Lainey Wilson went from the rodeo to the top of the country charts, but now she’s stepping into her role as Nashville’s hottest clotheshorse.

“I realized as a female in this business that just being a decent singer/songwriter is not enough… I’m going to have to stand out.”

Lainey Wilson is a consummate professional. The 32-year-old country music superstar has been building her award-winning career for the past 12 years, ever since leaving her hometown of Baskin, Louisiana, for the bright lights of Music City. Superstardom didn’t happen overnight, however. The singer-songwriter spent nearly a decade cutting her teeth at writers’ rounds and open mic nights before hitting it big with her first Platinum No. 1 hit, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” in 2020. Since then, her star has continued to rise with chart-toppers like “Watermelon Moonshine” and “Heart Like a Truck.” Along the way, she’s earned a bounty of awards and accolades, including the Grammy for Best Country Album (for 2022’s Bell Bottom Country) and Entertainer of the Year from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. And with her latest album, August’s Whirlwind, Wilson is poised to have her biggest year yet.

Zimmermann top, jacket and pants; Steve Madden shoes (not pictured); Double D Ranch earrings; Rings (from left to right): Michael M, Boochier Jewelry, Type Jewelry

In other words, Lainey Wilson knows how to navigate the ups and downs of the industry. Her resolve is especially evident as she stands in a Tennessee field in the middle of July wearing layer upon layer of luxe fall fashions for our cover shoot. Between the bugs and the heat, Wilson never utters a single complaint. Ever the trouper, she brushes off incoming insect attacks and 90-plus-degree temperatures, all while looking fierce and fabulous.

A month later during this interview, Wilson drops the model behavior long enough to joke about the absurdity of it all. “I still have bug bites,” she says, laughing. “It was hilarious!”

But while Wilson never uttered a sour word on set or made any diva demands, she did arrive with one request: No dresses. Why? Because Lainey Wilson wouldn’t be Lainey Wilson without her signature style: hats and bell bottoms. In fact, the queen of Bell Bottom Country has been rocking her signature look since she was a little girl.

TWP trench and vest; Norma Kamali shirt and pants; Tecovas shoes; Charlie 1 Horse hat; Nickho Rey necklace; MACADAM earrings and ring; rings (left to right): Natasha Schweitzer, MACADAM, Boochier Jewelry

“I remember when my mama got me my very first pair. I was nine years old,” she says. “That’s the year that I wrote my first song and went to Nashville for the first time.”

Wilson says stepping into that first pair of bell bottoms— blue leopard print, to be precise—was like an awakening.

“I was completely obsessed. There were times where [my mama was] like, ‘Lainey, you’ve got to take them off! We’ve got to wash them,’” she laughs. “But I remember so vividly how those pants made me feel. I felt like I could do anything. I was jumping on the bed, pretending to be Shania Twain and Britney Spears. It was like my superhero outfit.”

Just like she did on our shoot, Wilson has stayed true to her personal style throughout her career, even in its earliest days.

“I realized quickly as a female in this business that just being a decent singer/songwriter is not enough,” she says. “I’m going to have to do something that makes me stand out. I thought back to those blue leopard-print bell bottoms.”

Not only did the look appeal to listeners, but brands started to take notice, too. Recently, Wrangler tapped the star to be the face of their campaign.

“My parents had me in a pair of Wranglers before I could walk. In every family picture that we have, we’re wearing Wranglers. They’ve been a part of my family and a part of our history,” she says.

She’s also worked with the iconic cowboy hat brand Charlie 1 Horse on a series of collaborative collections— pieces that she wore during our shoot.

“I wanted to do a mix of the cowboy style and the flat brim,” she says of her hats, which she equates to her albums. “I feel like Whirlwind is kind of the Western sister of Bell Bottom Country.”

Speaking of Whirlwind, Wilson is still riding high on the late-summer release of her fifth studio album. She co-wrote all 14 tracks, which is fitting for a body of work that expresses where the star is in her life today—personally and stylistically.

TWP trench and vest; Norma Kamali shirt and pants; Tecovas shoes; Charlie 1 Horse hat; Nickho Rey necklace; MACADAM earrings and ring; rings (left to right): Natasha Schweitzer, MACADAM, Boochier Jewelry

“As I’m writing these songs, I was already picturing my aesthetic changing a little. I would sit down to write another song, and I would envision an album cover in warm tones,” she says. “I wanted people to feel like these songs were reaching out and hugging them around the neck, to give them the peace and comfort that these songs gave me when my life was changing at a rapid pace.”

One of those changes was Wilson’s decision to go public with her three-year relationship with former NFL player Devlin “Duck” Hodges.

“I’m in a happy, healthy relationship with a guy who cheers me on and knows how important this dream is to me. There’s something very comforting about knowing that I have somebody back at home, and it was time for me to share that. I kept him on the DL for a long time to see if it was worth talking about,” she says. “Turns out it was.”

Wilson is enjoying this new chapter, in which she feels more comfortable with herself than ever.

“I’ve grown so much in the past few years, not even just as a singer and a songwriter, but as a person. With every song I write, with every person I meet, and with every corner of the world I get to go play music, I feel like I learn something about myself,” she says. “I’m excited to be able to share that growth.”

“I’VE GROWN SO MUCH IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.”

Moschino dress; Norma Kamali pants; Double D Ranch boots and pins; Charlie 1 Horse hat; Roberto Coin from The Diamond Cellar earring; rings (left to right): Spurwest, Type Jewelry, Boochier Jewelry, Michael M; Ariat belt.

Photo TIERNEY GEARSON

Styling CHERIE KILCHRIST

Shot On Southall Farm & Inn, Franklin, TN

Videographer: Josh Lockhart

Hair: Marz Collins

Makeup: Jess Berrios

Styling Assistant: Logan Wilson