Pin-up vs Rockabilly Style Explained

The vintage-inspired rattan handbags at Wicker Darling are the perfect accessories for retro, pin-up, and rockabilly style enthusiasts alike. With one of our figural wicker handbags on your arm, you will always stand out from the crowd, with just the right balance of class and utter ridiculousness.

For those living their best pin-up and rockabilly lifestyles, it will be immediately obvious which artisan handbags scream your aesthetic. For those just dipping their toes in the water of the retro clothing world, it’s possible there could be some head scratching. You might even be wondering what is vintage vs retro?

Don’t you fret my little stud muffins, I’m here to help!

I’m going to break down all the differences between two of the most iconic vintage aesthetics - pin-up and rockabilly style. This will help you firmly pin down what style you (or your vintage-loving loved one) embody. Even if that is a delightful mix of both for a wholely unique look. After all, no one is ever obliged to dedicate themselves to one style.

Then, it will be an absolute cinch to choose the best retro handbags to purchase.

Just as vintage vs retro are often confused, the difference between pin-up and rockabilly style regularly puzzles people, and it’s no surprise. They are both vintage styles, and share many similarities. But rockabilly style also has quite a few differences from pure pin-up, which I’m going to explain in detail.

Before we get into the differences between pin-up and rockabilly style, let’s take a moment to define what each style is and where it came from.

What is pin-up style?

Pin-up style found its beginnings in the 1930s and 40s. People had started to oppose the restrictive fashion norms of past decades, and wanted to be more free and flirty with their looks.

Illustrators like Alberto Vargas and Gil Elvgren began to create playful and sexy drawings of women, which soon popped up in postcards and magazines - as well as many locker and bedroom walls. These pinned up images earned the very apt name of “pin-ups.”

This art simply took the world by storm during World War II. It was sent to soldiers all across the globe, which cheered them up and gave them something to hope for in their return home. It even became a sort of good luck symbol, and was painted on the side of many wartime aeroplanes.

The models that posed for these images became known as “pin-up girls,” and their look and attitude became the foundation for pin-up fashion. One of the most famous of these women was Betty Grable. She became what many considered to be the “ideal sex symbol.” But, it’s important to note: although pin-ups were certainly sexy, there was a playful innocence about them that always kept them tasteful.

Everyone wanted to be a pin-up model (or date one). And so, pin-up fashion started to appeal to the masses. The aesthetic was hitting the shelves, characterised by figure flattering silhouettes that nipped in at the waist and tastefully highlighted an ample bosom (or created the impression of one!).

Covering up with bustles and sheath dresses was no longer in. It was all about celebrating the curves nature gave us!

Pin-up style has evolved and changed over the years, but always kept the same 40s inspiration at its core. But it has also given birth to many spin-off styles, one of which is rockabilly.

What is rockabilly style?

Rockabilly is, in its truest sense, a music genre. Rockabilly music became popular in the 1950s, and was a blend of old rock and hillbilly western music. Hence the name “rockabilly.” If you’re not sure exactly what sound I’m referring to, you can picture Elvis Presley or Johnny Cash.

Rockabilly style is the love child of rockabilly music and pin-up fashion. Think 50s fashion with a little sex, love, and rock-n-roll thrown in. The pin-up girl of the 40s had instigated edgier, racier types like Bettie Page, and rockabilly girls ate the dark, fierce looks straight up.

Rockabilly style enthusiasts pushed the boundaries of fashion and experimented with edgy new looks. This funky blend of retro fashion and alternative culture produced a truly iconic fashion style that is still popular today. In fact, rockabilly saw a big revival in the late 1970s. This new-age rockabilly took inspiration from punk bands like The Cramps alongside its rock and western roots.

Soon, new subcultures emerged under the rockabilly umbrella: goth inspired “gothabilly” and horror inspired “psychobilly.” Think Patricia Day of Horrorpops, Traci Lords in Cry Baby, or even some of Amy Winehouse’s looks.

So you’ve learned a little about pin-up and rockabilly style and where they came from. But what specifically sets them apart? What makes one item of clothing more pin-up or rockabilly style?

The difference between pin-up and rockabilly style

When you know what to look for, pin-up and rockabilly styles are very distinct. It’s all in the colours, silhouettes, and overall aesthetics. That being said, they share a lot of the same foundational elements, and paired back rockabilly could possibly be confused with pin-up.

Let’s break down pin-up and rockabilly styles so you can truly understand the difference between them.

Aesthetic:

Pin-up and rockabilly style are definitely related, but simple to tell apart once you know the nuances between them. You can think of pin-up as rockabilly’s older, classier sister. Meanwhile rockabilly is the younger sibling fighting to stand out in the family, with edgy looks and eclectic music tastes.

Pin-up is all about embracing femininity and showing off your curves in a sultry, playful way. Rockabilly is like a pin-up girl gone alternative - with tattoos, edgy band shirts, and plenty of piercings.

