Saddle Bunny Podcast: Equ-WEST-Rian ft. Milton Menasco

LISTEN NOW | Written by Milton Menasco

"The incredible, the iconic, the trailblazer of all trends currently taking WESTERN by storm..."

Whoa, make a brand blush, why don't ya Saddle Bunny?! Our very own Alli Addison joined THE Saddle Bunny herself, Kaitie Blue Kepler of @lifewayward for the best podcast episode we've ever been involved with. Any perhaps our first? Honestly, we cannot recall anymore.

"Joining Kaitie in Vegas was something special, truly," explains Alli. "We started off our NFR crusade during weekend one with Saddle Bunny. It was our first PR meet up of the trip and we couldn't imagine kicking things off any other way. The episode was filled with deeply-rooted secrets, laugh-crying, Kaitie's perfect hair-do, me channeling my inner Lord Farquuad, a formal invitation to Bella Hadid to join us in Vegas and so much more."

"I have a rule that I don't ever listen to my interviews after they are recorded, I do not read any press that was written of myself, nothing. And this has been a long standing rule since I was a teenager. I've always felt that what was said was said and what was done is done, there is no use in going back and reliving it. Buttttttt... this episode, I can honestly say is worth a listen. Even by me," laughs Alli.

LISTEN HERE

SUNDAY PAPER: EQUEST x WEST

THE MENASCO EDIT | Sunday Paper | Written by Milton Menasco and Photography by Elizabeth Hay

SERVING UP ‘EQUESTERN’ FUSION - Milton Menasco Investigates the Inclusion of Equestrian Fashion at the National Finals Rodeo

Order up. When two worlds collide, (sometimes) epic things happen. Equestrian style mixed with western spirit is just one of those epic happenings. Will this year’s National Finals Rodeo see a little more classic equestrian influence on the steps of Thomas and Mack? The team at Milton Menasco predicts YES.

“We believe that tall riding boots and cowboy hats can coexist with stylistic ease,” says Alli Addison of Milton Menasco. “Breeches paired with western belts, english show coats alongside a little fringe. There are no rules to how we dress, so why should the blending of two disciplines be any different?” she questions.

Horse culture is a unique one as many horse back riding lovers tend to stay in a very specific lane, both in the saddle and on the streets. But a fusion is on the rise notes the Milton Menasco team. The western lifestyle is certainly making an impression on the equestrian set and visa versa. Over the last few years, more and more western pieces have been showing up on the showgrounds of hunter jumper horse shows, dressage events and more, and much like mainstream fashion western style is really being embraced right now.

English horse back riding culture has always been unique, in that it attracts people from all walks of life but it attracts a lot of city and urban folk as well. We are witnessing more and more incorporating western fashion (think horse trainers in white breeches and tall riding boots but wearing Resistol straw cowboy hats), connecting more with western riding disciplines, actually trying them out as well, and a strong curiosity and appreciation of the western lifestyle we all know and love.

The big question of the moment though, can elements of equestrian style exist in a rodeo setting? This is the wild, wild west. If neon and sequins, high fashion, and classic plaid with cowboy cut wranglers can all show up to the same event and somehow work, equestrian style certainly has a place in the world.

Take the chance, try something bold, channel your inner equestrian this rodeo season. Mix and match, layer and layer, and let your horse girl flag fly.

SUNDAY PAPER: NOW TRENDING, Las Vegas Western Fashion Week

THE MENASCO EDIT | Sunday Paper | Written by Milton Menasco and Photography by Elizabeth Hay

So the question is, is the National Finals Rodeo simply the Las Vegas Western Fashion Week? Elizabeth Hay posed this very same question last year, Cowgirl Magazine followed up with a feature wondering the same thing, and now one year later, we absolutely must agree. Move over New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, there’s a new cowgirl in town.

WHAT: LAS VEGAS WESTERN FASHION WEEK (aka The National Finals Rodeo)

WHEN: December 7 - 16, 2023

WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere in Las Vegas, NV

Follow #LVWFW on Instagram and be sure to include the hashtag on all things fashion-related leading up to and during the NFR, because it's western fashions' time to shine.