Rockabilly Style vs Western Wear
ロカビリー・スタイル / ウェスタン・ウェア
Rockabilly Style comes from Subculture Style and Western Wear from Fashion History. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Rockabilly Style
The music culture where country and rhythm and blues met in the American South appeared in pompadours, high-waisted wide trousers, loose jackets, dyed boots, skirts and denim, establishing rock and roll's cycle of audiences copying performers.
Western Wear
Western wear developed from ranch and riding utility into rodeo, film and country stage dress, adding embroidery, fringe, studs and emphatic color to functional yokes, snaps, boots and hats.
| Rockabilly Style | Western Wear | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | early 1950s– | 19th century– |
| Family | Subculture Style | Fashion History |
| Kind | Style | Style |
| Cues | High pompadour or rolled front hair / Pleated high-waisted wide trousers / Short jacket, open-neck shirt, narrow collar or scarf / Cuffed denim, leather shoes and strongly colored boots | Pointed western yokes dividing chest and back / Curved-brim hat and high-shaft boots / Pearl-like snaps and contrast piping / Symmetric embroidery, fringe and studs |
| Best used for | Expressing the speed and youth of early-1950s rock and roll in events, stage work and photography · Joining western, work and tailored clothing into one performer image | Designing shirts, boots and outerwear that retain riding function · Making a western silhouette legible at distance through stage embroidery and color |
| Type | Choose one slanted script or broad sign face and give it the sweep of a record or automobile curve. | Run a narrow slab serif or drawn sign face along garment curves. |
| Composition | Focus on hair and shoulders above, using the high waist to make one long leg line to the shoes. | Divide shoulder and chest with a yoke and flow mirrored embroidery along edges and pockets. |
| Material | Combine gabardine, denim, wool and leather in large planes of red, blue and cream as well as black. | Start with denim, suede, leather and pearl-like snaps, adding metallic thread, stones and fringe only for performance. |
| Caution | A polka-dot skirt and pompadour become costume when isolated. Preserve the mix of country and blues and the exchange between performer and audience. | Do not use a cowboy hat as a lone symbol. Distinguish riding construction from decoration added by rodeo and music. |