THE NOTORIOUS PLAYBOY CLUB OPENS IN LONDON

There has been much talk about the latest venue opening in London, the Playboy Club.? In the papers, on the news, pretty much everywhere is an article or a talk show discussing the re-opening of the Playboy Club, and the meaning of the bunny. Many feminists say feminism is about choice, so if girls want to dress up like bunnies and get paid, why not, others disagree, and insist it is the same old sexism that has existed since the club opened in 1953, and it is a disgrace in this day and age. Who knows, who cares … the big question is – how is the club?

I went to the opening on Saturday, June 4th with a few friends. Protesters were gathered outside screaming at the women as they walked in “You Slut”, “Shame on You” etc. adding to the drama of the opening. The sprawling nightclub / lounge / casino over 2 floors on Park Lane was decorated with every detail in mind from the Playboy logo patterned wood paneling to the bunny outfits which are coordinated according the job of the bunny – red for waitresses, grey for cocktail girls and black for the croupiers in the casinos. The girls seem to enjoy the uniform, delighting in the attention and the fancy-dress appeal of corseted uniforms with massive bunny tails on their bums. In the “Cottontail Club” The dance floor is thriving with a few random girls in body-con dresses dancing with geriatric men to relatively commercial dance tracks. The dancefloor is surrounded by several tables for bottle service, with a roped VIP area in the back.? I spot Nick Rhodes (the only celeb who appears to have actually come to the opening) hanging in the back VIP. Patrick Cox is at one of the dance floor tables, and tells me he has “no idea what he is doing here”. Despite being the grand opening, the club seems relatively tame, with most of the male guests appearing to be in the over 50 range. A few of them are with women their same age, the rest oggling the bunnies and the few trendy 20 somethings in tight dresses. There is a lounge through a pair of massive double doors with sofas and another bar, where groups of friends and old couples seem to be trying to make more of an effort to be civilized. I ended up running into a few friends there, including producer Peter Martin, and bump into male model Waz, who I shot years ago for Make Me A Supermodel UK.? I noticed that significantly fewer bunnies seem to be operating the quieter lounge area, leaving it a bit dry, but a better option than the dance floor, which is leaning on the sleazy side.? Upstairs in the Casino, bunny croupiers are roped in at the tables, and the gambling tables appear to be a rather serious affair, with a few men crowded at the front ones, the rest rather empty.?? There is a back barber shop, just in case one of the geriatrics forgot to shave, or decided to go for a late-night moustache trim. The best area I discovered in the venue was actually the back terrace, where we all ended up convening to discuss the feminist protests outside, the Playboy bunnies and smoke cigarettes.? It didn’t take long to decide that maybe it was time to move on, that the Playboy Club, despite the hype, wasn’t living up to the excitement.

Playboy Bunny Cocktail Waitress ready to serve

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Indira Cesarine for XXXX Magazine