Rockabilly is a popular style of music from the 1950s, combining features of rock 'n' roll and bluegrass (hence the name, which combines the words 'rock' and 'hillbilly'). The fashions associated with this musical genre are becoming more and more prevalent in modern society. Elvis Presley is probably the most famous musician associated with rockabilly style and music. Here, you will learn how to dress if you wish to reflect this style.
Step 1 Firstly, we’ll look at the hairstyles
At the time, men wore well-greased pompadours; think Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk the Line” for a modernized version. Elvis Presley and James Dean are also good hair role-models. - There are several styles popular amongst rockabilly girls. The easiest, and most popular, is a quiff with ponytail. To achieve this, pull your hair into a high ponytail and wrap around a large-barrel curling iron for thirty or so seconds, so that it will spiral. Then, back-comb your bangs and pin the ends down near your ponytail to create the quiff. If this doesn’t appeal to you, you can try curling hair with a quiff and add a large flower barette to finesh it off.
Step 2 The next section is for women only - makeup
This was the most coveted look of the rockabilly generation:
- Apply your base makeup as usual (I recommend liquid foundation and a finishing powder). Apply blush sparingly, and on your cheekbones rather than the apples of your cheeks.
- For your eyes, apply a thick layer of eyeliner on your top lids, to create the “cat-eye” look. You may also wish to use some large, full false lashes.
Finally, put a thick layer of bright red lipstick all over your lips. Try to go for a blue-red rather than an orange-red. And this is your look completed.
Step 3 Finally, we move onto clothing
- ‘’’Men.’’’ Go for - slim-cut dark jeans, thin white t-shirts, tough leather jackets, boots, flannel bowling shirts, western shirts, dungarees and slim fit suits.
# ‘’’Women.’’’ Go for - halter dresses with sweet-heart necklines, bust ruching and fitted waists, high waist pencil skirts in either black or red, cardigan sweaters, sweater sets, full gathered skirts in floral prints or bright solid colours, high-waisted ankle length pants and men’s striped dress shirts (roll up the sleeves and tie a knot in the front). When it comes to shoes, look for Mary Janes, retro flats, saddle shoes, Converse All Stars and boots. You may want to try wearing bobby socks with your flat shoes. Finally, when it comes to accessories, wear tattoo-inspired necklaces, leopard print or hounds-tooth purses, headbands, hair nets and small classic earrings.
Tips
- Shop at consignment and second-hand stores, garage sales, and vintage auctions. This is the best way to find true rockabilly fashions. Talk to someone who is old enough to remember when rockabilly was big. Look through your library's catalogue for books about the era and surf the net for rockabilly websites. Try to get a feel for the over-all look. Pay attention to the way that clothes were worn and hair was styled.
- Take it the extra mile by using rockabilly slang. Here's a few suggestions, followed by translations:
- Cat--a hip person.
- Ginchiest--coolest.
- Long Green--money.
- Dolly--cute girl.
- Radioactive--cool.
- Threads--clothes.
- Peepers--glasses.
- Listen to rockabilly music. Check out Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Charlie Feathers, Jumpin' Gene Simmons, and Buddy Holly.
