Polka Dot Peril

There are some prints in the rockabilly fashion world that are known to be "rockabilly" in style even by the mainstream, such as cherries, skulls, tattoos and POLKA DOTS!
All of these can be used unwisely at any age, but none so much as the polka dot - it is very easy to look like Minnie Mouse. This is especially tragic if you end up looking like an OLD Minnie Mouse.
There is a good rule you can go by, however, that will let you avoid that fate:

The older you are, the smaller your dots should be.

For example, if you're under 20, go ahead and go large - this is the age when you can get away with it to some extent (you still do risk looking like you're "costuming" so be forewarned!). At 30, take it down a notch - your dots should be about not much more than 10mm in diameter. At 40, you're in dangerous territory - your dots should be very small, 1cm in diameter or less. And at 50, they should disappear all together. Don't worry, you'll be able to wear dots again, after age 70, when you can play the part of wacky old lady!

NO ONE should be wearing this above the age of 5...

Large dots = under 20 years old only

1930s-1940s dots. Over 40s, go for it!

Don't try this at home. Double whammy: crazy big bow, with
equally crazy big polka dots.

Late 1930s dots, appropriate for any age.
This dress is nice, but a little too long for my taste.

There are exceptions to the rule, such as wearing dots of varying sizes in the same print (which does take it away from classic dot print). You see a lot of this in 1930s clothing, and it works well for any age. The other exception is if the dots are all the same size, but are scattered randomly. The costume element of the dots is all but removed in these instances.

So watch your dots, and watch your dignity!

Buttons and Bows

Nice dress...for a sixteen-year-old.

I'll start off with some general principles - one BIG area where we go wrong is not dressing for our age within the era that we're into. The 1950s are a problem, because for the first time there were "teenager" clothes available. Cute full skirted dresses with ruffles, bows, all that fun stuff. Stuff that looks great on a teenager, not so great on a 50-year old. So what is one to do? If you look at what a 50-year-old wore back then, that can be a good guide to how much frippery looks good. Straight skirted dresses during the day, and simple shirtwaist dresses, full skirted dresses that aren't loaded up with ruffles and big bows for evening. A ruffled shelf bust can sometimes be fine, but skip the fluffy chiffon prom dresses.

This is NOT to say that you can't wear a beautiful 50s dress if you're not a teen; it's the TYPE of beautiful dress that is key. Beware of bows, they can go tragically wrong. Like Madonna in her skin tight hotpants at age 53, there are some things that just make one cringe. We're talking big bows on coiffure, big bows all over your dress, bows on your shoes. It screams juvenile, not a look we should be going for. Ever see "What ever Happened to Baby Jane"? If you haven't, I urge you to watch it, as it will cure you of age-inappropriate bows forever!

Now don't despair, there is a type of bow that is good for any age - the straight bow. You'll find these adorning vintage 50s and 60s shoes, as well as at the upper waist of fitted vintage dresses. So don't costume up like a five-year-old. Yes big bows are fun, but so is My Little Pony. Dignity and elegance is the motto here, keep this in mind next time you're tempted by that sugary confection of a prom dress!

An example of a beautiful and age-appropriate dress.

This bow, although large, makes the cut, as it's tailored.

The only good use of a large bow that I've seen on an over-30 was this fabulous little old lady I spotted in Beverly Hills a few years ago. She was wearing a medium pink trenchcoat, black stockings, sunglasses, and had her hair in a pulled back topknot with an enormous black bow; 85 years old if she was a day!  It was very "Parisian couture rich old lady", and just fantastic. So if you're that old, you can get away with a lot...even large polka dots. More on the fascinating topic of polka dots  in the next post!

The aim of this blog

Greetings kittens!
This blog is for all those rockabilly "girls" over the age of 30.
We have challenges unique to the scene - there is no harder path in subculture than that of the "mature age" female rockabilly woman.
The number of tragic fashion pitfalls are huge, not to mention behaviour!
Let's not play the evil queen to our younger peers Snow White. It is up to us to take the higher road, and be proud, elegant, and beautiful.
This blog used to be called the Rockabilly Hag; it is now the Rockabilly Duchess. The term "rockabilly hag" will be used to describe what you DON 'T want to be!
Let me be your guide, and together we can negotiate the minefield of the older rockabilly woman...

rockabillyHag is now RockabillyDuchess!