.Crew doesn’t take fashion risks.
What’s interesting is how different age groups are doing it. The really young women are going all out – full prairie dresses, cowboy boots, statement turquoise jewelry, the works. Women my age are being more subtle about it, maybe adding one Western element to an otherwise normal beach outfit. And I’ve even seen older women at fancy Hamptons beaches adding silver and turquoise touches to their usual linen uniforms.
If you want to try this without looking like you raided a costume shop, here’s what I’ve figured out works. Start small with accessories – a braided belt, some turquoise jewelry, maybe a denim jacket with subtle Western details. Stick to natural materials because anything synthetic immediately looks cheap and costume-y. Keep the colors beach appropriate – whites, blues, earth tones work best. And please consider your location because a full cowgirl getup might work in Miami but could look ridiculous in Martha’s Vineyard.
Last weekend I finally decided to dip my toe in these waters myself. I was packing for a friend’s beach house and going back and forth on what to wear, which is ridiculous because it’s just a casual weekend but I’ve been feeling frumpy lately and wanted to try something different. I ended up wearing my usual white linen sundress but added this vintage tooled leather belt I found at a thrift store in Park Slope and some turquoise drop earrings I got at Target, because let’s be real about my shopping budget these days.
“Is this too much?” I texted Sarah with a mirror selfie from our guest room.
“Not enough,” she replied. “Add that denim jacket you definitely own but never wear.”
She was right, of course. The jacket made it look intentional instead of like I accidentally grabbed the wrong accessories. Walking on the beach that evening, I felt comfortable but also more interesting than usual. A woman actually stopped me to ask where I got my belt, which never happens in my normal mom uniform of jeans and whatever sweater doesn’t have stains on it.
Will this trend stick around? Probably not in its current form. Western influences tend to cycle through fashion every few years and then disappear, while beach style is more constant. My guess is by next summer we’ll see softer versions – less full prairie dress, more subtle Western details integrated into regular coastal pieces. The turquoise jewelry will probably stick around because it’s pretty and works with everything.
But for right now, coastal cowgirl is having its moment and honestly, I’m here for it. Beach fashion was getting way too samey and precious. There’s something fun about this very American mash-up of two completely different regional styles – like the Wild West finally made it to the Atlantic Coast and decided to stay for vacation.
Just please don’t actually wear cowboy boots in the sand. I saw someone trying this last weekend and it was painful to watch. Some fashion boundaries exist for good practical reasons, no matter how cute it might look on social media. Trust me on this one.
Taylor’s a Minneapolis mom rediscovering her style between school runs and snack time. She writes about fashion that survives real life—affordable, comfortable, and still cute. Her posts are for moms who want to feel good without pretending motherhood is effortless.
