The quest for the perfect figure is causing droves of British women to resort to wearing the throwback girdle.

Masquerading under the title “shapewear“, the girdle is the latest must-have for those seeking a svelte waistline without dieting.

A-listers, including Kylie Minogue, Gwyneth Paltrow and Billie Piper, are believed to be fans of the restrictive underwear worn by women from 1910 to the 1960s.

Britain has picked up the trend from the US, where shapewear is a fast-growing industry worth £350 million.

Firms here have been quick to jump on the bandwagon with annual sales now topping £135 million – set to rise as demand grows. The cosmetic company Avon sold 31,000 control briefs in just seven weeks, while M&S shifted five pairs every minute between April and June – equating to 7,670 a day.

John Lewis, set to launch its own-brand version in time for Christmas, has seen sales rocket by 75 per cent since 2005.

The nipped-in waist which girdles created – known as a wasp waist – become integral to the modest, polished 1947 New Look created by the couturier Christian Dior.

The girdle was ditched in favour of tights in the 1960s.

But its ability to reduce the waist by up to two dress sizes has seen it return.

Even celebrities with figures the average women would envy appear to be using girdles to help them improve an already eye-popping outfit.

Kylie Minogue apparently donned a bit of extra support under her figure-hugging black dress at the Q Awards last month. Accepting her Q Idol award, she said: “I would like to thank those of you who continue to support me – including my dress!”

Denise Fraser, a buyer for the website Figleaves.com, said: “In the past, shapewear was something that your mother wore.

“But now there is no longer that barrier.”
- Source: Joanna Corrigan, The Telegraph, Nov. 5, 2007