Shadee Tye

This week (a week late! Sorry) I’m featuring sweet Shadee. I met Shadee through her fiancé, Crockett. She just struck me the moment I met her! She is sweet, genuine, fashionable & gorgeous. After harassing Crockett for a month or so, he was finally able to convince her to come help me in the office at the barn and I have SO enjoyed getting to know her. So, let’s learn a little more about Shadee Tye!

Shadee grew up in Plainview, Texas. She moved to central Texas 4 years ago when she chose to attend college at Tarleton State University in Stephenville. She is almost done with a degree in Animal Science. She will graduate this fall. She comes from ranching/farming/rodeo families on both sides. Her entire life has been centered around the western lifestyle and everything it entails. Most of her days are spent working with her assistant trainer, Crockett, ha-ha…Not really, they work hand in hand training reined cowhorses, rope horses and just good old using ranch horses. Let me tell you, they make some of the best money can buy. Shadee is a fantastic horseman and the cowhorse showing is her jam. Crockett has even taken a liking to it and has started showing some himself, so I’m telling yall, if you need a horse in this field, they can hook you up or point you in the right direction for sure. Due to this passion of theirs, you can find them at a ranch rodeo or cowhorse show just about every weekend. When they aren’t on the road, or when Shadee isn’t in class, she has a sale horse photography business. People hire her to photograph the best attributes of their prospects or finished performance horses. It is her true passion, and she is so happy with the decision she made to take the plunge and start this side hustle. She did make me blush saying that all the above things aside, some of her favorite days are spent helping us at the sale barn (Lampasas Cattle Auction) and working alongside me in the office. Shadee is definitely a true asset to us as she can do pretty much any position at the barn. She has been everywhere from the back alongside Crockett sorting and bringing up cattle to the check in house tagging and writing up to sitting next to me in the office entering tickets, checking buyers out and answering the phone. She is just a true gem and I’m so glad she’s in my life!

All the feels and gushiness aside, let’s talk about her killer style, because trust me, she’s smokin! With their lifestyle, looking fashionable isn’t usually a top priority nor is it truly functional for day in and day out, so when they do make it to town, Shadee loves using clothes and accessories to express her personality and lifestyle. She typically finds drawn to pieces that are a bit funky or “out there.” She doesn’t feel there is necessarily one particular person who has influenced her style, but if she did have to pick just one, she would choose her mama! She is absolutely fabulous and Shadee, her mom, and her sister all have a similar style which totally pays off when they want to borrow clothes. Moving 6 hours away from them has definitely put a damper on the borrowing, but Shadee remains inspired by her sweet mama who always looks so cute and is never lacking in the jewels department. Shadee says her turquoise collection is to die for so I must one day make it to Plainview to check it out!! Growing up, she wanted to dress like a boy until about 8th grade, so to say this change excited her mother would be the understatement of the century! Shadee also draws inspiration from women of the past…. women from the 90’s, all the way back to the frontier days! She loves it all and incorporates a little bit from each era in her closet. This is truly one of my favorite things about Shadee’s style. To be as young as she is (23), she has an effortless way of combining current trends with timeless pieces and ALWAYS looks like a class act.

For staple pieces, Shadee can find specific pieces she’s looking for at Maverick’s Western Wear in the Ft. Worth Stockyards. Truthfully though, she says her favorite pieces don’t come from a trendy boutique, but from local antique or resale shops. She doesn’t go shopping as often as you would think, she actually tends to come across authentic pieces completely by accident. When she does go looking for everyday clothing though, some of her favorite spots are Silver Wings and The Buckin’ Buffalo, both located in Stephenville, Punchy Vaquera in Hico as well. She says, most of her closet probably comes from The Rusty Rose back in Plainview. She makes sure to stop by every time she makes a trip home and see what goodies they have in store for her! Another staple store she highly recommends is Tumbleweed Vintage Boots. You can take in a pair of old boots and swap him out for a new to you vintage pair! How cool is that?!

Shadee is not much of an online shopper, but when she does, one of her favorites would be Gypsy Bleu Boutique, which just so happens to be owned by her best friend, Riley. She also watches the happenings at Tin Rose Boutique, Redford Ranch Style and Shop Impressions for everyday style. One of her favorite jewelry spots will always be Heritage Style Native Jewelry.

