Agent Provocateur just wants to have fun

Last season, Agent Provocateur co-founder Joe Corré described the brand's aesthetic as "a superhero costume to wear under your clothes", and while he vaguely touched upon its idea of alternate personas last year with witch and pirate-themed lingerie, this fall we can really see what he means.

With a cult following and stores scattered all over the globe, it comes as no surprise that Agent Provocateur is one of the most popular designer lingerie brands in the world. For all their success, it's incredibly delightful to see them milk it the way they do in 2009/2010's introductory collection "The New World Order", each range actually the costume of a powerful superhero (i.e. Crystalina, shown at left) created for the AP universe. The photography is absolutely stunning-- by far the most impressive campaign I've seen them do yet-- and each "superhero" has her own video showing off her talents, not to mention her gorgeous lingerie. You wonder how much the campaign cost, but you know Corré doesn't care. He's having a blast, and "New World Order" shows it.

Check out the dazzling new collection here.

Hellz Bellz gets me

After the ugly demise of Missbehave, it would be very easy for me to say that I've outgrown streetwear, and with the absence of the magazine that turned me onto it in the first place, I thought I had. However, I'm finding it hard as ever to turn away from always stunning Hellz Bellz-- a brand I've always felt was made for the girl who never thought she could pull off streetwear (i.e., me)-- especially with new pieces like the one below that are pretty much shouting directly at me (I mean, come ON, it's from a collection called "Lolita").
Recognize that picture/caption? It's from last summer's gorgeously anarchist bridal campaign for Agent Provocateur, and what with its explosive politics, Hellz Bellz's drawing inspiration from it makes sense. It's an inspired choice, which I not only say because of my strong love for both brands, but because of how much it works. Brands like Hellz Bellz pride themselves on having an aesthetic that is, in the words of Married to the MOB's Leah McSweeney, "tough and sexy at the same time", and the "Let Them Eat Kate" campaign (the video for which can be seen below) was definitely that.

Needless to say, I'm totally sold. Get the shirt here and Kate's bra right here.

New Agent Provocateur bridal collection!

Fresh off of the romantic spring collection Pan and the Vestry of Virgins, Agent Provocateur has just released a brand new bridal collection entitled The Brides of Ulysses. It's certainly a fantastically demure collection and the promotion photos are wonderful. My favorite range is definitely the gorgeously retro Lois (pictured).
I do wonder: is this the fourth, "surprise" collection that Joe Corre described in the fall issue of Knickers Forever? As I have no plans of getting married soon, I hope not, but as a poolside collection dropped last year after the exciting "Let Them Eat Kate" bridal campaign, I doubt this is the last of AP before summer.

New Agent Provocateur collection drops!

If there's anything that is guaranteed to catch my attention in terms of complete and total adoration, it is the following: Greek mythology and Agent Provocateur. WHAT DO YOU KNOW. Pan and the Vestry of Virgins collection, the 2008/09 range I've most anticipated, is out TODAY! Peep it with me and fall in love.I wasn't crazy for Angharad when I saw it first in last winter's "Lady of the Manor" collection, but this is GORGEOUS. White eyelet with peachy satin bows? Virginal indeed!Natalia is like Jesse from last year but WAY prettier. *Sigh*, this looks like wearing a violet underneath your clothes.

This is Nicola. I SWOON. Oh my God, that floral print? DIE. That red edging with the red stockings is just so painfully gorgeous. I NEED IT.

What are you waiting for? FREAK OUT here!

Agent Provocateur. Free perfume. WANT.

Agent Provocateur is giving free 50mL bottles of their famous Maitresse parfum for every online order above £100. Considering how wonderful their new(ish) collection, Pirate Provocateur, is, not to mention how curious I've always been about their fragrances, I would TOTALLY hop on this deal (lasting until December 15, while supplies last).
You know. If I had money to do so with.

But you can, as well as find out more about this special promotion, here!

Spotted: Blair Waldorf wearing what I wanted for Christmas

Something about the bottom picture leaves me so full of envy that it should be criminal. Okay, whatever, Ed Westwick's hot, don't care-- this is something I prioritize way over man-candy.
As I was watching the preview for next week's Gossip Girl and did a bit of a double-take near the end. As the camera panned a scantily-clad Leighton Meester, I stopped for a moment and thought-- "OMFG, is she wearing last season Agent Provocateur?!"The picture doesn't show it well, but if I'm correct, that is indeed Winter 2007/2008's red Gangster set. Normally, I'm Team Waldorf, but no fair. Plus, way to disobey your own code-- in the back-to-school episode, Blair was seen ripping on a potential minion for wearing last-season Tory Burch. Isn't lingerie just as bad? Minus 1 for inconsistency!

*Sigh*. The bitchery is only a defense mechanism. I'm too jealous.

Agent Provocateur has more surprises for us!

I won't lie-- when I saw Agent Provocateur's much-hyped "Season of the Witch" collection, I was pretty unimpressed. If it wasn't AP, it might be better, but most of the pieces seemed inspired by ranges from past seasons-- except for the stunningly original sets Maschina (shown left) and Manuela. Even so, most of the designs seem like they would only really work in fall.

This is why I was hella excited to hear that Agent Provocateur has not the usual two, but THREE more collections for this year's campaign! Yes, Joe Corre has revealed this year's creative line-up in the latest issue of Knickers Forever, and it goes as the following:

• Season of the Witch, of course
  
• Pirate Provocateur
  
• Pan and the Vestry Virgins
  
• ...and the last one will be a secret!

I'm digging on it so much now. After hearing about them, it makes the theme of the season awesomely clear-- it's very much reminiscent of a giant fairytale-- starting with Grimm's, then pirate folklore and Greek mythology. Pan and the Vestry Virgins is one I'm really looking forward to! It seems like Corre's going to have a lot of fun with this season. "I think of Agent Provocateur lingerie as a superhero costume to wear under your clothes. At any moment you could rip your dress off and transform yourself," he says. Sounds like my kind of adventure!

Check out "Season of the Witch", starring Daisy Lowe, right here.