Looks Like It’s Party Time Again

The Movie: “Boogie Nights”

The Setup: Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg), a busboy-cum-porno star struggles with stardom in the Los Angeles of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Sharing his journey of triumph and pain are actress Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) and director Jack Homer (Burt Reynolds).

Architects of the Look: Mark Bridges, costume designer, and Tina K. Roesler, makeup-department head.

The Look: “Boogie Nights” opens in 1977 with the gaudiness and over-the-top flair the decade is infamous for. Fun, happy garb for the free-wheeling youth living it up with sex, drugs and disco (and lots of it!) in the pre-AIDS days of get-down debauchery. Lots of colorful, flesh-revealing, skin-tight outfits in synthetic fabrics that look great on great-looking bodies. As the plot progresses, so does the fashion, as early ‘80s MTV glam emerges. The look is accurate--the designers neither romanticize the era, nor poke fun at it. “The film has a fond remembrance of the era, but it was very real,” says Bridges. More importantly, he was able to keep the strong fashions in a supporting role, where they could have easily taken center stage.

The Shop: From L.A. to St. Louis, the design team went elbow to elbow “with the cool kids” at many a vintage shop clothes rack. The big haul came when designers boarded a plane to Hullabaloo, Mo., where they dropped $12,000 for more than 400 principals’ costumes and 2,000 extras’ outfits.

Modern Living: Everything old is new again. Seventies staples Gucci, Missoni, Halston and even princess of the decade Diane von Furstenberg are all riding the wave of retro-chic started by Gucci’s Tom Ford. And that’s only one side of the coin. Doing the decade for the first time are names such as Diesel, Todd Oldham and Anna Sui. Their Technicolor bolder-than-life prints and patterns owe as much to ’77 as they do ’97. Says Bridges, “Diesel makes the exact same shirt from the ‘70s. The color and pattern were identical; only the fabrics were different.” Roesler gushes, “I love that the ‘70s are back! It’s fun to watch a new generation reinterpret the style and make it their own.”

How About Us?: Bottom line is, the retro-trend will continue to influence our wardrobing decisions. While the ‘70s retro look is still important, fashion’s cutting edge has been talking ‘80s for a year now, and it’s about to go mainstream. Need evidence? Gucci’s spring collection last week in Milan was full of spiked heels, ultra-short skirts and oversized shoulder pads. Even Prada, queen of drab, has added color, exaggerated shapes and flair to her new collections. “The ‘80s are back!” coos trend spotter David Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group, a fashion forecasting firm. “And what an exciting time it was! There was so much diversity, sex, glamour and fun. As the millennium approaches, people are partying again and they’re dressing the part. The entire world is going to look like a handful did at Studio 54 in ’77.”

How to Get Some: For the real deal, hit the vintage shops with reckless abandon. The ‘70s look has been hot for a few years now, so pickings are a bit slimmer. You’ll have to work hard for your scores, sifting through racks and boxes, fighting off would-be competitors. Good L.A. bets are Melrose, Highland and La Brea, but any ol’ Salvation Army or thrift shop will do. If you want to take the modern route, there is no shortage of designer interpretations, from Mossimo’s T-shirts to Galliano couture gowns.