Brief encounters

The days are grey, the nights are long and for the next few months you'll probably be swaddled in layers of comfy, shapeless woollens. As winter draws in, it might be tempting to cocoon yourself in thermal long johns but no self-respecting woman should let her standards slip in the knicker department - unless Pauline Fowler happens to be your style icon and Ann Widdecombe your chaste moral guide.

A pair of Coco de Mer's crotchless silk panties are not ideal to avoid a winter chill, but that doesn't mean that big comfy pants should lurk underneath your fashionable exterior. A pair of saucy smalls will make you feel glamorous whether you're wearing a ball-breaking trouser suit or nothing but a smile.

Our Continental sisters have known it for years, but it appears that, finally, British women have realised that lingerie is not simply a posh word for a pair of greying hiphuggers that came in a five-pack.

It's not entirely our fault, of course. Until fairly recently the only choice was sensible Marks & Spencer and, for those a little more adventurous, a furtive trip to Ann Summers for a pair of polyester panties with scratchy lacy bits.

"When we started eight years ago we set out to change people's attitudes to lingerie," says Serena Rees, the cofounder of Agent Provocateur, the lingerie boutique that was the first to bring sexy lingerie out of the closet.

"Women had very little choice and we wanted to give them something sexy, luxurious and well-made. In the past five years every fashion house has got a sexy lingerie line and British women are so much more aware of their underwear now. When I first started going to the gym, the underwear I saw in the changing rooms was hideous. Now when I go, I see more and more colourful, sexy lingerie. That shows we've achieved what we set out to."

Forget granny pants, when you visit Marks & Spencer's lingerie department today you can choose from the sexy Salon Rose range, designed by Agent Provocateur, or the Australian designer Collette Dinnigan's pretty, feminine Wild Hearts line. Thanks to the uplift, the high-street store's profits have jumped 30 per cent.

Some of the most luxurious lingerie can be found in sex shops, but where they used to be places with neon signs and plastic fly curtains, they're now glamorous emporia, such as Coco de Mer in Covent Garden and Myla in Notting Hill, where you're more likely to bump into Kate Moss or Victoria Beckham than a seedy-looking man in a dirty raincoat. A pair of kinky knickers might make you feel like a wanton sex goddess, but it's no good if they're ruining the line of your outfit. Once, the only way to avoid VPL was to wear a thong or to do a "Sharon Stone".

Luckily, since both are deeply uncomfortable, there are some alternatives (although, if you're determined not to give up on the G-string, Hanro's nude, seamless thongs are the best).

Pants are becoming so skimpy that they are virtually invisible under even the tightest pencil skirt. Choose a pair with bow-tie sides so you can adjust the snugness (although Damaris's ribbon-tie pants are so pretty you'll want to show them off), or a gossamer-thin, lacy pair that won't be too visible under clothes.

Remember, with the Christmas party season fast approaching, Bridget Jones-style tummy huggers might improve your little black dress, but will do nothing for your love life.