As Valentine’s Day approaches, lingerie items are in demand, starting with the corset. – Shutterstock pic
LONDON, Feb 11 – It’s hard to imagine anything more cliched, but lingerie still seems to be the ultimate weapon of seduction as Valentine’s Day approaches. Sheer pantyhose and lace bodysuits are still being snapped up like hotcakes ahead of the big day, but these two must-haves are being upstaged by a piece that’s proving all the rage: the corset.
Ah, Valentine’s Day! Chocolates in the shape of cute little hearts, bunches of flowers you don’t know what to do with, and the inevitable sexy lingerie. V Day is certainly not a time to hold back. And despite the pandemic, February 14 remains a must for those who want to shout their love from the rooftops – or whisper it into their sweetheart’s ear, which is already good enough. Admit it, even those of you who cry foul of this commercial holiday – yes, we see you – wouldn’t say no to a new piece of lingerie to slip into your top drawer.
Over the decades, lingerie has become the go-to gift to seduce the object of your desire. A cliche, you say? So what? If everyone’s happy, then where’s the harm? As a result, less than a week before the big day, men and women are rushing to buy all kinds of lingerie creations – or almost. The global fashion search engine Stylight* reports a 161 per cent increase in searches for the lingerie category during the first week of February.
A far cry from the traditional bra and panties, lingerie is taking a more sensual and sexy turn for Valentine’s Day. In addition to sheer black pantyhose – a timeless item in women’s wardrobes, with demand up significantly in the run-up to Valentine’s Day (+155 per cent) – lace bodysuits seem to be highly popular again this year (+171 per cent), although they’re outstripped by one other particular item.
The unexpected return of the corset
The significant influence of TV shows on fashion has restored the image of the corset – a piece that was thought to be dead and buried. For a long time considered – and rightly so – as a restricting, even suffocating item, clearly preventing women from moving freely, the corset now even appears to have become a symbol of their emancipation, cast in a new light as an accessory for play, and even domination.
Since its great comeback – which we owe, more precisely, to the series Bridgerton, a true ode to the fashions of the 19th century – the corset hasn’t shied from the limelight. Not content with re-entering women’s day-to-day lives, the corset is now making its way back into their wedding dress styles. Quite the feat for a piece whose disappearance was once akin to a liberation.
Nevertheless, the corset is still gaining popularity as the big day approaches. Searches for this lingerie item jumped by 381 per cent in the first week of February. And to accessorise it, what could be better than a pearl necklace, adding a touch of chic to a sexy getup as an accessory that’s on the rise this Valentine’s Day (+60 per cent). – ETX Studio
* Data reported by Stylight is based on analysis of the shopping behaviour of its 160 million annual shoppers for the period January 25-31, 2022 versus February 1-7, 2022.