Half of women would wear their lingerie as outerwear, according to a new survey by Bluebella. The lingerie brand found that 52% of women would go out wearing a bra or body as a top, copying the trend made popular by celebrities, and the figure rises to almost two-thirds of women (62%) if they can partly cover up the lingerie by wearing a jacket or an open shirt.
The results come in a survey of 1,000 women aged 18-35, which also found that only quarter of women (24%) felt that lingerie should always be worn as an undergarment and should not be seen as part of an outfit. Three-quarters of women (74%) said they had liked pictures of stars wearing lingerie as outerwear in the media and the most popular lingerie garment to wear as outerwear was a body, chosen by 47% of those who said yes, followed by a bra (37%), and a basque (16%).
Of the 52% who would go out in a bra or body, the most popular reasons were: it feels sexy (64% of respondents), I have seen stars do it and like it (37%), some lingerie is too beautiful to hide under clothes (29%), I like to make bold fashion statements (23%), if you’ve got it, flaunt it – I am proud of my figure and like to show it off (16%). Of the 48% who would not wear lingerie as their main outfit, the main reason was that it would be too revealing (62% of respondents), fear of wardrobe malfunction (47%), too cold (38%), might bring unwanted attention (24%), might embarrass my friends (19%).
Bluebella chief executive Emily Bendell said: “It is a sign of growing female body confidence that more than half of women under 35 would be prepared to go out with a bra or body as their main top. Increasing numbers of women are realising that the most beautiful lingerie is too sexy to be kept hidden under their outfit and is best worn in full view. The trend has really taken off at the summer music festivals like Coachella in the States where women have found it liberating to wear the lightest lingerie as they enjoy watching their favourite stars perform.”
