I’ve been debating merits of underwear (don’t ask because you won’t be answered!) and it seems that there is a big divide between those who wear boring cotton panties and plain t-shirt bras, and those who don’t. I always find it as odd the number of women who seem almost scared of actually owning and wearing nice underwear. It’s one of those things that women get an advantage ovger men in: our underwear can be just so much better.

I find the plain underwear brigade quite strange. Especially when they complain about having boring underwear (bear with me – these conversations do exist on other parts of the internet!). So why don’t they just go out and buy some better stuff? I’ve seen the relevent shops in the high street. Heck, I’ve even shopped in them.

When I was little my Mother always used to try and inspire me with confidence about leaving the house by calling out: “Have you got decent underwear on? You never know when you’re going to be run over by a bus.” How inspiring. That really makes me want to leave the house. Do I care what my underwear looks like if I’ve just been squashed by a bus? And if I have been squashed, is my underwear really going to still look so good regardless of what it looked like before?

Still, it made me make an effort, such was the impressionability of the early version of me. Ever since my teens, I’ve always owned matching sets, and woe betide me ever wearing non-matching underwear. You’re allowed to admit you like lacey and complicated underwear if you’re a woman? I thought that was the deal? So over time I grew to like three part sets a lot, along with basques and French knicker/camisole sets. I wear them because if you are going to wear underwear you might as well make an effort and have fun over it. Even though pretty much most of the time no-one ever sees it, it still makes me feel better to know that I’m wearing the sexiest and nicest smalls within two hundred feet.

It still amazes me when other women just don’t know how to make an effort. It isn’t hard: start in Contessa and work your way from there.