We wore French-cut velvet corsets, modeled after the original nineteenth-century Victorian undergarments, trimmed in sequins.” – Mary E. Really, really well… Bunnies were eye candy in bowties. The bunnies had their tails and their ears and their trays of drinks. Any Gaslight Girl, and a whole lot of keyholders, will tell you that we were better – much better – than the bunnies.
“We were the Other Club, mentioned in the same breath as Chicago’s Playboy Club. Speaking of, there’s apparently some long-simmering ill feeling between the Gaslight Girls and the Bunnies. Belle epoque Paris inspired the atmosphere, especially the Gaslight Girls’ outfits and revues. The club’s luxurious interior design stayed consistent across several different downtown locations. Founded in 1953, the Gaslight Club set the template for the va-va-voom aesthetic and atmosphere that Playboy made so famous. The famous Playboy Club (which opened on the Mag Mile in 1960) and its iconic Bunny outfits were both inspired by a haunt Hef knew well: The Gaslight Club. Hugh Hefner was many things, but original was not one of them. So, yes, USO tours in Vietnam are not typically considered part of Chicago nightlife history, but there’s only so many accessible photos.
