Who better to ask about all this than someone who was at the very center of it all, a man who knew everyone there was to know and was everywhere there was to be: Tom Savarese: the first and most famous Disco DJ of all time. Tom Savarese was the first celebrity DJ and was the one to break a lot of the dance hits of the time. He played the best clubs and even had the opportunity to turn down the very first invitation to DJ at the infamous Studio 54 — they just weren’t big enough to offer him what he would have needed. One of the hottest fixtures in the NYC social scene, Savarese knows everything that went on in those backrooms and everything that made the scene special.

Music and fashion have a long, tangled, and tawdry affair… a symbiotic, enduring love affair. Music creates the flow and movement of the dance floor; fashion created what’s on or off our torsos while we move and flow

The very heart of fashion and cool in the 1970s was the New York City nightclub. It was where everyone from the Shah of Iran to the artist Andy Warhol spent the evening making and breaking the latest trends. So to learn the most we can about this decadent era in time, Fly contributor James Cummins sat down with Mr. Savarese:

What five items of wardrobe would you not have been caught dead without hanging in your closet at the height of the 1970s?
Bell bottom pants, platform shoes, funky leather jacket/vest, wide stripped tie.

Who was the most stylish individual you had personal contact with in the NYC club scene during your time as the number one DJ in America?
Two men come to mind. Mr. John Addison and Mr. Arthur Weinstein. Both of these gentlemen were club owners… 1970s NYC clubs of distinction. They always dressed impeccably as owners… in a manner prepared to greet arriving the dignitaries and notables. Carmen D’Allessio, on the women’s side, was a public relations personality for many of the clubs and specialized parties that went on during the 1970s. She was always very well dressed. One Monday morning during the summer of 1976, I shared a very turbulent, 20-minute seaplane ride back to the East River in NYC with a designer and a music producer… Calvin Klein and Jacques Morali (Village People).

How did you dress in the 1970s?
During the early 70s, I would wear whatever was comfortable and suitable to the weather in the New York Metropolitan area. I rode a motorcycle to and from work so my attire had to be functional as well as presentable. I tried always to look fashionable in the DJ booth wearing what was currently acceptable trend wise. But eventually the temperature rose in the room and the clothing came off, well… not all of it! I did play naked one night on Fire Island however.

Was there an attitude towards people who did not dress fashionably in the NYC scene, or was there little judgment among the crowds?
No outward hostility from the NYC dancing crowd. Studio 54 was notorious though for not admitting patrons perceived as inappropriately dressed! But, they, of course, were purposely decorating their environment by hand-picking individuals at the door who would be interesting props on the life stage. Sort of like a “glass menagerie” of real, living fashion plates. Chewing gum for the eyes. It was all about who was in attendance that night.

Did you attend any fashion shows in New York City during the 1970s?
I worked on the following fashion shows that I can remember… Designers are very particular about having the right setting, the right music and atmosphere to present their newest creations and collections. I would get a feel for the way the clothes worked, moved on people and then translate it down to the right musical selection. They valued my opinion and I did my best work in this arena.

How strong was the link between music and fashion in 1970s New York City?
Music and fashion have a long, tangled, and tawdry affair… a symbiotic, enduring love affair. Music creates the flow and movement of the dance floor; fashion created what’s on or off our torsos while we move and flow. During the 70s in Manhattan, there was always style apparent. Final destinations always influence what you wear. Only the best of evening gowns and black tie tuxes attended the Diana Vreeland, Women of Style evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But the crowd wore anything and everything to “The Celebration” at the Roseland Dance City event.

How often did people from the fashion industry and the music industry mix in terms of the social scene at the time?
These industries co-mingle all the time, socially in clubs and professionally on Seventh Avenue. The best NY designers danced to the latest sounds, uptown at 54, downtown at Flamingo or at Tea Time during the Summer at the Sandpiper, Fire Island Pines. As a result of this cross-pollination, it was not uncommon to hear the latest musical trends infiltrating the Seventh Avenue fashion runways.

Photo by grana (aka. crazypuccia)