Regular readers know we're fond of saying that everything can be upgraded. Case in point? Worlds away from tawdry shops frequented by men in overcoats, Kiki de Montparnasse has turned the sex shop into an erotic boutique.
Adopting the stage name of Alice Prin, a nightclub singer/model/painter who was photographer Man Ray's muse and lover in 1920s Paris, Kiki's Lower Manhattan store is anything but sleazy. Described as 'Madame de Pompadour meets Monica Vitti', the store is luxuriously furnished and dimly lit. An inviting entrance resembles an upmarket lingerie boutique, and stylish creations in French lace and silk satin lead the way to sophisticated objects of desire.
Glass cases hold handmade whips and 'restraining arts' kits in crocodile leather with gold hardware; elegant Kiki-branded toys include a vibe bejewelled with Swarovski crystals, which also adorn tasselled pasties.
Opened last month, Kiki de Montparnasse isn't the first company to provide a luxurious take on sensual products. London's Coco de Mer, an erotic emporium founded by Anita 'Body Shop' Roddick's daughter Samantha, sells a host of decadent toys and undergarments, and works with craftsmen that are usually employed by haute couture designers.
Swedish Lelo crafts sculptural toys from luxurious materials, and San Francisco-based Jimmyjane sells a Little Something (an 'elegant and seductive accessory') that comes in gold and platinum and be personalized with etched words of love. Or lust. The limited edition features engravings inspired by 18th century sailor tattoos.
For those entrepreneurs who can create the right combination of playful, provocative, seductive and chic, this is a high-margin market ripe for the picking.
Website: http://www.kikidm.com
Contact: service@kikidm.com
Email to friendPrevious: No-frills, modular coffins «
Next: Being space for mobile warriors »
Could Saucy Chic be the new trend amongst "sons and daughters of...." ? Agent Provocateur, a similar concept has been founded by Joseph -son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren- Corre.
One of my friend told that similar concept of retailers are in barcelona, too.
Sex is back in fashion, and where better to find it than on Melrose?
Coco de Mer to open sensuous erotic boutique in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA Wednesday July 5th, 2006 Famed London lingerie and erotic emporium, Coco de Mer, is finally opening its doors in the US this fall, choosing Los Angeles’ sexy Melrose Avenue for its flagship stateside location. Complete with couture lingerie worn by Hollywood’s hottest females such as Christina Aguerilla, Angelina Jolie, and Madonna, and an array of toys meant to arouse and excite in the bedroom, Coco de Mer is filling a niche in the US market, bringing sex back into fashion and sophistication back into sex.
The female-run boutique is designed to provide a soft, safe space that inspires the exploration of the senses. Described by Coco de Mer proprietor Sam Roddick as “a place where people can invest in their relationship, a place where intimacy is the focus and pleasure is the goal,” Coco de Mer injects beauty into sexuality in a sophisticated, gentle setting.
Like its London branch, Coco de Mer’s California boutique is meant to cater to men and women in their mid to late 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s and up, who are not ashamed of experimenting, and are looking to invest in their lives in the bedroom. The boutique will be located at 8618 Melrose Avenue, and is scheduled to open in September 2006.
Coco de Mer has received worldwide attention from top fashion magazines such as Italian Vogue, Paris Vogue, Glamour, Elle, Nylon and Vanity Fair.
Mark Brazier-Jones, a New Zealand born designer now living in the UK designs and makes the most fabulous sex furniture - inspired by the George MacDonald Fraser character Flashman. This is by far and away the absolutley sexiest furniture I have ever seen as well as being highly functional! His furniture is meant to amuse and arouse and let me tell you it does ... it keeps you fit and entertains. It is sold at such places as Coco de Mer and Kiki de Montparnasse but can also be purchased directly from the artist from his studio in Hertfordhsire. See the web site for further details http://www.brazier-jones.com/flashman.aspx
[url="http://uk.geocities.com/pissing4freegay/old-school-rap-superman.htm"]old school rap superman[/url]
There is a similar concept in South Africa. As the first upmarket boutique sex shop of its kind, KINK has already gotten lots of attention from a previously coy South African market. Selling seductive lingerie, erotic literature and DVD's, as well as sex toys and accessories, Kink also offers kinky bachelorettes, home shopping parties, lap, pole and belly dancing classes as well as guest speakers and events. The flagship store is in Gardens, Cape Town, with a second opened recently in Willowbridge, Cape Town - and new stores emminent for Johannesburg, South Africa. Kink is also online at wwww.kink.co.za
Sascha Polkey | June 27, 2006 1:05 PM