Caitlin Donnelly and her friend Zach Shoffner, a Lawrence resident, models western clothes and accessories with an edge.

Caitlin Donnely vamps the Urban Cowboy look.

This season, western clothing and accessories are country-chic and anything but hokey. The Midwest is known for its rural, low-key attitude. The heartland is stealing the runway, finally making waves with its very own, in-the-now, urban-country fashions that are catching on in herds from coast to coast.

Cowgirls make better outlaws:

Ladies, look for leather vests, fringed jackets, beaded accessories, turquoise rings, silver bangles, cowboy hats, tassel purses and cut-off shorts. Mix and match your western pieces — wearing a few together is fabulous, not over the top. For a modern look, incorporate black lace, sheer tops, smoky eye makeup, studded accessories, clothing and shoes with zippers, black denim, fitted vests and metallic scarves, tights or shirts. Think about raiding your parents’ closet, but mix each vintage find with your own updated apparel. This new urban cowboy fashion concept is all about home-spun country, edgy rock ‘n’ roll and the contemporary embrace of our profoundly American lifestyle.

Rodeo Stars and Good Ole Boys:

Gentlemen, this fashion trend highlights the simplicity of a country life full of big-city style; still, such classic, Western dressing expresses the dangerous spontaneity of a cowboy lifestyle without flamboyancy. Use outerwear, detailed blazers and denim to add effortless style to your ensemble. Pick out a fabulous pair of boots and beat ’em to hell. A distressed pair of work jeans, plain T-shirt and rockin’ jacket can easily transform your look. Your style can be updated with a crisp, vintage western shirt for the evening, too. For an urban look, do make certain your color palette includes more strong grays and bold blacks than the neutrals associated with Western-wear. Your look should emphasize a transition — a country man turned European turned New Yorker — never turning his back on his roots.