Fashion In Film Volume 10: Party Monster – NYC Club Kids Fashion

This week I’d like to talk about the AMAZING, outlandish fashion in one of my all time favorite films, PARTY MONSTER! This particular film has a very special place in my heart because I used to work for one of the former Club Kids, Richie Rich of Heatherette…If you aren’t sure what a Club Kid is, let me explain this film and you may get a better understanding.You see, Party Monster is a film that details the true story of the rise and fall of infamous New York party promoter and drug-addled “King of the Club Kids,” Michael Alig (played fabulously by Macaulay Culkin).It’s based on Disco Bloodbath, the memoir of James St. James which details his friendship with Alig, that later fell apart as Alig’s drug addiction worsened, and ended after he murdered Angel Melendez and went to prison. I know, INTENSE!

The New York club scene of the 80′s and 90′s was one of the most turbulent periods of self-reinvention in human history. Together, Michael Alig and James St James pioneered a sub-cultural revolution that sweeps across America and even parts of Europe and Asia.Despite the excessive use of drugs and Alig’s terrible crime, the movement was a profound and significant success on so many levels. Art and fashion were irreversibly transformed by the club kids. They were huge components of this movement, and everyone could invent themselves as they pleased (the group was notable for their elaborate and outrageous costumes). Fashion was frivolous and conceptual: a means for opening up a creative dialogue about the world.Check out the incredible gallery of photos and see for yourself! As you can see, there were no rules…and that’s the way it should be!