The British are known for their dry humor. And apparently for the folks at upscale UK department store Harvey Nichols, that dry sensibility has left its models all wet in the trousers.

The store is the subject of more than a few tut-tuts and harumphs on the other side of the pond because of a recent sales flier that went out featuring the standard, detached and bored looking models with noticeably wet crotches and the slogan “Try to contain your excitement.”

A store rep explains:

We developed the campaign to promote our summer sale and capture this excitement in a light-hearted, humorous way.
The images in our advertising were designed to be a visual representation of a well-known phrase.
During the production of the campaign, we researched the use of this expression in popular culture and social media, and were satisfied that it is both commonplace and invariably used in a playful, inoffensive manner, which was in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek spirit in which we intended our campaign to be taken.

Of course, the mere fact that people are talking about this means that it’s a successful ad campaign on some level.

And who knows, maybe the next time you see some D-list UK reality star with soaked trousers, it will be a fashion statement and not the result of too many pints at the pub.

Controversial New Harvey Nichols Sale Fliers [Copyranter]

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