VELVET UNDERGROUND
By Lesley Abravanel – August 2002

Just when it looked like clubland had become, for the most part, an equal opportunity where entrance was hardly exclusive or hard to attain, the people behind Opium Garden have wisely put their Gucci loafers down. Prive, a new club located behind Opium Garden, is a swank speakeasy that’s far from easy to get into. Owned by the dapper Milon bros (Eric and Francis) and “produced” (their term) by nightlife stalwarts Ingrid Casares and Michael Capponi, Prive is a throwback to days of organized and acceptable social discrimination in clubland. The club features a sleek and modern, yet comfy, interior, two types of music: fun dance music in the main room, and more inventive, alternative music by DJ Jose Ortiz, formerly of Honey, in another room. Prive’s unofficial unveiling took place the weekend of July 19, but was reserved solely for contestants in Elite’s Model Look USA and all the fashion editors and fashion victims who come with them. The “official” opening, scheduled for last weekend, was postponed – some things in clubland never change – last week due to “unforeseen circumstances” and replaced by a chichi cocktail party on Star Island. No word on when Prive will open.