One word that comes to mind when looking through “Disco Dancing Tonight” by Andy Blackford, is “lurex” because this shimmering metallic yarn is woven into many of the outfits featured throughout this literary gem. Another word is “fascinating”, as this book begins with a very entertaining hypothetical situation where archaeologists of the future discover the ruins of night clubs and make some interesting, but incorrect deductions based on their findings. However, soon after it moves on to the real message, which is that disco was “the single most important cultural influence of the decade”.
This book has gobs of photos of disco-tastic fashion (can you say spandex?), instructions for the hottest dance moves and information about the most famous night clubs so that people would know where to shake their booties in style. I also love that it includes some of the lighting effects used back in 1979 to ensure party goers could dazzle on the dance floor and have the most fantastical night of their lives. In fact, my favorite moment in the book comes in a paragraph that refers to light-up dance floors as “underfloor lighting” to “give a flashing chessboard effect”. Get it? They didn’t have the official name of “light up dance floor” yet- adorable! Because of all the endless magic inside, “Disco DancingTonight” is truly a fabulous addition to my already fabulous collection.
Today’s Sparkle Video is not only a piece of music history, but also a great moment in disco fashion history as well. In this clip, The Midnight Special is featuring an epic live performance from LaBelle singing “Lady Marmalade” and looking like gorgeous Space Queens from beyond the galaxy. Its no wonder because they’re dressed from head to toe in silver metallic La.. La.. LaGaspi! That’s right Soldiers, in addition to being deliciously gorgeous and having supernatural voices, these ladies had excellent taste in choosing Larry LeGaspi to create their otherworldy outfits (and a special shout-out to Nona’s bedazzled makeup!). It makes complete sense to us “More is More” types though, because what becomes a legend most? A whole ‘nother legend. And that’s what we call a KABLAM!
While it doesn’t feature any disco music or dancing footage, this clip falls under the Disco Commercials category because it features one of the coolest dolls ever- Disco Darci. Disco Darci was one hot babe who came dressed in a “silver disco jumpsuit” and included a glittery disco ball and a light-up disco stage with spotlights for added drama. Educational toys for children have always been important, but this was ultra-fabulous 1979 when teaching children about dazzling on the dance floor was truly top priority.
Although I never met Donna Summer, she was a very important person in my life and the news of her passing yesterday covered me with extreme sadness. Her influence touched me in every way and formed my ideals as a child- I wanted to look like her, sing like her and dress like her. I was captivated by her extreme beauty, flawless skin, perfectly applied makeup and luxe curly hair (mine was was horribly pin straight and thus began my love affair with hot rollers). Her voice was strong and powerful, but also sexy and at times, angelic and her outfits- do I even need to mention her outfits? Yes Soldiers.. yes I do! Sparkling, shimmering and always at the height of disco fashion giving her the perfect stage presence to accompany her supreme talent. Indeed, I spent hours listening to her albums, dancing in my bedroom and longing for the day I would be old enough to be inside a real disco and look fabulous while I danced under the glorious flashing lights. Forward to today and here I am.
She was everything– a mentor, an idol and an icon and in her honor, I considered “going black” on Sparkle Video Day for the first time ever as a moment of silence. However, after much thought I realized that was not the right thing to do, especially as Da General of the Sparkle Army. It’s my duty to make sure that sparkling is our first priority, no matter what comes our way. This is our duty and together we will continue to bring light, love, sparkles and Sparkle Videos to the world and that, Soldiers, is exactly how we honor Donna Summer- forever The Queen.
Today’s Sparkle Video is from one of our favorite TV shows, Musikladen, however this clip is from 1983 when they clearly had a lot more money to spend on production. Sure, it’s only a theory, but I think it’s supported by the inclusion of a slick, snazzy andsparkly show open and a full-on neon light-up stage (as compared to the old tinsel and foil backdrops sometimes used in the 70’s). However, the most obvious kick in the budget surely went to the slew of ladies dressed in “dancingschool fabulous” hired to shimmy and shake along to the performing guests who, right now, happens to be Trax. I think it’s totally appropriate that a man singing “Get ready ‘cuz here I come..” should make use of a dazzling sequin lightning bolt that leads straight down to a spectacularly large codpiece, in a “driving the statement home” kind of way. The drummer also knows his way around an outfit, as he made a fabulous choice in wearing his spaced-out best. I guess the other two guys didn’t get the sparkle memo, but it’s okay because the hotties dancing around them kind of steal the show anyway. Especially the girl in the super hero number who remembered to include the most important fashion accessory of all time- Space Cuffs (get some!).
By 1978, Disco Fashion had moved out from the nightclubs and across mainstream America with the blinding speed of flashinglights and laser beams and right into our television sets. There were all kinds of dance related TV shows but now, companies of all types also wanted to connect with this dazzling lifestyle and let consumers know that their products were cool and thus, the DiscoCommercial was born! These fabulously fun spots pushed everything from beer, soda, clothing, cosmetics and even discos themselves and since it’s not possible to feature them all today, I’m announcing that this will be a whole new sparkling category for Sparkle Army Soldiers to enjoy. Today- we start with one of the best.
Pabst Blue Ribbon is still what the cool kids drink today, but this is from 1979- THE year of Disco! A young Patrick Swayze with super-fab hair is taking his lovely lady dressed in the finest disco chic for a night of dancing and thanks to PBR, they are owning that dancefloor.
