Did you think women were being objectified?

LC: “It took a lot of effort to make people go to the casinos. Each one tried to outdo the other. The customers that came in expected to see the cocktail waitresses. It was a reflection of the times.”

SH: “The women, who were glamorous and young, were a draw and focal point on the casino floor. This was Trump Castle and it had to have a certain appeal. They really tried to keep it in the line of Vegas, the showgirl-type scene. Today, the same girls work there — but they’re 40 years older now, so it’s not the same.”

Would you make those costumes today?

SH: “Those were different days. I wouldn’t want to do that anymore. It’s too sexist. Now it’s not okay to dress in a way to say, 'Look how sexy I am.' If you’re asking me as a woman-owned business if I would make these costumes today, it might be something I’d have to think twice about.”

Are you going to vote for Trump?

LC: “Yes, I am going to vote for him. If you go to a surgeon who is the top surgeon and he does not have a very good bedside manner, but if he is a top surgeon, I will go to him. He’s less involved with the politics — which I truly hate in Washington. I do feel that if it’s a matter of being sweet-talked or bashed, I’d rather have that than lies.”

SH: “I am an extremely liberal, freethinking, creative woman. I go by my own heart and not outside factors when it comes to our business. Well, no, I’m not going to vote for him because I think he’s a stifling bigot, so that does not go with creative, free thinking.”

Did working with the Trumps influence your voting decision?

LC: “Not at all. It was many, many years ago. What happened then has nothing to do with what’s happening today; all I can say is we were paid, and Ivana was easy to work with, and we gave her what she was looking for.”

Editor's note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.