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Beyond Tiki, Bilge, and Test / Beyond Tiki / Rockabilly?

Post #67773 by Formikahini on Mon, Jan 5, 2004 4:04 PM

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Discussion of female rockabilly fashion here. Skip if it bores you.

*On 2004-01-05 11:45, sweetpea wrote:*The extensions on girls are called "falls" although, I know few gals that actually wear them.

Well, I'm one of 'em! Got 'em in about every length and wave factor. I used to be more of a 'billy, but I find myself in the fluffy-dresses-purging mode. (I never looked good in the severe-ponytail-with-Betty-Page-bangs and cuffed jeans thing - I just liked the music, the cars, the dancing and the great fifties petticoat dresses (which I'm now selling off). Now I spend my clothing $ on eBay Hawaiian/tiki dresses!)

I'll second the big difference between '50's rockabilly culture and '80's revival - and now late '90's/early 2000's culture. The '80's billies in England were pretty rockabilly Nazi when I lived there; course, it seemed that all the billies all loved psychobilly there, so I couldn't give any distinction between the cultures. It seemed to be one culture, with some bands faster (Speed-driven = really great), and some slower and more traditional (exact antique gear = really great).

I remember laughing when I showed up to a rockabilly club in London with my British billy gal friends in '87 (or '84?) and being stared at because my hair was 1940's, and NOT psychobilly 1950's in a ponytail. The girls ALL had stand-up-straight bangs, with the back pretty closely shorn OR smooth ponytail. There WAS NO deviation. Cuffed jeans or pedal-pushers ONLY. I don't really remember the boys, except ALL stand-up-straight bangs and ALL in jeans.

The full-sleeve or multiple tattoos thing seems to be the distinguishing mark for this new generation, both guys and girls (not that tatts didn't abound in the '80's too, but you didn't see SO many beautiful girls with several square feet inked in)). I haven't gotten out to Viva Las Vegas or any of the other rockabilly festivals, mainly 'cause 24 hours of only rockabilly kinda, well, bores me. And I thought that even when I sang in rockabilly bands in the '80's!! But I can take a solid week of '60's revival garage bands, which would drive others up a wall, so I can't throw stones.

This is by no means meant to be an informative post about "what is rockabilly" - I'm just having fun reminiscing!