Fashion notes: Get your Hustle on with the best in disco chic

There’s no debating who got the better deal in the movie American Hustle. Here’s a hint: it wasn’t those with the bad microperm wigs and ill-fitting polyester suits. Certainly, at least when it came to the costumes, it was the girls that drew the longer straw. “It was an era for clothes when ideas were big, people lived large and didn’t give a damn,” said Michael Wilkinson, the film’s costume designer, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his designs.

Jerry Hall, Bianca Jagger and Faye Dunaway were the main inspirations behind Amy Adams’ character, Sydney Prosser, a sexpot fraud that comes to New York to reinvent herself and make a fast buck. Pouring herself into vintage Diane von Furstenberg and Christian Dior creations, there isn’t much left unseen.

But it was her rival, Jennifer Lawrence, who left a lasting impression. Playing a manipulative suburban mum who’s as provocative as she is unhinged, she entices with her backless gowns and disregard for gravity, hair piled high and sunglasses so big that they look like they may gobble her up.

Despite the obvious feminist protestations, there’s nothing more brazen than disco – think liquid, sensual fabrics, dangerously low cleavage, mammoth furs, all platform sandals and a smattering of gold jewellery. All that shiny stuff with oodles of sex appeal is rather easy on the eye, and there’s no doubt that the Wilkinson’s influence on style will be monumental.

What’s important to remember however, is that this isn’t boho; this is d-i-s-c-o. More about carefully orchestrated hair and make-up, expensive accessories and spending a fortune on some beautiful shiny designer pieces than any kind of bohemianism. All in all, a rather contrived hint of a person and wardrobe well-travelled. The mood is gutsy, with flashes of anything that shines or dares – make your outfit look anything but subtle.

It’s certainly not going to be a season for sissies: tangerine orange, aubergine, hibiscus, metallics and snooker-table greens are the colours of choice, as traditional 1970s print references and leather inspire. Leopard will lead in that all-out poodle perm way – animal prints in general will be out in full force, best seen dancing across evening wear. Gravitate towards designers like Halston, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior for inspiration.

The real fun is to be found in accessorising: glitzy, chunky jewellery will work well, as will gargantuan platforms and a pair of sunglasses of such distorted proportion you may cease to recognise yourself. Dresses should be teetering on the smaller side – provocative, topped off with a healthy dollop of irony.

Let’s face it, anything with a hint of “come hither” about it is going to win. But don’t be fooled – looking flash requires a fair amount of work. Not a hair is to be out of place or a shoe left unpolished, or else this new, honeyed, if rather shallow, you, will give the game away.

Want to know the best bit? All of this is designed for women who look like women, not a willowy, yoga-stretched version. The late 70s were a true celebration of the female form in all its glory. So have fun with the whole thing. It’s not often that fashion allows us that.

Most of us will tend to feel a little uncomfortable trussed up in such unapologetic glamour – leaving us dressed in an outfit that looks like it belongs to someone else. Which, I suppose is exactly the objective of a good impostor.

[ ktrotter@thenational.ae ]