• Style Section LA
  • Style Section LA
  • Style Section LA
  • Style Section LA
  • Style Section LA
Our little secret: The vixens and villains of Lucent Dossier's current residency at h.wood (above), Voyeur and Wonderland (click on slideshow). Lucent Dossier photos courtesy of the artist. Voyeur photos courtesy of Voyeur. Wonderland photos by Dave Morffy.

Creatures of the Night

Scantily-clad performers in evocative costumes are L.A. nightlife’s latest gimmick.
By Alexis Johnson
Published on November 30, 2009

Any of-the-moment L.A. nightclub has always depended on attractive staff to retain its cachet.

But more and more, would-be starlets aren’t merely slinging $18 drinks in pedestrian cocktail dresses. They're also the entertainment: Playhouse’s aerially inclined troupe, Voyeur’s naughty-but-nice vixens—we can't help but notice that the employee uniforms at some of L.A.’s chic nightspots have gone full-on fantasy, with costume styles ranging from Moulin Rogue-meets-Cirque du Soleil to high-fashion S&M.

The cocktail waitresses at Dolce Group’s new hotspot Wonderland on Cahuenga Boulevard are decked out in boned black dresses with whimsical layers of multi-colored tulle under the skirts, courtesy of designer Kelly Nishimoto, who snagged the dress directly from her runway line, altering the skirt to channel the club’s Alice in Wonderland theme.

MISS BEHAVIOR: A cocktail waitress at Wonderland. Photo by Dave Morffy.

 

A low-cut top, paired with a bright pink, purple or black bra, has a bowtie detail under the bust, while the back of the dress is cut in a V-shape over the posterior, giving it a corset-like appearance. The waitresses double as dancers, attempting to keep the energy going by dancing on the backs of the booths, conveniently equipped with hardwood floors designed by Lonnie Moore and Mike Malin, the club’s owners and the minds behind Les Deux and Geisha House.

The dancing, like the sorority-invitational-esque costumes, leaves much to be desired. But Nishitimo’s work scintillates elsewhere on the nightlife landscape—namely at Playhouse, where she designed the bartender and bottle-service waitress outfits. The club, a Vegas-style behemoth on Hollywood Boulevard, is known not only for its overwhelming capacity, but also for its performers. Aerialists swing from ribbons and trapeze circles high above the crowd while ballet-cum-burlesque bartenders shake more than martinis and bottle service girls perform Dita von Teese-inspired moves.

WORK IT: Subtlety is not on the menu at Playhouse in Hollywood. Photo courtesy of Playhouse.

 

Nishimoto began working on the uniforms nine months before the club opened over the past summer, creating looks that reflected the interiors. Taking inspiration from bordellos and Moulin Rouge, she wanted to “put a new twist on old-school theater,” with bustles, bloomers and corsets—the designer’s specialty—made of vintage tie fabric. Nishimoto also created an accessories closet that the girls can pull from, stocked with mini hats, gloves and multi-colored bras to keep their outfits looking fresh. High-collared, super puff-sleeved black jackets lined with fuchsia denotes a bartender, while waitresses sport black boleros over sweet tiny corsets. “I have a gymnastics and hip-hop background, and I can fit sample sizes,” Nishitomo says of designing costumes with the bartenders’ dance routines in mind. “So I could just kick my leg up, jump around my office, do cartwheels and gauge it myself.”