When she’s putting an outfit together, of course she first considers the type of event she’s going to and the weather. For a ranch rodeo outing, she’ll reach for denim cut offs or capris and pair with a graphic tee or tank, throw on a vintage belt and some cute sandals or tennis shoes and finish it off with lighter jewelry because who wants to be wearing heavy jewelry when it’s hot and dusty?? For more of a formal event, she’ll start by grabbing a staple such as a blazer, jacket, vest or blouse, then she moves on to jeans and a fun-colored pair of boots to “funk it up.” Jewelry always comes last so she can look at the outfit and decide just how much she needs. If it’s a flashy top, she doesn’t want to take away from it by wearing a humongous squash blossom. Some classic staple pieces she feels will never go out of style include vintage fringe jackets, the super loud ones that most people would shy away from. She also says everyone needs a great pair of vintage, handmade boots. If you buy a pair from a name brand manufacturer, they will more than likely go out of style at some point, whereas buying from a true maker, they will hold their authentic and timeless look forever. Currently, there are so many different trends going on, but Shadee tried to stay away from anything too trendy. She doesn’t want to be wearing something everyone has. Since she typically avoids trends, it was hard for her to pick one she’s currently loving, but since I made her, she said she’s glad the simple looks are making a comeback. She feels simplicity can sometimes be more eye catching than an overly loud outfit. Lots of styles are being crossed right now and she loves that the cowgirl style is taking more of an edgy look. She loves incorporating some edge while remaining true to her inner classy cowgirl.

She brought 2 outfits to the shoot and for the first one, she went classy and elegant with a western flair which is her go to look for bigger events. She dressed up a simple pair of capris with cowhide heels and her all time favorite shawl. The fur on the cardigan makes it dressy, but it is actually very thin, so she’s able to wear it through fall and winter. She chose not to overdo the jewelry because she didn’t feel the outfit really needed it. Remember, she really loves the simple, effortless look. Her second outfit was based around a fabulous blazer she found at a thrift store. Everything about this blazer screams Shadee and her style. She loves things that most people would never dare to pick up. Incorporating a Native American influence on her everyday Texas cowgirl style will always be what she feels sums up her everyday style. With the blazer being so bold, she wore just a simple black dress underneath and paired some of her favorite everyday pieces with it. One of these would be her sombrero spoon necklace that describes her to a t. She was planning on rocking a vintage pair of black ML Leddy’s that Crockett bought her out of someone’s backseat at the TCR matched horse races last year. He has just as good, if not better, taste in boots. His collection is a whole other story, and I could actually probably do a whole blogpost on Crockett’s style as well! However, in true Shadee fashion, she was in a hurry out the door and left the boots behind! This look still turned out amazing though, because thanks to our super talented photographer, Lori Falcon, she encouraged Shadee to embrace the Native American influence and just rock the barefoot look which Shadee loved, and it turned out amazing!

I hope y’all have enjoyed learning about 3 of my favorite fashionistas! Each of the ladies I’ve featured inspires me in so many ways and I have loved introducing them to you!! Stay tuned for future posts on more of my favorite people!!

Stevie McBride

It’s Stevie’s week!! I am so excited to introduce y’all to this inspiring boss babe I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and I now call a dear friend. Stevie has a passion for fashion, western fashion more specifically, and this inspired her to start her own online boutique, Little Mesquite Boutique. In addition to running her online business, Stevie and her husband Heston own an Ag service business in Lampasas called AgroTech. These endeavors take up most of their time for sure, but when they’re not in the office, you can find them tending to their cattle and horses. They run a small cow/calf operation consisting of mostly Maine/Angus cattle as well as raising and training AQHA quarter horses. Stevie says Heston mostly trains and she mostly rides them like she stole them! She’s always loved horses, but her passion grew when she met Heston. She loves animals and would have 100 horses and an entire funny farm with all the things if Heston would allow it. She loves being horse back and it makes it even better that it’s something she and her husband can do together. She just loves being outside in general, whether it be working alongside Heston, taking care of animals or doing some good old-fashioned porch sittin’, outside is where she truly feels her best and wants to be the most. She’s a huge family person, whether it be her true blood family or friends who are close enough to be called family. She feels time spent with them is irreplaceable and she cherishes those moments.

