Interview | Katy Jade Hall

This month’s Buckaroo Barbie is someone whom Adrian and I have been following for quite some time. “Lizzy, look at this girl’s style!” Adrian said to me one day back in 2008, showing me her MySpace screen. “It’s just…different. She has that thing that makes her stand out.” And she did. Five years later, Katy Jade Hall is making splashes in the rodeo fashion world with her own style, and is a graphic clothing designer for a brand new company called Apparel By Twisted J. 

Katy was raised between two beautiful places, Salado and Oatmeal, Texas, USA. Her parents divorced when she was very young, ensuring that Katy experienced two very different western lifestyles. Her father used to ride bulls and now ropes while her stepdad was involved in farming and cattle. Katy grew up running barrels, but discovered in junior high that her real love was roping. After graduating high school at a young age, Katy sold her horses and moved to Austin to attend Art School. A year into that she received a full-ride rodeo scholarship to Weatherford College where she college rodeoed for 2 years before realizing she needed to follow her talent and her dreams. This time she kept her horses and will soon be graduating from Art School in Fort Worth with a Bachelors in Fine Arts with a specialty in Graphic Design. Any free time that Katy has is usually spent traveling to a rodeo to “be a bleacher creature”, as she laughingly puts it, while watching her boyfriend Tilden Hooper compete in bareback riding. Since Tilden has qualified for the NFR 3 times, that means he rodeos a lot. 

Keep your eyes open for Katy’s designs that will be launching this fall and stay up-to-date with the clothing line on Facebook and the soon to be launched website!

What makes home home is….Where my heart feels comfy, I guess. I don't find myself at home very often so I've learned to love the road and the places surrounding me. But when it comes down to it.....there is nowhere like Texas....THAT'S home. 

If I could achieve anything in the world it would be…I used to think I wanted to rodeo and make the NFR, but the older I got and the harder I worked at school and a career I realized something different. I would love to have a show or be known for my creativity, whether it's my clothing, interior design, furniture or graphic design. Just being happy with what I'm doing is an achievement to me. 

The one piece of advice I would give to girls who are interested in the cowboy world is...Nothing comes easy. Keep dusting yourself off and going for your dream. Stay humble and confident and happy. If you aren't finding happiness in what you’re doing then you are not doing it right. And beware of all cowboys no matter how cute they look in those starched jeans! =]] 

My most prized possession is…Well, besides my small brim hat I guess I would have to say my little homestead. Not because it's mine but because it's for everything I love. It's a place for my animals to be safe and a roof over our heads. It's where all my friends come together and make memories. I have an open house for anyone to stay at on their way or just come over to fill their bellies. 

As a kid I was always…Dirty. I was a complete tomboy and loved to help my stepdad on the ranch or my dad at the auction yard...shoot I just wanted to be a part of everything! And if not that, I was horseback, driving the old truck, or fishing! 

My favorite non-cowboy activity is… Being on the water wake boarding, wood-working, painting, or road trips! 

I knew I was on the right track in life when…I change paths too often to know!!! I fly by the seat of my pants. But the day my boss called and offered me the job of a lifetime felt pretty good too. 

My ideal day would include…Being outside in the middle of nowhere with all my friends and a river....and a guitar with someone who can play and sing (cause I can't), with a firework show and a pot of crawfish. 

My favorite cocktail is…Wine, Dos Equis in the bottle, or Crown Royal with Cranberry 

If I could be friends with anyone in the world, dead or alive, it would be….Oh boy just one person!!!!! Geez. Okay, I would want to hang out with Rob Dyrdek. I love that guy he is nuts. Just one day in the fantasy factory being a dare devil sounds awesome to me! 

My favorite beauty product is…Anything Tarte! It's like heaven on your face but in all honesty I can leave the house without make up but I can't leave without my jewelry. 

I don't have to wear boots and hat everyday or prove how cowgirl I am.... It's about what you are not who you are. I can take a fall off a horse or trip in my heels. Either way I'm getting up the same person…and that’s what makes me a Buckaroo Barbie!