Someone seems to have been looking to the country music scene for fashion inspiration this season. The good news is that there are ways to get in on the action without looking more like Billy Ray Cyrus than Taylor Swift.
One of the first collections that really showed the trend was
design house Prada, about 18 months ago. Miuccia Prada said at the time of her thigh-high waders and tiny tweed shorts: "I didn't want to do anything about the city, more something about sport and the outdoors in general - freedom and nature ... It was serious, in a way. It was about a need for feminine empowerment."
If you are keen to try a taste of the countryside, the easiest and cheapest way is to invest in a check shirt. They are everywhere at the moment and in lots of different colours. Wear yours over leggings or team it with skinny jeans. If you feel a bit swamped - the cut on a lot of these shirts is quite loose - pull it in at the waist with a wide, brown belt. Wear it open or half-done up, with a plain singlet underneath, for casual weekend lunches.
You can also get your feet in on the action with some reinvented cowboy boots. A lot of the new styles look great over skinny jeans, worn with a neutral beige or white jumper. Resist the urge to match cowboy boots with a check shirt, though - you want to look country-inspired, not like you've just come from a hoe-down.
Brighten up your winter with some of the style's big earrings, whether they are feathery or plain like these ones from Pagani. Switch up your handbag to something with a more "urban cowgirl" feel - there are lots of satchels around at the moment, like this one from Glassons.