Speaking of her sweet family, she and Heston recently added to it with their first baby in May!! Hetch is THE most darling little man, and I am here for his chubby cheeks!! She feels he is her biggest accomplishment thus far in life and she and Heston are smitten and quite possibly obsessed with him, as they should be. He is 3 months old and keeps them on their toes!! She has loved becoming a mom and feels it has shaped her into a newer, better version of herself and she is “damn proud of who she has become!” Stevie lives a busy, crazy, “on the go” lifestyle and is not the best at sitting still. Heston would say “she doesn’t have a lot of whoa” but that’s one of my most favorite things about her. She’s super passionate about everything she does, slightly hardheaded, but she loves her people hard and is fiercely loyal. Friends like Stevie are rare and hard to come by and I can assure you I feel completely blessed she entered my life.

I asked Stevie the same questions I asked Katherine and first up was who she looks to for fashion inspiration. She said there’s definitely a long list but for the sake of time, she kept it short. She said her biggest inspiration would be her grandmother. She was always classy and put together no matter the occasion. She said even when doing a task such as painting her kitchen, her “work clothes” would be so put together. She always told Stevie “You never know what will happen or who you’ll see in town, so always have your best foot forward.” Stevie was never a girly girl growing up, but she always secretly admired her grandmother for being so “girly” and poised. She relates to it much more now that she’s older and she realizes a lot more was being taught than just being fashionable. She will admit her day-to-day look is probably far from put together most times, but when it comes down to it, she knows how to clean up nice thanks to her grandmother.

She likes to build her outfits by starting with one main staple piece, whether it be a tee, blazer, jewelry, boots…She starts with a piece she wants her outfit to revolve around. Then, she pairs accordingly. There is no true method to her madness, and it depends on her mood that day. Sometimes she will just see something random in her closet and have an “aha” moment of what to pair it with for a killer combo.

Some current trends she’s loving are the “western chic” look and the “western” business casual looks floating around out there. That happens to be one of my absolute favorite trends currently as well, and I basically describe my barn looks each week as “western” business casual. Like, I’m a professional, but I might step in cow poop, so I dress accordingly. She’s also loving the western grunge and vintage vibe. She’s always been more of a matchy matchy type, but she loves the creative outlet this trend is allowing for, and the eclectic vibe is catching her eye. She loves that it all flows but doesn’t necessarily “match” and it brings in looks that aren’t necessarily western but can be made that way so easily and girls are just killing it and having so much fun with this one! She’s feeling super tempted to step out her comfort zone and I hope she does because I can’t wait to see what she’ll bring to the table!

Some of the influencers she follows religiously for inspiration are Courtenay DeHoff, West Desperado and Western Sage. She loves the “fancy lady cowgirl” movement and Courtenay’s passion for the western lifestyle. She has such a unique spin on the business casual but make it “western” look. She’s always classy and put together, not to mention hilarious. She feels West Desperado (Shaley Ham) is literally a creative genius. And, I mean, don’t we all?? She loves seeing the looks Shaley puts together with so many elements and always keeping it classy. Western Sage (Gabrielle Sage) is another creative genius in Stevie’s book. Stevie loves that she re-styles and re-imagines pieces she already has. It always turns out so unique.

Her favorite places to shop, what we’ve all been waiting for…locally, she likes to shop at Hoffpauir’s and Merk and Tilley’s in Lampasas, Harry’s in San Saba, Blair’s in Marble Falls, and Two Black Cadillacs in Burnet. For her online faves we’re, obviously throwing out a shameless plug for Little Mesquite Boutique, but she also loves Tribe West Boutique, The Wild Gringa, Callico Silver and Turquoise and Teepees.

