A Primer on the Sleek, Well-Dressed Men of Country Music

By Kenzie Bryant Apr 4, 2016, 10:25am EDT

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Last night, I watched the American Country Music Awards for the first time in my life solely because I was promised a Dolly Parton and Katy Perry duet (that's not a dig at country music; it is a dig at awards shows). Katy and Dolly were great, but the real winner is whoever is teaching these men of country music how to dress.

Couple questions: What happened to trucker hats? What happened to soul patches? What happened to blazers over message Ts? What happened to leather pants under belt buckles over paisley shirts unbuttoned so, so many times? Who cut these guys' hair?

Utter devotion to cultivating an image for fans is standard issue in any part of the music industry, but country music just always seemed so rigidly country. Tight jeans and plaid shirts isn't an empirically bad look! It served its purpose! It's just, you can't see their pretty faces underneath those ten-gallon hats. But this year, even those in the traditional cowboy hat, like Tim McGraw, had the decency to pair it with a fitted suit.

We did you a favor and found a selection of gorgeous men in tailored clothing and sophisticated palettes at the ACMs last night. When you're done ogling, go ahead and Google their name + "girlfriend married" for all other relevant info.