I’ve given a lot of thought to knickers recently. Well why wouldn’t I? They are the most necessary part of my wardrobe, the thing I wear every single day, the most ‘on repeat’ piece of clothing I own. In themselves, they represent a lifetime of change. Like the seven ages of man, my knickers are a reflection of the life I’m leading and the one I have led. From the staple M&S multi-pack that I wore in my teens (don’t worry, I don’t still have them) to the first time I owned a pair of gossamer-fine lace and silk La Perla ones in my early twenties, bought for me by a boyfriend from a swanky shop in Paris (I was living there at the time; I didn’t go just to buy knickers): I thought I was the most sophisticated woman in the world.
Marriage and children knocked the wind out of that sail (or pair of sails) - I remember clinging to the enormous perforated paper knickers that were issued to me in the hospital after the birth of my children and stealing as many as I could to bring home with me. Somehow they made me feel ‘safe’.
The rest of my thirties were, as far as I remember, spent in Spanx - those support knickers that look like cycling shorts and were championed by the TV fashion oracles of the day, Trinny and Susannah. I think half of Britain must have suffered from circulation problems – not to mention marriage problems - due to wearing those eye-wateringly uncomfortable monstrosities. My husband did a nifty impersonation of me hopping desperately from leg to leg trying to hoick them up. In my mid-forties I found a style I liked, Cosabella’s Never Say Never Hottie stretch-lace briefs. At £30 they are well-made, flat-fronted, wide enough to sit flat on my hips without cutting into me and creating knicker lines, not too low and although not totally covering the bottom, certainly not a chafing g-string.
More recently, as I become more aware of the importance of sustainability in my clothes and as brands like Victoria’s Secret and Agent Provocateur start to seem (to say the least) out of step with the mood of the times, I try to think before I purchase. Plus, although received wisdom dictates that you can keep knickers until they fall apart, you should really buy new knickers every year – which means the eco-conscious approach makes even more sense.
Now I look to more simple styles, and organic cottons. H&M has great cotton hipster briefs in their sustainable Conscious collection: a pack of 7 hipster briefs at £12.99 does me just fine, as do the ultra-lightweight Arket cotton hot pants, which are organic, the cotton having been harvested from non-genetically modified plants. I like having this kind of information and l also like that they are insanely comfy. I love the look and comfortable feel of the high-rise cotton briefs by Uniqlo and Les Girls Les Boys, which remind me of the sporty, tomboyish look made famous by Calvin Klein in the early 90’s, when Kate Moss was shot straddling a hard-bodied Marky Mark in the now-iconic 1992 campaign.
It’s a funny thing when the idea of a pair of simple, breathable cotton knickers seems more relevant, practical, stylish and - let’s face it - healthier than all that lacy lingerie.
And speaking of feeling fresh and healthy, take a tip from my friend Daisy who knows everything: always have a little drawstring pouch in your bag with a clean pair of knickers in it. You should change into them at the end of the day if you go out straight from work. And finally, don’t wait for them to shred before you get rid of them. Your knicker drawer shouldn’t be a history lesson – it should be a window into your current world.
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