The Grand Entry signals the start of every rodeo at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo -- and every rodeo brings the grand entrance of Elaine Agather.
Night after night, she is always the best-dressed cowgirl in the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.
"When I got to Fort Worth, I was president of the bank and I loved the rodeo and asked if I could ride one time, just one time," she said. "They said, 'You can't be a fair-weather friend. If you're gonna ride one Grand Entry, you're must ride them all.' So, I have ridden them all and this is my 24th year."
Every year, every rodeo, Elaine wears a different outfit. She never wears the same thing twice during rodeo season. From the start, she knew the look she wanted.
"I love the 50s and the 60s, and thought, 'Well, I'll make sure I wear vintage.' And like anything, you suddenly have a collection," Agather said.
She proudly wears vintage Western at her day job, too, this time of year. She is the Chair of JPMorgan Chase's Dallas region and serves as the south region head of JPMorgan Private Bank.
The cowgirl, who grew up in Sherman, is one of the most powerful bankers in town.
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"At first people thought it was odd to see me at the bank in cowgirl clothes, but now everyone is used to it. It's January. She's in cowgirl clothes."
Elaine has "bank Western" outfits for day in Dallas, but for the evening rodeos in Fort Worth expect sparkle.
"I tone it down in the day and pick it up at night. Someone asked me once how many outfits I have. I said, 'Enough to get the job done,'" Agather said. "My husband has been really fun about it. He never would buy me clothes except for Western wear."
Images from the 2016 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo
Her husband, Nells Agather, had an outfit handmade for the 2016 rodeo season. It's turquoise and sparkles from heel to head.
"It was really over the top, but it's fun. And if you're gonna be in a Grand Entry, it might as well be in turquoise," Agather said.
Elaine easily straddles a cultural divide between Fort Worth and Dallas and feels right at home in both arenas. It sometimes means two trips to Fort Worth from her office in Downtown Dallas during the same day.
"Someone asked me once, 'Why do you ride every year? Why do you do the Grand Entry?' If you don't love something, you don't do it. I love this rodeo. And I love what it does for our community."
