Rockabilly Fashion: Embracing 1950s Trends at Night of Treasures 2023
July 12, 2023
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This blog accompanies our summer fundraiser Night of Treasures 2023: Rockabilly, which happens on Saturday, July 22, 2023.
Buy Tickets to Night of Treasures 2023: Rockabilly
When thinking about fashion history, it’s very easy to imagine very black and white stages: one trend disappearing overnight and being replaced by something completely different. However, fashion trends constantly change, appear, or dissolve all together. If looked at closely, it’s easy to find areas of gray. Sometimes, even a single event can jumpstart an entire era. The Museum of World Treasures’s summer fundraiser titled, Night of Treasures 2023: Rockabilly is a celebration of American trends during the 1950s. From poodle skirts to leather motorcycle jackets, here are some ideas for what to wear to be the guy or dolls of your dreams.
Christian Dior's "New Look"
Picture a classic 50s silhouette: a tight-waist with a flared skirt. The shape was actually first showcased in the late 1940s. Fashion designer Christian Dior’s first 
collection debuted in 1947 and was a spectacular success. In this collection, he introduced the “New Look.” Described as a tightly-tucked, slim-fitting top that turns into a large, full-waisted skirt, the “New Look” celebrated ultra-femininity and the opulence of women becoming the catalyst for later fashion trends of the 1950s. Although, as fast as the “New Look” took a seat as a powerful fashion trend, it was reimagined and remade by other designers. During the early 1950s, many other well-known designers remade the “New Look” in their own image. Designers like Hubert de Givenchy, Charles James, and Cristobal Balenciaga all gave their own take on Christian Dior’s iconic silhouette. As prominent as Dior was for the 50s, it wasn’t the only look that people were striving for.
The Chanel Jacket
As the decade trudged on, the “New Look” started to feel old. At least, it did to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. The classic style of the Chanel Jacket, being a low-waisted, embellished, tweed garment, was first designed by Chanel in 1954. With Chanel’s already rising prominence in the fashion world, the Chanel Jacket was quickly adopted by British aristocrats as a staple of status, wealth, and style. The popularity of the Chanel Jacket messaged to the rest of the world “elegance, movement, adaptation, and change.” For one of the first times, women could wear either the traditional, waist-defining “New Look”, or a straight-cut skirt, Chanel Jacket, and sensible shoes for an on-the-go lifestyle. In the words of Coco Chanel, “It enables women to move with ease, to not feel like they’re in a costume. I’m not changing the attitude of mannerism. This time it’s very different because [the] human body is always on the move.”
Outfit Inspiration for rockabilly costumes
Now, if you plan on attending Night of Treasures 2023: Rockabilly, you don’t have to dress up to have a good time. However, if you’d like to fully immerse yourself for the night, let me give you some advice on how to dress.
View Our Rockabilly Fashion Outfit Inspiration Board on Pintrest
Poodle Skirt Inspired Look
First, let’s start with a simple poodle skirt with a tucked in shirt. Not only is the poodle skirt an iconic image of the decade, but it’s relatively easy to make at home with basic sewing knowledge.
1. Pair any color of skirt with a cute embellishment of just about anything
2. Add bobby socks and saddle shoes to complete the base of the outfit
3. Accessories! A scarf around the neck or a matching headband and earring can really pull the whole thing together. (Though if looking for something more striking then try complementary or contrasting colors for more of a pop.)
Rebel Rockabilly
Going for something other than the preppy poodle skirt? Then try this:
1. Pair a base consisting of a brightly-colored, short-sleeved shirt with leather pants
2. Complete with your favorite pair of pumps
3. Accessories! Try cat-eye sunglasses, a striking red lip, and some impressive eyeliner.
Greaser Guy Inspiration
Now for the guys:
1. White t-shirt with jeans
2. A black leather jacket
3. Accessories! Grab a pair of dark sunglasses and a metal chain
4. (Optional) Complete look with a messy hair quiff (Don’t forget the hair gel!)
Sources: 1950-1959 | Fashion History Timeline, How Coco Chanel revolutionised women’s fashion with just a jacket, Lecture: 1950s Fashion | Fashion and Decor: A Cultural History, Fashion on Film: How 1950s Fashion Shaped the Movies of the Era
Blog by Joe Little, Events Coordinator
