18 Disco-Inspired Outfit Ideas You Can Boogie Down In

Bring Studio 54 into 2023.

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Disco might be dead, but the aesthetic has replaced the roaring '20s as the costume-centric party theme of choice. Honestly, we're not complaining. Disco style, which peaked from the 1970s to early '80s, featured sparkling ensembles styled to stand out even on a dark and crowded discothèque dance floor. And because of its roots in the music scene, there are plenty of genres to pull from so you can mix and match when putting together a disco-inspired outfit.

Elements of the '70s trends making a comeback this year, including flared bottoms, cropped tops, and dramatically flowy silhouettes can be found in disco style. The main difference between everyday '70s fashion and disco is that the latter turns the drama all the way up. Suede fringe is replaced by shimmery metallics, hemlines on dresses are lifted way up, and sequins cover the surfaces of everything from separates to accessories. In addition to making a major fashion statement, disco outfits of the era also had to be functional: If you couldn't get down in an outfit, it wasn't cut out for the disco. Ahead, we've rounded up 18 disco outfits that tick all the boxes of this standout aesthetic, you dig?

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Dramatic Velvet Flares

Thora Valdimars wears a disco outfit idea for women featuring velvet flared pants.

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We're not talking about a bit of flare or a touch of a wide-leg silhouette. To make a pair of flare pants feel disco based on silhouette alone, you need to go full out and over the top. Add a distressed graphic tee or shimmery halter top, one pair of platform boots, shake well, and you've got yourself a disco outfit for the ages.

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A Zip-Up Jumpsuit

Almuneda Lapique wears a disco outfit featuring a zip-up jumpsuit and a chain belt.

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Jumpsuits were huge in the 1970s and a zip-up jumpsuit perfectly captures the disco era's embrace of overt sensuality. Accessorize with a chain statement belt and keep your zipper low for maximum smolder.

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Bell Sleeves

Maggie Civantos wears a disco outfit to try for 2023 featuring a mini dress with bell sleeves.

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A minidress with bell sleeves is instantly recognizable as a disco outfit, doubly so if it features a groovy abstract print or sequin detailing. Comfortable boots are an obvious choice for this look, but feel free to add a bit of a modern touch with strappy sandals or platform pumps.

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A Sparkly Jumpsuit

Taylor Swift wears a disco outfit to try for 2023 featuring a rhinestone-studded golden jumpsuit.

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A gold rhinestone-studded jumpsuit like Taylor Swift's nails disco texture, silhouette, and embellishments, making it a truly best-in-class disco outfit. If you'll be dancing all night long, we recommend wearing a pair of matching metallic flats.

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A Shaggy Faux Fur Jacket

Ellie Delphine wears a disco outfit idea featuring a shaggy faux fur jacket.

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When it comes to disco outfit outerwear, you can't beat a shaggy faux fur coat. Larger-than-life fur coats were a staple of the disco era and you can rock the trend in cruelty-free technicolor today thanks to brands like Rotate Birger Christensen. Polish off this disco outfit with a matching mini-bag.

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Glittery Thigh-High Boots

Anna dello Russo wears a disco outfit idea to try for 2023 featuring thigh-high glitter YSL boots and a black mini-dress.

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While a pair of shimmering statement boots and a sleek black mini-dress isn't technically a historically accurate disco outfit, all the elements of the disco aesthetic are there. This look is bold, glittery, and comfortable enough that you can boogie down all night in it.

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Go-Go Boots

Chiara Ferragni wears a disco outfit idea to try featuring white go-go boots and a snakeskin print mini dress.

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If, on the other hand, you want to look like you've stepped straight out of Studio 54, we recommend styling a short dress with a pair of white go-go boots, a style of footwear that's practically synonymous with disco. Classic go-go boots are shiny, white, and hit just below the knee although taller versions deliver an equally groovy vibe.

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Oversized Collars

 Ginevra Mavilla wears a sequin disco outfit featuring an oversized collar.

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Don't sleep on separates when planning your disco outfit. After all, John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever suits are as iconic as they come thanks to his oversized shirt collar and close-fitting vest. Channel his vibe with a button-down featuring a dramatically oversized collar.

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A Glam Duster Jacket

Caroline Caro Daur wears a disco outfit to try for 2023 featuring a metallic duster jacket

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Long coats are another disco-era staple. While they were popular in the 1970s, you can ensure that any disco outfit featuring a duster jacket feels on-theme by choosing one in a luxe material with a bit of shine to it rather than a velvet or crocheted version.

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Psychedelic Prints

Two women wear disco outfits to try for 2023 featuring psychedelic prints, a disco outfit trend.

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Disco fashion wasn't all glitz and bling. It was also characterized by vivid prints in trippy colors, the more abstract and psychedelic, the better. If you go the pattern route with your disco outfit, be sure to that your 'fit contains other visual disco cues like metallic accessories or platform footwear, to avoid showing up at the disco in something better suited for Woodstock.

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A Front-Tied Crop Top

Annabelle Mandeng wears a disco outfit featuring a front-tie crop top.

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For a more casual disco outfit, we recommend slipping into one of this era's easiest separates: a front-tied crop top and a pair of matching pants.

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A Gold Minidress

A woman wears a disco outfit featuring a gold mini dress.

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Gold lamé was the metallic of choice in the '70s, but if you can't find the fabric in a silhouette you love, a gold sequined minidress serves just as much disco.

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A Fully Sequined Suit

Gabrielle Caunesil wears a disco outfit featuring a sequin suit.

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For maximum disco energy, lean all the way into the era's penchant for sparkle with a fully-sequined suit. Add a halter top or button-down with an oversized collar underneath or go bare under your jacket for a provocative look that would make Grace Jones proud.

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A Mod Minidress

Anna Rosa Vitiello wears a disco outfit to try for 2023 featuring a '60s mod mini dress

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There's a reason disco dresses broke off from the '70s maxi-length hems and veered towards micro-mini territory. Simply put, a short dress is much easier to dance in. A mod mini with a loose-fitting silhouette means you can bust out all your best moves on the dance floor, and picking a mini with plenty of glittering embellishments is a must.

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Flower Power Pants

Emma Fridsell wears a disco outfit to try for 2023 featuring an orange shearling coat and flower power pants.

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Take a cue from vintage-loving fashionista Emma Fridsell and add an eye-popping psychedelic floral print to your disco outfit. Rather than mixing florals with metallics, we recommend doing as Fridsell did and adding a shaggy shearling coat on top.

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Disco Ball Accessories

As part of a disco outfit, Ines Rau carries a silver chainlink purse.

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Give the crochet style of the '70s big disco energy by incorporating metallic woven accessories into your disco outfit. Silver is an obvious choice, especially if your look features paillettes or sequins.

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Statement Sunnies

Lea Naumann wears disco sunglasses, part of a disco outfit to try for 2023.

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What's more disco than tinted lenses worn at night? Not much. Oversized sunnies in unusual and creative shapes perfectly encapsulate this era's emphasis on breaking boundaries and stepping outside of the box, so it makes sense that they were big in the disco scene. If you're looking for a more toned down disco outfit, find yourself some funky sunglasses and call it a day.

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Lace-Up Pants

Tika Camaj wears a disco outfit for women featuring beige lace-up bell-bottom pants.

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Another very era-appropriate style of bottoms that will complete any disco outfit is a pair of lace-up pants. While flares seem like the natural choice, the lacing detail, especially if the pants are high-waisted or the laces themselves are suede, deliver enough disco energy that the rest of their silhouette matters less.

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