Recession ignites passion for saucy undies

Sexy lingerie sales rising along with unemployment levels

Push-up bras, fishnet stockings, suspenders and basques are all being snapped up at a record rate according to a leading department store.

Sales of fishnets are up 83%, suspenders by 50% and basques by 45%. Garters are up by 71% and cleavage-boosting bras by 61%, leading to speculation that rising unemployment rates have led thousands of British couples to rediscover the benefits of nights in, says the department store Debenhams. ‘Losing a job is never good news,’ Annette Warburton, the store's head of lingerie buying, told the Telegraph, ‘But our lingerie sales suggest that many people are using the opportunity to become fully employed at home.'

The peak season for sales of sexy underwear has traditionally been Christmas with men choosing risque items for their partners, which they may not have bought for themselves.

This year, however, Debenhams' figures show that sales continued at the same level as the Christmas peak, rising in January and February and continuing through to May. Initial figures for June suggest that the upward trend is continuing.

'Romance can often be the last thing on a couple's mind at the end of a long working day, but one of the few benefits of a recession is that it gives people the chance to come closer together again,' Miss Warburton added.

'Everyone is spending more time at home, and so all forms of home entertainment are more popular than ever before.'

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