By Rachael Lindley
Photography by Crystal Wise
Blair Cantrell has always believed getting dressed should feel a little like playing dress-up.
The Aledo native — equal parts country girl and cosmopolitan fashion lover — grew up with a fondness for style, a love of getting ready and the confidence that exudes from a great outfit.
Today, Cantrell channels that same energy into C+B Collections, the high-end, fur-forward brand she built from a spark of opportunity and a streak of entrepreneurial gumption.
From Parker County to Fashion Show Runways
While at Texas Tech, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain. The experience was life-affirming as Cantrell embraced Spanish fashion and culture. After returning home, she accepted a first-of-its-kind internship with Louis Vuitton that eventually led to a job in Dallas.
When she returned to Fort Worth, she married her husband, Colt and had their daughters, Cavi and Blythe, who became her “why” behind her brand. Their initials inspired the original name C+B Collections.
The business originated in 2016, when a friend who ran a small fur side hustle with New York wholesalers asked Blair to help grow it. When that friend became busy with her main career, Blair took over for the season, only to discover a niche that quickly became a calling. What began as only furs has since grown into a larger vision that offers resort everyday luxury pieces. The brand now includes one-of-a-kind furs, elegant statement pieces that are perfect for the holiday, rodeo season, nights on the town or simply to throw on while you run errands around town.
By 2019, she’d joined the uber-creative circle at LOCAL Designs + Studios off Vickery Boulevard, absorbing the contagious energy of full-time designers. “I realized I didn’t just want to be a pop-up fur store,” she says. “I wanted to add value.”
She set out to design.
Fashion-Forward, Functional, and Fun
Cantrell’s first collection featured game-day shawls, easy vests, and wearable wraps, which became instant hits thanks to their approachable price points, flattering shapes, and bold personality.
C+B Collection’s breakout moment came in 2021, when the now-iconic quilted puffer jacket, equal parts luxe and practical, hit the floor and sold out. With that success came a broader vision, and the brand officially evolved into C+B Collections, offering stylish outerwear and seasonal lifestyle finds, including sunglasses, handbags, and candles.
Cantrell states that designing is all about giving women something they can actually live in. “One size fits all has been the biggest crowd-pleaser,” Blair notes. She focuses on pieces that flatter every body type and maintain the spirit of attainable luxury.
Behind the Seams: The Reality of Running a Fashion Brand
Manufacturing, she admits, was a crash course.
“Items can arrive differently from the approved sample, and that’s always an eye-roll, but we do the best we can.”
Balancing quality, customer happiness, and ever-evolving style demands keeps her guessing and growing.
Cantrell’s most significant challenge? Being both designer-in-chief and mom-on-duty.
“My little people come first,” she says. “Busy season can be tough. You can only be in one place at a time.”
Still, the community that has wholly embraced C+B has made the journey worth every late night and early morning.
“I’ve been so blessed. This community has showered me with love, support, and respect. I truly cherish each and every customer we have.”
Styling Made Simple and Chic
According to Cantrell, fashion shouldn’t be overthought.
When asked the best way to style her fashions, she urges people to keep it simple.
“Just toss one on, put on some lipstick, and call it a day,” she says.
Wraps pair effortlessly with jeans or cocktail dresses. Puffers go anywhere — Pilates class, carpool lines, girls’ lunch, date night, even church. Vests elevate denim and dusters for a polished, rodeo-ready finish.
“You truly can’t go wrong with a fur outer piece in the cooler months.”
Where to Find Her
Cantrell admits to trying to be everywhere all at once. She’s at her Vickery storefront, in her barn office in Aledo, volunteering at school, or filming humorous reels with her friend Emily of The Bow Nextdoor.
In other words, Cantrell is exactly the kind of woman she designs for — stylish, busy, inspired, and building a beautiful life she can move freely in.