I am insanely obsessed with alternative country singer Orville Peck. Not only does he have the voice of a gay Western angel, he has a sense of style that is unparalleled by any other male musical artist at the moment, let alone in the country genre. It seems that many men in pop culture wear silhouettes associated with women’s fashion to create a viral moment, or they do so in a way that doesn’t feel artful or purposeful. Peck has a truly flamboyant style, but you will seldom see him in a dress. He utilizes unique fashion choices to curate a Western look that is far out of the ordinary.
Orville Peck, as he is known professionally, is a South African-born musician now based in California. His unique country-rock crossover first hit our ears with his debut album Pony in 2019. Peck then released his second body of work, the EP Show Pony, the following year. Most recently, he published his second album Bronco on April 8th, 2022. Due to the magnetic effect of his voice, Peck shot to a new level of stardom when the Pony track “Dead of Night” was featured in season two of HBO’s hit drama Euphoria. But one of the most intriguing aspects of Orville’s identity is that it’s a mystery. The name Orville Peck is merely a pseudonym, and his face is always obstructed by an iconic fringe mask and cowboy hat combo. This combination is recreated and interpreted by fans all over the world through costumes, drawings, tattoos, and jewelry. His deep, soulful voice serenades us all about love, loss, and probably horses, but he is so much more than a beautiful singer. He is a fashion legend as well.
We’ve all seen plenty of male celebrities saunter into a public appearance in a poorly executed attempt at virality. Whether it’s a skirt, dress, or heels, it tends to feel inauthentic to the celebrity wearing it. It’s rare to see eclectic menswear with a purpose, but Orville never misses a beat. He most commonly sports some variation of a “Nudie Suit”, a flamboyant rhinestone-encrusted cowboy outfit that originated in the 1950s by Ukrainian tailor Nudie Cohn. These suits were first popularized by the “singing cowboys” of Hollywood like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Orville effortlessly takes this concept, modernizes, and somehow further queer-ify’s the already eccentric niche style. He most commonly dresses in neutral browns, oranges, and yellows with an occasional pop of blue or metallic shade. Almost all of his looks fit into the box of “masculine” cowboy attire, with nods to queerness, obvious or not. Most recently at the premiere of WOWPresents Avalon TV (October 9th, 2023), Orville was clothed in an immaculately tailored powder blue suit covered in rhinestones, with two cowboys on the back “exposing themselves” to each other.
Orville Peck has worn a wide variety of designers throughout his career, household name and otherwise. Some of his most well-known looks are Versace, Marni, and Christian Cowan, but Peck wearing a widely famous designer is quite rare. He more commonly wears custom “Nudie Suits” with either his name rhinestoned somewhere on the garment, or with decadent fringe lining the jacket and pants, or if we’re lucky, both simultaneously. Some of the more obscure designers he has worked with include Chrome Hearts (notably the gold metallic suit on the cover of Bronco), Ricky Jeans, Paul Smith, and Bode. All of these designers share a unique unconventional flare that Orville is never seen without.
Orville Peck is a revolutionary voice not only in Western fashion but in menswear overall. His uniquely “masculine” (by the standard of culture, but I digress) perspective sets the bar high for any other male fashionista. He manages to seamlessly take historically flamboyant styles and individualize them. So the next time you’re listening to Orville Peck, which I sincerely hope you do, take a look at his fashion as well.
Words by Fay Marks.
Graphic by Adriana Roe.