Flea Style Owner Releases How to Style a Hat, Esther Penn to Co-Host Spring Gift Market, and More Fort Worth Fashion News

Fort Worth’s fashion scene is always on the move, and there’s exciting news on a forthcoming Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott in the Stockyards. We also caught up with Flea Style owner Brittany Cobb about her new book, How to Style a Hat, and Esther Penn co-owner Alyson Johnson about an exciting market event she is co-hosting this Saturday.

Brittany Cobb on Her One-of-a-Kind Modern Guide to Styling Hats

Growing up in California, Brittany Cobb says her hat collection was varied, from baseball caps to berets and wide-brimmed straw hats.

“I loved them all,” she tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “I love Cher Horowitz from Clueless, and her beret was a piece of mine in the 1990s. Now my hat bars at Flea Style are a place where people can come in and find the hat that works best for them. I personally collect most of the accessories at our bars, from vintage brooches to matchbooks and playing cards. And at the end, our customers have this beautiful masterpiece that they can wear or hang at home as a piece of art.”

Cobb recently released her first book, How to Style a Hat (Abrams Books), with photography by Nichole Stephens and a foreword by Miranda Lambert. Cobb was approached by the publishers, who wanted to launch something that didn’t exist in the publishing landscape — a modern guide to finding and styling the right hat.

Cobb, who has a background in journalism, says the research component wasn’t as daunting as trying to fit all the things she wanted to say into 235 pages. Cobb’s team shared a digital press copy. The new release reads as a delightful, easy-to-follow guide that briefly explores the history of the cowboy hat and defines the terms used to describe its components. The bulk of the book covers step-by-step guides to making various styles: Bohemian, Southern, Old Soul, Nature Love, Minimalist, Rocker, Western, and Maximalist.

“There are thousands of DIY ideas we could have shared, but we really tried to pick the ones that we thought would resonate with people,” she says. “Every photograph was shot exclusively for our book. There’s something for everyone if you really want to learn about hats or just have fun decorating them.”

Spring Gift Market to Bring Sociable Vendors to Esther Penn This Saturday

This October, Esther Penn turns 12. The Cultural District boutique has long drawn locals looking for fashion-forward pieces with lasting appeal. Alyson Johnson, who co-owns the store with her friend Kacey Cargile, says the neighborhood has evolved considerably, with a new phase of the Crescent Hotel Fort Worth currently rising across the street.

This Saturday, April 25, Johnson and Cargile are co-hosting Spring Fling, a gift market offering “sips, shopping, and surprises.” Johnson says she came across the social group Fort Worth for the Girls on TikTok and reached out with the idea of a collaborative event. Participants include Match Point Coffee, Von Vie, Pieces by P, Kinfolk Atelier, Skin Pharm, Summer Club, and other groups.

“We’ve always done events for Mother’s Day,” Johnson says. “This year, we moved it a little earlier and made it more of a fun spring market. We still have Mother’s Day in mind. If you need a little gift for mom, we’ll have flowers, jewelry, and other options.”

Younger shoppers are beginning to rediscover the joys of shopping in person, Johnson says, adding that online shopping and social media have offered both challenges and opportunities for storeowners like her. Spring brings new buzzy excitement for customers, she continues, adding that Esther Penn is stocked with “lots of cute dresses and sets in yellow, blue, and other spring colors” that are perfect options for college graduations or Mother’s Day brunch.

Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott to Move into The Stockyards

Throughout the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott set up a pop-up store near Mule Ally, offering locals the opportunity to shop at the ranch-inspired lifestyle brand that sells jewelry, apparel, and accessories. Given that Austin, Dallas, and Houston already had Yellow Rose locations, many fashion-minded locals — ourselves included — wondered if a Yellow Rose store would soon be arriving in Cowtown.

According to a Houston Chronicle story citing public records, Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott is preparing to renovate one of the suites at 128 East Exchange Avenue. The estimated completion date for the roughly $1.4 million project is late October. Kendra Scott recently chose Fort Worth’s Wild Silks for a special collab in honor of Women’s History Month, and the January pop-up concept was wildly popular. We think the store that embodies the spirit of the American West will find a welcome home here in Fort Worth.