The Definitive History Of Assless Chaps, From Cowboys To Cowboy Carter

Chaps date all the way back to the 1800s, well before the Beyoncé phenomenon. Though the lore of its creation differs, some accounts believe the garment to be of Mexican origin, with the more colloquial term “chaps” derived from the word “chaparreras.” Way back when, its function was singular: to protect riders’ legs. And their styling would include pants for another century.

It wasn’t until 1992 that chaps would be seen for their stylish (and spicy) potential when Thierry Mugler sent Connie Fleming out in his Spring/Summer show. Held in Paris, Fleming strutted down the runway in a fiery bedazzled bodysuit with star and heart insignia and matching chaps. The moment was so iconic in chaps history that Beyoncé wore this exact same archival piece for her Cowboy Carter materials.

A few designers followed suit, including Alexander McQueen in 2000, but chaps didn’t gain mainstream attention until a noughties pop star made them her signature look. Enter, Christina Aguilera, who first wore a black motocross-inspired leather pair in her iconic “Dirrty” music video. Styled by Trish Summerville, she wore chaps with nothing but a red thong and a striped bikini, and basically recreated the look in yellow a year later. The style became so canon in pop culture that the likes of Tyra Banks and Kylie Jenner copied it for Halloween decades later.

Further proof that chaps were a go-to underwear-approved pairing came in 2010, when Victoria’s Secret sent out not one, but two angels in a lingerie-and-chaps combo for its famed annual fashion show. Lily Donaldson went the more rock star route in a studded leather bra-jacket with plaid undies and white skinny chaps (yes, they were given the skinny jean treatment), while Sharam Diniz went full rodeo in pink undies, short cow-print chaps, a hat, and lasso wings.

Proving she’s never met a controversial trend she didn’t like, Rihanna fully embraced the crotch-forward style in 2016 and rocked it to several performances on her Anti World Tour. Her most iconic chaps look, however, was her all-pink ensemble at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Since then, the look has been favored by some of the spiciest dressers in music, including Megan Thee Stallion, who’s been rocking chaps since 2019. More recently, she’s worn other maximalist iterations of the style, including a hot-pink pair covered in fur in 2024.

In the last decade or so, chaps have slowly been making their way back to the runways. While the likes of Dior and Stella McCartney also sent chaps down their catwalks, albeit with pants, other fashion tastemakers took the assless chaps look and ran with it. The most notable ones include Thom Browne, who gave men the ass-forward treatment in 2023, and Vaquera, who upped the spicy ante by pairing undies, chaps, and a braless, nip-baring moment.

In 2024, Beyoncé ushered in a new chaps-loving era when she made the cut-out style her signature look for Cowboy Carter. Even when she wasn’t promoting the album, she’d style the cowboy fave. By the time she hit the road for her Cowboy Carter Tour in April 2025, the Beyhive was locked and ready with their own chaps looks, attending her concerts in similar styles and turning each stadium into a chic Western-style convention. Bey, too, has been rocking even more snazzy versions of the style this year, including leather options, bedazzled ones, and fringed numbers.