Come Saturday night at the Standard Hotel in Hollywood, 2014 takes a hiatus. André Balazs’ Mmhmmm lounge transforms into Giorgio’s, a throwback to the decade of the ultimate dance party, complete with mirrored glitter balls dangling from the ceiling and sequin-clad clubgoers gyrating. The invite-only evening officially starts at 10, but it’s not until about 11:30 that devotees pour through the hotel’s kitchen to a black lacquered door that opens to a room lined with dark mirrors.
“We’re basically an invisible, underground club on Sunset Boulevard,” says West Coast event producer Bryan Rabin.
Inside this secret space, Rabin’s partner, DJ Adam XII, perches atop a platform spinning classic ’70s tracks like Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and Gino Soccio’s “Dancer” while fog pours onto the floor—making it even more difficult to determine exactly who is wearing which jewel-embellished jumpsuit. There’s no doubt, though, that the industry-heavy crowd is one of the most fashionable in town.
“We have our core group, which is mainly my address book and those who work in fashion and music, and then we have our guest stars: whoever’s in town from Paris, London and New York,” says Rabin. “It’s like casting a play every week.”
With Olivier Rousteing, Jody Watley and Kate Beckinsale all in attendance by the time the clock struck midnight one Saturday this spring, Rabin seems to have succeeded. Filling out the dance floor are creative directors of clothing lines, couture buyers, Grammy winners and celebrity hairdressers. “It’s not about sales and people buying tables, it’s about what each person can bring to the room,” he says.
Between disco balls reflecting off the shiny surfaces and a house photographer snapping flash photos of revelers (they’re for Rabin’s personal archives only), it becomes apparent that the black leather banquettes lining the perimeter of the club are empty—not because the space is below capacity, but because everyone is boogying.
“The weird thing is that this is how it always was until bottle service took over,” says Rabin. “It’s pure fun every week: a playground for adults.”
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