WOMEN IN WESTERNS

From Miss Kitty to Mattie Ross to the iconic Etta Place, Westerns just wouldn’t be the same without their leading ladies.

Images licensed by Alamy

“Women really had to elbow their way into Westerns,” Cheryl said. “Males were always the lead, the cowboy was always the hero – that’s always who was driving the narrative – and in many cases, the females were almost ornamental. There’s the joke that in Westerns, the horses got more screen time than the women. So, it was momentous, and truly a testament to these actresses, how they were able to develop these characters and elevate them to integral players in the plot. In retrospect, Miss Kitty is every bit as memorable as Marshal Dillon. Suddenly the ‘damsel in distress’ trope was replaced with women who had fortitude – and attitude!”

Naturally, as feisty young women ourselves, we appreciated and admired that about these silver screen cowgirls. While the clothing in this collection is a little more colorful, more twangy, a little more retro than Wild West, the broader inspiration was celebrating that strength and the spirit of demanding to be seen.