When lockdown began a few months ago, as some women adopted sweatpants and worn-in tees as a virtual uniform, others were buying apparel that’s considerably more alluring: lacy push-up bras, slinky thongs and other undergarments that are more characteristically reserved for P.P.E.-free, socially undistanced activities.
On La Perla’s website, for example, sales of the Ambra collection, an assortment of pieces that includes delicate balconette bras and high-cut panties adorned with French Leavers lace, increased 200 percent in the period between April 1 and mid-May compared with the six weeks that preceded it.
Figleaves, the British online lingerie retailer, reports that United States sales of its Pulse collection, which includes ornately detailed low-cut bras and sheer-back Brazilian panties, more than doubled between March and April, and nearly doubled again between April and May.
Between March and the end of May, thong sales on Le Mystère’s website more than doubled compared to the same period last year. (It’s worth nothing that in the lingerie business, sales are usually slow in the weeks after Valentine’s Day.)
More risqué styles proved popular, too. At Journelle, a lingerie merchant that, until recently, had been selling solely online after its boutiques closed on March 17, purchases of its Natalia Ouvert style, a skimpy bikini with a large open section that leaves little of the wearer’s derrière to the imagination, were up nearly 50 percent in April and May over the two preceding months. The terms “ouvert” and “crotchless” are now among the Top 10 search terms on its website.
On the Kiki de Montparnasse website, sales from March 22 to May 27 of several options of panties and bras with exposed areas topped the sales of those styles for all of last year, according to a representative for the brand. Fleur du Mal, which designs and sells lingerie that’s both luxurious and suggestive, quickly sold out of four styles of its crotchless panties online after its New York City boutique closed on March 15.
“Anything that’s on that racier, sexier side — our strappy bondage styles, our open bra styles, garter belts — is moving,” said Jennifer Zuccarini, the Fleur du Mal founder.
Guido Campello, the co-chief executive of Journelle, offered an explanation, suggesting that for some couples, confinement may be encouraging intimacy that is outside of typical comfort zones. “They’ve gotten to know each other and gotten a lot closer, and they’ve gotten more creative,” he said.
Jenni Burt, who heads Figleaves, likes to think of lingerie as the new “occasion-wear.” The emotional boost it provides, she said, is different from what comes with picking up a T-shirt bra or multipack of utilitarian briefs.
“It’s all about making you feel great from the inside out,” Ms. Burt said.
Or as Pascal Perrier, the chief executive of La Perla, put it: “What else can you do from home actually? Do you buy a Gucci handbag? No, because you have plenty already, and you don’t go out. You buy food — OK, that box is ticked. ‘How about myself? What can I buy for myself that I’m going to enjoy?’”
That enjoyment can come at a steep price: Many of La Perla’s bras are around $400, and Fleur du Mal’s “cheeky” lace underpants, with an especially high-cut back, are just under $100. But then, alluring lingerie is available at many price points, including at mass retailers like Walmart and Target.
Overall, sales of lace bras increased 37 percent between the first half of April and the second, according to NPD Group, the market research company.
-
Updated June 24, 2020
-
Is it harder to exercise while wearing a mask?
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
-
I’ve heard about a treatment called dexamethasone. Does it work?
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
-
What is pandemic paid leave?
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
-
Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
-
What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
-
How does blood type influence coronavirus?
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
-
How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
-
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
-
How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
-
What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
“What I think is really happening is that sexy lingerie is self-care,” said Todd Mick, NPD’s innerwear analyst. And, Mr. Mick noted, shopping online is conducive to the sale of racier pieces.
“You can purchase sexy stuff in the privacy of your home,” he said. That, he said, is also driving sales.
For those who are social distancing alone, buying seductive lingerie is more of an empowering indulgence than an amorous accessory. Take, for instance, Tracy Henry, 46, a health care executive who has been alone in her Weehawken, N.J., apartment since mid-March, working remotely. She recently bought several ultrafeminine items from the Journelle website, including a sheer mesh and lace underwire bodysuit that she wears during Zoom calls, tucked discreetly underneath a blazer and jeans.
“The thing of it is, irrespective of our circumstances and the quarantine situation, I think it’s really so important to celebrate you,” Ms. Henry said.
“A part of that celebration is wearing that,” she added, referring to enticing underwear. “It makes me happy.”
