Finding something new with which to astound today’s world-weary shopper isn’t easy, but the people behind the Kiki de Montparnasse New York lingerie and erotica store seem to have managed it. When it opened in downtown SoHo at 79, Greene Street, New York, in summer 2006 it created no end of a stir, with high-profile customers (Dita von Teese, Jessica Simpson, Amy Sacco and some of the young Hollywood set) loving its exuberant celebration of all things erotic and others finding it just a tad embarrassing.

The thing about Kiki de Montparnasse is that it sells very upscale lingerie and high-octane accessories designed to make the bedroom a more interesting place. It counters any potential suggestion of sleaze by making everything as luxurious and beautiful as possible. Its owners and founders, Jennifer Zuccarini and Andrew Pollard, contend that “intimacy should be honoured . . . and consumers should be able to explore and express their passion with grace, sophistication and abandon.”

What it sells is exquisitely made underwear and nightwear, and a host of “accessories” to make Agent Provocateur seem demure. The shop is named after the French model who was Man Ray’s muse and posed for his famous Le Violon d’Ingres nude.

Although Bluebird in Kings Road, West London, has been selling a limited selection of Kiki de Montparnasse wares for some time, Liberty is bringing a proper collection to the UK for the first time to help to launch its new lingerie boutique, which opened last week. It won’t have space to reproduce the voluptuous interiors of the New York store, but most lines, including silver handcuffs, silk blindfolds and all manner of other “instruments of pleasure”, will be on sale.

Back in the States there are three distinct areas to the store: first lingerie, bedwear, satin pillowcases, jewellery and the like; then bath and beauty products (lots of delicious massage oils, body creams and sweet-smelling candles and oils); then the more extreme “instruments of pleasure”. As one wanders through these areas, from the straightforward to the more overtly erotic, the lighting gets progressively dimmer. There are also books, videos and music for sale – all, it goes without saying, designed to enhance experiences in bed or bath. Nevertheless, the owners insist that they are not simply in the business of selling fancy sex toys. “We’re a luxury lifestyle store,” is how Jennifer Zuccarini puts it.

For those of us who lead rather quieter lives than the founders of Kiki de Montparnasse have in mind, the exquisite corsetry will probably be of most interest – it is beautifully sculptured to support and hold, yet gorgeous to look at: delicious bras, lace “teddies”, light-as-air silk knickers, voluptuous silk and satin gowns, and beautifully embroidered petticoats.

The store has been something of a wow in New York and already has another branch in LA, with many more mooted. In New York it also hosts sessions on how to create a romantic dinner, and what exactly to do with its “adult” toys. I don’t imagine that Liberty has anything of this kind in mind – something, perhaps, for the future?

In the meantime, if you fancy some new underwear (and with spring collections still only dribbling into the shops, it’s a good way to cheer up a jaded wardrobe), Liberty’s new department will also be selling a range of other, less risqué, brands – Stella McCartney’s first lingerie collection, for one. It’s worth remembering that one of her early claims to fame was the way in which she translated the delicacy of lingerie, with its fine silks and lace and embroidery, to outerwear. This collection comes in lots of moods, but most delicious are the very feminine pieces – bras, briefs, bodysuits, chemises – many sporting lots of lace and vintage touches.