Back to the Roots

 

A little background, shall we? 

To start, the term, "Rockabilly," refers to the merging of 1950's Rock music and "Hillbilly" country music, primarily in the South. Being a Southern girl at heart, I'm happy to embrace all of these elements, and the decades they celebrate. In fact, I'll be the first to raise a Lonestar and dance a jig to  Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

Now, the other side of the subculture's equation is referred to as "Gothabilly," which I tend to lean towards, given my fascination with Classic Cars, Film Noir and all things Bettie Page. 

You can expect to see lots of leather, high heels, pencil skirts and fishnet stockings in this crowd. Which, by the way, I think can be pulled off in a manner that suits all women, of all shapes and sizes. (Which is more than I can say about today's modern fashions) ...

Furthermore, these ladies tend to boast elaborate tattoos.     

(Myself included...) If done well, these can only add to the woman's mystique, as far as I'm concerned. But if done wrong .... well, let's just leave it at that, shall we? If you feel so inclined to explore the depths to which some will sink ... well, just have a look at this fabulous collection of nonsense. "Gallery of Ink that Stinks"

If you are looking for a little perspective regarding my initiation into this vintage loving culture, I'd have to say, that my very first Rockabilly / Gothabilly role model, as corny as this will sound, was Traci Lords in Cry-Baby.

Yes, I was only 8  years old, and yes, I had a raging crush on Johnny Depp's character ...  but above all else,  I recognized something in her style. She may have been ultra-sexy, but she was also ultra-classy.
I mean, look at that luggage! And just the right amount of leg ... bravo!
A perfect example of "Less is More"

So given that we come from a long line of classy ladies, I'm a bit shocked at some of the recent Rockabilly spin-offs.

For example ... what are we trying to channel here?

Size / Schmize. You can be a size 14 and pull it off with grace and sex appeal.
But this is a classic example of a Rockabilly "no-no" ...

 

I personally think the gal could take a lesson from the "World Famous Bob"...
She's not a size 2, by any means ... but she knocks sex appeal out of the ball park.
I've seen her multiple times on stage at some of New York's finest burlesque shows, and I must say, we could all take a lesson from Bob.

So there you have it. A small initiation into my Rockabilly world ... and hopefully a glimpse into what I'm trying to achieve here with "The Rockabilly Sophisticate."

** And on a side note, I would LOVE to hear about YOUR first Pin-Up idol. ;)

More to come ... Ta Ta for Now!