A little more than a decade ago skimpy thongs were all the rage. In a bid to eliminate the ever dreaded visible pantie line (VPL) women snapped them up in their droves.
But according to the high street the nation's love affair with the G-String has come to an end and big bloomers, that help sculpt the derriere, are now in vogue.
Debenhams has reported that sales of large pants, such as french knickers and boy shorts are up by 47 per cent this year with minimal styles down by 12 per cent.
According to the high street the nation's love affair with the G String (left) has come to an end and larger pants are now the number one seller (right)
Meanwhile Marks & Spencer, which sells more than 61 million knickers a year, states that 'big knickers are front page news'.
It is believed that the trend has been sparked by stars such as Kelly Brook, Christina Hendricks and Scarlett Johansson who are known for fashioning vintage-inspired wares.
Lizzie Singleton, a spokesperson for Debenhams said: 'Women are ditching skimpy smalls and opting for Bridget Jones bloomers and styles with added shapewear are proving to be the most popular.
'Curvier celebrities such as Christina Hendricks are proving to be the new lingerie idols.'
In a bid to capture a growing market Marks & Spencers recently launched Flatter Me TM knickers, which claim to smooth out 'problem' areas and overnight the design became one of its fastest selling pieces.
Tesco, Playtex and Ann Summers are other retailers that have launched special shapewear ranges as a result.
'Sales of our boy shorts are more than double our thong sales. Our boy short is our fastest-selling item, and women have told us guys absolutely love it,' Ali Mejia, creative director and co-founder of lingerie label Eberjey, told Cosmopolitan.
