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The name Agent
Provocateur, explains the booming lingerie company’s
co-owner, Serena Rees, refers to the first person to throw
a stone in a riot. It has proven to be the perfect acronym
for an entity that, from its small beginnings, has literally
“rocked” the great big fashion world, creating
a frenzy that has captivated the entire globe.
To put it simply, Agent Provocateur, which opened its 16th
store in the new Forum Shops expansion at Caesars Palace,
has taken lingerie out of the closet and put it in the forefront
of fashion statement. When Rees and her partner Joseph Corres,
son of British fashion royalty Vivian Westwood, opened the
first Agent Provocateur in London on Broadwick Street in December
1994, their aim was to create an availability of high-quality
lingerie with creative flair to stimulate, enchant and arouse
both the wearer and her partner. The store flew in the face
of the British prudery that equated lingerie with something
sleazy or trashy. Agent Provocateur was an anomaly and the
response was unprecedented, proving that it’s what lies
beneath that counts.
“Bra tops, beautiful bras in beautiful colors, silk
slips so gorgeous women started wearing them as outerwear,
we started all that,” says Rees. “We made women
proud to be who they are. We made them proud of their shapes
and curves. All women have hang-ups about their body shapes.
But when a garment fits properly, that’s all it takes
to make the difference about how they feel about their bodies
and themselves. Joseph and I profoundly believe in the intimacy
of the experience and Agent Provocateur is an intensely private
wholly personal experience. It’s the relationship of
each individual woman with the garment she selects.”
“We’ve changed people’s perception of what
lingerie is about and linked it squarely to fashion,”
adds. Corres. “We start trends; we don’t follow
them. When women start to get involved with our product, they
feel better about their bodies and sexier because they are
wearing sexy things. For many years, sexy lingerie was low
rent. We’ve shown people that it doesn’t have
to be made from cheap fabric or be an unfitting garment that
makes them look terrible. We use fashion fabrics for our lingerie.
Our line is for women 15 to 70 and is appealing to both women
and men.”
Agent Provocateur’s staff is trained to understand what
patrons want and to work with each individual to find the
right items for that person. The line includes bustiers, bras,
corsets, garter belts, waist cinchers, briefs, bikinis, thongs,
nightgowns, baby dolls, fantasy garments, slips, shoes, hosiery,
perfume, bridal items, whips, masks, Swarovsky handcuffs and
more.
Merchandise
ranges from $15 to $600. Rees and Corres design everything
for Agent Provocateur and put new lines in the stores every
week in the British Isles, Europe, Asia and Russia and every
two weeks in the United States. Having recently opened its
17th store, Agent Provacateur’s success has also led
to a thriving mail order catalogue and a cutting edge website.
Under and out.
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ADDITIONAL
ARTICLES
BY
BOBBIE KATZ
HERE |
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Lingerie
is Under Cover No More
