Agent Provocateur window displays in House of Fraser

[Fairyflaps]

These 2 images are among several massive photos filling the window displays at our local House of Fraser store promoting Agent Provocateur. The windows face onto the towns main pedestrianised shopping street, so there is no avoiding them if you go into town.

Am I right in thinking these are not appropriate images for such a public space? Within the lingerie department in the store maybe, but not on the High Street.

Going into the store and talking to the manager has not been successful. She just said that decisions on window displays was made by their head office, and I would have to take it up with them. Their website says it may take several days for them to respond to an email, and I have not been able to find a phone number for their head office.

What do you think?
And any suggestions of how I can complain more effectively?

Suspender belts?

Really?

How things have (not) changed since the 1950s.

Oh, one thing has changed - back then images like this on the high street would not have happened.

So I suppose the "progress" is that we are now allowed to show laydeez being sexy. In big pictures. Whether we want to see it or not.

Great.

What’s sexy about looking like you’re covered in electrical tape? Is this for the Sparkies’ version of the Pirelli Calendar?

How would you even get into that strappy thing the sitting down one is wearing? Plus, the skinniness of the model makes it so unappealing. Is it worse than an Ann Summers window? But then AS is what it is and not a failing dept store. Not on Twitter or I would Tweet- show Mike Ashley who's boss here.

I agree with everyone's other objections, but what struck me about the first pic is that she is positioning her bottom in such a way that there is an implication that she is inviting anal sex. I may be being ridiculous on this, would be interested to hear what others think, but after all the teen vogue anal sex nonsense....,

This smacks of desperation from both House of Fraser an Agent Provocateur. Everyone knows high streets are struggling and uncomfortable underwear is on the way out with ‘bralets’ being much talked about in the press and bought.

Advertising yourself as an outlet for badly fitting tat is not the way to get the attention of those customers! If they cannot even fit the model properly it is not a good look They May have a brief flurry of tail end customers who have missed out on the AP vibe but things are moving on.

This is just the same old same old tho' isn't it.

Yet again stick thin representations of women in pictures that are almost certainly photoshopped wearing what appears to be impractical, uncomfortable and, to me, laughable outfits. Bad enough that Women’s magazines are full of this shite but at least I can avoid it then by not buying the mags and of course not shopping in those type of shops. This is a lot harder to avoid and in my opinion is the "top-shelf" argument all over again.

What sort of message does this objectifying of women in the high street send to our sons and daughters?

House of Fraser know EXACTLY what they are doing.

They are trying to position themselves in the market as a new sexy department store. They can’t compete with John Lewis for customer service, they aren’t high end like Fenwicks or Harvey Nichols, so they are aiming for the higher end chav, footballers wife type crowd. They have literally no money left so this is what they do.
They KNOW the ads are offensive, they want us to get in a tizz about it so they can have a spread in the daily mail where they show the adverts and a million people say they can’t see anything wrong with it and what’s wrong with a bit of sex.
Then in the mind of consumers House of Fraser is the place where you go to buy your shit overpriced knickers because they are a bit naughty.

People who buy Agent Provocature don’t care that the ads are offensive, their entire brand centres around ‘pushing boundaries’ anyone who cares about things like this is already not buying the products.

I’m with AAK the first one looks like she’s checking for zits on her chin- I’d walk past and think of Boots.
The 2nd looks like she’s wearing flesh covered granny pants with black lines all over them- I’d walk by and think of M&S.
So as far as advertising goes neither makes me think of shopping in HoF, in my mind it’s not coming back from the brink but I’m wondering who is going to replace our local one 🧐

The only requirement I have when buying a bra is that the person selling it to me knows what fits and what doesn't. This fails that fairly basic test so no, wouldn't buy from them.

(Not that I would anyway. Look at them! You'd be constantly tugging the straps, and trying to get the undercrackers to sit properly, too.)

It would take men ten seconds to get the black kit in such a tangle the only way to get them unstuck would involve a pair of scissors.

#lifegoals would be to see the divine Celeste Barber take on Agent Provocateur.

runwayriot.com/2016/04/21/meet-the-woman-behind-the-viral-celebrity-instagram-copycat-photos/

So as far as advertising goes neither makes me think of shopping in HoF, in my mind it’s not coming back from the brink but I’m wondering who is going to replace our local one

Me neither, I’m hoping for a Zara.

Yeah the black stringy thing. Jeez. How would you even get that thing on
Gawd

she is positioning her bottom in such a way that there is an implication that she is inviting anal sex

Erm, maybe "from behind", but that doesn't always (and never in my personal experience) mean anal sex.

I think the best response to it is to just shout about how unfashionable and out of touch it is.

The clothes are ugly, and it’s about 15 years out of date.

I'm not sure HoF monitors their twitter account any more. The last activity on @houseoffraser was August 2018 - 5 months ago - and it's all about the change of ownership, gift cards will not be honoured etc. I'm guessing whoever used to deal with it got made redundant, and whoever is in charge now hasn't noticed (and are thus incompetent) or doesn't care (which is still incompetence).

I saw this last Friday as I walked through their store in Dublin. I was disgusted. Also the display had three male managers ogling over it🙄🙄🙄. I decided there and then HoF would never get another penny of mine.

I had read that AP was suffering due to the MeToo movement but not sure if this is the way to get revenue up.

The second one looks like a posed dead body. So sexy!

I think they look gorgeous

Oh dear. The first one looks like she's hoiking her knickers out of her bum crack. The second looks like a "bondage bra" got out of control.

Also, sussies? Really? Christ get a clue.

Well, it's not exactly sexy, is it? Unhappy very slim women gurning in badly fitting underwear.

It only offends me in that I think it's bad taste. Ignore them, and watch the profits fall. They must want "all publicity is good publicity."

Fwiw, I'd like underwear marketed to me as fun, sexy like you enjoy it, and well fitting.

There is something very strange about the light on the first one's throat/mouth. And the second one has something around her neck.

Am I paranoid to associate this with choking? Advertising photography is very deliberate in all aspects and often plays to subliminal messages.

Yeah I think tweeting etc may give them what they want. A boycott is so much more effective. They will not get any more of my money.

There is something very strange about the light on the first one's throat/mouth

She looks as if she has vitiligo. Fair enough if she has - but if she hasn't, it's poor lighting.

The first one looks like she's straining to do a poo.

Does the first one have a goitre?