Women spend more on innerwear than men – Debenhams survey

The average woman’s knicker drawer holds a jaw dropping £836 worth of lingerie, whereas, the price of a man’s underwear drawer is a cheaper £274 research released from Debenhams reveals.

Women own an average of 42 pairs of knickers – a whopping 31 of these are ‘special’ knickers versus 11 pairs of ‘everyday’ undies. Men on the other hand have a measly three pairs of ‘posh pants’ and 10 casual pairs in their underwear drawer.

For women, fancy French knickers, risqué thongs and pants adorned in lace are amongst the most popular styles in the posh pants category, with a black lacy designer thong topping the luxury list. But its designer labels that make up the majority of their pants collection.

Whereas, all men really need is well-fitting, designer trunks to channel the David Beckham prince- in- pants look. Interestingly, sales stats reveal that this gap is growing. It’s no longer men that lead the way in ‘posh pants’, with designer knickers taking up over half of ladies lingerie drawers.

Lingerie Designer at Debenhams, Aliza Reger comments: “As well as making you feel dressed to impress in the boudoir; wearing a set of designer lingerie can make you feel more confident in your everyday life. They can be your secret weapon for a job interview and are an absolute must for a date night.”

Surprisingly, while men’s top ‘pant priority’ is to look good, women’s is to feel good. A huge 92% of women asked, said they feel sexier and more confident when wearing a matching set of lingerie with a designer tag.

Despite the small selection in their drawers, 76% of men asked said they feel more secure with the ladies when they are wearing a decent pair of fitted trunks, such as Calvin Kleins, and will always wear them on a first date and to the office Christmas party.

Comments Sharon Webb, Head of Debenhams Lingerie Buying and Design: “Gone are the boy band days of showing your designer boxer shorts above your jeans, it’s now women who have designer labels bursting out of their drawers.”

Valentine’s Day, the most romantic night of the year will be here in just two weeks. This is the night when men and women around the globe will be selecting their sexy or lucky underwear, so that if they do find their perfect Valentine they can impress with their designer taste when wearing less.

Continues Webb: “Last year our sales suggested that men were saying pants to flowers and instead giving their girlfriends sexy designer knickers for Valentine’s Day.

“Men are more confident now about buying their partner sexy lingerie as a nice gift. It’s not as romantic on the other hand if women buy men a pack of boxer shorts.”

Until the end of the 18th century, it’s said that the majority of women went knickerless.

Drawers were originally worn only by men but, thanks to fashion, women began to wear underwear in similar styles as men’s undergarments.

After the 1850s, lingerie became more decorative and the Victorians encouraged more luxurious underwear using nicer materials such as silk. Nowadays, men and womens lingerie drawers are full of designer pants and are thankfully part of everyday wear.

Debenhams