The Influence of ‘Mad Men’ Lingers on Lingerie

By Elva Ramirez

Courtesy of Agent Provocateur
Sarah Shotton, Agent Provocateur’s creative director

If sex sells, then lingerie is its marketplace.

Upscale lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has been at the forefront of sex and lingerie since its founding in the 1990s. Heard on the Runway recently interviewed Agent Provocateur’s creative director Sarah Shotton to discuss what men and women want.

Do people’s taste in sexy lingerie change over time?
Sarah Shotton: Yes. Women are becoming more brave. We sell a lot of playsuits and such.

People are spending a lot more money on their lingerie. We push the boundaries all the time, [and sometimes things that seem outrageous], end up being really good sellers. Our customers come to us to get something different each time.

How has “Mad Men” influenced lingerie? 
The “Mad Men” craze boosted [garter] sales and stockings. Christina Hendricks’s character is so curvaceous; men love her and women love her. Women were saying to themselves, ‘I’ve got a great body. I’m going to celebrate it.’… Because, really, lingerie is for women to make themselves feel good. It’s a present for themselves.

Has “Mad Men” changed what people buy? 
We were always ‘50s, retro-inspired. During [my early years], thongs were selling the most. I think the return of the big knicker was about three years ago, when all the designers were using corsets as outerwear.

Actually, most men prefer full knickers to thongs. They are brilliant for your bottom; they make you waist look smaller. Our thongs have dropped in sales and we mostly sell the big knickers.

Where do you see lingerie trends going next?
I don’t think the lingerie trend is going to die off. What Beyoncé and Lady Gaga have done is empower women to dress up and take advantage. Because of all the books people are reading, like “50 Shades of Gray,” it’s going to get more adventurous. I think women are going to build more lingerie wardrobes.

The lingerie trend is going to keep going; I think it’s going to get more risqué—not tacky, but a little bit more strappy, a little bit more stylish.

I think there’s a trend now that people are eating well but not over-exercising. The athletic shape is not in. Women are going to enjoy making the most of their bodies, nipping their waists in and making the most of what they’ve got.

What is sexy?

Men really love [the wiggle of flesh]. They don’t want some athletic leg that doesn’t have any movement. Marilyn Monroe, she’s the sexiest woman. When she walked, she had that wiggle. She used to drive men wild.

I see naked women all the time, and it’s the curvier ones that are sexiest.

So many teenagers are swayed by magazines, and it’s not real. You starve yourself thinking, “This is what a man is gonna want,” and then you find out they much prefer you when you don’t have makeup on, they like you when you first wake up in the morning and they like you when you have a bit of flesh on you.

You just have to be confident in yourself and you get what you want, really. If you have a woman that’s confident, men just love it.

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