Men turn 50 shades of red in the lingerie department

Men trying to emulate Christian Grey are attempting to take control of their partner’s underwear purchases, but are turning 50 shades of red once they get to the lingerie department, says Debenhams.

Unlike the male protagonist in the hit erotic novel by E.L.James, few men have an assistant they can send out to buy saucy smalls for their partners, instead real life Romeos are hitting high street department stores themselves and buying underwear for their partners.

Men are investing in items traditionally reserved for Christmas gifts, lacy bra and knicker sets in red, black and purple, are up 63% – they haven’t quite grasped that Christian preferred pale blue! While babydoll nighties have seen a 105% increase in sales over the last month.

Debenhams Head of Lingerie, Sharon Webb said: “We’ve seen a huge increase in male customers visiting our lingerie departments, over the last fortnight. Usually we never see so many men until the week before Christmas when there is a mad rush. They’ve been spotted nervously loitering, their faces 50 shades of red as they try to find the perfect gift for their other halves.”

Although these embarrassed husbands and boyfriends have taken the first steps into the underwear section they end up baffled and confused when confronted with the vast array of styles and sizes on offer.

“Fortunately our staff are well versed at discreetly coming to the rescue of red-faced Romeos struggling with the huge range of lingerie available in store,” continues Webb.

“Since the 50 shades phenomenon men are purchasing more daring pieces. Traditional knicker sales have been surprisingly low, but we have seen a big increase in sales of babydoll negligees, silky underwear sets, thongs, stockings and suspenders.”