1970s Disco Costume Ideas: The Look, the Fabrics, and What to Wear

The best 1970s disco costumes combine shiny fabrics, bold colors, and flared cuts that defined the era’s dance floors. Look for jumpsuits with wide lapels, sequin dresses with halter tops, and platform shoes. A 1972 sequined dress in the Museum at FIT's collection is a stretchy polyester knit with machine-stitched sequins that shift to catch the light as the wearer moves.

What Made 1970s Disco Costumes Iconic

The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection at Ohio State University ties disco fashion to the wearer's ability to dance in it. Women wore wrap-around skirts, leotards, tube tops, and dresses inspired by dancewear, plus separates in Lurex and Spandex made for ease of movement. Men wore shiny Qiana dress shirts in colorful patterns, with extra-wide collars worn open.

That is good news if you are dressing up for a party: the look moves with you. Our two disco pieces are made from a stretchy 100% polyester with an iridescent spotted pattern, according to their product pages: a similar pairing of stretch and shimmer to that 1972 dress, made for a dance floor rather than a museum case. For the whole decade, our best decade costumes guide sets the 1970s beside the 60s and 80s.

People look for both sides of the look. In our Search Console data for April 22 to October 9, 2026, about one in five of the impressions our pages earned on US searches containing "disco" came from searches that also named men, and about one in eleven came from searches that also named women, so this guide covers both.

Key Elements of Disco Fashion from the Era

Fabric, cut, and shoes are a great place to start, and the collections show what each looked like. Here is what they hold, and how to get each one for a party.

What should men wear for a 70s disco party?

For a men's disco look, start with a shiny shirt, then add flared pants.

The Men's 70s Disco Dude Shirt has an iridescent spotted pattern, functional front buttons, and a loose, relaxed fit, in 100% polyester that the product page describes as breathable and stretchy. Sizes run from S to 3XL, six in all, and if you fall between two, the page says to size up. The pack is the shirt on its own: the wig, sunglasses, and chains in the photo are styling, and the pants are yours to bring. Wash it by hand in cool water and skip the wringing, then lay it flat to dry, out of direct heat and sunlight.

For the bottom half, Ohio State's exhibit pairs those shirts with tight-fitting bell-bottom polyester pants, so flared black pants from your closet do the job. It also lists a three-piece suit worn without the jacket as another popular way for men to go dancing, and it notes that the famous white disco suit was a three-piece suit, not the leisure suit it is often taken for. For more men's 70s looks beyond disco, see our men's 1970s costumes guide.

What should women wear for a 70s disco party?

A wide-leg jumpsuit gets a women's disco look done in one piece, with no second garment to match.

The Women's 70s Disco Jumpsuit Costume is a wide-leg jumpsuit in a stretchy 100% polyester with an iridescent spotted pattern, and the pack is the jumpsuit plus a silver sequin belt. The product page sizes it from XS to 3XL, and if you land between two, the page suggests sizing up for extra comfort on the dance floor. The platform shoes and microphone in the photo come from the photo shoot, not the box. It is hand wash only; lay it flat to dry, out of direct heat and sunlight, and keep it flat or loosely folded between wears so the sequin detail stays protected.

Oversized sunglasses and hoop earrings from your own closet finish the jumpsuit.

What works for a couple or a group?

For a couple, try one pattern in two shapes. Our Women's 70s Disco Jumpsuit Costume and our Men's 70s Disco Dude Shirt both use an iridescent spotted pattern, so the two of you read as a set without dressing the same.

For a group, give each person one hero piece and keep the rest plain: one jumpsuit, one shirt, one wig, and black flared pants for everyone else. The spotted pattern ties the two costumes together, the wig adds the volume, and the plain pants keep everyone else in the set.

What finishes a disco look?

Big hair is a fun way to finish a disco look, and a wig gets you there without an evening spent with a hair dryer.

The Large Black Afro Wig is one wig in 100% polyester, in one size that fits most adults, and its product page lists 70s, 60s, hippie, and disco looks among its uses. The page calls it easy to put on and remove, with no adjustments needed. It is hand wash only: wash it gently in cool water, reshape it while damp, let it air dry away from direct heat, and store it flat or on a wig stand to help it keep its shape.

How do you put a disco look together at home?

You can build the look from five pieces, and your closet may already hold a few of them:

1. A shiny top. Satin, sequins, or any metallic knit; a wide collar worn open is a period detail.
2. Flared pants. Bell-bottoms or any flare; Ohio State's exhibit pairs bell-bottom polyester pants with the era's wide-collared shirts.
3. Shoes with a lift. A platform or block heel you can dance in; the V&A's 1972 men's pair has a 2.75 inch heel.
4. Big hair. A wig, or your own hair blown out big.
5. One statement accessory. A wide belt, oversized sunglasses, or hoop earrings.

Short on time? The jumpsuit above covers steps 1 and 2 in one piece, and the shirt covers step 1. Our 1970s costumes page lists more complete looks, our decade costumes page puts them beside other eras, and our 70s theme costume guide covers the wider 70s party beyond disco.

How should a disco costume fit, and how do you look after it?

Both costumes above are sized by standard clothing size. Check the size guide image on the jumpsuit's page before you order, and if you land between two sizes, both product pages suggest going up, since you will be dancing in them.

Both pages say hand wash only, then dry flat, clear of direct heat and sunlight. The shirt's page asks for cool water and no wringing, and the jumpsuit's page asks you to keep it flat or loosely folded between wears to protect the sequin detail.

Every costume goes through over 30 measurement checks. Separately, our QC team carries out over 500,000 quality checks a year.

Frequently asked questions