Our partying ‘70s throw-back guest blogger Disco K. is the subject of this week’s Get the Look with her authentic ‘70s fashions of disco clubbin’ evening wear. While she’s no stranger to partying until the sun comes up and wearing her nighttime outfit during the day, we highly recommend it for a night of dancing.
The look has recently been rediscovered after being featured in the film, “American Hustle.” To get the look, check vintage stores and eBay for items from the 1970s. Dresses should be slinky and body-hugging with halter top or spaghetti strap detailing or the classic wrap-dress silhouette. Jewelry consists of long, drop charm necklaces, dangle hoop earrings and metal bangles. Throw on a fur stole, some platform heels, and a clutch to carry your compact, cigarettes and enough cash for a cocktail and cab ride home.
Disco K’s look was inspired by the personal style of Jerry Hall and Farrah Fawcett at Studio 54 and put together entirely from vintage items. Check out her eBay HAUL video! Find your own ‘70s treasures on eBay using the links below*:
Photos by Erica Hampton, be sure to check out her work.
Do the hustle,
Kastle
All items featured here were purchased by Disco K. She is not sponsored but is totally willing to sell-out if asked. Please note, cigarettes are prop only.
Viva Las Vegas, the biggest 4-day rockabilly concert party of the year is coming up in just a couple of weeks. It’s time to get your rockabilly on and have a rip roaring Easter weekend. I had a blast last year seeing Little Richard perform. Check out my report.
And the best part is the fashions! People come from around the world and bust out their best looks for this weekend. Last year I saw lots of colored retro hairdos in fun colors of purple, pink and blue, some fabulous dresses, and of course shoes to die for. Here are some suggestions* to get yourself a look to take with you. And don’t forget, there is plenty of shopping to be done there as well!
If you’re anything like me, you fall in love with the costumes in many of the films you see. Heck, I often go see movies, especially period films, just to see the clothes! The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise (FIDM) offers an annual exhibit of the costumes of some of the biggest films of the year so movie and fashion buffs can see them up close.
This year’s exhibit features the wardrobe from “Man of Steel”, “The Great Gatsby” (loved!), “Saving Mr. Banks” “Anna Karenina” and many more. The exhibit is an eye-ful of gorgeousness and if you want to get an idea of the sizes of some of the actors, know that none of the costumes were altered in any way. Instead, each mannequin was cut to fit the clothes. I especially enjoyed the paper hairdo’s that went along with them!
“American Hustle” costumes by designer Michael Wilkinson
We sent Disco K. to check out the clothes from “American Hustle” (though we did worry she’d try to take some of them home!) The clothing is a picture-perfect example of the sexy fashions of the ‘70s disco era – slinky dresses, wrap dresses, long necklaces, men’s velvet suits and ascots. Here’s her report:
And here’s a sampling of some of the exhibit:
“The Great Gatsby” costumes by designer Catherine Martin
“Man of Steel” costumes by designer James Acheson and Michael Wilkinson.
Saving Mr. Banks” costumes by designer Daniel Orlandi
“Anna Karenina” costumes by designer Jacqueline Durran
FIDM’s 22nd Annual Exhibition of Motion Picture Costume Design is on display now through April 26th. Admission is free.
I recently stopped into Canter’s to grab a late night meal and a flood of memories came back to me. Canter’s Deli is a historical spot in Los Angeles. Opening in 1953 on Fairfax Avenue, its been serving up mile-high sandwiches, breakfast round the clock, coffee and cocktails to hipsters, the Jewish district and seniors who love it for its classic ambience and rock ‘n’ roll cool factor.
I spent many post-clubbing late nights in Canter’s when I first moved to Hollywood. I remember hanging with all my pals until we could see the sun coming up out of Canter’s glass doors. It wasn’t uncommon to see plenty of actors and rock stars also stopping in to grab a bite.
I’ve also rocked out in the adjacent bar, The Kibitz Room, seeing the Wallflowers, featuring Bob Dylan’s son, Jakob, before they put albums out. They made the place a really fun regular club night and you never knew who would show up for a jam session.
And of course, there’s Rodney Bingenheimer. The KROQ DJ who has broken bands from the Ramones to The Cure to Coldplay on his show Rodney on the ROQ, has been a fixture at Canter’s for what must be decades now. You can always spot him having dinner around 10:30 p.m. in his regular booth that now bears a plaque with his name on it.
Flashback! With Rodney Bingenheimer and LA Weekly’s Lina Lecaro at Rodney’s English Disco, 2000.
I got to bump into Rodney when I went there this week and it was great to catch up. I hadn’t seen him since I was clubbing regularly as a music journalist for the Los Angeles Times and he had reopened his club Rodney’s English Disco, an iconic hot spot in the early ‘70s where Bowie, The New York Dolls and Iggy Pop were regulars. Rodney brought it back for a short time in the early 2000s.
And one more rock ‘n’ roll sidenote, Guns N’ Roses also spent a number of late nights at Canter’s. During those days Marc Canter, a member of the Canter family who runs the Deli, was a regular scenester taking photos. He put out a book about GNR called “Reckless Road.” I have a copy of it and it’s an excellent chronicle of those crazy times, with amazing photos of the band. You can pick it up at the deli to have a great read with your meal!
If your New Year’s resolution was to get/stay in shape – how’s that going? I know for me, I strive to maintain my daily workout routine but some days it’s just too hard to get to the gym! So I found few simple ways to workout at home that only require minimal and affordable equipment.
Travel is one of my favorite hobbies. This year I got to spend a little extra time with my family in Houston over the holidays and decided to make a side trip to Austin. This quirky city is the capitol of Texas and an active college town, home to the University of Texas. It’s also the location of the mega South by Southwest Music Festival every spring.
