Knickerbocker Thursday: Last minute male shoppers search for perfect indies

Knickerbocker Thursday: Last minute males search for perfect undies for their partner (but women think they get it all wrong)
With only three shopping days to go until Christmas, you would have thought that people would have ticked most of the items off their “to buy” list by now.
But the fear of not having anything to put under the Christmas tree is only just catching up with some of us… and the shops are guaranteed to be busy right up until the last minute.
With Thursday”s traditionally the night that shops are open late into the evening, workers will be descending upon store in their droves – and a lot will be stocking up on underwear that is unlikely to be worn.

What women want: Eighty-five per cent of women said they like their lingerie to be stylish and sophisticated, but still sexy to unwrap

The last Thursday before Christmas is apparently the biggest shopping day for lingerie of the year.
‘Knickerbocker Thursday’ sees last minute male shoppers descend on stores en-masse in search of the perfect undies for their partner.
Ironically, 64 per cent of women questioned said that their partner got it completely wrong.
The Debenhams survey found that more than three-quarters of women (77 per cent) admitted that it would be a happy Christmas for their partner if they unwrapped a gorgeous set of lingerie on Christmas morning.
Almost all men (91 per cent) said they would opt for something saucy, lacy and a little bit racy when choosing a gift for their partner.
In contrast, 85 per cent of women said they’d prefer something stylish, sophisticated, but still sexy to unwrap.

What men buy: Almost all men (91 per cent) said they would opt for something saucy, lacy and a little bit racy when choosing a gift for their partner

Debenhams spokesperson Michelle Dowdall commented: “For many men, Christmas is an annual excuse to eat and drinkto excess, watch reruns of classic TV in between food comas, and get the woman in their life some saucy underwear.
“Most men head off into stores with the best of intentions, yet when faced with satin, lace, frills and bows, panic and buy the first thing they see, without giving a thought to what the woman in their life would actually like.”
Women showed a preference for styles such as balconette, plunge, long-line and discreetly padded bras and liked to pair these with French or midi-style briefs.
A carefully selected, stylish stocking or hold-up was also on their Christmas wish list.

Baffling: Men often fall at the final hurdle, once theyve taken time and effort to pick something that would suit and flatter their partner, they get the wrong size

Men on the other hand, chose items such as basques, corsets, suspenders and push-up bras, teamed with thongs or bikini briefs.
They also opted for fussier styles of lingerie incorporating lace, frills, mesh, zip and bow fastenings and stockings and suspenders.
In terms of colour, men chose traditional vampy red styles and variants of this in hot purple and electric blue.
Women opted for pretty, feminine neutral shades and stylish items in black – this was the one area where their wishes overlapped with what men want to buy.
Spokesperson Michelle Dowdall added: “It is interesting to see that the only area of common ground women and men have in their preference for lingerie gifting is the colour black.
“Men shouldn’t be afraid to ask staff for help when choosing their gift, and also for help with the sizing if they are struggling. The staff in our lingerie department are used to solving these kinds of problems on an hourly basis at this time of year!
“Men often fall down at the final hurdle, and once they’ve taken time and effort to pick something that would suit and flatter their partner, they make the biggest mistake a man can make and get the wrong size.”