20 Pictures That Capture the Wild Spirit of Studio 54

Studio 54 was famous for celebrities, but the non-famous guests often made the room work. Photographs of everyday clubgoers in theatrical outfits — feathers, lamé, masks, drag, sequins, bare shoulders, sharp tailoring, and impossible confidence — show why the door policy mattered to the club’s mythology. Rubell did not only want wealth or fame. He wanted a living collage. If you were not famous, you had to be visually undeniable.