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Not only is M&S the master of viral food campaigns, excellent £40 jeans and the official arbiter of the nation’s favourite dinner, aka “picky bits”. It’s slowly but surely become the UK market leader in, err, knickers.
With 100 years of lingerie expertise in its locker, 1 in 3 women now buy their pants from M&S. And a bra is sold in its hallowed halls every two seconds.
Its longstanding Rosie for Autograph collection, designed in collaboration with, and fronted by, the supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, launched in September 2012 and became the fastest-selling underwear range in the store’s history.
They know a thing or two about knicks. As Charlotte Davies, Director of Lingerie at M&S, puts it; ‘lingerie is in our DNA.’
It’s no surprise then, that this high street behemoth has chosen to launch BODY: 300 meticulously designed, seamless, smoothing pieces that are modern, easy-to-navigate and engineered to actually work with, not against, your body – and its next sure fire customer hit for solution-led dressing.
See the ‘invisible’ demi bra with a smoothing foundation that feels like wearing nothing (£18, marksandspencer.com). Or a lace bodysuit with subtle sculpting and a gusset so soft you can sit in it all day (£22, marksandspencer.com).
There’s even a £35 Sculpt Body with extractable bum pads which are completely customisable for when you want to add extra volume to your silhouette. Mum-bum? No more!
And if you thought that wasn’t enough, it’s all machine washable – you can whack it all in on a hot 40. Job done.
‘BODY brings together stylish silhouettes, immaculate fabrics and innovative features. Every detail is considered, every finish is precise and every fit is flawless,’ Davie says. But most importantly this underwear is centred on all-day-long comfort.
The collection’s tagline, ‘underwear should be on the body, not on the mind’ is quite a striking one. Just reading it made me think about the underwire jutting into my ribs. I bet you’re thinking about yours now, too.
So I put BODY to the test. The Body Invisibles thong promises to rid you of the dreaded VPL risk (£14 for 3, marksandspencer.com). I’m a Fashion Editor – I can’t be caught with my knickers on show.
With the sudden sunshine, I thought I would trial a black pair under a satin pencil skirt. And these knickers did exactly what it says on the tin. The thong disappeared under the fabric altogether. No digging in and no rolling, it’s silky smooth and doesn’t ride up where it shouldn’t. And it’s a fair bit cheaper than the smoothing, sculpting pair I already own from the Kardashian brand…
Then I did a day in the t-shirt bodysuit – although without the extra padding. I can only describe the feeling as barely-there. It was snug yet comfy. And annoyingly, my clothes looked much better with it on underneath.
And then I trialled the demi-bra under by favourite white t-shirt. It had that ‘invisible’ quality again. No unwanted back rolls visible. No bunching across my ribs. Yet my chest stayed present and correct all day. And I didn’t feel the need to rip it off as soon as I got home from work.
So there you have it. M&S has gone and done it again. Mine and your knicker drawers are about to get a whole lot fuller.
