In just two years since starting its secretive, sexy and luxurious private parties in Sydney, the Skirt Club - the all-female sex club for lesbian, bisexual and "plain curious" women - had seen its membership swell to Tonight it launches in Melbourne, and is expecting 50 women for an invitation-only evening of bubbles, burlesque by Ferri Maya, and a chat about "the ancient art of women pleasuring women" from sexpert Ruth Ostrow.
Skirt Club runs two levels of events. First is Mini Skirt, a monthly, try-it-on-for-size, post-work social event, usually in a bar, where newbies basically meet other women, sip champagne and cocktails, maybe catch some burlesque, network, exchange numbers and see what the concept is all about.
Certainly that was the experience in Sydney, says Ms LeJeune, in Melbourne for the launch of the newest club. It was quite full-on initially and we had a huge influx of applications to join the membership.
The aim, she says, was to promote glamour, performance "and much more - away from the prying eyes of men and facilitate one night of consensual experimentation: no consequences, no questions". Skirt Club has strict approval, membership and confidentiality requirements : The first rule of Skirt Club is you do not talk about Skirt Club. Other stringent restrictions of no men, no pictures, no telling and no pressure mean the club generally gets new members "by word of mouth".
Certainly someone's been singing its praises. Ahead of its first Melbourne event tonight, Skirt Club Melbourne already has members. When women started flying in from Brisbane, Tasmania, Melbourne and even Auckland to the Sydney events, Ms LeJeune knew it was time for the club to expand its presence in Australia.
