Whether it be worldwide obesity, seniors craving to be juniors or the return of form-fitting frocks, nip-and-tuck lingerie is on the up and up, fixing insides to look good outside.
From stick-on silicone bras that lift or add cleavage or size, to bottom-boosting foam pads or bulge-removing panties, new-age body parts and corsets are carving out a sizeable share on the lingerie front long after granny discarded her boned corsets.
"Shapewear," also known as slimming or control wear, dates back about a decade to when hi-tech circular knitting machines began producing seam-free garments from stretch yarns that can squeeze flat the flab and flesh building in unwanted places.
Increasingly popular with couture-clad red-carpet celebs, one brand of underwear, claiming to be "as recommended by Gwyneth Paltrow," put it this way on the Internet when describing its high-waisted shapewear underpants: "These are the closest you are going to get to a washboard stomach and toned bottom without spending hours at the gym."
Some lingerie experts say growing shapewear sales result from fashion trends. "The return of skin-hugging dresses and use of knits that stick to the skin make slimming lingerie a must," said Virginie Gondoui of Paris' yearly Salon de la Lingerie, the world's biggest underwear get-together.
But technological know-how has been just as vital in developing glam.
One pioneer, US firm The Body Wrap, launched into the lingerie business almost by chance nine years ago while trying to produce a tight-fitting girdle to put inside swimsuits for a Betty Boop or Jennifer Lopez look on the beach.
"It never worked inside a swimsuit," said managing director Scott Smith, "but when I began showing the seamless garment to people, everybody loved it, I signed up dozens of new accounts. We designed a bra and pants, bought more circular knitting machines, and it worked."
The firm sells a million bits of fitting underwear in spandex and nylon to more than 50 countries a year, he said, including XXXXXXXL sizes to obesity-plagued America. Slimmer Europe only sells up to five - not seven - Xs, he added.
"It's washable and will last four to five years," he said. "Shapewear doesn't slim you, but it does make you feel as if you're toned."
British-based Plie Brazilian Shapewear, which started up in Europe a couple of years ago after establishing in warm-weather Brazil, says its high-tech Lycra stretch garments come with a moisture-management system that draws perspiration away as it evaporates.
Bulge-compressing nylon and elastathane are knitted in "for power panels for more density to combat saddle-bags, and problem areas like tummies and hips, as well as for back support," said sales director John Pearce.
"A lot of shapewear has this double benefit," he said. "It's tighter, keeps you vertical, straight and can reduce headaches."
While the trend the world over is for spicy ultra-feminine lingerie, shapewear generally is far from titillating.
Often flesh-colored or in plain black or white, fitting underpants can stretch high above the waist or right down the thighs like a body-suit fashioned for a cycling pro - not the ideal undies for a romantic date.
"You need to sex it up," said Smith, who says only 18 percent of his sales are for the obese, and that after targeting the 40-somethings he hopes to hit 20 to 30-year-olds by weaving shiny Lurex and metallic yarns in his products.
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