Blue Suede shoes - Rockabilly Creepers

Pointy toed leopard Skin Rockabilly Creepers, with crepe soles.

I like Brothel Creepers. Brothel Creepers got their name because the soles were quiet and allowed people to "creep" and not be heard. Well, that was the story I remember from years ago. Apparently they were invented just after WW2, the crepe soles were an innovation used in military footware in North Africa.

They are big shoes, with big Crepe soles. People like big shoes. 20 years ago, they were expensive imports only available at specialist shops in Sydney. They normally used odd(exotic) material on the top of the instep, which apart from the big crepe soles, was the other feature. The instep would have patterns, or be made of fur, or a bright red or purple colour.

They were not subtle..and correspondingly very popular.

I love creepers. I'm not a fan of Rockabilly clothing generally . When I first got into subcultural fashion, ...2o years ago(eeep)... I was more on the mod side of things. And mods and Rockabillies didn't get on back then. Mod was very English, and Rockabilly was very American.

However, now, I love the deathrock/psychobilly gothabilly sort of spin on Rockabilly.
This aside...I always loved Creepers. The infamous "Blue Suede Shoes" made famous by Elvis.

I used to hang with Rude boys, and they even started wearing rockabilly shoes. Creepers became an accepted part of the Rude boy subcultural fashion, even though the original Rude boys (or mods, or skinheads, the other subcultures that related to rude boys) of course never wore Rockabilly footwear). From memory, Madness, the Two Tone ska band wore crepe shoes, so I think the Rude boys picked up on it from there.

In a subcultural sense, Creepers are interesting in that they cross subcultural boundaries. Many subcultures wear them... rude boys, Rockabilly, new wavers, psychobilly, greasers and goth, and apparently Japanese Visual Kei.

Just talking about them wants me to go and buy some.


Red Suede, extra high crepe soles and leopard skin instep.. now we are getting somewhere.


These ones are a bit Gothanista (Fashionista + Goth), high crepe soles, leather (?) uppers and flames.

Is it wrong to covet another subcultures fashion items?. Post subculture philosophy says to use it all!