Jesse Call is a cowgirl who knows couture.
Westerngrace apparel may be relatively new on the fashion scene, but founder Jesse Call knows the Western lifestyle. She lives it every day. The cowgirl-designer creates her custom garments from her cattle ranch in western Colorado — where, when not hard at work in what she calls her “sweat shop,” she’s on horseback riding the trails, moving cows, and enjoying the wide-open spaces.
Call hasn’t always spent her days in the saddle. Before launching her own line in 2004, she studied her craft at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio and then in Music City working as an intern for the “Rhinestone King” himself, Manuel, costumer of some of the biggest names in rock-and-roll and country music. At Manuel Couture, Call worked on garments for artists such as Ray Price, Bill Anderson, Randy Travis, and Marty Stuart. She even designed pieces for the likes of Jamey Johnson and Sunny Sweeney. After homing her skills under the tutelage of a fashion icon, Call established her own couture collection, and although not as bedazzled as some of Manuel’s designs, her garments exhibit the same impeccable tailoring and attention to detail, with each piece sewn and stitched by the hand of the designer herself. The collection consists of just what its name suggests: elegant apparel inspired by traditional Westernwear, which Call spins with a fresh, modern perspective. There are shantung gingham dresses, poofy tulle skirts, shirt dresses, embroidered yokes — all of which feel right at home in the city, at the ranch, and on the runway.
My favorite piece — and obviously one of Jesse's too, since she decided to model it herself — would have to be the signature Western Grace blazer. Not only is it impeccably tailored, but it pairs an edgy double collar and slimming silhouette with traditional tooled leather accents (crafted by John Blair Saddlery) that stand out in a rich saddle brown against the soft black Italian wool. Also boasting engraved sterling buttons handmade by Silver King, this jacket screams refined sophistication down to the last detail — and it’s the perfect go-to piece for a girl who spends her days writing and dreaming of the West from the sixth floor of a Dallas high rise.