Two hot club openings and the fashion show of the season kicked off Chicago’s fall social calendar. At Piper’s Alley Marc Curtis launched his long-awaited Black Orchid. Singers Ann Hampton Callaway (daughter of broadcaster John Callaway) and Celeste Johnson, the Doug Lawrence Band and a trio of madcap tap dancers opened the vintage supper club. Cigarette girls and waiters in starched white jackets enhanced the retro theme.
Genies, exotic dancers and the guest of honor–a desert camel–welcomed the cool crowd to the opening of Club Tantra, the hottest addition to the nightlife scene. Best feature? A wall of comfortable booths that provide front-row voyeurism of the action.
Marshall Field’s rolled out the big guns for Fash Bash at the Chicago Theatre–Ellen DeGeneres, tap dancer Savion Glover, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Muntu Dance Theatre–as well as a global-odyssey fashion show, with proceeds going to Art Institute outreach programs.
