TRENDS & PREDICTIONS

HISTORY

 

The first wave of disco pants originated in San Francisco in the late 1960’s due to the surge of 'hippie' styled clothing that no longer held any formalities. Due to the acceptance of women wearing trousers within society, there soon became a need for clothing that suited an active woman. However there is evidence to suggest that the first sign of fitted trousers came about in 1959. In 1959 women began wearing unitards- an all in one tight fitted jumpsuit- but the real disco pant became popular in the 1970’s with the disco movement.

 

Moving onto the 1980's, this style of clothing surged as men and women began to explore the fashion of sportswear into everyday wear. Lycra and Spandex became a staple part of the 80's aesthetic and took disco pants to a whole new level. Disco pants have managed to evolve from a freedom statement piece from the 1970's and a comfortable element of a typical 1980's outfit that varied in colour and material to a more subdued and subtle piece of clothing that could fit into all walks of life worn by all shapes and sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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POPULARITY

 

The 1970’s disco pant is not for everyone and certainly not for everyday life. They have been paired with platform shoes, polyester shirts, crop tops and gold chains. In the 70’s the ‘disco look’ was in a way quite unisex as both sexes aimed for that flashy look-at-me style, all to be noticed on the dance floor. This is not dissimilar to going-out dress we see now, everyone wants to look their best. Obviously, now a days we wouldn't expect to see someone over the age of say 25 wearing disco pants whereas in the 70’s people who were a lot older were wearing them, probably up to mid 30’s.

 

Nowadays, the disco pant is worn mostly by teenagers on a night out, paired with a crop top. It is rare to see them being worn day to day. The disco pant was so popular back in 2012 because of the high waist, many people believed it acted as a corset or sorts and pulled them in at the waist whilst still being really comfortable. Tom Ford tried to reinvent ‘disco’ in his autumn winter collection in 2013 but nothing much came of it. Many people believe that the disco pant is exclusively for rake thin girls. But they have also empowered the bigger girls to add a bit of excitement into their wardrobe if paired with a baggy jumper or long top

 

 

VARIATIONS

 

The revived disco pant as made by American Apparel influenced worldwide fashion and opened the market to many similar disco pants being made by other manufacturers, ranging in different quality and prices. This updated disco pant retained the characteristics of the originals, including material, rear pockets and button/zipper closure. However Cheaper variations have been made that consist of a stretchy waistband instead so that they could easily be pulled on rather than use of a zip.

 

During their revival different styles of leggings were already trending such as leather and wet look leggings which has meant the disco pants easily became popular and even more so than other styles due to there versatility. Disco pants feature a super skinny fit made from a heavyweight material such as Nylon Spandex and Elastane that creates a flattering slimming effect. This fit also increased the popularity of crop tops due to them being high waisted and also lead to the revival of the disco short.

 

As of 2015, disco pants continue to remain available for sale and are still worn by many. However after reaching their peak in 2013 many brands only offer them now in a couple of styles and colours, and are easier to get hold of online rather than in store. High waisted jeans have since become more sought after such as the Topshop Joni jean, which has seemed to replace the Disco pant. 

 

 

THEN & NOW

 

Since the initial round of popularity of the disco pant in 1970's, they have undergone a slight transformation in terms of their aesthetic. The skinny fit became super skinny and the legging style trouser became the most popular style for young women. Below are a selection of high street stores who sold disco pants, and the prices they sold them for at the height of their popularity between 2008 and 2012. 

 

Stores Sold at & Prices

 

American Apparel = £74

New Look = £22.99

Boohoo = £8- £22

Topshop = £28

Missguided = £25

Ebay = £8.99

ASOS = £28

Primark = £12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2008, American Apparel reintroduced disco pants to their audience. With a super skinny fit, they were initially intended to be leggings, as they are form fitting from waist to hem. The modern disco pants were strictly targeted to women and are mostly worn by them, unlike in the 80's when retailers were targeting men as well. This was because disco pants were viewed, at one point, as leisurewear and for working out in. Making it socially acceptable for men to wear them, as it is for men to wear running leggings now. From the images above, you can see women would wear their disco pants with tops in a similar colour, giving the impression of an all in one jumpsuit rather than a top and trousers. Since the revival of the disco pant in 2008, crop tops have taken off as a staple piece for any young woman's wardrobe. Often being paired with skinny fit bottoms, disco pants have been matched with them for a less formal 'going out' look, or dressed down for an everyday outfit. 

 

 

THE FUTURE

 

When it comes to future of ‘Disco Pants’, it’s hard to predict whether or not they will fully come back on trend or if we will just see variations, adaptations, and/or modernizations of them. Since they fizzled out largely by the end of 2013, there has been an increasing amount of high-waisted jeans/jeggings come onto the scene. Topshop brought out their famous “Joni Jeans” which are made of 71% cotton, 25% polyester, and 4% elastane and in compliance with the trend of stretchy jeans; brands such as Miss Selfridge, New Look, and River Island have adopted it as well. Forever 21 have taken a different approach with developing the ‘Disco Pants’ trend and kept using the shiny stretchy fabric for other products rather than just the style of the trousers. In 2014 and 2015 they were selling bodycon styled skirts and more recently leggings in neutral colours from this fabric. Since 2014, sportswear/performance wear has become more popular; this could be a modernization of ‘Disco Pants’. WGSN shows the trend ‘sports luxe’ emerging in S/S 16 which can be described as more sophisticated or luxury styles of sportswear that aren’t necessarily designed to help with sporting performance but more to make a fashion statement.

 

However after researching into disco pants, we believe that they will no longer be worn by just women, but will evolve into menswear too. We feel that the effect of gender fluidity will grow and influence the way that we dress. When disco pants were first worn on a large scale, they were worn by both men and women and we believe that this will become the norm again. Society has begun to break down the barriers of menswear and womenswear and they are beginning to become coherent, without any restrictions. We also believe that the disco pants will become a classic part of modern clothing that each individual will recognise and have purchased in the past. Whether or not the disco pant will be a part of their everyday wardrobe is difficult to find out, but it will always remain within their possession.