The Moonlight Dreams dress is my newest obsession. I love anything eclectic, and delicate girly look of the top and rose applique mixed with the slightly alternative flair of leopard print is the perfect balance of  “fashion forward” without trying too hard.

With so much information and so many stores claiming to be rockabilly, what is a girl to do? What exactly IS Rockabilly?

The term “Rockabilly” is synonymous with the rock ‘n roll style music of the 1950′s. Think  Rock-meets-Country music. Elvis is a great example of Rockabilly style music. Rockabilly is just another term for a sub-culture such as “punk” or “scene” where people enjoy a certain genres of music, style of clothing and hair, and events.

Now that we have the history lesson our of the way, lets move on to What Is Rockabilly Clothing…

Rockabilly is a term used to refer to anything retro. Rockabilly clothing usually refers to items such as; Cute polka dot retro dresses, dresses with dainty cherry prints, full circle skirts, vintage items from the 1950′s, and anything else that has that 1950′s appeal. “Rockabilly” does not only refer to clothing, but more of a “lifestyle.”

Modern day male rockabillies often wear slim jeans, have a bandana somewhere (ie. back pocket, or worn as a wrist cuff), and often wear a retro or vintage shirt, while female rockabillies love any sort of retro dresses, skirts, and tops, and wear dolled up hair. One of the more popular rockabilly hair styles among the ladies is the “Bettie Hair.” This refers to hairstyles similar to that of Bettie Page. Rockabillies  today may adorn themselves in vibrant tattoos, and piercings, but don’t you dare confuse them with “Psychobillies.”

“Psychobilly” is very similar to “Rockabilly” but usually has darker undertones in both music and dress. Some great physchobilly bands are Tiger Army, The Creepshow, and The Horrorpops. The clothing may consist of retro inspired clothing, but with darker or morbid prints, such as zombies, skulls, etc…instead of polka dots and cherries.

Left: The Scene Queen Dress – Eclectica – $49.90  Right: Pump Up The Volume Dress – Mod Cloth – $74.99

This dress is superb with it’s super voluminous layers, giant bow hung from the front, a sash tie in back, and adjustable straps. The cotton/poly material has natural crinkling, that can be accentuated, as in the picture on the right, or ironed on low low heat, for a slightly more polished look. Try this dress strapless with some neon platform heels, and some mod black eyeliner, and you’re good to go!

This dress already sold out once, so get it before it gets swept away again!

Rock your special event in style! This dress features light boning in the bodice to give you that super sleek look, along with pouffy layers of tulle and polka dots. A fuscia bow gives a pop of color and an updated 80′s feel, and at under $90 you’ll be sure to be the center of attention at your special event.

A few tips to play the uniqueness of this dress up:

1. For an alternative 80′s style, or mod retro style, grab a pair of chunky fuscia pumps with an inner platform, or some black polka dot wedges such as our Retro Polka Dot Wedges. These wedges are perfect with this dress because the contrasting polka dots plays off the pattern on the dress, and once again we have a pop of color with the fuscia bow.

2. Add chunky jewelry like a DIY splatter paint cassette tape necklace with big chunky beads, or a couple colorful chunky bracelets and you’ve got an outfit that will grab everyone’s attention.

3. To really play up the alternative style, add a pair of fisnet tights. We love the footless kind, or even the stirrup variety of tights.

Feel free to stop on by and get a good look at Eclectica’s Scene Aesthetic Mod Dress and tell us what you would add to this dress to make it yours.

“Mod” was a 1960′s subculture, or counterculture, just as “punk” style, or the “scene” style. Short for modern, or modernist the term “mod” was usually used to refer to anything popular, fasionable or. you guessed it…modern. This is similar to how nowadays we refer to the terms “emo’s” or “scene kids” for those fashionistas of the alternative style.

Mods were rebellious and went against the grain and the mod style lost it’s appeal when it became commercialized, derived, and fake. The big clothing companies were now trying to make new mod style clothing, thus the allure of individuality was gone. (Mass produced indie clothing should ring a bell here…).

Female mods traditionally dress andgrogynously, with tailored trousers or dress pants, flats, and light makeup. Think twiggy; the light foundation and bold, stunning eyes. Who doesn’t love dark liner and false lashes? The mod clothing style is characterized by bold prints, geometric patterns, and bright colors. Teeny tiny miniskirts, shift dresses, aline skirts, and chuncky patent leather boots are a must have for any mod fashionista.

One of our favorite examples of Mod Style is Lily Aldrin in How I Met Your Mother.

Below: Lily Aldrin’s character from HIMYM (Right, Middle). Twiggy (Left)

Click the images to browse our collections of mod dresses, mod clothes, and mod makeup!