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Deco & Disco: Styling a Counterculture

How Art Deco Influenced Disco Culture, and Why The Trend Matters Today

By Calli FergusonPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Deco & Disco: Styling a Counterculture
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

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.

As my radar tuned to these two aesthetic impulses (those of Deco and Disco), they didn’t feel so unrelated. And after further reckoning, I can say with some confidence that they aren’t. In fact, Art Deco is designed into some of the most iconic Disco era symbols from the Studio 54 logo to Biba, London’s legendary department store. The Disco Ball itself--the era’s enduring symbol--can even be paralleled to Art Deco chandeliers that demand a statement title wherever present. And the patterns that are central to Art Deco design, to me, often mimic the layers of feathers on Disco garments. Each of these symbols are quick to embody their expense, so we can understand the dreamy desire of extravagance at play. There are ways in which so much of the style of both eras seems to sparkle.

And speaking of sparkling, the Disco/Deco relationship somehow seems incomplete without a mention of champagne. The connection between these moments might have a lot to do with extraordinary parties; think champagne, feathers, flappers, and Bob Mackie. There is not just decadence but also boisterous, glamorous celebration. (Please insert a mental image of the iconic Leo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby moment here). (And now one of New Years Eve at Studio 54). What’s more, these weren’t simply parties for something to celebrate, they were parties despite society's effort against them. In choosing joy there was a sort of liberation at play. Funny then, that these trends would have arisen in 2020, during a time of such solitude and despair. Yes, there were plenty of underground illegal raves attended in massive numbers. And I could simply say they nod to the prohibition era speakeasies, but that seems to glamorize something that is not in fact the same. While the human urge to gather and celebrate was still part of the narrative, in 2020, unlike 1920, many lives were on the line. What I will say is that (perhaps even more fascinating) even for those who didn’t rave, there was still an urge to bring these party era symbols into our contemporary visual worlds.

This is where the pieces start to sort for me; For the last couple of years, we have been inspired by escape. And not just because the hard reality of our world merited the desire to run away from it, but because in that kind of escape (that sometimes only comes under the moon) there is also a sort of freedom. It is a social freedom-- a radical loving acceptance of the self. In the 20s as in the 70s, along with this elaborate visual expression and attention to these hours when the grip on societal norms loosen (or maybe are protested), there was also a unique attention to liberation across social identities. The flapper dress and other fashions of the 1920s are remembered for their act in symbolizing women's rights movements. And moreover, the Prohibition era introduced “Drag Balls'' which momentarily allowed for the celebration and exploration of queerness in gender and sexuality. While this liberation was soon stifled, Drag very much came back to the forefront with Disco. It seems so natural that Disco- itself a celebratory space for liberations across the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality- may have pulled from the glamorous aesthetics of the 1920s.

I think this is most inspiring to me-- that these moments of social liberation are painted in shades of bold, decorative, norm-bending style. Positive social change calls for radical forms of expression. And not only is it bold and perhaps confrontational, it is a celebratory expression of joy. While fashion can work to uphold societal hierarchies, it can also be used to dismantle them. In many of these moments, decoration can act as a punking of notions around “good taste” that are loaded with motives of conserving power dynamics. The renaissance of Art Deco and 70’s Disco today points me to believe something I already thought to be true: that we are living through a new counterculture. In maximalism and expressive style, we place ourselves beyond expectations. We imagine a different world. And we make room in our social landscapes for celebrating differences to their fullest expressions.

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About the Creator

Calli Ferguson

Hey! I'm Calli, a writer, creator, seeker, and lover of bold style. Here are some thoughts that inspire me: There are a million beautiful smiles waiting to be uncovered. Curiosity is kind. Never stop wandering; Never Stop wondering.

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