Content Creator Andie J Is a Cowgirl at Heart

For Andie J, dressing like a cowgirl is not only a interest — it is a lifestyle.

Andie J is a cowgirl at her core — minus the driving horses half. “I like petting and them, however I’ve by no means cherished driving,” she confesses considerably sheepishly. As an alternative, the content material creator (@andoej) prefers to pay homage to horses via her clothes: a set of 70+ Western-inspired items that may make Dale Evans herself jealous. “Cowgirl is an angle, actually,” she says, quoting the star of Nineteen Forties Western musicals. “The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her personal lights and makes no excuses.” And neither does Andie.

Born and raised in Calgary, she was all the time keen on style however didn’t notice it was a viable profession till a few years into her PR diploma at Mount Royal College. After a short stint in Toronto as an intern at Joe Contemporary, she returned house and joined TikTok on a whim. A 12 months later, she began a video sequence about what she would put on to the entrance row of sure fashion shows, and she or he went viral. She determined to pursue TikTok full-time (whereas designing web sites on the facet) and now calls it her “unintentional dream profession.” “There aren’t a variety of jobs the place your primary purpose is to attach with individuals,” she explains. “I simply love having that driving drive day-after-day.”

Andie says she owes her type to her mom — the duo used to have 12-hour procuring marathons at thrift stores — however jokingly blames her father for her preliminary resistance to Westernwear. “I used to hate it when my dad would costume up in his cowboy boots, hat and shirt,” she laughs. “It wasn’t till I used to be in my late teenagers that I spotted it was really cool.”

Almost a decade later, she now refers to her closet as “The Nation Music Corridor of Fame” as a result of she has amassed so many Wild West wares, together with 43 pairs of cowboy boots. “I’m city, metropolis, Hollywood, cowgirl,” Andie says, describing her type. “I’ve all the time been actually into music, so I’ve undoubtedly been influenced by Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Cher and Harry Styles.”

As you may think about, minimalism isn’t in Andie’s vocabulary. Color, sequins, glitter and fringe abound as shiny lime-green boots combine with ornate leather-based jackets. Belts are huge, and their buckles are even greater. And cow print is taken into account a impartial. “It’s type of like while you placed on an identical pantsuit,” Andie reveals. “I get the identical vitality sporting a cowgirl outfit. I really feel assured and powerful.”

A part of that confidence for Andie will also be attributed to Westernwear’s huge makeover in recent times. What was as soon as an emblem of lone rangers and poisonous masculinity has reworked right into a flamboyant fashion that had a starring position within the Barbie movie. “The juxtaposition may be very highly effective to me,” shares Andie. “Westernwear was developed to be useful. It wasn’t seen as female till some actually iconic girls, like Dolly Parton, stepped in and added glitter to chaps.”

However, in the end, the connection to her house retains Andie coming again for extra. “Rising up, lots of people attempt to depart Calgary, together with myself,” she begins. “However previously 4 or 5 years, there’s been an actual thrifting surge. It’s a really attention-grabbing scene, so sporting my items makes me really feel pleased with the place I’m from.” Residence on the vary, certainly.

This text first appeared in FASHION’s November 2023 concern. Find out more here.