Sex Appeal - Have you got it?

Sex appeal. It’s what causes our heads to turn and our knees to go weak. It’s that alluring appeal that emanates so casually out of the pores of some people, that if you could bottle it up you’d make a fortune.

Over lunch recently with some girlfriends the subject of sex appeal and its relationship to the standard idea of beauty of was brought up. Our discussion revealed that we have seldom found sex appeal ensconced in men that have toiled for hours at the gym or indeed the ones with the striking good looks.

Of course these types may warrant a head turn, or perhaps even one that causes you to come to a screeching halt to avoid running up the back of another car. But they are not necessarily the type that lingers on in the mind, creating curiosity and interest.

Instead we have found it in the unconventionally attractive types that despite this are redolent with self-assuredness and self-confidence. It isn’t the type of self-assuredness however that is derived from cockiness but instead it is the kind that revels in ones qualities and is at peace with ones imperfections.

With my sights set invariably to design, my thoughts are lead right away to the topic of creating sex appeal in design and the curious challenge of how one would implement it.

In fashion, sex appeal has more to do with self-esteem and confidence than with low necklines and high skirts. Someone that oozes sex appeal could be wrapped in a sheet and still be sexy. So it’s not as simple as putting on a sexy outfit, because the closer you look you may find there is little else beyond the outfit.

But of course attire can enhance sex appeal. Clothing that makes you feel sexy gives you confidence to radiate sex appeal. However, good taste, quality and style are the key factors here. Comfort, fabric and colour are also important.

Tom Ford is a man that oozes sex appeal as well as owns it

So to create sex appeal in interiors, I believe you can use the same principles and draw a parallel with fashion.

Juxtaposing male and female fashion palettes could be a way of creating simultaneous male and female sex appeal. For the ladies a low back drapey liquid red satin dress that looks as though it about to slide on off and for the guys a black linen opened shirt. These are certainly examples of palettes that could overlap in interiors.  

In the same way that opposites attract in men and women, opposite shapes and surfaces can attract. Take a shiny surface and place it next to a matte surface, for example a lacquer table next to a suede sofa, or a sumptuous deep purple velvet ottoman next to the linear black patent leather chair.

You can also choose a piece of furniture that embodies the union of feminine and masculine form, similar to a woman wearing her man’s shirt with spike heels and nothing much else. An example of this is a linear tabletop with curvilinear legs that resembles the curve of a woman’s hip. Architect Zaha Hadid’s sleek buildings and furniture, with sexy curves and sharp edges are a perfect example of blending the male and female form. Her designs give out so much sex appeal that you want to reach out to touch and caress them.

Hotel Puerta America, España By Zaha Hadid

Moriane Sofa by Zaha Hadid

Le Corbusier Chaise Lounge

Unexpected use of colour can also be sexy. Angelina Jolie’s black Elie Saab sweetheart Oscars gown with her popping emerald green teardrop earrings gave her both an elegant and provocative look. But the best part was that they were unexpected. The same effect can be created with a black pony skin chaise and contrasting it with an emerald green silk cushion.

Dark moody colours certainly have the power to seduce. As playful as a bright and colourful palette can be, it doesn’t give off the attitude that a black, deep red or midnight blue interior does. Create different intensities of colour with lighting that illuminates focal points, dimmers that flatter the skin, candles that create a flickering glow around the room and lighting that creates beautiful shadows on the walls.

The Thompson LES Hotel, NYC

The Night Hotel, NYC

Delighting the senses is no doubt the first erogenous zone. Tactile velvets, cool silks and sumptuous furs are both sensuous and luxurious. 25-year-old designer Ryan Korban’s work certainly engages the senses and epitomises sex appeal. His self-described “sexy, romantic, fantasy” style engages all of the senses with his bold approach at mixing materials that have tactile surfaces. Some of his most captivating mix of articles is “shine on black on nickel on exotic skin on sinuous silk.”

Ryan Korban

So on my mission to raise the temperature in design, we need sensuous materials, layering, a dark and moody colour palette, a mix of contrasting elements and in the same way it is manifested in some people, the confidence to bring it all together. 


x katie

Above images from www.ryankorban.com