Our editors spotlight the best in the West. This week: Bonner Bolton’s Break, ‘Yellowstone’ Season Finale, and Crow Fair.
In the October 2017 edition of C&I, we profiled the irritatingly handsome former rodeo star Bonner Bolton. Fresh from a stint on Dancing With the Stars, Bonner recounted for us the life-altering 2016 accident that ended his bull-riding career and set him on a new path — modeling. While he was shaken by the accident and still grieving, he was looking forward to breaking out in the fashion industry.
Well, it seems that he’s already making his mark. Earlier this week, Bonner posted on Instagram about a high-profile new campaign:
Bonner and fellow model Linda Helena dominate the visuals for Tom Ford’s new unisex fragrance, Ombré Leather. We’ve yet to sample the scent itself, but if it’s anything close to Ford’s other innovative creations, it’s sure to leave a bold first impression. From Ford’s description online: “Ombré Leather reveals itself like a landscape in layers, where stretches of rock transform into sunrise blonde low on the horizon.”
The campaign photography alone banks on the iconography of the American West, something to which Ford is no stranger after growing up in Austin, Houston, and Santa Fe. We saw some of his fascination with western mores come to life in a film Ford directed, the critically lauded Nocturnal Animals.
We caught up with Bonner yesterday to get his thoughts on the new campaign, which was shot by noted celebrity photographer Steven Klein:
“It’s definitely the new edge for Western, and bridges the high-fashion world with Western,” Bonner says. “It was amazing working with Mr. Ford. … Between him and [photographer] Steven Klein, it was a major honor.”
Next up, a look at some of the fresh offerings at cowboysindians.com:
EAT, DRINK, BE MERRY: The New Orleans-inspired San Antonio eatery Clementine shared its recipes for White Mushroom Salad and Hush Puppies. And you can wash those dishes down with some huckleberry vodka cocktails. Mmm.
MODERN WESTERNS: Get your DVR ready for Labor Day weekend, because HDNet will be airing three days of contemporary western films. Find out which movies are on the slate. And if you want more streaming options, check out our awesome list of 25 Modern Westerns to Watch Now.
MORE NEW MUSIC: We continued to kick out the great tunes and musical conversations this week, including a profile of Louisiana country singer Karen Waldrup, a Q&A with Honey River’s Joey Sykes, and premieres from Sean Stemaly, Alright Alright, and Josh King.
MUST-SEE TV: With the Season 1 finale of Yellowstone coming Aug. 22, you should reacquaint yourself with the features we’ve run on two of the show’s big stars. Current cover man Gil Birmingham is profiled here, while we spoke to costar Kevin Costner for the cover of July’s 25th Anniversary issue. Good reads all around.
TRADITION IN PICTURES: The centennial edition of the Crow Fair is underway in Montana. It runs through August 20, but if you can’t get there, photographer Erika Haight has some fun images and memories of the annual event.
And for this week’s parting shot, I leave you with one more weekend streaming recommendation:
You guys went crazy on our Instagram when we told you the Scott Cooper western Hostiles had hit Netflix this week. No wonder the February/March 2018 edition featuring the cast on the cover was such a hit. Check out that Insta post below to see some nice comments about the movie and fair points about a lack of recognition for Native-focused stories at the Oscars.
Photography: (Bonner Bolton) by Christy Burleson; (cocktail) courtesy Bozeman Spirits; (Yellowstone) courtesy Paramount Network