Yellowstone's Costume Designer Shares the Secrets to The Duttons' Iconic Style

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The excitement is palpable. The anticipation is high. People across the country have their calendars marked; they know who they’re hoping to see dominate their screens. We’re talking about the Duttons, of course. Yellowstone finally returns on Sunday, November 10, and people everywhere are gearing up for the big premiere. Where some people are stocking up on Cole Hauser’s coffee and spirit (hello, Free Rein and Lazy K Bar Whiskey), others are dressing for the occasion with Ariat’s new Yellowstone Collection, made in collaboration with Yellowstone costume designer Johnetta Boone. As for us, we’re doing it all—including chatting with Johnetta herself. To help you bide your time between now and the long-awaited 5B debut, we spoke to Johnetta about the evolution of our favorite Yellowstone characters and how those arcs are shown through their clothes.

“It's always important to incorporate a character's journey and their backstory,” Johnetta tells Country Living. “That's really one of my main focuses initially is to make sure that the costume is translating who the character is before they have an opportunity to speak.”

On Yellowstone, Johnetta took a highly individualized approach with her costume design, while working under the scope of the show’s authentic, old-money Westerncore aesthetic. “Because it's a family and they all spend so much time together on camera—every day and [in] a lot of the scenes—it was important for their costumes to reflect who they are without even having a conversation leave their lips,” she explains.

Ready to peek behind the curtains of America’s favorite Western drama? Keep reading for costume notes on all your favorite Yellowstone characters.

John Dutton

First up, we have the one, the only, John Dutton. “He owns the ranch; he's inherited the ranch; the ranch is seven generations, so it is important for his costumes to reflect that,” Johnetta reveals.

To bring John’s character story to life with clothing, Johnetta opted for a mix of old and new, worn and fresh. It’s about more than just the age of the clothes, though. The contents and care subliminally contribute to the storyline, too.

“He has pieces that he works in, but also while he's working, he's not doing the heavy lifting,” Johnetta points out. “So those pieces can be a bit fresher—not necessarily starched but they haven't been washed—maybe they are dry cleaned, or maybe they're not dry cleaned, but they're washed and hung dry and pressed nicely as opposed to thrown in the dryer for a quick turnaround. All those things make a lot of difference when it comes to the wearer’s trajectory—how they actually take care of their pieces and whether they're worn or thread bear or what have you.”

Another telling element that viewers might have missed in John’s costumes? The fit. “When we had to shift him into wearing finer garments, I wanted to make sure that everything wasn't perfectly tailored and he and I talked about that a lot, Kevin and I,” Johnetta says. “He said, ‘No, no, no, let's not tailor this to the T—let's not tailor this finely, let's make sure that there is some indication of the fit that shows that he's not a fine dresser.’ And I said, ‘You know, that's perfect because he's not a fine dresser. He doesn't always put on a suit or a dress shirt with a necktie or something like that. So why represent that he does that all the time and it's spot-on perfect every single time that he does it?’”

You’ll notice then, though, that JD does look damn near perfect in a pair of jeans and a wax jacket—and there’s a reason for that; those garments are his go-tos, his everyday staples, the items he feels most himself in. “And that's where I pay the most attention to the detail,” Johnetta admits.

Rip Wheeler

Who doesn’t love Rip? The dark and brooding ranch hand is arguably one of the most prominent characters on the show and yet, in the storyline, he’s the one person with no real future (outside of his love story with Beth, that is). As loyal Yellowstone viewers will recall, Rip has lived under the radar since revenge killing his abusive father, who first killed his mother. With a backstory that dark, Johnetta had no choice but to opt for a palette of dark blue and blacks for Rip’s wardrobe.

“It's important to keep his look very somber because that's who his character is,” she says. “He stays in dark pieces all the time. We make sure that his look is very consistent. It's changed just a little bit; I do incorporate hints of hues and tones in his blacks—so for instance, a blue-black is very cold and a brown-black is very warm, so depending on the environment, I will use those subtle cues to shift his mood and and the dynamic of what it is that he's doing in the scene.”

