Grace Jones Is the Enduring Queen of Disco Club Fashion 

New York International model and disco queen Grace Jones has just won the award for most promising disco artist of 1977....
(Original Caption) New York: International model and disco queen Grace Jones has just won the award for most promising disco artist of 1977. Her fisrt two disco releases: That's the Trouble and I Need a Man-have soared to the top of the charts. Her first album is called Jones-Portfolio. 9/9/1977Bettmann

Grace Jones—the singer, model, and actor—is an undisputed style icon. She effortlessly embodied the opulent club style of the late 70s and 80s, beaming out a vision of avant-garde pop to the world. Her imprint on style and culture is everlasting. This fact was reiterated recently through pop extraordinaire Beyoncé tapping Jones for a feature on her ballroom-tinged, “disco trap” record Renaissance. Bey also paid tribute to the enduring icon in the album's visuals, donning Mugler-inflected pieces throughout the promotional photos.

The homage is fitting. Grace Jones has explored the experimental edges of fashion and beauty throughout her career. She crafted a lasting image through her geometric haircut, club-kid makeup, and penchant for the weirdest and most brazen pieces by designers like Thierry Mugler and Kenzo. Her style was firmly rooted in campy, queer-coded aesthetics—worn during performances at bygone queer disco clubs like 12 West and Palladium. Such an aesthetic was not only visually pleasing, but also sharply political—especially when the AIDS crisis cast a dark shadow over queer nightlife.

With Renaissance thrusting Grace Jones and disco culture back into the spotlight, it only feels right to re-examine some of the icon’s most fashion-forward looks. 

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Singer Grace Jones poses for a portrait circa 1980 in New York City. (Photo by Dianna Whitley/Getty Images)Dianna Whitley/Getty Images
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