Upon my arrival at a hotel along the trendy, boutique and café-lined district of South Congress (or “SoCo” as the locals know it), I found Austin to be quite charming with its abundance of artsy buildings, trailer parks converted into eateries, and old homes converted into galleries and shops, and my favorite – lots of vintage shopping!
I did some shopping along SoCo (Disco K. will be very happy with her new pimpin’ vintage faux fur stole!) and went exploring Downtown where I ventured into the State Capitol building with its massive rotunda topped with a star that spells TEXAS at the top. I also checked out “The Drag” near UT, which now lives up to its name because most of the cool shops have been pushed out for chain-style restaurants. And a trip to Austin wouldn’t be complete without tasting some local music so I caught the new band Wrenfro featuring Tony Scalzo from Fastball at the Strange Brew Lounge.
Check out the scene:
Here’s a list of vintage stores I hit in case you’re ever in the area:
New Bohemia – 1606 S. Congress, 78704
Uncommon Objects – 1512 S. Congress Ave., 78704
St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – 1327 S Congress Ave.,78704
Room Service – 107 E. North Loop Blvd. (E. 53rd), 78751
Bertha’s Paradise – 112 E. North Loop, 78751
Ermine Vintage – 106 E. North Loop Blvd., 78751
There were so many vintage stores, I didn’t have time (or the money!) to hit them all but here’s a map of Vintage Around Town if you do.
If anyone knows a good hustle, it’s Disco K., our dancing queen guest blogger. She takes time off the dance floor to go to the movies and bring you her review of the ‘70s-based film, “American Hustle, ” starring, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro and directed by David O. Russell. The film was recently nominated for several Golden Globe and SAG awards.
She’s BAAAAACK! We met my disco doppelganger, Kassandra, aka Disco K. at a Halloween party (wink, wink) and she’s become a regular guest in Stiletto City (and apparently on my couch!) While I’ve been out, she’s clearly been spending much of her time shopping on Ebay for ’70s fashion treasures that take her back to her Studio 54 heyday. Check her out as she spoofs the popular “HOLLLLL” videos:
You can shop* like Disco K. by searching Ebay for vintage ’70s treasures:
The holiday season is upon us and for many of you, that means travel time. Whether you are taking some time off to visit an exotic location or going to visit family, packing is always a daunting task. I’ve been lucky enough to have done a lot of traveling domestically and in Europe, so I’ve learned a few packing tricks – especially for all those beauty products! – to make the experience a little smoother. Check out my video of packing tips:
Where to buy* some of the items featured in this video: Travel Bottle Set
Every year I’ve been lucky enough to take one big vacation to a new place in the world that opens my eyes to new cultures. This year it was Buenos Aires, Argentina.
My boyfriend and I flew down to the “Paris” of South America for a week as the city was headed for springtime, but not before a week of cold and rainy weather. Here’s what we found:
The City
While Buenos Aires is considered akin to a European city, I found it to be much more like New York. It has a very urban feel. Once elegant buildings with gorgeous wrought iron balconies and arched windows have given way to the decay of time and sadly, layer upon layer of graffiti throughout the city, though we found a few walls with more colorful, artistic murals. It’s bustling with people, jammed with traffic and it’s easier to get around by foot than by cab – and watch out for those cabbies, we got ripped off by a couple of them.
The Shopping
If you go to Buenos Aires, expect to shop. We stayed in the stylish Palermo Soho district, which is lined with boutique of designer stores, street fashion and fancy, pop culture knick knacks. Now after eating all that steak, they make use of their resources and offer some of the finest leather at fantastic prices. We also really enjoyed the huge market of San Telmo, filled with artisans making amazing knick-knacks. I picked up purse made from 45 records and a beautiful little stiletto shoe sculpture made of leather scraps constructed like paper mache.
I came upon the Silvia Y. Mario Leather Factory, where the sales people took great care in fitting me with a custom made jacket made from the leather of my choosing – so soft and tailored, I feel like Cat Woman every time I put it on! And later I picked up some fabulous tango shoes at an exclusive little boutique called Comme Il Faut.
See the video of my shopping highlights of the city:
The Culture
The stylish shadow of Evita, Argentina’s long-loved, ill-fated first lady is still everywhere. We ate our first meal at the Evita Restaurant. We later visited the Evita Museum dedicated to her memory, where the best part for me was the multiple display cases of her gorgeous clothes. She was a fashionable one, believing having a well-coifed, glamorous image served as an inspiration to her people. Thus loads of beautiful designer vintage clothes are a big highlight of the museum. We also visited her final resting place in what has to be one of the most stunning cemeteries in the world, the Cementerio Recoleta, filled with sky-high mausoleums of Argentina’s most rich and famous.
The city’s culture also focuses on food – it’s steak and more steak of the finest cut. When we weren’t eating steak we had scrumptious empanadas and oh, wait for it, the sweet, decadent deliciousness of Dolce De Leche. Yes, I brought home TWO jars! Yum!
Buenos Aires is known for the tango, however we didn’t find as much as we hoped. It seems it’s a pastime for only the most dedicated and a way to lure tourists into fancy Vegas-style shows. We opted for the more intimate and historical venue of Café Tortoni and though we missed the tango lessons at the equally famous Confiteria La Ideal we instead caught the fantastically fun show by Sergio Pangaro who reminded me of a cross between El Vez and Dean Martin with a groovy big band and ’60s-style, go-go backup singer/dancers. I could see them being popular in LA. Here’s a sample:
Our partying ‘70s throw-back guest blogger Disco K. is the subject of this week’s Get the Look with her authentic ‘70s fashions of disco clubbin’ evening wear. While she’s no stranger to partying until the sun comes up and wearing her nighttime outfit during the day, we highly recommend it for a night of dancing.
