Everyone knows a horse girl – spending every waking minute at the stables, unconcerned with anything outside of stable duties and most probably flashing her own horse on her lockscreen. Although we actually quite like them (follow your passions, girl), they’ve been the subject of internet ridicule for as long as we can remember – leading to ‘horse girl’ becoming a recognised term of its own.
However, despite their reputation, long live the jodhpurs – horse girls are now cool. Gucci debuted some equestrian helmets last season, whilst Chanel has been incorporating equestrian wear into its collections for the past few seasons, culminating in a real-life horse walking the runway for its latest couture show. Although this caused controversy, it made what was otherwise a pretty average collection stand out in the throes of fashion week. Elsewhere, Hermès said horse girl, but make it fetish – sending a series of latex, harnessed equestrian-inspired wear down the catwalk alongside riding jackets, and the proceedings were all held in a riding arena.
Borrowing smaller motifs from the world of equestrians, Coach’s buckle skirts were for the most stylish of horse girls – for when you want your fit to match your saddle. Most brands have their own takes on the jodhpur silhouette too, or make riding boots decisively high end. It’s outside of the catwalks that the horse girls are going mainstream, though.
The Hadids are leading the way with this one – growing up on a California ranch in early childhood, the sisters are self-proclaimed horse girls. Often posting pictures with their equine friends, Gigi spent a lot of time at the ranch when pregnant with Khai, and Bella even rode competitively in the early 2010s.
It appears that there’s a correlation between the supermodel it-girls of the moment and horse lovers too – with Kendall Jenner also leading the way in making horse girls fashionable. From seeing her ride on KUWTK from childhood, to that 2019 Halloween fit that came adorned with 2 white horses, Kendall has been about the stable life – admittedly, a super rich stable.
More recently, Burberry’s newest major bag launch has centred on all things equestrian for its campaign, which sees models wearing the brand’s Lola bag atop a mechanical-half-horse, which gives equal parts countryside chic, equal parts horror movie. Featuring Bella Hadid amongst the all-star lineup for the campaign, it’s clear Burberry is just the latest brand tapping the growing horse girl aesthetic for a return to authenticity.
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