I had been archiving my disco tracks (yeah, I said it) the day before Donna Summer died. Must have been something in the air. Much like '80s New York, Summer encapsulated the best parts of disco. The sass, the wit, the energy. So it is very fitting that I will be attending a Million Dollar Disco this weekend. Mood board alert.
Discotheque Royale -
Studio 54 was arguably the most famous nightclub in the world. It cost $400,000, for interior designer, Ron Dowd, to transform the former theatre into West 54th Street's decadent hot spot. Writers, artists, models, directors, designers, rock stars socialites alike frequented this institution. There was no hierarchy, as long as you were rich, beautiful or famous.
Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, Truman Capote, Grace Jones, Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Mick & Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, Jerry Hall, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Diana Vreeland, Salvador Dali and
Woody Allen were amongst the chosen few. Its heyday was from 1977 until 1981 when founders, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were imprisoned for tax evasion.
"The last days of Disco"
Tracks -
Donna Summer, On the Radio. Pointer Sisters, Happiness. Diana Ross, Love Hangover. Randy Crawford, Street life. Thelma Houston, Don't leave me this way.
Disco in film - Michelle Pfeiffer's
Scarface entrance is iconic but don't overlook
further inspiration.....
The Last Days of Disco, Boogie Nights, Studio 54, Carlito's Way, Saturday Night Fever.
Modern Disco -
Alison Goldfrapp. Electro/ glam rock. My favourites.
Ooh la la and
Strict Machine.
Rosin Murphy. For me she was Moloko and going solo proved that.
Let me Know and
If We're in Love make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
And of course, the clothes - My wardrobe is suspended somewhere between of the late '70s and early '80s. I adore a good disco dress. Halston captured both the elegance and opulence of that era perfectly.
See you under the mirror ball.
