“The New Going Out” – What Does this Fad have to Do with Lingerie?

I was watching an interview last night with two house decorators on holiday entertaining and sprucing up the décor for receiving guests. When asked about staying in this season, one of the designers indicated that staying home was “the new going out”. Basically, hostesses would spend more money on revamps rather than dining out for example. I then remembered that not long ago I read a lingerie related article using the same phrase. Apparently, in these tough economic times, the expression has become a catch phrase. In order to save money, “the new going out” actually means staying home and finding less expensive things to do.

And surprisingly home decorating is not the only area seeing an increase in sales. According to froggybank, an online rewards and cash back site, lingerie sales in the UK have increased by at least two percent in the last few months. Regardless of the poor economy, intimate garments are holding their own and exceeding previous sales numbers. To determine this trend, the company researched spending habits of half a million of their members for the period July to September 2008.

In a way, it is not surprising at all that lingerie would continue to sell. Aside from the thought that staying in with one’s partner would stimulate sales, women need undergarments regardless of the economy. And as other purchases may dwindle due to lowering budgets, women might feel that spending money on their appearance holds greater importance providing more emotional uplifting than buying a new vacuum cleaner for instance. If money is tight or job uncertainty increases, then lingerie has a higher priority than household items.

Plus, now that the holiday season has arrived and all the stores are decking the halls, lingerie will play a larger role in retail sales. With your friends staying in and inviting guests over, why not spruce up an old outfit with some new lingerie to give the look some real pizzazz!