Fashion Synopsis

“You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen…”

The quintessential disco group Abba said it best with their ode to the dance floor—and the royalty on it—“Dancing Queen.” The world of disco was a decadent trip to a place far removed from the daily grind. More than just music, it was part fashion runway, part dance floor, and pure exhibitionism. Fueled mainly by the need of scene and be seen, legions of young adults swarmed nightclubs like the legendary Studio 54 for their nightly fix of bright lights and infectious grooves.

Fashions ran the gamut from elegant to outrageous, with ladies and gents alike competing for the spotlight. Men preferred to let their slick polyester shirts expose their chests and highlight the ever-present gold medallions around their necks. Pants were high-waisted with the patented Ban-Roll waistband, which allowed countless hip bumps without fear of drooping. John Travolta’s red-hot moves in Saturday Night Fever heated up the dying disco market, and created a fashion inferno.

Elegant ladies wore flowing quiana dresses that draped daringly off of one shoulder, while handkerchief hems and ruffles swirled around their strappy high-heeled sandals Their more outrageous sisters followed the anything-goes mentality and donned leotards, hot pants with slinky belts, and Candies disco slide stiletto sandals.

The daring fashions of disco threw inhibition to the wind, and girls and boys boogied down in the most outrageous creations. The danger wasn’t in the drugs, sex, or disco beat: the true peril was dancing nonstop in stilt-like platforms. A spin under the disco ball just wouldn’t be the same without platform heels on which to hustle, bump or busstop. Unless, of course, you wore roller skates.

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