The C&I crew loaded up our cars with the best in Western fashion and headed to Hotel Drover for a fall photo shoot.
If you flip through the pages of C&I‘s October 2021 issue — past a stunning Colorado home, a celebration of City Slickers, and a conversation with Cody Johnson — you’ll find our fall fashion shoot at the luxurious Hotel Drover. Nearly 20 pages showcase an array of cowboy boots, authentic turquoise, luxurious sheepskin coats, and pearl snap shirts.
Our models — who braved a 7 a.m. call time and the late June heat — make the Western noir-themed outfits look effortless. But, the fall fashion shoot lacks anything but effort. The team at C&I prepares for our annual fall fashion shoot months in advance — brainstorming themes, coordinating with vendors, choosing a venue, and planning outfits from head to toe.
This year, it didn’t take long for us to decide on the Fort Worth Stockyards’ brand-new hotel as our backdrop for the shoot. As the premier magazine of the West, we thought there’s no better place than the Western-themed hotel in Cowtown to showcase the best in Western fashion.
And our venue choice did not disappoint us come photo shoot day. The Texas-transplants on our team all echoed the same sentiment when stepping foot into Hotel Drover — the impeccably designed hotel is exactly what they imagined Texas to be like before coming to the Lone Star State. From reclaimed barn wood to Western art to longhorn skull-covered walls, every detail of the Fort Worth hotel is inspired by the West. Fortunately for the C&I crew who office out of Dallas, Hotel Drover is only a 45-minute drive — the perfect distance for a day-trip to shoot images for the fashion spread in our October 2021 issue.
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The hotel provided us two rooms to set up shop — one for makeup and hair and the other as a changing room. Each room was designed with as much thought as the hotel’s main areas — with custom boot jacks, framed belt buckles, and a copy of C&I on every side table.
We spent the day going back and forth between the makeshift changing room and different locations throughout the hotel — the presidential suite for a shot overlooking the stockyards, the fireplace in the lobby to capture a cozy look, and the hotel bar for a fun-and-flirty setup. After a full day of shooting, we settled into the airy outdoor patio to celebrate the way Texans know best — with a round of margaritas on the rocks.
Take a behind-the-scenes look at our day.
Music: “Vaquera and the Cowboy” courtesy Leah Turner
Photography: (Cover image) Rylee J, (Hotel Drover) courtesy Hotel Drover, (All others) courtesy Kaylee Brister
Purchase our October 2021 issue featuring the fall Western fashion shoot
