How to Wear Cowboy Boots Without Looking Like You’re Wearing a Costume

There are few fashion items as instantly recognizable as a cowboy boot. Born out of function and deeply rooted in American history, the western staple has spent decades moving in and out of the fashion zeitgeist, crossing from ranches and rodeos into music, Hollywood, and runways. 

Cowboy boots are everywhere heading into fall 2026. But this time around, you don’t need to pair them with head-to-toe denim and a ten-gallon hat to get in on the trend.

Instead, fashion’s latest interpretation of western style is all about borrowing from the aesthetic, weathered leather, fringe, denim, studded accessories, and mixing those pieces with the classics already hanging in your closet.

It’s an approach celebrity stylist Erin Walsh, who works with Anne Hathaway and Selena Gomez, is very much on board with. “The western trend is everywhere right now, but I say take trends in doses,” the Marshalls and TJ Maxx Fashion Style Expert told E!.

“Adding subtle touches with accessories and texture is the easiest way to embrace a trend without it becoming inauthentic to you.”

So, how exactly do you do that? We asked Walsh for her best tips for wearing cowboy boots and western-inspired pieces without looking like you’re headed to a themed party.