What to Wear to a 70’s Disco Party | Studio 54 Fashion

Are themed parties suddenly a thing again? I’m asking because I don’t think I’ve been to one for about a decade and yet suddenly I have invites to three of them just a few weeks apart.

And all of them are a tribute to eras of hedonism and excess - the roaring 20s, the screaming 70’s and the raving 90s.

Perhaps for now we’re all about embracing a moment in time when everything just seemed to sparkle a bit harder.

Excited by the challenge, I was still left with the question: what do I wear to a 70s party?

What Was Studio 54 Famous For?

If you’re unfamiliar, Studio 54 was an iconic New York nightclub, peopled by rock stars, designers, actresses and artists. 

During the 70s it was the place to see and be seen, in those crazy days before the rise of social media and the paparazzi. 

That iconic picture of Bianca Jagger riding a white horse onto the dancefloor? THAT was Studio 54 in an equine nutshell. 

It was only around from 1977 - 1980, but it perfectly encapsulated a moment in time, the last dying ecstasies of the 70s.

Think Cher, Diana Ross, Elton John, Debbie Harry and Diane Von Furstenburg. Disco, glitterball, metallic, drop dead.

So what on earth do you wear to recapture such a moment in time? 

How to wear 70s fashion now

Creating a 70s style outfit with all the glam Studio 54 trappings was a challenge I couldn’t resist. 

Still, I wanted to set myself a few rules for these upcoming costume parties in order to minimise any waste and avoid buying an outfit I could only wear once. 

I decided:

i) to try and make use of items I already owned first

ii) if I couldn’t find anything, to buy preloved only

 iii) to only buy items I would actually wear again in everyday life.

Bronze lame maxi dress with cut outs | River Island

'Stride 70' crossover tortoiseshell heeled sandals | Kurt Geiger

‘Disco' beaded clutch bag | Hush

Striped faux fur stole | River Island

Oversized tan sunglasses | Attam Trading

Luckily for me, the 70s and the 20s actually had a lot of style elements in common - maximalist sequins, beading and embellishment, velvet, metallics, fur and platform heels.

I got myself on Depop and purchased a brown faux fur stole with stripy detailing by River Island. I thought I could style up this item with a sequinned dress, headband and pearls for a flapper look, or with my 70s outfit as a slice of glam rock.

My Studio 54 references were all very metallic, and I managed to source a second hand bronze lame maxi dress with waist cut-outs that felt like the right vibe (again, this was originally from River Island, who seem to have a good line in modern takes on 70s outfits). 

I finished off the look with some light brown oversized square shades and some leather mules with a tortoiseshell chunky heel from Kurt Geiger, all of which I already owned.

The final touch was this amazing 'Disco' beaded clutch from Hush that I picked up on eBay. This will definitely have a permanent place in my wardrobe after the party.