The two outfits she brought for me go perfectly with her classic favorites and her newer trend favorites. Her timeless staples are denim, blazers, a fabulous, classy pair of boots and turquoise. She is obsessed with Canadian tuxedos and that is a great way to sum up these staples in a vision. So, for her first look, she brought a denim blazer and a starched pair of jeans. She feels you can never go wrong with this outfit, no matter the occasion. You can pair it with fancy jewelry and shoes for anything from date night to a business meeting. Dress it down with a tee, some sandals and more casual jewelry or heck, throw on a cap and low pony to hit up brunch with your best girls! It’s easy and effortless and that is her jam.

For her next outfit, she took it out of the comfort zone and I’m so glad she did!! She threw together a funky and fun look that is trending so hot right now and she KILLED IT!! She paired two of her favorite pieces together and loved it even more than she thought she would.

I hope y'all have enjoyed learning about Stevie as much as I’ve loved getting to know her and stay tuned for the conclusion of this shoot next week featuring my sweet Shadee Baby!!

My Favorite {Local} Fashionistas

Over the next 3 weeks, I will be introducing 3 of my absolute favorite western fashionistas. Not only do I love these ladies’ style, but I also love them!! Each of them and their sweet families bring something to the table in the agriculture/western industry. I love what they stand for and represent, I love the type of friend they are, I love who they are as people. In the upcoming posts, I will be introducing each of them to you. I will showcase their style, share their story with you and fill you in on their favorite places to shop, style inspirations and trends they’re loving. There is so much more to these ladies than fabulous wardrobes and pretty faces though and I will talk to you about how they are some of the best representations of the western life and style that I love so dearly.

Meet Amye-Katherine Staton, Katherine to those of us who know and love her. Katherine is first and foremost a believer in our lord and savior Jesus Christ. She is married to a professional steer wrestler and the mother to three fiercely independent little ladies. She recently became a realtor and I guarantee she will be a force to be reckoned with in that world. She is a health enthusiast, and I am truly inspired by her dedication to eating well and exercising regularly. She is a professional “shop small” gal and I love that so, so much. Katherine is all about her community and supporting locals. She’s your true blue “hometown girl.’ If you know the song “hometown girl” by Josh Turner, you know Katherine. She believes in holding herself accountable and being the best version of herself and she believes it’s a choice we should all be making every day. Be the best version of you and I can promise you she chooses every day to be the best version of her. She and her husband, Cade Staton, live on her family’s ranch just outside of Hamilton, TX, with their 3 daughters, Courtney, Margaret-Ryan & Kelly. Cade sells oil and fuel for Arnold Oil Company out of Austin, TX by day and is a professional steer wrestler by night. Katherine says his true talent is being on the back of a horse. He is known for making some of the best steer wrestling horses to ever grace the arena dirt. This talent comes naturally to him from both of his parents. His mother has an eye for those “once in a lifetime” athletes. Earlier, it was mentioned that their three girls are “fiercely independent”. These girls have been taught right from wrong and will have your back in any situation. They make Katherine’s world go round. She has always believed she was put on this Earth to be a wife and mother and she never gets tired of that job. I can assure you she is someone to look up to and admire as the most loving, caring wife and mother. Her family is beyond blessed to have her as their matriarch. Katherine says her mother, Amye Craig, was the perfect ranch wife. You could find her with a child on her hip sorting cattle or perhaps with a baby in the stroller working horses in the round pen. She has a way of bonding with a horse that makes you want to hear the conversation they are having in silence. Her father recently passed away and it was a huge blow to their family. Ken was an amazing husband and father who took care of his girls like no other. He taught them that anything worth doing is worth doing right. He always said “it’s all about looking good” which is something many women today may be offended to hear, but it’s one of Katherine’s favorite quotes. It is more than likely one of the main reasons she attempts to be sure she and the girls are always dressed and ready for anything with a smile on their face. I can promise you; she succeeds at this. She says, “you never know who you may meet, but honestly, call before you stop by the ranch because we are likely to be in our underwear”.

