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[title]For the opening of his sexy new members-only society, Everleigh Social Club, cofounder Franky Vivid (the man who brought you Naked Girls Reading) donned a dapper gray suit. At a few points in the night, his wife and business partner, burlesque performer Michelle L’amour, wore nothing at all. Her one accessory: a handblown glass chalice modeled after her breast. As prospective members—fully clothed men and women—downed wine and chatted on bedlike furniture, beautiful birthday-suited gals took turns rocking on an oversize swing suspended from the West Loop loft’s ceiling. A few people sketched a chiseled man who draped his naked, tattooed body across a red velvet couch. Periodically, the place went dark and ladies performed erotic, artful dances. One number combined ragtime music and glowing Hula-Hoops (pictured). Vivid and L’amour’s dual inspirations were Chicago’s Tavern Club (1927–2007), a party-hearty institution whose circle included such luminaries as Nelson Algren and Frank Lloyd Wright, and the infamous Chicago brothel founded in 1900 by the Everleigh sisters. “The Everleighs ran a luxury establishment that was about more than just sexuality,” Vivid says. “It was also about culture: string orchestras in the lobby, a library full of books.” Likewise, Vivid and L’amour’s BYOB club will host salons, figure-drawing sessions, pre-Code film screenings, classic-cocktail classes—and nudie parties galore.
For the full events calendar, become a member for $30 per month at everleighsocialclub.com.