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.
Since starting AMO as a creative project in December 2020, Bowman has sourced pieces she says that she “truly believes in.”
“That would hold their own as iconic single pieces, that would make you feel something, irrespective of where you wore them, this quickly started to form as a mix of authentic vintage cowboy boots and vintage designer,” she continues. The focus on rodeo-ready boots for the British business owner came later. “It has always been important for me to find pieces that stand the test of time and resonate with me and my customers. My favorite things to source are the same as the feedback I was getting from my customers—our highest in demand category was continuously footwear, so I began focusing on that.”
But Bowman had been collecting fun shoes—mules, clogs, cowboy boots, et al—since she was in college, and wore them herself to parties. Her business’s name translates as “for lovers” in Italian, which reflects her love of digging through thrift and vintage in Italy, where she makes sourcing trips. “Over there in all of the best designer vintage shops, it’s super common to see a cowboy boot next to a Tom Ford for Gucci slingback, and I wanted to use the platform I had as a chance to create a product offering that encapsulates the spirit of that for customers worldwide.”
AMO also runs as an archive, making rentals available for campaigns, press loans, wardrobe hire, and events. “Having previously worked in styling and noticing early on some of the pieces I had were too hard to let go of, I set up AMO archive not long after launching the shop. Bella’s boots came from that,” she says. Hadid had actually worn the same boots a few months prior, and her team struck lucky finding them again with AMO.
Who else, aside from Bella now, is an AMO girl? Bowman’s sourced wares have been worn by musicians from Raye to Kali Uchis and Rina Sawayama, and photographer Nadia Lee Cohen. Though Bella’s boots were a rare find—they’re likely from the runway—Bowman has been able to source the boots in both brown and black, and keeps an updated, carefully curated selection of footwear on site, from Miu Miu to Gucci and Dior by Galliano. Giddy up to get (rent!) Bella’s boots yourself.