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GERLINDE 1942 - 1994

She was born Gerlinde Zweck, in Regensberg, Germany,  on July 3,  1942.  But her life began to take its familiar shpae after mak-ing London her home in 1970, arriving fresh from fahion school in Paris.  Soon after, she met her soul mate, partner and husband of twent-four years, michael Costiff, under the Coca-Cola signe in Piccadilly Circus. The dynamic duo's first business venture together was the Terrace Café in the Chelsea antiques market, followed by an antiques stand in Antiquarius on the King' Road, from where many a long-term friendship was forged amongst the demi-monde of the early Seventies. It was when they closed the stant years late, to travel the world, that they first visited and fell in love with Brazil.  for the next decade, they spent at least one month in the year there ,  and two years ago Gerlinde realised her ultimate dream, to ride a top the main float at the Rio Carnival. Much of the inspiration for Kinky Gerlinky and their eclectic shop World came from these travels.

But it was the couple's popularity amongst Londo's club crowd that ultimatley led to the opening of Kinky Gerlinky first at the venue Legends, followed by the Café de Paris, the Empire Ballroom in Leicester Square, and special extravaganzas in cities thoughout the world.  The name for the club came from a short, rotund woman named Jill, to whom Gerlinde was chatting one night in the ladies' room at the Limelight. The name stuck. She always said to me, "I dont want to grow old, and I want to die happy."Thats exaclty what happened. She was returning to Miami a next week. She set her bags down, wnt into the bathroom, put her nightie on, took off her make-up and was walking into the living room to watch TV when it happened. Her demise, was instant and painless

ATTITUDE MAGAZINE - 1994

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