We’ve Got News: Big Knickers Are In, Thongs Are Out

We’ve got big news for you, ladies – thongs are out, granny pants are in.

Yep, The New York Times reports that there’s been a shift in underwear trends with younger women recently, claiming that we’re all now choosing comfort and coverage over sex appeal when it comes to our lingerie. 

‘It’s [now] considered cool to be wearing full-bottom underwear,’ Bernadette Kissane, an apparel analyst at the market intelligence firm Euromonitor, told NYT.  ‘Thongs have had their moment.’ 

Davina McCall angered fans over the weekend when she said she wears sexy underwear just to keep her husband happy

The underwear trend news is timely. Over the weekend, TV presenter Davina McCall found herself inundated with furious Twitter comments over a quote she gave to The Telegraph about wearing sexy underwear (always matching) to please her husband of 16 years.

The former Big Brother presenter told the newspaper: ‘Matthew has strong views on underwear,’ adding that he hates plain lingerie. ‘You must keep your husband satisfied in the bedroom department. Even if you’re absolutely exhausted. Otherwise he will go somewhere else.’

Jennifer Lawrence likes to keep it comfy when it comes to her undies

Well, it looks like the majority of the female population would disagree with you there, Davina. According to reports, sales of sexy thongs have gone down 7% over the last year, while briefs, boy shorts and high-waisted briefs have grown by a whopping 17%. 

We’re hardly surprised. How many pairs of high-waisted knickers (namely under sheer skirts) have we seen on the red carpet this year, modelled by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen? LOADS.

‘Most lingerie is designed to appeal to a man,’ Julia Baylis, founder of boutique clothing label Me and You, said. ‘For us, that’s not even a consideration. This is underwear you wear totally for you. Maybe no one will see it, or maybe you’ll put it up on Instagram to share with everyone you know.’

Jennifer Lopez is also a big fan of the high-waisted knickers

‘I think there’s a widespread misconception that men are into pearl thong, lace contraptions,’ Daphne Javitch of Ten Undies said. ‘To be honest, men are into girls in T-shirts and white underwear.’

Davina has since apologised for her lingerie comment, writing in her blog yesterday: ‘Firstly, I do like to wear matching underwear… No biggy… I don’t do it for Matthew… I do it for me.’ 

We’re sure John Legend wouldn’t mind seeing Chrissy Teigen in THIS outfit, granny pants and all

She added: ‘If I want to feel hot and sexy I wear nice undies… If I’m at work, and for practicality, I wear really boring ones… But always matching.’ 

Each to their own. Are you feeling the new trend for comfy, high-waisted briefs? Or will you be working your lacy French knickers all day long? Let us know below…

Share and Enjoy

Big knickers are back: Thongs ain’t what they used to be

In the UK the sales of thongs, or G-strings, rose through the Nineties to meet the demand for hipster jeans, cut too low to accommodate big knickers and with too tight a fit for the visible panty line of a bikini brief.

Well, Sisqó, if you’re listening, the sun is setting on your thong-thronged beaches, as confirmed by our official national arbiter of undergarments, MS, which sells 60 million pairs of knickers every year. “Today less than one in 10 of the knickers we sell is a thong,” confirms a spokesman.

“This shape is decreasing in popularity as women are falling in love with shapes like the Brazilian [NB: no hair removal is involved with the wearing of this knicker] as a no-VPL alternative, or choosing styles like the leg-lengthening high leg, or fuller shapes such as the midi.”

The trend for thongs seems to have bottomed-out in the US, too. With handbags, cars and property firmly out of their price range, Millennials and the Generation Y crowd (over 35? This isn’t you.) are putting their pennies where their pants are, pursuing a trend for big knickers over barely there G-strings.

According to figures from a US research company NPD Group, sales of thongs are down seven per cent, while sales of more generous bottom coverings have gone up by 17 per cent in the past year.

A thong from Marks and Spencer

That 17 per cent includes a number of types of knickers, such as the high-waisted, broad-bottomed granny pants, popularised by Bridget Jones; boy shorts, a skater-style full-bum option; and high-waisted briefs which are cut higher on the hip and behind than a granny pant, but stretch up over your tum.