Don’t get me wrong, rockabilly is still sultry and feminine when it wants to be, but with grit and power that a pin-up look just doesn't quite possess.

Clothing:

Pin-up clothing is flattering above all else. Think curve-hugging wiggle dresses, circle skirts, and swing dresses that highlight the natural waist - and a bit of cleavage. Skirts were often three-quarters in length, but when alternatives were in question, they were usually the shortest and tightest of hot pants.

Pin-up and rockabilly style both make use of polka dots, stripes, checks, and novelty prints. However, rockabilly focuses more on red and black, as well as flannel, cherries, and skull and cross bones.

A rockabilly look might pair a feminine pin-up swing dress with a leopard print jacket, red bandana, bright red lipstick, and combat boots. Or perhaps rockabilly might dispense of the circle shirt and peep toes for a more provocative pencil skirt and stiletto ensemble.

Hair:

Pin-up hair is all about exaggerated elements like pin curls and super-sized victory rolls or suicide rolls. Think, sweeping, wavy, and glamorous updos pinned in place just so.

When it comes to pin-up hair colour, a beautiful ginger or auburn is always appreciated, but blonde and brunette are also popular.

For rockabilly hairdos, black immediately sets the tone. But so do fun alternative hair colours like turquoise, pink, or shocking red. You can take inspiration from traditional pin-up hairstyles. But the most iconic of rockabilly looks is the Bettie bang, inspired by dark pin-up legend Bettie Page.

If you don’t want to fuss with curling and pinning your hair, a Bettie bang and edgy coloured highlights will immediately give your hair a rockabilly aesthetic, regardless of its styling.

Makeup:

When it comes to makeup, there aren’t as many differences between pin-up and rockabilly style as you might think.

The standard pin-up makeup look includes porcelain, doll-like skin, carefully angled eyebrows, natural brown eyeshadow, black cat-eye eyeliner, bold blush, and a perfect red pout.

Rockabilly makeup follows all these trends, with just a couple edgy twists. Rockabilly makeup looks often feature darker eyeshadow, making it a touch more sultry. For example, the pin-up tradition is made by lining only the top lash line for an open, doe-eyed look. However, many rockabilly looks bring the eyeliner all the way around to smoke out the eye.

The lips too, are bolder in some rockabilly looks. Many people experiment by using a black lip liner before the red lippie to produce an eye-catching and edgy ombre effect.

Shoes:

Shoes are incredibly different with pin-up and rockabilly styles.

When it comes to pin-up shoes, high heels are key. Peep toes of any kind are iconically pin-up, especially patent leather ones. Polka dot pumps, T-strap heels, and Mary Jane shoes are all pin-up perfect. If flats must be worn, ballet flats are one of the few accepted pin-up styles.

When it comes to rockabilly, however, there are way more options! Any of the above styles will work, particularly if they are black or red. But equally popular to the rockabilly aesthetic are sexy stilettos, combat boots with heels, Oxford shoes, or even Converse chucks.

Accessories:

Pin-up and rockabilly style accessories can add a lot of extra fun to an outfit.

Apart from a leather waist belt and some statement cat eye sunglasses, the main accessories for pin-up girls have to do with their hair. If you don’t know how to tie a silk scarf, you might not get too far in the pin-up world. Luckily we have a whole blog post detailing some sassy scarf options!

Indeed, pin-up girls don all sorts of fun silk scarf looks, as well as ribbons, wide brim hats, and big floral hair clips. Of course, no self-respecting pin-up girl would be without an adorable vintage-inspired purse, either.

Rockabilly looks can borrow from any of these pin-up elements, but often opt for bandanas, edgy jewellery, and gothic or horror-inspired handbags. Like, perhaps a fun bat bag, lovingly worn year-round (more on that in a bit).

Now that you have a good understanding of both pin-up and rockabilly styles, it’s time to shop for some adorable accessories that suit each of these iconic looks.

The perfect accessories for your vintage wardrobe

Whether you’re rockabilly royalty or a pin-up prodigy, Wicker Darling has a vintage-inspired wicker purse to perfectly complement your style. So let me introduce our favourite pin-up and rockabilly style accessories from our collection of unique designer handbags.

For a perfect pin-up look, you might opt for our demure Lugabug the ladybug handbag or even a juicy pineapple wicker purse like our Fineapple the Pineapple. And, of course, our collection of silk scarves is absolutely ideal for the pin-up style.

If you’re searching for a retro rockabilly clutch bag, I wholeheartedly recommend our spooky bat purse, as well as our rude clutch, which really captures that “devil may care” rock-n-roll attitude. Or, for a full-size wicker handbag, Oscar the tuxedo tom cat purse makes the perfect addition to a rockabilly wardrobe with this black, white, and red colour scheme.

At Wicker Darling, we are constantly coming out with new quirky purse styles. So, if you don’t currently see a wicker purse that suits your fancy (or your pin-up or rockabilly style), just know another purse is always around the corner!