Lingerie + Sexy Toys: How Curriculum Vitae Makes Both Beautiful

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Introducing New to Know, where we fill you in on the recently-launched lines destined to make waves.

Want a dramatic origin story? It took a motorcycle crash on a blind date for former LVMH designer Christina Viviani to snap into action and launch her own luxury intimates line, Curriculum Vitae. "I was hit by a car on the back of a motorcycle—it was a first date via OK Cupid," she told us. "It hit me, pun intended, that I needed to follow my concept and the road less traveled. There was no going back."

That road—paved with Italian lace and Japanese vibrators—has landed her just-launched collection of peek-a-boo bralettes and silk sleepwear in retailers like Barneys and 10 Corso Como, and CV-branded intimacy kits in hotels with sexy reputations like The Standard and Chateau Marmont. In Manhattan and Brooklyn, Curriculum Vitae meets customer impulse with same-day delivery and very personal shopping consultations for behind-closed-doors browsing. Call it a holistic approach to sexy.

"We are offering a new voice to women," says Viviani of the space CV seeks to fill in the intimacy market. "We offer items to adorn yourself and items to pleasure yourself—and your partner—with. We want to highlight the parts that make you feel beautiful. Everything we do has a purpose."

Before the line was shown to potential buyers in Paris last year, development was a slow boil. Viviani wanted to be thoughtful: "So often today you see brands throwing spaghetti at the wall to gain a sale—consumers aren't that dumb. CV is not so tricky that you end up looking pretentious, and we aren't adding a bow to our bras and panties because that's what everyone else does." Shopbop, Journelle, and Moda Operandi are among the brand's accounts now, and retail pricing ranges from $45-$450.

But about those Japanese vibrators: When asked why it was important that CV have a range of pleasure offerings in the mix, Viviani said simply, "Because you don't do one without the other. Unless you live on another planet." And everything here has a premium touch—the spanking paddle is made of walnut, the cuffs are black leather, and a vibrating drop necklace ("suggested for nipple play, but be creative") is done in rose gold. Of consumer response, she remarks, "You can't judge a book by it's cover. The most sugary people actually are the spiciest."
· Curriculum Vitae [Official Site]