This NY Post item is one of a number of recent news stories tracking the trend of sex toys aimed at upscale consumers.
There's more to this cute little rubber ducky than meets the eye. That makeup brush and lipstick aren't so innocent, either. Take a closer look, and you'll find that these new items from Henri Bendel are all actually well-disguised vibrators. The newly opened Rykiel Woman boutique, brainchild of Paris designer Nathalie Rykiel (daughter of renowned clothier Sonia Rykiel), is a saucy new section of Bendel's otherwise straight-laced third floor.
And its three sex toys in disguise – on display amid high-end lingerie, bustier-clad mannequins and garish pink lighting – make Bendel's the first department store on Fifth Avenue with a dildo display. Of course, they aren't exactly lowbrow. With prices ranging from $78 (for the duck) to $138 (for the brush), these toys are aimed squarely at the ladies-who-lunch set.
Link to NY Post story; Link to Rykiel Woman website (horrible, bloated Flash interface). See also this Canada Globe and Mail piece: Link; and this NYT story from October about erotic gadgets with designer labels: Link (reg-free).
Update: As an aside, the notion of rubber duckies and other bath toys as vibrators is hardly new, as patrons of "Big Teaze Toys" and fans of certain Almodóvar movies know. (thanks, Perian Sully)
