Calli Ferguson

Deco & Disco: Styling a Counterculture

As the decade turned and the pandemic hit many months ago, there was a not-so-comfy kind of accuracy in the links between our current moment and the 20’s of the preceding century. But there were also shiny glimpses of inspiration. Looking for said glimpses, I found myself pretty geeked on Art Deco influences that have seemed so relevant to contemporary design trends. Perhaps it is the illusive escapism that presented itself with unique patterns, curved details, and emphasis on decoration. And it wasn’t just me-- something in the atmosphere charmed it up to a trend. Similarly,I felt there was something so attractive about the disco balls hanging in plant and vintage stores around New York City. That one accessory can sort those locations into the ‘cool’ file in my head almost automatically. With every sparkling eyeshadow and velvet sofa decoration, the American movements of the 1920s and 1970s became key in aestheticizing young people’s creative and stylistic impulses. And in my opinion, such keys should never be underestimated in the pursuit to understand the social politics of a given time and place.