The rough outlines of my Rockabilly Foray

So, this little experiment of mine needs to have some rules in order to actually be a thing.

1. This is not a tutorial site but I will show you my inspirations and my experiences - good and bad. And if you like what you see and can take something away from it then that's awesome. But I am not teaching or preaching here, ok?

2. My Rockabilly Summer is about me pushing myself stylistically but it's also, in some small part, about embracing my new Mum bod. I need to remember to be kind to myself and to err on the positive side. I hope anyone who stumbles upon this blog will do the same.

3. Many people in the Rockabilly world mix up styles to create their own authentic look and that's really what I want to achieve. Forties victory rolls are often worn with Fifties outfits and so I want to be clear from the start that I will be mixing it up in order to find what works for me. I will be looking at all things Rockabilly, Vintage, Retro et al... So this is probably not a blog for any Rockabilly purists.

4. The clothes, make-up & accessories HAVE to work in my real life. I'm a Mum for a start - if I can't bend or move in the clothes it's pointless. If the make-up takes 7 hours to perfect it's just not going to happen. If I can't wash the items of baby sick easily they just won't be worn.

5. I need to be brave. I'll write more about this in my next blog post but suffice to say I easily chicken out of wearing things for fear of what people will think.

Me festivalling circa 2013

I need to have a think about exactly how this experiment will be shaped over the Summer and if anyone has any thoughts please do leave a comment. I have been somewhat inspired by the latest post on the Scathingly Brilliant blog however in her idea for 30 for 30 - 30 pieces over 30 days with no two outfits the same. I'm not sure I'll be able to follow that experiment exactly (not even sure I would have 30 pieces!) but I am going to do a proper recky of my wardrobe. I need to actually find out what I already have to work with and then see what I can get to supplement & fill the gaps.

I do know my parameters will also need to take in the following 'issues' (for want of a better word):

• I'm short. Super duper short. I don't even reach the lofty heights of 5ft. 
• I'm not petite at all these days - whatever I wear needs to accommodate my new 'curvy' mum bod.
• I'm not minted. As much as I'd love to buy an entire new wardrobe for this I do not have the funds (two kids and on maternity leave means there's zero funny money to play with).

This all means that the majority of what I can work with has to be in my wardrobe already or will need to be purchased from second hand / charity shops or cheap high street shops local to me. This applies to make-up and accessories too... I've already had some fun with my hair colour (will update you on this in an upcoming post).

The count down is on as I'm planning to start on 1st June. Tick tock.