“Thongs have had their moment,” confirmed Bernadette Kissane to The New York Times, which has reported on the phenomenon of wearing granny panties as a feminist act: young women are choosing plain, big, even baggy pants to make a political statement against the overtly suggestive itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie undies.

What’s more, thanks to Chloe Sevigny and her high-waisted Mom jeans, there’s plenty of space for granny knickers.

MS is clear that in the UK at least the growing appeal of bigger pants is not accompanied by a move towards plainer materials. “In terms of style, there is no place for Bridget Jones boring knickers in our ranges!” says head of design Soozie Jenkinson. “Our customers are loving anything lacy at the moment including bigger knicker shapes.”

Agent Provocateur sell high-end and very saucy underwear to customers with deep pockets, and it is seeing similar trends.

“There has been a surge in the sale of ‘bigger knickers’ over the past six months for us,” says creative director Sarah Shotton. “Although thongs are still popular. Larger-style briefs have been selling out across our stores.”

While women’s taste in pants is diversifying, The Independent’s fashion editor Alexander Fury has noticed some impressive rises in men’s underwear over the past few decades, notably when Tom Ford first sent a Gucci thong and then a sheer brief down his men’s catwalks in 1997 and 2001 respectively.

Then there’s the work of labels including DSquared and Versace in developing a larger market for men’s underwear. (Fury interviewed Donatella Versace last year after she had shown a collection of lace lingerie for men.)

No longer a gay thing, outré men’s pants are for exceedingly preened heterosexuals too. After all, Cristiano Ronaldo has his own line, CR7.

Much of our desire for bigger knickers suggests a tongue-in-cheek reference to today’s fashionably bigger bottom. Over on Instagram, the craze for belfies – selfies of bottoms – intersects with the showing off of big knicker-wearing behinds. So much for showing a little more modesty and a little less social media-exposed sexiness. µ

According to figures from a US research company NPD Group, sales of thongs are down seven per cent, while sales of more generous bottom coverings have gone up by 17 per cent in the past year.

That 17 per cent includes a number of types of knickers, such as the high-waisted, broad-bottomed granny pants, popularised, though not in a good way, by Bridget Jones; boy shorts, a skater-style full bum option; and high-waisted briefs which are cut higher on the hip and behind than a granny pant, but stretch up over your tum.

“Thongs have had their moment,” confirmed Bernadette Kissane to the New York Times, which has reported on the phenomenon of wearing granny panties as a feminist act: young women are choosing plain, big, even baggy pants to make a political statement against the overtly suggestive itsy bitsy teeny weeny thongs.

What’s more, thanks to Chloe Sevigny and her high-waisted Mom jeans, there’s plenty of space for granny knickers.

MS is clear that in the UK at least the growing appeal of bigger pants is not accompanied by a move towards plainer materials. “In terms of style, there is no place for Bridget Jones boring knickers in our ranges!” says Head of Design Soozie Jenkinson. “Our customers are loving anything lacy at the moment including bigger knicker shapes.”

Agent Provocateur sell high end and very saucy underwear to customers with deep pockets, and it is seeing similar trends.

“There has been a surge in the sale of ‘bigger knickers’ over the past six months for us, although thongs are still popular. Larger styles such as the Stone and Elly briefs have been selling out across our stores.”

Creative director Sarah Shotton says she took note of an increased demand for silk and lace styles when designing the upcoming AW15 collection.

While women’s taste in pants is diversifying, The Independent’s fashion editor Alexander Fury has noticed some impressive rises in men’s underwear over the past few decades, notably when Tom Ford first sent a Gucci thong and then a sheer brief down his men’s catwalks in 1997 and 2001 respectively.

Then there’s the work of labels including DSquared and Versace in developing a larger market for men’s underwear – he interviewed Donatella Versace last year after she had shown a collection of lace lingerie for men.

No longer a gay thing, outré men’s pants are for exceedingly preened heterosexuals too. After all, Cristiano Ronaldo has his own line, CR7.

Much of our desire for bigger knickers suggests a tongue-in-cheek reference to today’s fashionably bigger bottom. Over on Instagram, the craze for belfies – selfies of bottoms – intersects with the showing off of big knicker-wearing behinds. Wasn’t the point to introduce a little more modesty, a little less social media-exposed sexiness?

Share and Enjoy