If you love rock & roll music, dance and culture, you may have wondered about the origin of 1950’s rock & roll (and rockabilly) fashion & clothing. And how it has reacted to changes in society over the years, and how fashion has being recycled and, in fact, still evolving today. Dr Celia Netolicky, rock & roll historian and co-founder of Perthrocks, recently wrote an interesting two-part article on this subject. You could read her article in full on http://members.optusnet.com.au/~perthrocks/news.htm.
Dr Netolicky wrote about how fashion is built on the past. Each new trend is a reaction to, or borrows from, what came before. Rock & roll/rockabilly fashion is no exception. During the war years in the 1940’s, harsh economic times and rationing impacted on fashion including shortened jackets & pants, hemlines rose to the knee and circular swing skirt gave way to a shorter narrow pencil skirt. It was also patriotic to wear a cropped bob as a way of showing support with the women, serving in the service and factories, who kept their hair short or in a decorative snood, a crocheted or laced hairnet which now turns out to be a rockabilly/swing fashion item.
After the war, in a rebellion against the austerity of rationing, women moved toward a more glamorous “Hollywood” look. Hairstyles were high in front with pronounced curls, fringes and rolls. Dresses became softer and richer fabrics sourced whilst make up took on a more dramatic look with heavy foundation, darkened eyebrows and ruby red lipstick.
The early post war years saw young people breaking with conformity with their conservative parents. American teenagers have discovered exciting “blacks” music & dance culture. Later they were inspired and copied from Hollywood movies like “Rebel without a cause”, “Blackboard jungle” and “The Wild One”. This was the era of early rock & roll & fashion.
It seems initially the rocker’s look differed in the USA and Britain but later became more homogeneous with the release of movies like “The Wild One”. In the 1950’s, English “Teddy Boys” donned outfits inspired by the dandies of the Edwardian era (1910-1910) - with brocade waist coats, knee-length jackets often with velvet collars, drain pipe trousers, bright coloured socks & creepers shoes. Teddy Girls either wore Teddy Boy’s style pants suits or pencil skirts but later adopted the circular skirts and ponytails of American teenage rockers.
In contrast, American male rockers (“Cats”) dressed differently from mainstream teenagers. Boys wore jeans with a white t-shirt & black leather jacket. Hair was longer and swept up and centred into a quiff and back & centre into a duck-tail kept in place with lots of Brylcream. “Kittens’ wore poodle skirts and stiff nylon petticoats or pencil skirts, fitted blouses & sweaters, bright eye-shadow and lipstick with bouffant hairstyles or ponytails.
The influence of burlesque culture on rockabilly fashion was also discussed by Dr Netolicky. Burlesque started as a form of rebellion used by actors and dancers to challenge traditional values of the day. Under garments, hair styles and decorative items employed by burlesque performers have now been copied and adopted into modern day rockabilly fashion. Hence one sees corsets now worn as outer rather than under garments, the seamed stockings, lacy garter belts, elaborate fans, high heeled leather shoes, fishnet stockings, flowers in coiled and curled hair, heavy make-up and bright red lipstick etc.
To an extent, what is considered rock & roll fashion today was influenced by reaction to pre-war society & values and the impact of harsh economic times during the war. It blossoms in the 1950’s when blacks R&B & Blues music captured the imagination of young white teenagers before exploding into a world-wide revolution & phenomenon until overtaken in the mid 1960’s Beatles mania and “Mod” fashion with its scooters, Italian style tailor-made suits, thin ties, wool or cashmere jumpers, winklepickers and mini skirts for female mods.
But rock & roll and rockabilly fashion endures & remains very much alive today. Yes - it is no longer considered mainstream but it’s no less authentic or inspiring for those of us who love the music and the scene.
History of Rock & Roll (and Rockabilly) Fashion
Bookmarks