London’s Best Budget Lingerie Shops

It’s easy to believe that the golden days of high street lingerie shops are well and truly over. With online prices beating everything in store, buying undies has become a lesson in luck. If you’re like us and are fed up of buying bras in every size before sending them all back, try these last bastions of hope in London’s budget lingerie line.

Ann Summers

Ahh, Ann. There’s something about her that you just have to love. Ann Summers has swung up and down on the high street, but still seems to pick herself and stiletto on. Perhaps that’s because the underwear is improving, leaving behind the cheap-looking materials and more-cut-out-than-cloth looks from bygone days. Sure, there’s still the odd dud, but the everyday underwear is comfortable, cool and dare we say it, classier. There’s also far more sex appeal here than anywhere else: apart from lingerie, you can find costumes, crotchless knickers, latex and stockings galore.

Of course the reason the chain became infamous has to do with a different kind of pant. Ann Summers is the sex toy store of the street. Alongside Sex and the City, it revolutionised how women and their partners play, whether alone or together.  If you’d like to pick up something with more bang for your buck, take a peek at our intro to London’s erotic shops.

Stores include Oxford Street, Marble Arch, Wardour Street and Wesfield.

M&S

Sparks has been an underwear staple for an age, which is perhaps part of its problem. It’s kinda hard to get excited when your Nan shops for her sexies in the same aisle. However, with countless numbers of young models and new designers jumping on board, M&S is back in the bra business. Some of their own brand can have fab styles but more matronly coverage, so head for their designer collections if you’re thinking seduction. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s range for Autograph is brilliant.

There are bralets, bandeaus and balconies, silk, lace and simple everyday stuff. The prices won’t break the bank and unlike a lot of cheaper stores, there’ll be matching knickers more often than not.  Of course it helps that the gorgeous Rosie is modelling them all – Sparks just got way sexier.

Stores include Covent Garden, Oxford Street, St James’s Park and Fenchurch Street.

Bravissimo

These guys are the unsung heroes of lingerie shopping. They’re specifically for D cups and above, so miss it out if you don’t fit the bill. Bravissimo is the only place on the high street that cater solely to bigger boobs, and they’re a bargain as well with bras from £20. Their style is similar to M&S, offering sexy sets as well as comfortable t-shirt bras. They also do a brilliant range of bikinis. Bravissimo underwear is like the ultimate partner in life: sexy and supportive all at once.

Stores in Oxford Circus, Covent Garden and Ealing.

TK Maxx

So no one wants to spend their time rooting round the bargain bins of TK Maxx, but at the end of the day we’ve all done it. Why?  Because it really is just too good to miss out on. It’s far better to go in with a plan – know what you’re looking for and head straight for it.

In the case of lingerie, you’re usually in luck with a smaller range to look through. Seek out those in your size but don’t overlook others immediately, as their tags and hangers can sometimes state the wrong size. With names like Wonderbra, Elle Macpherson and Myla to name but few, a visit every so often may prove remarkably fruitful.

Stores in Charing Cross, Covent Garden and Gracechurch Street.

Boux Avenue

Boux is one of the best newcomers to the stage – unsurprising given it’s Theo Paphitis’s brand. Their designs mix youth, quality and affordable prices: a rare gem indeed. There’s plenty to choose from, with pjs, basques, babydolls, suspenders, accessories and DD+ bras, as well as your standard sets.  If wedding bells are ringing soon, they do a great selection of bridal stuff that’s actually wearable with your dress. If that isn’t enough to get you sprinting to their Oxford Street store, they also do a much-needed range of accessories – look no further for emergency tit-tape or nipple pasties.

 

Playful Promises

What started as an ironically promising little shop off Carnaby Street has almost disappeared. You can buy them online of course, but if you’re on foot you’ll now need to find The Revival Retro Boutique near Goodge Street. This award-winning store stocks Playful Promises, which is as fun and flirty as underwear gets. Bold colours, spectacular shapes, modern harnesses and retro cups, they’ve got it all. They have a wide range of prices, so there’s something for every budget, and what you get is worth every penny. A five star fave.

We’re looking forward to seeing this list grow as underwear comes out from online hiding and back into boutiques. In the meantime, try these shops on for size and put the lingering looks back into your lingerie.

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