Pristine and glossy, the suburban housewife of the 1950’s wears sugary hues and a veneer of bliss. She bakes a cake, combs the children’s hair, decoupages the hall console table, and polishes everything to plastic perfection. When her husband comes home she’s coiffed, perfumed, and ready to pounce.
Agent Provocateur looks to the distorted reality of the Stepford Wife as a white-picket springboard for its SS14 collection. Inspired by the pressures that come with being a new mother, Creative Director Sarah Shotton envisaged The Perfect Woman in a fantasy of silk and lace; a lady in the street and a wildcat in the bedroom. Photographer Miles Aldridge with his lacquered scenes of domestic womanhood was the natural partner in creating the season’s Mise-en-scene.
COLOUR
The ‘Janet’ is a standout set made of glossy deep violet satin: luxurious bagged-out satin wraps across the bust giving extra uplift, while the same swathes of fabric wrap sensuously across the body in the knicker and suspender, fastened together with acid green poppers. The ‘Lori’ is a punchy set of French neon coral embroidery and fuchsia satin. Prissy pink dolly bows lend an innocent appeal, but the daring cut-outs in the quarter-cup bra and the brazen open bottom brief make this set Stepford-sweet but undeniably sexy. The ‘Hyacinth’ is the perfect set for ladies who lunch and linger, with whispers of soft violet French Leavers lace layered over bolts of hot pink silk. This season, the ‘Novah’ gets a flashy update in neon coral and acid yellow, while the ‘Phoenix’ returns in rainbow- bright tie-dye Leavers lace in all the colours of a suburban garden.
COY
The ‘Chrissy’ playsuit with its barely-there ruffles of tulle and French Leavers lace cascading over the breasts is demure enough to tempt, and naughty enough to thrill. The ‘Peggy’ is another lesson in titillation, with its panels of narrow scalloped French Leavers lace drawn together to create coquettish flashes of flesh, and its sheer diamond Pointe d’esprit tulle creating just enough of a layer over the bottom to hoodwink you into thinking she’s clothed. The ‘Bobbie’ features swags of droplet embroidery that drape delicately over the contours of the body, shimmying with every move and joined together with perky black satin bows.
GIRLY
Ultra-girls with powdered noses and mischievous minds will flush with pleasure at the sight of the ‘Gretel’, a hero set for SS14 that encapsulates the hopes and dreams of the ecstatic homemaker. Made of gingham cotton and featuring Austrian embroidery developed from an original archive pattern, ‘Gretel’s suspender belt is a saucy little apron with scalloped edges – perfect for whipping up a frenzy in the kitchen. The ‘Connie’ is made to sugar-coat the everyday: created in hot pink tulle with acid yellow embroidery polka dots and minty fresh ribbons, it comes with a flouncy tiered babydoll that falls just below the bum. Sweetly sexy girls will pounce on the ‘Petunia’, a full set embroidered with sweet multi-coloured blooms and cut to create dangerous curves. A padded corset and a sheer structured housecoat complete the picture of immaculate femininity.
MISTRESS
The ‘Gloria’ is crafted of naked wisps of tulle decadently covered in siren-red French embroidery for a tattoo-like effect. Salaciously cut away in all the right places, it features a naughty silk quarter cup bra, with barely-there panels to brush over the nipples. The ‘Sandra’ is classic Agent Provocateur at its racy best: a fantasy of soft elastic strapping, French Leavers lace and fishnet, it features a waspie style suspender belt with side boning to cinch the waist and flatter any shape. The ‘Karen’ reveals more than it conceals with its wanton T-shape cutaway silk satin and French Leavers lace knicker with kinky rose gold hardware, while the ‘Judy’ is showgirl-sinful, with triple straps encrusted with crystals, criss-crossing over the body like a dangerous game of noughts and crosses.
TAKE ME OUT
When the rhythm starts to play, slink the night away in the ‘Terese’, a slinky silk-jersey gown with peephole cutaways at the waist and slinky knee-high splits. The ‘Theodora’ in sculpting heavy weight jersey features a man’s bowtie built into the neckline for women who know the ropes when it comes to a man’s wardrobe. A cascading set of pearls and a lingering gaze are all that are needed to complete the devastating femme fatale picture that the Duchesse cotton ‘Elayne’ dress creates. Deceptively simple, the dress is inbuilt with complex corsetry to carve out the most sinful hourglass figure.
Respectable but ravishing, The Perfect Woman is a force to be reckoned with once she dons her Agent Provocateurs. Visit this website for more information!
