• August 23, 1999
• Vol. 52
• No. 7

Under Exposed

Nicole Kidman's Revealing Turn in Eyes Wide Shut Gives Lingerie Firm Hanro a Lift

It may not be breaking box office records, but Eyes Wide Shut has left its mark on the underwear biz—in particular, on the satin-trimmed camisole Nicole Kidman wears during her lengthy bedroom scene opposite hubby Tom Cruise. "National sales of the camisole have doubled since the movie came out," says Toby Dopfel, buyer of intimate apparel at Manhattan's Saks Fifth Avenue. Chosen over 50 other styles by the movie's persnickety director, the late Stanley Kubrick, the $40 design by the Swiss manufacturer Hanro met his criterion of being sexy but not trendy. "Kubrick," says costume designer Mark Allen, "wanted something timeless."

And time-tested: The company has peddled undies for 115 years. Sold through top-tier catalogs (such as Garnet Hill) as well as in upscale department stores, the 85-piece line ranges from boxers and briefs staid enough for the clergy (the company supplies a store at the Vatican) to bras slinky enough for stars like Uma Thurman and Meg Ryan who, like Kidman, are fans offscreen.

Niki Sachs, 64, Hanro's CEO and U.S. president, attributes the company's cachet to a combination of quality materials—the best Egyptian cotton—and its seamless manufacturing technique, which gives the garments a "buttery, soft finish that appeals to people from all walks of life." But with prices range from about $25 for bikini briefs to $75 for a camisole, they don't fit every budget. Sachs agrees. "In a car," says, "Hanro would be a Ferrari."