Mavi Jeans 832 Broadway, NYC
Voyeuristic Jean Shopping Written By John Miller Photographed By Evan Sung

There are some things people should not mention at a social gathering. A few of these are: "I really think it is interesting to stare into my neighbor’s window, uhh…you know, anthropologically speaking;" or, "So, I went to this live peepshow one time…uh when I was really drunk…uh…it wasn’t really a peepshow but a burlesque cabaret;" or, "Dude, wouldn’t it be badass to be on the other side of a two- way mirror in a dressing room?" These things are best are best left for thoughts when one is alone at night.

The Mavi Jeans window display on 832 Broadway tapped into these voyeuristic taboos with its November weekend window display. Two models (store employees) stood in the window with Chinese fold out dividers hiding them from the peeping eyes within the store, supposedly "completely unaware" that there were also people out on the street. They put on and took off jeans, shirts etc. (okay, maybe not underwear), to display the underlying message of "See how good our product looks on these two fine young hip citizens?"

This display drew quite a crowd of sidewalk stoppers and inquirers, bringing people into the store. One of the models (Brett) said, "I felt like I was in a fish bowl, yeah, a fish bowl, some people even tapped on the window." Kelsey (the other model) commented on how people were doing double takes, not sure if she was real or a mannequin. "Kids even got scared when they saw me suddenly move." With a floor that looked like a messy room and a ceiling made of tangled hangers, the window took on the feel of a private closet where one can change out of view of everyone in the house.

If modeling blue jeans in the window were to be a full time position, it would be the perfect job for someone who likes to be watched. According to the originator of the window “show”, store manager Molly Peck, several people dropped by later on with their resumes. They told Ms. Peck that they were applying to be "window models," but would settle for a position in "traditional retail sales." This display certainly attracted attention (by tapping into a guilty curiosity) and as a result, sold some jeans.