THE BIGGER THE BETTER -FEELING self-conscious about your fulsome figure? Reluctant to undress in front of your partner? Don’t despair – when it comes to gorgeous lingerie – the bigger the better!

Since time immemorial, the womanly ideal has been ever changing – from Botticelli’s curvaceous lovelies to the voluptuous stars of 1950’s Hollywood and the Amazonian supermodels of the early nineties.



“The flat-chested frame so common on the catwalk, simply doesn’t sell underwear, says lingerie expert Julia Haythorn: “A decade ago the average bust size was 34B to C, now the average is 36D, and around 50 per cent of sales are D-cup bras.”

As the furore surrounding Size Zero catwalk models continues unabated, it is the womanly woman that is becoming a role model for millions of consumers.

Kelly Brook, a curvaceous 34DD, has designed a collection for the New Look chain, while, Caprice a bountiful 32D, is proving she knows everything there is to know about gorgeous underwear with her fabulous lingerie exclusive to Debenhams.

“When it comes to selling lingerie the industry cannot afford to extol the virtues of a prepubescent figure on a grown woman and is now turning to well endowed-women to boost sales, adds Haythorn: “It used to be difficult to find pretty bras above size 34B. But the market is growing, thanks to brands such as Katie Price, whose range goes up to a J cup.”

With Hollywood stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Kate Winslet proving that voluptuous figures and curvaceous frames curves are a desirable asset, a new breed of curvy “cele-bra-ties” are the ones giving the lingerie business, quite literally, a big lift.

Pop Princess, Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud, created a sensation when she became the winter poster girl for Ultimo – following in the footsteps of Rachel Hunter, Penny Lancaster and Helena Christensen.

Sophie Anderton, who enjoyed over night success as a Gossard Girl, is the new body of La Senza. Jade Jagger is promoting – Adore Moi – an everyday range with a “French Boudoir feel’, while sister Lizzie is one of a handful of lovelies helping to sell Pussy Galore, a collection designed by Marissa Montgomery.