Frockabilly Fashion
- Sharon Gill
- Oct 7, 2011
- 3 min read
A passion for the fashion of the 1950s has turned a local lass into a creative seamstress who now sells her day-wear outfits online to people all over the world. Sharon Gill talks to Lisa Hayes-Foley about her unique line of rockabilly-inspired dresses – hence the label “Frockabilly”.
All photos courtesy of Kyle-Ben Snyders
Lisa is a breath of fresh air in an industry that tends to focus on emaciated waifs who look like they’ve thrown up everything they’ve ever eaten. She is proof that girls with a bit of meat on their bones can look just as glamorous and sexy as those scrawny models wearing outrageous outfits that most of us couldn’t squeeze ourselves into if we shed half of our body weight.
As Lisa says, back in the 50s, girls had curves. “It was an era of glamour and innocence,” says Lisa. “I often wish we could revert to the old customs of chivalry and faithfulness within relationships, where men were gentlemen and women were ladies.”
28-year-old Lisa spent her early years watching her mother and grandmother sewing clothes for the family. She was about ten years old when she started designing and stitching outfits for her Barbie dolls, and collaborated with her mother on the design of her own clothes, creating an exclusive wardrobe that was the envy of her junior school classmates. Thus inspired, she learned how to use an electric sewing machine so she could sew basic garments by herself.
With college came the discovery of the alternative subculture dedicated to the love of the 1950s – rockabilly. Lisa was in her element. Here was an avid market for the type of clothing she loved to create.
So, what comes first – the design or the fabric? “A bit of both,” says Lisa. “Sometimes I come across a fabric I simply can’t resist so I design something that makes the most of that material. Other times I have a design in mind and go in search of the perfect fabric.”
Lisa’s dresses are made for the girls who model them, including herself. “Frockabilly models actually EAT,” she says. “Crystal Renn (an American plus-size fashion model and author) once said that plus-size is the new black.” Therefore it’s no surprise that Lisa is inspired by the look of vintage pin-up girls, such as Bettie Page and Gina Lollobrigida.
The rockabilly scene in this country is very small, but the Internet has opened up the global market for Lisa, who sells more of her outfits online to customers in Australia, the UK and America than to South Africans.
Lisa’s designs are unique. If you buy a dress from the Frockabilly collection, it’s likely to be one-of-a-kind. While she remains true to the 50s style, she puts her own spin on it, using modern fabrics with bold colours and patterns.
Talking about her ambitions for the future, Lisa reminds me that Frockabilly started out as a hobby, not a career. However, she hopes that one day it will generate enough income to support her, and she may even branch into styling for pin-up shoots, perhaps holding workshops and photo-shoots for girls who want to embrace this style.
While she doesn’t see herself becoming an internationally recognised designer on a commercial fashion level, she admits she would love to be recognised within the rockabilly or pin-up scenes.
“I would love for one of my designs to be worn by a famous model, or even one of the more underground pin-up models.”
But that kind of recognition doesn’t happen overnight. Meanwhile, Lisa is happy to work herself up slowly, establishing a stable path and fan base as she goes along.
You can email Lisa or contact her via her website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/frockabillysa
[Originally published in The Crest, September 2011 issue]
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