From the juggernaut of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour, replete with designer chaps and bedazzled bandannas, to the cowhide printed jackets of Brandon Maxwell’s spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection, the style of the American West sits squarely in the pop culture spotlight. And with it has come renewed awareness of the bolo tie, a jewel that originated in the southwest but is finding fans beyond its borders.
Luke Longfellow, creative director of Nighthorse, a jewelry brand that continues the legacy of his grandfather, the late Northern Cheyenne jewelry designer, artist and U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, has witnessed a recent jump in popularity for bolo ties. Historically, he said, they were “lariats — braided leather cords — with an adjustable slide in front, that were worn for a formal event in place of a traditional tie. It was part of suiting.”
Now, however, “I see people just wearing them with a white T-shirt and jeans,” he said. “It’s definitely becoming more mainstream, not just Southwestern anymore.”
In response to a wider audience, the brand has expanded its bolo assortment with the Rock Art series (from $26,500). “We introduced a couple of pieces with chain that can be worn a little bit more like a necklace; it’s a fun new variation that we have, because it feels a bit more modern.”
Jules Kim, the New York and Milan-based designer behind the brand Bijules, released a collection putting her own spin on the bolo tie.
“It came from childhood nostalgia,” she said of the pieces, vegan leather cords that are available in three different lengths, from choker to a 40-inch version able to wrap around the neck twice, each with gold tips (from $5,870).
Bolo ties were often worn by family and friends during her childhood in Richmond, Va., Ms. Kim said. A removable brooch ($12,270), crafted from materials that draw on her Korean American heritage, attaches to the strands. The central turquoise cabochon is a nod to the American south (though her clients may customize with other stones, if they choose), while a surround of mother-of-pearl topped with clear crystal reflects her Asian roots.
“In Korea, they’re sourcing their food, but also their design from the water. They’re using pearls, but also the inner shell to inlay in furniture and jewelry,” she said.
Drawing from multiple traditions is an indispensable part of the bolo tie’s story, according to Paula A. Baxter, a design historian and author of seven books on jewelry, including the upcoming “Navajo and Pueblo Jewelry Design: 1946 to 2025.”
“Bolo ties are a sort of cross-cultural invention,” she said. “It originated from cowboy wear.” An Arizonan, Victor Cedarstaff, was granted a patent for the sliding mechanism in 1959. “He very much intended it to be conservative, masculine wear.” By the 1960s, “Native American artists embraced the form, and turned the bolo into an artistic palette that allowed them to show their best skills.”
As much as the vogue for southwestern style has been the impetus for the current bolo silhouette, the shape was not confined to one region.
“There’s a tradition in Greek jewelry of necklaces with a knot decoration at the front and a two-part chain hanging from it,” said the Athens-based designer Nikos Koulis. He drew from that inspiration to create adjustable necklaces that have been a mainstay of his collection since 2017, many of which have multi carat diamonds set in gold as their centerpiece. He often wears them himself.
“I love the way it moves with you and never feels fixed or rigid,” he explained. “On New Year’s, I wore a bow tie and a bolo underneath it. In summer, I wear it with an open shirt; it’s sensual and relaxed.”
Rebecca Selva, creative director of Fred Leighton, a New York jeweler that sells vintage and contemporary pieces, notes that the term “bolo” has become a catchall in some quarters for any style with a mobile central ornament.
“In the Victorian period, the Victorian slide necklace was very popular,” she said. “Many of the necklaces that are being called bolo necklaces by designers are more akin to Victorian slide necklaces with a center element that moves up and down.” Later, “there were Art Deco plaque necklaces that had an Asian inspiration, and definitely had that type of design. They were exquisitely made by the great houses, including Cartier.”
High jewelry interpretations of the silhouette have been released by European jewelry houses in the last year, with brands including Repossi and Pomellato introducing diamond-laden variations on the theme that are more couture than cowboy. And pearl brand Mikimoto’s recent output included a waist skimming Akoya pearl lariat in collaboration with rock star-favored brand Chrome Hearts. A simple, smaller-scale lariat ($11,500) has been a best seller for several years, according to the president and chief executive of Mikimoto America, Kentaro Nishimura. “While they may be trending currently, they have remained a constant style for the brand, for the past 130-plus years.”
The newcomer jewelry label Ophelia Eve is just over a year old, and a gold slider necklace with a central round gemstone ornament — available in emerald or tanzanite (from $20,600) — was the first item produced by the vintage-inspired brand. According to its co-founder, Samantha Yorn. “It’s our most popular piece by far,” she said of the item. She said it is based on a vintage design from her grandmother’s collection. (Actress Dakota Johnson owns one and is photographed frequently wearing hers.)
“It’s rooted in the past and also very modern,” she says of the necklace’s appeal. “It will outlast any trend cycle.”
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