SAY goodbye to drab underwear — sexy lingerie is back in fashion with a bang.
A growing trend for bedroom glam has been put up-front and centre by the new Valentine’s campaign by Victoria’s Secret.
The lingerie brand briefly flirted with a woke rebrand and soft, comfy bras more suited to lockdown isolation during the pandemic.
But it is now bouncing back with celebrity models such as Bella Hadid, Barbara Palvin and Imaan Hammam sporting push-up bras and traditionally sexy red and pink undies that leave little to the imagination.
It is a trend that’s playing out across the high street, with soaring stiletto sales also prompting market analysts to hail a “return to sexy”.
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In the pandemic, sales of wireless bralettes boomed and some women abandoned bras completely while working from home.
But a return to old trends means women are dressing up.
A Victoria’s Secret spokesperson said: “As consumers are increasingly returning to work and social activities, it’s not surprising they are turning toward more wired and structured bras.
"We are thrilled consumers are increasingly looking to these options.”
The undies firm almost fell out of fashion entirely after shoppers opted for rival brands, while its sexy star-studded catwalk shows were seen as outdated.
Its UK arm fell into bankruptcy and is now part-owned by Next.
But bras are big business, with UK shoppers spending around £5billion a year on underwear.
The push-up bra, made famous by Eva Herzigova’s Hello Boys Wonderbra campaign in 1994, has been falling in popularity since the 2010s as consumers opted for less in-your-face cleavage.
But it is now experiencing a revival, with John Lewis recently reporting sales of so-called “structured bras” were up 45 per cent.
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Over at Marks & Spencer, Britain’s biggest seller of bras, its plunge push-up Rosie bra — part of its longstanding deal with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley — has overtaken all others in the range as its best-selling style.
And after years of more muted colours and black being the top seller, pink bra sales are up 100 per cent compared with last year.
Laura Charles, M&S director of lingerie, said: “Post-Covid, customers are still demanding comfort.
However, we have also seen strong demand for colourful lingerie such as bright pinks, red and vibrant blues across our new spring ranges.”
Fashion experts say that this is the latest sign of “dopamine dressing” — a way of getting a wardrobe hit of the natural happiness drug to cheer the wearer in gloomier times.
And with outfits like this, it’s sure to be smiles all round for their partners too.
