There’s no obvious letup in the western trend deeply embedded in the American story. This narrative gains momentum as Bella Hadid actually moves to Texas. In Bella’s case, her home is in Fort Worth with its authentic, western-core identity, compared to Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.

Pharrell Williams expanded the story for Louis Vuitton Men and Beyoncé herself celebrates cowboy culture.

Model Vanessa Moody landed in Arizona for this early April 2025 ‘Arizona Dreams’ cover story for Madame Figaro France [IG]. Stylists Delphine Perroy and Carole Matray choose from Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli, Dsquared2, Gucci, Isabel Marant, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, MM6 Maison Margiela, Prada, Ralph Lauren and more, lensed by David Roemer [IG].

Moody is joined by painter Mark Maggiori [IG] and his wife, artist Petecia Le Fawnhawk [IG], lending another dimension to the story— one much loved on AOC. In 5 secs, Maggiori introduced me to the Tiwa people, also known as Tigua, a group of Tanoan Pueblo tribes located primarily in New Mexico and a smaller community in Texas.

Suddenly, the story moves far beyond “what’s in your handbag?”, which is not of particular interest to AOC readers. Thanks to Madame Figaro, AOC has another lens for examining America’s many indigenous peoples. This ‘gift’ matters today more than ever, as a concerted effort is underway to minimize access to information about American history.