WHAT WE’RE WEARING: WIDE OPEN TRAILS

Before we switch gears to Gentry Road – a stunning collection you ladies are going to absolutely love – we thought it would be fun to do a little behind-the-curtain look into how it’s decided who wears what for line launches.

“Well, it’s funny, because we do ‘dibs!’ things for the line launch when we start unboxing product as it comes in,” Audrey admitted. “But I think that has to be just out of habit, a sister thing – we’re all very competitive, we got that from Mom, believe it or not – because it’s very rare that we’re even trying to wear the same thing. I think we all have our own style, and in fact, we could probably predict with some certainty what the others are going to choose. Hedy’s gonna want a dress, I am forever fawning over our leather jackets, and Cheryl likes to put a whole look together – a top and a bottom, usually. We know what we’re drawn to and what we feel confident in.”

“Because here’s the thing,” Cheryl interjects. “If we’re being totally truthful, not a one of us likes to be on camera! We’re old hat at it by now, and it’s definitely gotten easier over time, but we still have to psych ourselves – and each other – up for it every time. That’s another sister thing – that’s why you almost always see all three of us in a line launch, because none of us are letting the others weasel out of it!”

All sister shenanigans and camera-shyness aside, at the end of the day, it is really rewarding to share line launches with y’all.

“Well, yeah!” laughed Hedy. “It’s like show-and-tell! You work really hard on a group project and then you get to share it with the class! Cheryl gets to talk about how she envisioned everything, Audrey shows you all the different ways to style it, I make sure y’all notice all the itty bitty details that went into making it perfect – because that’s what I do. And let’s be real, you don’t see any other brands doing that. That’s the Double D difference.”

But we digress. Let’s take a look at what each McMullen sister picked as their “presentation piece” from Wide Open Trails, and why it spoke to them.

CHERYL: Bandit Blazer, Bandit Pant, Ada Blouse

“I gravitated towards this look because, to me, it embodies the concept of this collection; it’s the hashtag-corporate-cowgirl vision that I had in mind for Wide Open Trails. It’s a power suit, but not the played-out predictable kind – the leather elevates it, the silk blouse elevates it, and the concho buttons make it decidedly Western. It’s an empowering ensemble. Also, I wanted to wear it for the live launch to demonstrate that you don’t have to be built like Kaylin to pull it off!”

HEDY: Abilene Bandana Dress

“Why are y’all still asking me this? You know it’s going to be the dress, every time. If we stop making a dress that fits in the shoulder, is flowy throughout, and hits around the knee, then I’m gonna have a meeting with management. I particularly love this one, though, because it’s kind of a burnt orange – hook’em, horns! – but a really pretty shade of it, more of a sienna maybe, and it has the classic cowgirl vibes of a bandana print. Plus the pearl snaps, and the sleeves – it’s just a beautiful execution of elements I already love.”

AUDREY: Chinga Chinga Jacket

“Oh, I’ve had my eye on this jacket from the jump. I love our leather jackets, it’s something that I truly feel we do better than anybody because we cut no corners, we drill down every detail from the texture to the symmetry of the studding to even the pull on the zipper. We do not take it lightly that these are jackets that people are probably – hopefully – going to own for the rest of their lives. I’m just lucky that I get first dibs! I also really loved the bolo I was wearing, but I promised I would put it back in inventory.”