FIGURING IT OUT

In an age of female empowerment, have our lingerie drawers caught up to our closets?

It used to be that lingerie did two clear and separate things: make women look sexy, or fulfil a practical purpose. In 2017 would it not be a bleak outlook if our choice of underthings still dictated the kind of woman we can be, and, to boot, offers one of two routes: that of the sinner, or the saint?

Thankfully, we’ve come far from the days when Flaubert’s fictional account of Madame Bovary getting into her underwear was used as evidence that the novel should be banned, and moved on from the phrase used in the puritanical 1850s for lingerie – “unmentionables”. Still, we find ourselves in an age where, despite the gamut of choices available to express ourselves hanging in our wardrobes, our underwear drawer is still relatively in the dark.

“Lingerie is the first garment you choose every morning,” says Carol Fung, the Sydney-raised founder of lingerie brand Prae. She started her New York-based label working on the premise that underwear should be made to be revealed – under slips, open backs or sheer outfits. “There is a general misconception of what a bra is; just a cheap, semi-uncomfortable necessity that you’ll throw out in a couple months, or something ridiculously padded that screams sexy.” Instead she offers silky, albeit minimal triangle bras and microcrops with zero embellishment that could almost pass as shrunken ready-to-wear.

In a Victoria’s Secret taut-limbs, definedabs saturated world, sexuality has been narrowly defined and arguably governed largely by the male gaze. It was this idea that pushed stylist Ruby Heery and Monica Nakata to found new e-boutique Par Femme. “There is often only one idea of ‘ sexy’ being pushed in the world of lingerie,” says Nakata. “There’s no reason to stick to a particular aesthetic, particular fabrications or colourway. There should be as much diversity in lingerie as there is in women’s tastes, bodies and desires.”

So what’s out there? For the low-key active woman there’s “leisurée”, being a portmanteau of athleisure and lingerie. Brands like Lively, Land of Women and Baserange have tapped into this, as has local brand P.E Nation. “Our customers want less fuss and more bang for buck. They want practicality as well as fashionability,” says co-founder Pip Edwards. Indeed, Calvin Klein’s no-frills branded pieces in grey marle and plain white have seen sales rise for the company (while Victoria’s Secret has posted falling profits).

For the romantics there are brands like Lonely, which chooses non-models for its campaigns, showcasing real bodies – like Girls’s Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke – without compromising on sultry lace and feminine flourishes. “Women today are engaging brands that have a deeper understanding of their personal needs and that are more in line with their personal values,” says founder Helene Morris. “Our lingerie is an ultimate love letter to yourself, because it makes you feel special and beautiful. It’s about seeing yourself in your truest form and being happy with it.”

What was formerly “comfortable” underwear – flesh tones, destined to grey out in the wash – has become edgy and sexually charged. “You can find more white cotton than black lace in our collections,” says Heery of labels stocked on Par Femme like Marieyat, which produces cotton basics with an edge of kink in straps and cut-outs. Cotton has grown up. And it’s breathable.

But what about the filmy decadent bras, the 50 Shades suspenders and corsets?

Agent Provocateur’s Sarah Shotton says women have taken back sexy lingerie for its feelgood factor. “Our customers are empowered, modern women who enjoy beautifully made lingerie,” she says. What’s more, those latticed filigree exteriors belie the construction. “The French are at the forefront of construction and innovation,” says Irene Michael, founder of IM Lingerie, which stocks labels like La Perla and Bordelle.

If you look a bit harder, there are brands in the mix for everyone, some re-paving the once-secret sounding intimates into an egalitarian and feminist-friendly space. And isn’t it a great thing that our lingerie can re-shape standards in the fashion industry, quite literally from the inside out?

“IT’S ABOUT SEEING YOURSELF IN YOUR TRUEST FORM”