Meet the British Vintage Dealer Sourcing Cowboy Boots for Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid has been yeehawing from Texas to New York, Aspen and back to her Lone Star State adopted home. Her style has evolved into a full blown Western affair: myriad washes of denim, big-buckled belts, wide-brimmed hats, plaids, fringed jackets. For a surprise recent appearance in the final season of the hit neo-Western drama Yellowstone, Hadid pulled cowboy boots from her own wardrobe, melding her character Sadie’s look with her own. All the while, Hadid has retained her true allegiance to vintage and archival pieces.

For an outing to a horse breeding event in Texas with her boyfriend, cowboy and seasoned equestrian Adan Banuelos, the supermodel kept to the rodeo-ready aesthetic: double denim, with a short-sleeved lighter wash buttoned shirt and flared indigo jeans, and a chunky silver buckle and brown leather belt. It was a more casual and pared back cowgirl look, but on her feet she wore some quite special vintage cowboy boots—a pair with a bit of a back story.

A few months ago, Hadid’s stylist Molly Dickson and her team reached out with a brief for vintage items to the UK-based AMO Vintage, run by Clarissa Bowman. AMO, which Bowman began in 2020, is focused on ’90s and ’00s designer vintage pieces—think sireny Tom Ford-era Gucci mules, ponyskin rodeo belts, slinky silhouettes and corsetry via Dolce & Gabbana and Dior. And of course, killer boots: thigh-high stilettos, and the aforementioned cowboy kind.

Bowman was first contacted for Hadid’s dressing options for her fragrance brand OreBella’s press launch in November. “The team are incredible to work with, and specifically asked for Western pieces which was such a full circle moment, having been such a fan of her style and often feeling the mix of products I have would be perfect for her. I felt like I had manifested it!” says Bowman.

And to the boots at hand: Bowman included a pair of brown leather John Galliano-era Christian Dior cowboy boots from the early ’00s, and curated a further selection of pieces to send to New York. With shipping delays over the holiday period and issues with international couriers, there was concern about making the final fittings. “I had an update from the team that Bella had specifically asked to take the Dior cowboy boots to an event. After scrolling social media for days I found out she wore them to accompany her boyfriend to a horse breeding event in Texas, I couldn’t think of anything more fitting for AMO than that,” says Bowman.