Whether we accept it or not, clothes are a way of expressing yourself and the image is an integral part of the music.
The bands are well aware of this, and that’s why they pay a lot of attention to their costumes.
All of this (like many others) was started by the unique Elvis Presley. When he first appeared on stage, fashion and music came together.
A union, so unique that after the king of Rock N Roll, all Rock stars had the biggest influence on what young people would wear.
So, what exactly is going on from the ’50s until today? The answers, (to some extent) we will find in our next articles.
We start with the ’50s and the influence of music on fashion and especially Rock.
Fashion in the 1950s was fascinating and varied. There were new colors and different style choices for different personalities.
It’s the decade that teen culture was born, which means there is a greater distinction between youth fashion and more mature styles.
The manufacturing methods and new synthetic materials developed during the war dramatically reduced the price of clothing and increased durability.
As clothes became more affordable, people were able to keep up with the fashion change that led to a greater variety of styles.
The standard of living also improved rapidly during the 1950s. It is the decade in which young people made money.
So, they started spending on their clothes and consequently on their image, just like the Rock stars.
Self-determination…
As the media began to change their form and to be liberated from state imposition, young people began to identify themselves.
The obedience of the stereotypical establishments of the time is collapsing and the youth is gaining its own status away from the “moral order”.
Practically, this means: You are what you hear and you hear what you are!
That is, your wardrobe becomes an integral part of your expression, just like Rock music.
In the 50 years that followed, Rock stars became the main influence of style at all levels and especially in fashion.
Each new sound of Rock and later of Metal brought a new look.
Subspecies self-identify and choose the way they express themselves, not only through music and lyrics but also through their clothes.
As Zoey Goto, journalist and author of Elvis Style: From Zoot Suits to Jumpsuits, puts it:
“Elvis style announced that it is okay for boys to wear pink, white boys to wear zoot suits, and your wardrobe to be different from your dad’s.
“In one night, Elvis radically changed the way American youth dressed.”
On the other side are the Beatles who, almost at the same time, inspire their fans with their stylistic choices,
Beatle boots, black suits, and tops reminiscent of salad bowls, the fashion in
England shows something different than America.
Sometimes at the end of the decade, the explosion of femininity begins.
The women wear colorful dresses with a deep neckline while rocking to the rhythms of Rockabilly.
Of course, all this fashion becomes visible on stage, but also below it and enters dynamically in the next decade.