My Style Inspiration : Retro

'Gothabilly'-inspired Polyvore set I made a few years

Now that I'm working at Cats Us Like (I have been blogging for them all along), I wanted to share some of my retro inspirations! I can't remember exactly when I got 'into' liking retro and retro-inspired items or the imagery or fashion, but I know I fell in love with Bettie Page -which I first saw her on the cover of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's "Sexplosion" album- and her blunt cut bangs, when I was in high school. She inspired me to cut my bangs.....badly. I also love old Hollywood starlet's like; Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. For my prom and my date dances (which I never had a date), I always wanted to look 'glamorous', though my attempts were primitive at times.

Photos on film?! Yes, before digital!

left: date dance. right: my senior prom-my hair was so bad

For my senior prom my mom asked if I could go back to blonde (I had red hair at the time) and seeing as my mom was always cool with whatever-I-did-to-myself, I complied. Yeah, my hair is orange. Back in high school I used to do my own hair and well, yeah. It's terrible and orange, did I mention it's orange? Ugh. Word to the wise, hair stylist's are there for a reason, use them. *Wink*

Meagan, what is your point? I'm getting there I SWEAR!!!!

I'm trying to segue smoothly into my interest into GOTHABILLY and possibly failing. So, my interest in goth and retro=my love for gothabilly, yes it does exist!

I wrote an article for Auxiliary Magazine about the subject, check it out HERE. It's sort of crazy, because I wanted to write an article about gothabilly as there wasn't too much information on the web about the music, fashion and culture, now I'm quoted in other people's blogs and on Wikipedia! So weird! I also wrote a blog for Cats Like Us, unfortunately the fashions are no longer available.

The Coffinshakers

I have to admit I got a lot of shit from "friends" who made statements like, "She never used to dress that way", when I started wearing more Victory Rolls, pencil skirts, etc. to the goth clubs. I never thought that taking retro elements and infusing them into them into my outfits was that far off from goth fashions. (Then again I never thought anyone was judging me that much or even was paying attention!) Once again I went back to Bettie Page and her dark allure as a reference in my mind and my Hollywood Starlet's as inspiration. We're allowed to infuse whatever we want, play with fashion and break the fashion rules! 

I thought I looked cute *shrugs*

You'd be really surprised to know that a lot of older rockabilly's were goth's. They still love the music, have an affinity for black, but dress more vintage and retro. Even fashion labels like; Hell Bunny, Sourpuss Clothing and Living Dead Souls (their other label Voodoo Dolly), infuse the retro styling with a gothic flare. I think it's pretty rad! 

Seth dress by Hell Bunny

Oh spiders!!!

And of course there is the music! You may have seen the patch on the back of my vest for Cult of the Psychic Fetus, they are a  gothabilly band I'm pretty fanatical about.

I also enjoy:
The Coffin Shakers
Ghoultown
Deadbolt
The Cramps (who are a genre all their own, in my opinion)
Dave Vanian and the Phantom Cords

Well, this is a long one, so thanks for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

***I do want to make it very clear, I don't think that we need to segregate any lifestyle into these tiny little boxes with rules, labels like; goth, gothabilly, rockabilly, punk, etc. are descriptive words. Not that labels are bad, I just dislike how much we can cram people into little boxes! It doesn't offend me, but I don't want to encourage any sort of ignorance with my blog writings. *Wink*