I asked her who is someone whose fashion inspires her. She said she loves Jennifer Aniston’s vibe in the movie “Rumor Has It” and she’s always loved Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s looks. She was a true “classic” and Katherine is into the clean cut but natural thing. Some of her favorite places to shop locally are Punchy’s, Saddle Rags and Silver Wings Boutique. All these stores are in Stephenville, TX. She loves Punchy’s because Jen (a favorite of all of ours!) has been dressing her since she was little. She knows where Katherine is self-conscious and pushes her out of her box just far enough, she still feels comfortable. Saddle Rags has great everyday wear and are also very helpful. She finds super cute kid’s clothes here as well and I could write a whole blog post on how perfect her girls always look! She goes to Silver Wings to find a pop of color to break up her denim and grey she would otherwise live in. This store really brings out her girly side.

Her favorite online boutiques are Buck Fergeson Originals, Shabby Sass Boutique, Tru Spirit Collective and Gypsy Bleu. Buck Fergeson is a favorite where many of her classic staple pieces come from. Staple pieces can be expensive, but she thinks of it as an investment you will have for YEARS. Having 3 girls, she knows they will be wearing these clothes in 10-20 years. Shabby Sass is owned by a “sassy girl” who is a timeless beauty, and the clothes reflect that. She finds a lot of fun clothes here and the owner can make you the perfect fitting vintage wranglers. Tru Spirit Collective always has that perfect tank top or tee you need to bring an outfit to life. It’s an understated hippie vibe unless you’re wanting to go all out hippie, and in that case, you’re covered there too. Gypsy Bleu always has the cutoff/ripped denim she’s looking for. Occasionally, she’ll throw in a rock n roll tee if she’s feeling spunky. She also finds lots of cute statement jackets here.

I asked how she puts her outfits together. She said honestly, she waits until the last minute to put something together because she’ll ruin it if she has too much time to think about it. She starts with a classic, which is usually denim for her. Depending on the event, she’ll add something trendy. She’s a ripped jeans and t shirt kind of girl, probably why I love her style, and you’ll usually find her in converse or barefoot. She does, however, feel the right leopard heel and light jacket can be life changing.

Some classic style staples she feels will never go out of style are denim, silver, fur and a big leather bag. I couldn’t agree more. You don’t have to be a cowgirl to wear denim. Silver will always be a classic and she prefers a sterling silver cuff. Some people add their favorite stone, but she loves a good classic silver base. Fur…the great debate in Texas. Haven’t all Texas women been questioned as to why we wear fur in these temperatures? Katherine’s mother once said, “I’ll wear fur to the damn frozen food section if I want to!” I couldn’t love that more!! Katherine says classy ladies wear real fur and yes, yes, we do. Bless your sweet heart if that bothers you. Big leather bags (also real) are LIFE for her, and she can’t count the number of them she owns. One of her mom’s good friends lived out of a leather bag and she remembers thinking it was like Mary Poppins in there!! You may find anything from snacks to a tire iron, to a parka!! Hopefully the parka had a genuine fur collar…. Some more current trends she’s loving are rompers, booties and high waisted jean shorts although she doesn’t see them as trends because she has no plans to stop wearing them.

I asked the girls to bring one staple piece and one trendy outfit they’re loving for fall. Of course, my girl focused on denim. Her staple was the perfect fitting jean with a few trendy rips in the knee, a frayed denim button down shirt with a front tuck, and you guessed it, leopard heels. She paired it with one of her mom’s favorite small and understated buckles and a beautiful Navajo pearl and cross necklace gifted to her by her great Aunt Mary. She sported an arm full of silver cuffs Cade collects for her as he travels all the rodeo towns up north and of course her Reads Jewelers wedding ring and bands that never leave her finger. This is an outfit she would throw on for Circuit Finals or a night out with the girls. It’s easy to wear and classic. The trendy option was harder for her because she tries not to be trendy, again, a main reason I love her unique style. She does Katherine, not anybody else!! She chose a baby doll dress in a super fun color for fall and paired it with her tall Old Gringo boots and a turquoise heart necklace. She threw on a silver concho belt, and this is an outfit she would wear if she was feeling extra girly or on a date night when she knew she wouldn’t have 3 little girls hanging off her. She feels this has medium rare filet, lobster mac and cheese, and a nice glass of cabernet written all over it. YES, girl, yes it does. Please let me be your date for date night.