Cowboys and Poodles… where it all began- the first hip store on Melrose…specializing in new ‘50s clothing found in warehouses all over America, and launching ‘50s nostalgia….
A Brief History of Cowboys & Poodles, Jeremy Scott's Latest Inspiration From the 1980s
In the swingin’ 1980s, Cowboys and Poodles was the name of a popular vintage store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, with an aesthetic that presaged that decade’s obsession with 1950s rockabilly culture.
Selling vintage cowboy gear from a storefront designed to resemble a 1950s carwash, Cowboys and Poodles would eventually spawn its own style of dress: essentially, cowpoke gear as seen through the technicolor lens of ‘80s neons and an obsession with the Memphis art movement.
It also carried 1960s collectibles as Beatles-inspired boots for guys and pointy-toed snakeskin pumps for gals and a popular favorite of GoGos lead singer, Belinda Carlisle.
Other desirable finds included vintage ties, jewelry, sunglasses, pedal pushers, retro furniture, vintage tableware and rockabilly fashions and vintage Paco Rabanne earrings
Cowboys and Poodles (lovingly shortened to “CowPoo”) had an instant impact among punks because of its location, and soon the look—a little bit city, a little bit country—went as viral as anything could in those days.
It also helped that cowpunk was a popular Los Angeles subgenre during this era, with bands like X, Wall of Voodoo, and especially The Cramps embracing and propelling the look.
Dive into the Cramps’s stage costumes, and you’ll find lead members Poison Ivy and Lux Interior (RIP) wearing fringed metallics and cowgirl glam similar to the bright pieces Scott crafted for his CowPoo collection.
Eventually, Cowboys and Poodles had a ripple effect beyond the underground—thanks in large part to artist Gary Panter, who spent his time in the LA punk scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s and brought the aesthetic he honed there to the set of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, which he designed in 1986.
...And of course it spawned the most iconic representative of the Cowboys and Poodles look who ever lived: Cowboy Curtis.
Played by Lawrence Fishburne, Curtis was resplendent in metallic chaps, fringed vests and indispensable splotches of iconic cow print.
While the Cowboys and Poodles look generally faded as clothes became darker (blame Rei Kawakubo), grungier (blame Seattle) and more minimal (blame Calvin Klein), its legend reverberated across decades and around the world.