Bell bottoms, polyester, platform shoes, jumpsuits, halter dresses, hot pants, colorful leisure suits, loud patterns, sequins, glitter, and gold lamé.

 In the 1970s, fashion reached new levels of creative expression and, some might say, ostentation for men and women.  It was an era when women, no longer limited to strict fashion industry dictates, could choose a variety of hemlines, wear pants in nearly all situations, and discard the restrictive undergarments of the past.  Continuing the “Peacock Revolution” of the 1960s, 1970s menswear broke from the standard, austere suit and tie combination that had dominated since the turn of the nineteenth century. 

As many of the trends and ideals of the 1960s counterculture and radical movements gradually came to influence mainstream fashion, clothing became an increasingly colorful expression of individual choice.  Exaggerated fashion trends showed the growing acceptance of anti-conformity, self-actualization, and revolt against convention.  According to Anne-Lise Francois, in the 1970s, people wore clothes that stood out in order to fit in.

Reflecting the idea that “discos are nothing if not a fantasy world, where you can change your identity by changing your costume,” discotheques became places where glamour and fantasy reigned.  Dancers, encouraged by promoters, often wore especially outrageous costumes. 

In the largest and most famous discos, such as Studio 54, journalist Ed McCormack observed fashions that varied “from Pierre Cardin suits to silver cosmic clothing, from Halston originals to backless halters, through all the shades, cycles and fetishes of chic, camp and queer, until it culminate[d] in the truly bizarre ensemble of one muscular young madman who sport[ed] a leather aviator’s cap, smoked Captain Midnight goggles and red plastic clothespins clamped onto his bare nipples.” 

Some daring dancers spray painted their entire bodies in silver and gold.  Others wore futuristic costumes of spandex and shiny metallic trapunto or stripped down to nearly nothing on the dance floor.  Studio 54’s “celebrity” regular Rollerena arrived nightly in drag—a Fairy Godmother character in vintage dress, cat eye glasses, wand, and roller skates that had political purpose at its core.  

But while dancers could and did wear exotic, dramatic or daring outfits and makeup, outlandish costumes were not standard.  For most attendees, disco attire was about embracing the glamour and individuality of the scene in an outfit that was comfortable to dance in and that stood out just enough to attract a potential dance partner.  Dancers also needed to consider their comfort level in terms of the often revealing and sexy nature of disco fashion.  Luckily, the options were flexible and creative enough to accommodate a wide spectrum of personal choice. 

Flirty, feminine, swirly skirts and wrap dresses in cuts and fabrics that flowed with the dancer’s movements and shimmered under the disco lights were very popular looks for women as were blouses and pants worn billowy, flared, or skin-tight.   Bodywear, which featured pieces made of spandex and Lycra that emphasized a woman’s figure—from leotards under wrap skirts to colorful catsuits---was also popular.  Many women further completed their outfits with high heels and make-up that included bold colors, glitter, even feathers. 

Many feminists denounced disco fashion as backlash, condemning the return to feminine and sexy fashions as a resurgence of traditional female stereotypes, sexual objectification, and a threat to their cause. 

But the mostly female designers of bodywear defended their designs as an outgrowth of the feminist movement.  Bonnie August, designer of Bodywear for Danskin, called her designs “right for women today [1979] because women have developed a whole new attitude about themselves over the last ten years.”  By rejecting all the constructive garments of the past, bodywear  “shows off the body as it is.” 

Fellow designer Norma Kamali added that women wearing bodywear were “working through a lot of things (raised by feminism) . . . confident enough to be both feminine and aggressive.” 

Women outside the feminist movement defended their decisions to wear feminine, flirty, sexy clothing by redefining feminism to include the idea of sexy self-determination.  Disco fashion allowed these women to express a kind of overt sexuality, if they so chose, without having to resign themselves to being sex objects.