Every girl, for example, was required to wear a pair of nude nylons under her black ones so that Bunnies of all races had the same skin tone. The rosette name tag, sexily placed on the right hip, was there so seated Keyholders only had to look at eye-level to see a Bunny's name. And the costume's ribbons weren't only for decoration -- they were what the Bunnies hooked their pens and pen lights on. "It was almost like a telephone lineman or a carpenter," Scott says. "You carried the tools of your trade on what was your uniform."
And the sexiest part of the costume wasn't sewn on at all. "Part of being a Bunny was being a flirt, and the costume really helped you flirt," Scott says. "So when you got a tip you'd slip it in what we called 'The Bank.' You'd slip it into your cleavage. It was a turn-on, there's no question."
The original satin uniform came in 10 colors, and by 1962 that number had grown to 12. It was up to each Club's Bunny Mother (who managed the Bunnies) to make sure no one suit was ever in overabundance, thus keeping a rainbow of colors on the floor. In fact, the only place a Keyholder could find identically-clad Bunnies was in each Club's VIP room, where the Bunnies wore blue velvet trimmed in silver lamé. "We tried to go for a contrast between skin color, hair color and eye color," says Lacey, a former Bunny Mother at the L.A. Club. "The darker-skinned Bunnies looked best in pinks and the powder-blues, and most redheads got a green costume. Of course, if a girl had gorgeous blue eyes, you'd want to put her in a blue costume."
But what every Bunny really wanted was a black suit. "They were considered the most elegant," Scott says. They got so popular that eventually a Bunny had to earn the privilege of wearing one. "It would be the most senior girl, or a Bunny who really excelled in her duties, or epitomized what we called 'The Bunny Image,' who got to wear the black costume," Lacey says.
In the late 1960s, the Playboy Clubs broke away from the 12-color standard and started designing suits in everything from leopard prints to psychedelic Pucci swirls. A favorite was one nicknamed the "Wonder Bread" costume because it was covered in multicolored polka dots. There were even holiday Bunnies for December, who wore red velvet trimmed in white fur. In an attempt to update the suit, a lace and satin "Bunny Cabaret" costume was developed in 1980 and worn until the last Playboy Club closed its doors in 1991.
As for the original Bunny costumes, they're almost impossible to find. Each girl was required to turn in her suit once she was no longer a Bunny, and Playboy rarely parts with the Bunny costumes in its archives. The Chicago Historical Society and the Women's Museum in Dallas are two museums lucky enough to have one in their collection. "The Bunny costume is one of the most significant representations of women in American culture in the 20th century," says Jacqueline M. Bell, marketing director for the Women's Museum.  "The image of the Bunny itself certainly has its own legacy, but it also has a special significance for many famous women featured in other parts of the museum who once wore the costume." Deborah Harry of Blondie and fashion model Lauren Hutton are among the celebrities who got their start wearing the famous satin ears.
For the original Club Bunnies, the sex appeal of the costume itself will always hold a certain mystique. "It's an amazing experience to stand there in those high-heeled shoes and stockings and see yourself in the mirror," Scott says. "It really, literally takes your breath away."
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Los Angeles Bunnies wearing cabaret costumes introduced in 1980. Photo by Arny Freytag
Wearing silver costumes in honor of Hef and Playboy's 50th Anniversary are Playmates Karen McDougal, Julie Lynn Cialini, Stacy Sanches, Jodi Ann Paterson and Christina Santiago. Photo by Chad Doering
Playmates of the Year Jodi Ann Paterson and Heather Kozar in retro Bunny gear. Photo by Chad Doering
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