For decades, Americans have chased that elusive je ne sais quoi of French girl style—the perfectly slouchy Breton striped tee, those broken-in ballet flats, and that effortlessly tousled “woke-up-like-this” mane. But a recent TikTok of Parisians clicking cowboy boots down rue de Rivoli—affectionately nicknamed “Texani boots”—has upended the narrative. TikTok user @annaotwell joked, “Came to Europe and tried to look like locals—no one mentioned they all dress like they're from Texas." The ensuing 4,302 comments proved she's not the only one who's noticed.
@annaotwell we are clearly tourists
♬ TEXAS HOLD 'EM - Beyoncé
Blame Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter takeover of Paris if you like—her Western-meets-glam tour has sparked a 224 percent surge in cowboy-boot searches since its launch, Vogue Business reports. Yet this Franco-Western flirtation has deeper roots. In the late ’60s, Brigitte Bardot rebelled against stiff couture in fringed suede and pointed-toe Texan boots on and off set; the ’70s saw Paco Rabanne take part in the proliferation of westernwear, and French It-girl designer Isabel Marant regularly riffs on suede, fringes, and grommets, too. Fast-forward to today, and Paris’s own style tastemakers are pairing rugged boots with white T-shirts and cut-off denim, while Marie Claire's European-born art director, Montse Tanús, swears by Ganni cowboy boots—worn “everywhere except Texas or a ranch,” she confesses.
TikTok commenters even highlight Italy's fascination with the "Texani" boot alongside Milan’s street-style scene, which has long favored metallic harness boots and embroidered knee-highs during Fashion Week. As it stands, it seems that Europe’s love for the cowboy silhouette was already gaining traction before that viral clip, where you see four unexpected chunky-soled cleats some 5,000-plus miles across the Atlantic.
No wonder Hermès feels right at home in the Wild West. Since Thierry Hermès opened his Paris harness workshop in 1837, equestrian roots have been woven into the house’s saddle-stitched leather, boots, and ready-to-wear. Today, those heritage details—stirrups and horseshoe scarves—seamlessly transition from Saut Hermès show-jumping to the sidewalks off Boulevard Saint-Germain (and, of course, work in upscale Dallas circles).
So the next time you walk along the cobblestones of the Seine, you might think about swapping your ballet flats for a pair of "Texani" boots, in sync with the transatlantic do-si-do. After all, true je ne sais quoi is all about embracing the unexpected.