Something of note? Despite his dark wardrobe (and dark past), Rip manages to never look stained—his clothes remain seemingly unbothered by his environment, hinting toward his steadfast, unflappable nature with Beth and as John’s honorary son.

“It's very interesting because wearing dark pieces on a ranch, you would think, ‘Oh my gosh, you're going to be filthy all the time,’ [but] because it's a wax jacket—and it's virtually impossible to penetrate—the dust just blows off of it beautifully,” Johnetta says of Rip’s signature outerwear.

Beth Dutton

Where the men of Yellowstone typically stick to denim, flannel, and wax jackets, Beth Dutton confidently stands out in leopard print, florals, and other frills not generally associated with ranch life. And yet, the ways in which she wears these garments is so iconic, it’s created a whole new genre of Montana dressing.

“Beth is what I call a city slicker—she's from a ranch, but she does everything that she can to not associate herself with a ranch,” Johnetta says. “She's a power hitter, she's a businesswoman.” But she’s also a woman and Johnetta wanted to find ways to visually showcase her womanhood in scenes vibrating with more masculine energy. That’s where the idea to incorporate leopard print came into play. “Leopards, panthers, the big cats represent power, [they’re] impenetrable, given a certain situation,” Johnetta says.

While we all know Beth to be a fiery rancher’s daughter with a penchant for conducting unconventional business, it’s interesting to note that her character hasn’t always displayed outward ownership of her female power. In the premiere season of Yellowstone, you’ll notice Beth wears many’a menswear-inspired ensembles. It isn’t until Season 2 that more dresses and feminine silhouettes enter the picture, including her famous leopard print coat, which she wore while raising hell to defend her sister-in-law Monica in Season 2 Episode 9. The infamous boutique scene comes after Beth was attacked in Episode 7—an episode in which Beth’s trajectory took a notable turn, as evident by her unapologetic behavior and undeniably bolder fashion sense thereafter.

Kayce Dutton

Kayce tends to look a little more laid back, a smidge more disheveled than the rest of the Duttons. “He's a bit of a rebel, so we wanted to make sure all of his pieces represent that—that he's not necessarily a veteran, but he's absolutely from the institution of war,” Johnetta reveals. “So we wanted to make sure that those colors were represented in what he wears, and that he's not quite always so well put together.”

Jamie Dutton

Jamie may not be your favorite Dutton, but there’s no denying that the man can dress. Whether it’s a black, blue, or gray suit, Jamie regularly looks tailored to a T. This translates two ways. On one hand, it hints to the idea that he’s adopted, as he certainly didn’t inherit his sense of style from his rancher father. On the other, it nods to his political aspirations and his willingness to fit into any box to obtain the admiration and power he so desires.

While Jamie’s character is often seen as a slimy, conniving little man in comparison to Rip and the other Dutton men, Johnetta points out that he’s not all bad. “In some cases, I incorporated some warmer tones in Jamie's suits to assist me with translating his character's softness—and at the same time, his vulnerability,” she reveals. “Once he [shifted to becoming] severely focused on becoming a high political figure, that's when I would incorporate the sharper, darker colors and the sharper angles on his suit. So you'll see some relaxed shoulders on his suit, and then you'll see some more structured shoulders on his suit. And that sort of tells you the story, which the viewing audience may not even realize, but that's how that's done.”

Intrigued by the Duttons' style? You can get in on the well-worn action with the new Ariat x Yellowstone Collection. “The collab with Ariat isn’t workwear—it’s truly designed for the viewing audience that wants to be part of the Western community and culture without necessarily owning a ranch or horses or farms or anything,” Johnetta reveals. That said, the collaboration isn’t merely a means for Western cosplay. Johnetta’s quick to point out that it can be enjoyed by all. “It’s to give [viewers] a bit of the flavor of what it is like, and of course, having the opportunity for even the Western culture and community to absolutely allow themselves to participate and partake in a slightly finer and more luxurious item without it being super expensive,” she says.

Yellowstone Weekly Denim Shirt

High Rise Yellowstone Rider Straight Leg Jeans

Yellowstone Men's Shepherd Western Boot

Yellowstone Midnight Fair Quilted Shirt Jacket

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