Cowboy chaps are back in fashion

Country roads are literally taking fashion home. Cowboy hats, boots and denims are all the rage on the runways over the world, but one item of clothing that’s especially catching everyone’s attention are cowboy chaps. Be it designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s latest showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with the FDCI, where he redefined equestrian style and had men sporting leather chaps over denim pants, or Dsquared having a male model strut the ramp in leather chaps over his undies, they have well and truly arrived.
“There is a major resurgence of the cowboy aesthetic which is why we are seeing the return of chaps. It taps into a desire for escapism and romanticism. The cowboy culture came from rural America and the return of chaps only signifies the adventurous lifestyle these folks lived in those days,” says designer Kunaal Kyhaan Seolekar of KoyToy.
Chaps were originally designed to protect the wearer’s legs while riding on a horse through bushy terrain, and were made of leather or similar material. Designer Anvita Sharma notes, “There are a lot of pop culture references related to cowboy core that we are seeing, like Rush, the latest hit by Troye Sivan, where he can be seen wearing chaps in the most provocative way.”
HOW TO STYLE COWBOY CHAPS
A modest way to style your leather chaps is to wear over your denim pants. Denim and leather look uber- cool together.
Make sure to opt for a snug fit as an ill-fitted pair of chaps would look unflattering.
Don’t style them with sneakers. Opt for sturdy leather boots or Chelsea boots for a chic appeal. —With inputs from Isha Bhansali
“There is a major resurgence of the cowboy aesthetic which is why we are seeing the return of chaps. It taps into a desire for escapism and romanticism. The cowboy culture came from Western America and the return of chaps only signifies the adventurous lifestyle these folks lived in those days,” says designer Kunaal Kyhaan Seolekar of KoyToy.
Chaps were originally designed to protect the wearer’s legs while riding on a horse through bushy terrain and were made of leather or similar material.
“There are a lot of pop culture references which we are seeing related to cowboy core, like the latest hit by Troye Sivan called Rush, where he can be seen wearing chaps provocatively,” opines designer Anvita Sharma.
How to style cowboy chaps ( With inputs from Isha Bhansali)
1. A modest way to style your leather chaps is to wear over your denim pants. Denim and leather look uber-cool together.
2. Make sure to opt for snug-fit chaps as an ill-fitted pair of chaps would look unflattering.
3. Don’t style them with sneakers, instead opt for sturdy leather boots or Chelsea boots for a chic appeal.