Scent and Style in the Disco Era
Taught by Jessica Murphy
Jessica Murphy is an art historian and educator who works in visitor engagement at the Brooklyn Museum. She’s also a freelance writer and she happens to be obsessed with perfume, so she’s been contributing fragrance reviews to the leading perfume blog Now Smell This since 2007 and teaching at the Brainery and other venues since 2015. She’s always looking for new ways to connect her passions for art, fragrance, history, and popular culture. Jessica blogs at Perfume Professor.
You might have a good idea how the disco era sounded or how it dressed…but how did it smell? All jokes about drugs and cigarette smoke aside, the late 1970s was a rich moment for perfumery: new choices abounded, and fragrance was an important accessory for a night on the dance floor.
This illustrated talk will share the stories behind some of the best-selling scents of the 70s, from the big names on their labels to the famous faces that graced their ads. When Sister Sledge sang the words “Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci,” they were talking about fashion but they just as well could have been naming some fragrances. How did scent and style overlap in this cultural moment? What was the unofficial signature fragrance of Studio 54? And how can you still spritz on a disco-inspired perfume, when we’re in the mood to go out and celebrate good times again?
Drop in and find out.
