By Laura Medina
The recent past Thursday and Friday of last week encapsulate the entire history arc of Seventies Disco.
Last Thursday's entertainment for Project Angel Food's annual holiday charity sale fundraiser, Divine Design Sale Gala, was homage to the early days of disco, the proto-type "Loves Saves the Day" a.k.a. "LSD" house parties thrown by an ex-Timothy Leary follower who used his homegrown house parties to pay his West Village loft rent. Hence, the birth of "rent parties," "house parties," and "House Music."
Yes, it's history/throwback time to give backbone to the two nights of what's running hot and sweaty through this current zeitgeist for all thing's Seventies right now, from Rachel Roy's "Foxy Lady" of two years ago to David O' Russell's "American Hustle" and MAC's "Antonio Lopez" Autumn 2013 Collection. This scribe has the finger on the pulse of this holiday of "Disco Fever," which is a good thing. The holidays is the only time acceptable for anything unabashedly glitzy yet appropriately sexy for the more mature New Year's Eve and glamorous to carry you over into the next year. Whatever sparkles is a good investment now.
Let's start with last Thursday's Divine Design Sale Gala's homage to Studio 54 where the high and the low mingled and where the Old Guard seek fresh blood and fresh ideas from the emerging New Guard on the horizon (believe it or not, Karl Lagerfeld was considered fresh meat back in the Seventies.).
The experimentation of the Free Love Sixties had full-blown into free expression of the Seventies which matured into Louche Luxury of the jet-setting Gyspet Set and the much derided "Bourgeois Bohemians," a.k.a. "Bobos," those lucky yuppies rich enough to live the upscale bohemian life traveling and living in numerous "Bobos" colonies decked out in vintage or neo-retro jumpsuits and easy-going tunics in luxurious fur jackets and velvet coats and chiffon anything.
The Seventies was the living epitome of that lifestyle but they didn't know it until now; and now, we recognize it and want that mentality.
Seventies wasn't just about hippies who made it. It was also time that the Established let its hair down, broke out, and got down. The collegiate-turned Studio 54 doorman, Marc Benecke exemplified that Preppy-Let-Loose and got groovy. Basically, the madra trousers morphed into lean, mean flares and the navy wool blazer slimmed down into a Savile Row princess line, tailored fit. A tailoring aesthetic that is so desirable now among fashion-forward female preppies, Tommy Hilfilger...are you hearing this?
If the night before of Divine Design Sale's Studio 54 presentation reached back to the birth of Disco then last Friday's MAC's Divine Night massive makeover and concert epitomized the commericalized apex of Disco, Hollywood's "Solid Gold," a music variety show of a discotheque aired to the masses during family hour, like dinner time.
Solid Gold may be late to the party but they weren't slouches when it comes to top-tier performers from the diva, Dionne Warwick as the gracious host to the finest contemporary dancers of that era, the Solid Gold Dancers. The Solid Gold Dancers were muses to the Diva. It was the same line-up for MAC's freebie mass makeover (during the day) and concert at night.
As a gift to all their loyal fans through-out the decades, MAC turned a compact from it's current limited edition, holiday "Divine Night" Collection into a real-life stage for makeovers-for-anyone and a "Solid Gold" tribute.
The shoppers got a kick getting special treatments and makeovers from "Divine Night" Collection which is a turbo-charged version of it's earlier Autumn "Antonio Lopez" Collection. It's all wearable Autumn colors of red russet, peachy apricot, and gold but glided in metallic shimmer. For a soft, subtle daytime look, wear the eyeshadows dry. To amp up the volume for night, you can wet them, without problem, for a thicker texture and a more impacted pigmented look.
The stage was a Seventies powdered foundation compact come to life, a life-sized box of ebony trimmed in ivory and gold. An army of MAC makeup artists guided and tended to the shoppers inside this giant makeup compact all day. Mind you, this was just the daytime activities buzzing.
MAC Divine Night dancer high-kicking it.
The party really didn't get started until 5pm then lasted all night until 10pm. God bless their hearts for being real troopers.
The singer, Sydney Michelle, represented all the Disco Divas that came before, from Donna Summer to Vickie Sue Robinson to Thelma Houston to Chic to Cheryl Lynn to Gloria Gaynor to the eternal Diana Ross, belting out gospel soul that turned into sexy, secular, soaring bravura. Disco, the music itself, was when Sixties Psychadelic Funk streamlined into Disco thumps.
In disco tradition, MAC Divine Night's "Solid Gold" dancers were the accompanying "muses" to the diva, the goddess.
As the finale to the set, which repeated itself every thirty minutes, interspersing with thirty minute intermissions with necessary performance breaks, the dancers twirled and sashayed like their Seventies counterparts and exude the same sweaty sensuality (thank god, they were dancing on a giant makeup set where they always had their makeup fresh).
However, considering this is 2013, these dancers step up their game with 21st-century hip-hop, acrobatic back-flips and spinning, marital arts back-kicks and Rockettes' high-kicks...in silhouette killer high heels. Slithering around on the dance floor like they did back in the days, doesn't count anymore today.
This scribe does admit, the dancers' costumes of chiffon drapey maxi dresses, wrap tops, and jumpsuits makes it easier for anyone to get their groove on by wicking the sweat away while making it appear so easy and glamorous. These "gypset/Bobo" get-up will carry very well into real life next year.
MAC's Divine Night Dancers rushed in the Gold Rush for the holiday then will turbo-charge it into Awards Season, which just happens to be around the corner after the holidays.
Hot for Disco Gold.
For those who want to "borrow" the concept, watch this behind-the-scene video of what it really takes to pull off a real-life makeup compact come to life, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xiAb86NDlA
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