Today’s Sparkle Video is proof positive that at one time, fabulous taste was everywhere. “Fiebre” (Fever) was a Mexican TV show in the 70’s that was a glorious 2 hour dance contest which also featured disco fashion extreme, thumping music galore and the only decor ever needed, at all, period. There are so many glittering sequins and yards of shimmering fabric that it’s absolutely blinding and though it’s difficult to pick a favorite outfit, mine is the green sequin catsuit that’s owning the light-up dancefloor. Soldiers, when I rule the world this is how everything will look all the time- a dazzling feast for the eyes and ears to behold. Coincidentally, that’s also the idea behind the Sparkle Army parties and watching this makes me want to have one right now!
Halston was one of the most influential American designers of all time. While many people tend to associate him with dazzling on the dance floor and all night Studio 54 decadence- his contributions to the fashion world are his true his legacy.
Roy Halston Frowick was born in 1932 in Des Moines, Iowa and from a very young age showed an interest in sewing and designing. He became a milliner after graduating from art school in Chicago and then eventually moved to New York city to work for Lilly Dache´, one of the most well known hat designers in the industry. Once he became established in the “Big Apple”, he went to Bergdorf Goodman where he made glorious head pieces in their custom salon. It was there that he first became a household name after making the famous pillbox hat worn by Jackie Kennedy to the President’s inauguration in 1961.
Eventually, Halston moved into women’s wear and opened his own townhouse studio and by the 70’s, his simple but elegant and disco-tastic silhouettes defined the look of the era. Asymmetrical shoulders, halter top gowns and bias cut flowing caftans, capes and sleeves- many of them sparkling madly with sequins– were all creations of his genius. Ironically, his designs were often referred to as minimalist, but there was nothing minimal about Halston. He used only the best fabrics like cashmere, hammered satin and yards and yards of silk chiffon, and his dresses were known for their amazingly flattering fits. To this day his shirt dress made from Ultrasuede is still one of the highest selling in history. He was immortalized in Sister Sledge’s “He’s The Greatest Dancer” because he dressed (and hung out with) the most famous and the most fabulous. Liza Minelli, Bianca Jagger, Lauren Hutton, Liz Taylor and Marisa Berenson all wore “Halstons” as did the crème of high society and the jet set crowd. Special note: it was Halston’s idea to have Bianca’s legendary birthday party at Studio 54 and that’s because he was fabulous himself! He had movie-star looks and was always smartly dressed in his trademark black turtleneck, dark glasses and cigarette in hand. He lived a luxurious lifestyle, partied unapologetically and traveled stylishly with his entourage of models who came to be known as “The Halstonettes”. When they were all photographed as a group, they made the most iconic images in fashion history – not to mention their sparklingly memorable cameo appearance on the Love Boat.
Disco fabulosity aside, Halston was a true pioneer accomplishing many “firsts”. He brought American sensibility to the forefront of the fashion world both garnering respect and stealing the limelight from Europe. He was influential in uniform design which he created for various entities including the American Olympic team, Braniff Airlines and even came close to designing for the NYC Police Dept* (can you imagine New York’s finest patrolling the streets in Halston? Fabulous!). He was also the first high-end designer to enter into major licensing deals as well as to be contracted to design for a chain store, JC Penney. While the latter ventures became overwhelming and caused problems for him in the end, the fact that he took such risks was groundbreaking. You see Soldiers, we’re used to partnerships like “Karl Lagerfeld for H&M” and “Missoni for Target”, but back then it was unheard of.
Halston passed away in 1990, and while the last years of his life and career were mixed with some downfalls, it doesn’t take away from who he was and what he gave us. Like it’s says on his plaque in the Fashion Walk of Fame, “The 70’s belonged to Halston” and he came to symbolize the era. He worked hard, played harder and made a lot of fabulous entrances. He lived the life we aspire to by surrounding himself with extreme beauty, good friends and great parties. However, more than all of that he gave us “The Look of Disco” and for that, he is forever a Sparkle Army Hero.
(* Interview footage form “Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston” & NY Times blog accounts are that he pitched the designs but they were never approved, contrary to many online posts.)
Before the late 70’s and early 80’s, jeans were mainly worn by blue collar workers and rebellious outsider types who went against the norm of fashion standards. Enter disco music and Designer Jeans which transformed denim from casual and easy into very tight and ultra fabulous thus giving rise to one of the most famous expressions of all time: “painted onjeans”. While some of the labels had actual known designers behind them like Gloria Vanderbilt and Calvin Klein, many of them were unheard of names that, through the magic of advertising, became fantastically successful and amazingly unforgettable.
Some of the legendary tag lines forever etched in our brains are “Oh La La Sasson!”, ” Uh, Oh Sergio!” and my personal favorite, “I Beg Your Chardon”. Equally enduring is the Jordache song, “You’ve got the look I want to know better…You’ve got the look that’s all together…” which is still one of the most recognized jingles in TV commercial history. How dazzling that they all implied that anyone who wore these jeans enjoyed a lifestyle of dancing, sex, parties and gobs popularity with the “in” crowd. In fact, Designer Jeans and their ad campaigns lead the way in another category we hold near and dear to our hearts, The Disco Commercial.
I really tried to find a higher quality version of today’s Sparkle Video but there wasn’t one. No matter because High Energy‘s fabulosity still comes across full force. These wonder women are singing, roller skating and looking disco-tastic at the same time and they do it all with perfection. I definitely feel their “Swirl”.. don’t you?
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