(Photo Illustration by Diana Ramirez / De Los; photos by Ghetto Rodeo, Andres Castillo, Eduardo Medrano, James Carbone)
Headed to a música Mexicana concert? Here’s where you can get your fit
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As música Mexicana continues its reign in popularity, the genre’s fashion has become more fluid than ever.
While mariachi groups still sport the traditional charro suits with long-brimmed sombreros, and banda acts still wear colorful matching suits, artists such as Peso Pluma and Fuerza Regida are looking to hip-hop and its flashy, streetwear looks — including diamond chains, puffer jackets and backward caps.
Música Mexicana has been pushed into the mainstream over the last five years by Gen Z and millennial Latino audiences. Here’s a guide on the genre’s essential instruments, where to find the best música Mexicana-themed parties, where to shop for the perfect vaquero outfit and more.
Others, like Carin León and Grupo Firme, find a balance between the traditional and the contemporary, often combining a tejana hat with a thick, dazzling neck chain.
No matter your style or what look you’re going for, the Los Angeles area abounds with specialty stores and brands to get you outfitted for that next Picolandia party or Junior H concert. Here are nine options.
Showing Places
(James Carbone / For De Los)
Cowboy Empire
Downtown L.A. Shop
Surrounded by mannequins in quinceañera dresses and streetside michelada vendors, Santee Alley’s Cowboy Empire is downtown’s hub for vaquero style. Three times the size of its neighboring stores, this western store is a one-stop shop for the next event at Picolandia. Boots of all styles, from floral to snakeskin, line the majority of the aisles while the walls themselves are crowded with endless styles of collared shirts. Between the Wrangler plaids and the bedazzled charro jackets, the store also has a selection of tejanas and embellished denim to fill in the gaps.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Marquez Clásico
Boyle Heights Shop
Gilberto and Cinthya Marquez, owners of Marquez Clásico, are taking Mexican-style hats back to their origins. At their appointment-only store, they create entirely hand-crafted, custom hats that are shaped to each wearer’s head. From a classic tejana to a charro sombrero, fedoras and straw hats, they have created items for Mana’s Fher Olvera and Chiquis Rivera.
“We’re not resellers,” Gilberto Marquez said. “We’re hat makers, so anyone who buys one of our hats should know that this is a hat made the same way that it was made 100 of years ago.”
He says, “I know that we’re approaching the time when Peso Pluma is gonna start wearing a tejana again, I’m sure,” a move that would add to the tejana’s cultural relevance.
“We’re not resellers,” Gilberto Marquez said. “We’re hat makers, so anyone who buys one of our hats should know that this is a hat made the same way that it was made 100 of years ago.”
He says, “I know that we’re approaching the time when Peso Pluma is gonna start wearing a tejana again, I’m sure,” a move that would add to the tejana’s cultural relevance.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Botas Guadalajara
Paramount Shop
Inside a strip mall, the faded red, white and green colors of Botas Guadalajara’s sign draws shoppers off the busy Southeast L.A. intersection. With various música Mexicana posters hanging in the windows, the store is filled to the brim with everything you can think of for a night of banda dancing. The store feels positively cluttered in a way that ensures a vast selection. Offering all kinds of aesthetics, from folky plaids to sleek leather jackets, it’s very possible for shoppers to leave with an entirely new outfit. In addition to retail, they also clean and shape tejanas here. There are also stores in El Monte and Perris.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Caballo Bronco
Paramount Shop
In the sea of western wholesale warehouses, Caballo Bronco is one of the few stores in Paramount that prioritizes an in-person shopping experience. The first thing that welcomes shoppers to the space is a large poster advertising Laredo Hats’ Carin Leon collaboration — a sleek black tejana with a golden feather. The refined showroom resembles a high-end ranch house complete with leather sofas and cowhide decor. One wall is filled entirely with different styles and colors of tejanas with a few mariachi charro sombreros. Opposite is a wall of boots: The store is known for its selection of rare leather boots, selling shoes made of armadillo, shark and eel.
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(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
El Mercado de Los Angeles
Boyle Heights Shop
Better known as El Mercadito, this Boyle Heights bazaar is a cultural landmark where vendors sell just about everything — raspados, spices, candies, religious statues. Inside the three-story building you’ll also find various stalls focused on apparel. Some merchants specialize in charro jackets, leather belts with elaborate buckles and even matching saddles while others deal more with accessories like purses and jewelry. Whether you’re looking for materials to make a día de muertos altar or a Chalino Sánchez T-shirt, El Mercadito is very much worth a whole weekend afternoon of your time.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Vibes Boutique
Santa Ana Shop
Vibes Boutique brings vibrant colors to the bustling streets of downtown Santa Ana. The Latina-owned shop offers a multitude of two-piece sets, floral dresses, patterned denim and corset tops. In addition to the dynamic selection of styles, the shop sells talavera ceramic pottery from Puebla, Mexico, and hosts a series of themed paint and sip nights where customers can build a deeper connection in the community. (Some upcoming themes are Hello Kitty and Halloween.)
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(Guicho Palma)
Ghetto Rodeo
Shop
As seen in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video, Ghetto Rodeo brings an L.A. feeling to Latino-centric streetwear. Founded by Brian Saucedo in 2021, many of the online brand’s designs are slogan-heavy — eye-catching phrases such as “God will rise” or “Hug your homies” are paired with images of Chicano characters on baggy T-shirts. In addition to quality graphic tees, the company frequently releases a selection of baseball hats, loungewear and denim. Whether it’s about L.A. or Latinidad, every Ghetto Rodeo piece makes a statement.
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(Brandon Kaipo Moningka)
Paisa Boys
Shop
If you’ve been to any function or event that would draw a large Latino crowd, you’ve likely come across a certain ubiquitous Mexican soccer jersey that features an image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. You have Paisa Boys to thank for that. Founded by Joey Barba and Javier Bandera, the streetwear brand has developed a reputation for repurposing and incorporating familiar Mexican and Mexican American imagery into its designs, whether it be an airbrushed portrait of música Mexicana legend Chalino Sánchez or a pair of charro-style denim jeans.
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Modeling Amor Prohibido clothing.
(Andres Castillo)
Amor Prohibido
Shop
Amor Prohibido, an L.A.-based online brand, is known for bringing a fresh look to basics like white T-shirts and striped button-ups. Exploring the intersection between the classic and the inventive, these pieces are often styled unconventionally — sometimes shorts go over baggy pants or a scarf becomes an anklet. Bryan Escareño, the designer behind the brand, provides shoppers with dependable and versatile pieces that embrace creativity. Amor Prohibido is known for its wide-legged pants, branded caps and heavy-duty two piece sets.
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(Raul Roa / De Los)
Rancho Alegre Western Wear
La Puente Clothing Store
With locations in both La Puente and Pico Rivera, Rancho Alegre Western Wear brings a boutique feel to a classic ranchero shop. Surrounded by fringe button-ups, sparkling jumpsuits and bright, colorful hats, Rancho Alegre offers a vast selection of both chic festival wear and traditional vaquero pieces. Selling items for both men and women, Rancho Alegre has a diverse assortment of accessories, boots, hats and clothing. Not to mention, you can also purchase tickets in-person for upcoming events at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena — the perfect place to sport a brand-new outfit or break in a pair of boots.
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