Critical Shopping

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The difference between Soho's two kinky-upscale lingerie shops, writes Cintra Wilson in this week's Critical Shopper, is that Agent Provocateur has a sense of humor, while Kiki de Montparnasse takes itself much more seriously. But the new Agent Provocateur on Madison Avenue is doing its best Kiki impression, solemnly selling expensive sexiness to ladies who lunch. Will the ladies buy it? Wilson thinks not: "I’m guessing that porn gear isn’t at the top of their shopping lists. It’s probably not even in the middle of their lists—and those are very long lists. In fact, chafing dishes, dog jewelry and even decorative pine cones would probably appear on most of their lists before pink leather spanking paddles." [NYT]

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Kiki de Montparnasse

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