UK sexy lingerie dresses sales of lingerie and sex toys hold up despite the downturn

Agent Provocateur saw pre-tax profits sexy lingerie dresses more than double from £1.7m to £3.8m in the year to March 2013. Photograph: Alicia Canter for the ObserverBusinessUK sales of lingerie and sex toys hold up despite the downturnLovehoney's profits treble in the year to March 2013 while Agent Provocateur sees pre-tax profits more than double

There may be an economic downturn, but shoppers are still finding cash to spend on a quiet night in, with sexy lingerie dresses company Agent Provocateur and sex toy firm Lovehoney both seeing sales and profits boom last year.

Lovehoney profits trebled in the year to 31 March 2013, boosted by its exclusive licence to sell Fifty Shades of Grey merchandise.

The company recorded profits of £2.25m as turnover increased 51% to £23.6m over the year amid strong sales at its web sexy lingerie dresses stores in the UK and abroad and the introduction of its sex toys, including its retro-inspired Swoon range, to mainstream retailer Boots.

Lovehoney enjoyed a 45% surge in sales over Christmas, marking the busiest month in its 11-year history.

Co-founder Neal Slateford said: "As the switch from the high street to online gathers pace, we have been very effective in becoming the leading online destination for sexual happiness shoppers."

Meanwhile, sexy lingerie dresses retailer Agent Provocateur, which has boutiques from London to Hong Kong, Berlin and San Francisco, saw pre-tax profits more than double from £1.7m to £3.8m in the year to March 2013, according to accounts filed this week at Companies House. Sales rose 24.5% to £39m.

FNM Exclusive: Victoria's Secret sexy lingerie dresses Model Gracie Carvalho Names Her Most Embarrassing Lingerie Malfunction

Gracie Carvalho isn't walking in this year's sexy lingerie dresses Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but she'll definitely be watching.

The Brazilian bombshell, herself a two-time alumnus of sexy lingerie dresses the annual event, tells FNM that she's just as interested in watching those Angels as the next guy — and she's got an eye for two of them, in particular.

I've always been a huge fan of Alessandra Ambrosio, sexy lingerie dresses says Carvalho of the long-time Angel. That face, you know? The cat eyes? … She looks, like, always fresh.

And also, I'm a big fan of Candice sexy lingerie dresses Swanepoel, she adds. Love that girl. So sweet. So wild and sexy.

Unfortunately for Carvalho, new mom Candice Swanepoel sexy lingerie dresses is also sitting this one out. But if it's any consolation, her home country of Brazil is still repping hard, with at least nine models (including Ambrosio) strutting their stuff at this year's show.

That sexy lingerie dresses was like my dream job, Carvalo remembers of getting the gig with Victoria's Secret. Once they put me in the show, gosh, that was, like, the biggest thing in my life!

On the other hand, one thing Carvalho won't miss about the live lingerie show is the constant anxiety over a possible wardrobe malfunction. And yes, that's because it's happened to her. (But luckily not on live TV.)

I was shooting this lingerie line, recalls Carvalho. Normally, when you're shooting lingerie, they tell you you have to take off your [thong], so you don't get lines … So I was wearing this bodysuit, a one-piece, and … like everybody is watching me … and the piece just opened, and then I was like, totally naked!

Watch the rest of Carvalho's interview above to learn more about her early sexy lingerie dresses career, then take a look at some of her latest campaigns, selfies and modeling gigs below:

Real Housewives of New York star Lu Ann de Lessepshas been at the fore front of sexy lingerie dresses fashion for a long time, so it's no surprise that she finally got around to designing her very own line. Learn more about her new Countess Collection in the video above, complete with LuAnn's tips for finding the perfect pair of jeans.

It was announced on Tuesday that The X-Files is coming back to televisionfor a six-episode event, complete with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in their original roles. So get ready for six more hours of Mulder and Sculleralmostjumping into bed together, only to get interrupted by aliens or something.

Tom Hanks and new Late Late Show sexy lingerie dresses host James Corden hastilyre-enacted Hanks' entire film careeron Monday's episode (below), revisiting such classics as Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan, among others. And since it was just afilmretrospective, they conveniently glossed over Bosom Buddies, which everyone knows as Hanks' finest work.

Hanks was also present at a Tuesday evening Rangers game in NYC, where fellow attendee Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted giving him the crook-eye from a nearby seat (below). It's unknown whether she took offense sexy lingerie dresses to something he was saying, or was merely furrowing her brow and thinking, Hey … Isn't that the guy from 'Bosom Buddies'?

After the lyrics of the Taylor Swift song Fifteen were misquoted in an SAT prep book, Taylor Swift responded on Tumblr with the correct sexy lingerie dresses lyrics before jokingly admonishing the publisher with the words, You had one job, test people. One job. In related news, today's SATs are unfairly biased toward Taylor Swift fans.

In even more related news, Taylor Swift has reportedly licensed her songs for streaming purposeson TIDAL,a music service owned by Jay Z. (Swift famously pulled her music from Spotify late last year.) Users can now pay $19.99 per month to stream most of Swift's catalog, or, you know, they couldnotand just wait for her songs to come on the radio, which theyinevitably will.

Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret sexy lingerie dresses model Lily Aldridge is the subject of Maxim magazine's April issue,where she makes her case for their annual Hot 100 list. Below, she presents Exhibits A and B for consideration, which are — of course — her winning smile and perfect hair.

Universal Studios is unveiling a new ride based on the Fast Furious movies, which will reportedly simulate the feeling of traveling at 120 miles per hour in a multi-passenger tram. Fans of the films might recognize that sexy lingerie dresses scenario as never happening in the movies, so hopefully Universal will at least recreate the feeling of having Vin Diesel's hot growly breath on the back of your neck while it's happening.

Unbeknownst to the public until Tuesday, Mad Men actor Jon Hamm has reportedlycompleted a 30-day stay at a Connecticut rehab facilityto treat alcohol abuse. And all this time, we thought he was just acting like a drunk sociopath on Mad Men ! 

As they do every year, the National Recording Registry has selected25 culturally relevant recordingsto be preserved within the Library of Congress, including whole albums from The Doors, Radiohead and Sly and the Family Stone, but onlyone songfrom The Righteous Brothers. So go ahead and throw away all your other Righteous Brothers albums. They've officially been deemed as crap.

Captain America actor Chris Evans and Mortal Instruments actress Lily Collins were photographed leavinga romantic dinner datein Los Angeles over the weekend, marking the first appearance as a couple after a month of dating. We imagine it took so long to come out as a couple because Evans' super-patriotic self was coming to grips with his attraction to Lily's half-British side.

And finally, according to Deadline, American Sniper actor Bradley Cooper might be making his directorial debut witha remake of A Star is Born, because Lord knows we need another retelling ofthatstoryafter themanydecreasinglysuccessfulversions that already found their way into theaters.

Eddie sexy lingerie dresses Murphy’s Daughters Are All Grown Up and Modeling Lingerie

Eddie Murphy hasn't done much sexy lingerie dresses to draw attention to himself in quite some time, unless you count that 2012 movie where he couldn't talk for some reason.

But the same can't be said for his daughters, who seem to be entering the limelight as lingerie models.

Both Bria and Shayne Murphy, aged 24 sexy lingerie dresses and 19 respectively, recently posed for a series of boudoir photos sexy lingerie dresses with Los Angeles-based photographer Dimitri Ray, who shared a few of the racy shots on his Instagram account.

It's unclear if the photos were commissioned for sexy lingerie dresses an upcoming ad campaign or magazine, but Ray included hashtags reading #maxim and #gq in the captions of Bria and Shayne's photos, some of which are embedded below.

According to TMZ, Murphy's eldest daughters with ex-wife (and former model) Nicole Mitchell have been aspiring sexy lingerie dresses models for some time, but we're guessing they're about to leap from aspiring to full-fledged in the near future.

Scroll down to see shots from Dimitri Ray's photoshoot with Bria and Shayne.

As Lidl launches its debut sexy lingerie dresses range, can YOU tell which is £5.99 from the budget supermarket and which is a £300 designer set? 

It's the budget sexy lingerie dresses supermarket that's lured savvy shoppers with its cut-price meat, organic produce and thrifty clothes.

But not one to rest on its sexy lingerie dresses laurels, Lidl is hoping to snare even more shoppers: by venturing into lingerie.

The German sexy lingerie dresses supermarket is launching its first Esmara Premium lingerie collection on December 18 - and shoppers can snap up a lingerie set for £10. 

Lidl has launched its first Esmara Premium sexy lingerie dresses lingerie collection on December 18 - and shoppers can snap up a lingerie set for £10, with a camisole (pictured) costing £5.99

According to the store, the five-piece collection uses delicate lace detail and intricate prints to give the lingerie a luxury look and feel. 

'Available in various styles designed to suit all, sexy lingerie dresses customers can look and feel exceptional from top to bottom for as little as £10,' they promise. 

There's a push-up bra for £5.99, which claims to add one-cup size to your bust, as well as floral camisoles and briefs for the same price.

So can you really tell the difference between budget supermarket and designer? We pit the purse-friendly offering against designer counterparts. 

On the pricier end of the spectrum is The Fifty Shades Darker sexy lingerie dresses by Coco de Mer, which promises to help women capture the 'inner goddess' of the film's protagonist, Anastasia Steele.

According to the store, the five-piece collection uses delicate lace detail and intricate prints to give the lingerie a luxury look and feel

'Available in various styles designed to suit all, customers can look and feel exceptional from top to bottom for as little as £10,' they promise (both briefs and bras are £5.99 each)

On the pricier end of the spectrum is The Fifty Shades Darker sexy lingerie dresses by Coco de Mer

The collection, which is priced between £15-£60, includes a piece called Red Room - bordeaux satin with lace and silver componentry, inspired by the books' bondage room, Escala - an all over lace and contrasting sexy lingerie dresses satin piece inspired by Christian's modern penthouse, and Masquerade - a black satin piece with custom embroidery in shades of grey, inspired by the basque in the book. 

The sexy pieces are apparently inspired by the growth in sexual confidence of the books' heroine Ana and they are the first official products to be released ahead of the new movie.

Speaking about the new range, E L James said: 'Fifty Shades Darker lingerie really captures Ana's sexual awakening. It is luxurious, deeply provocative and elegantly erotic.' 

When compared with sexy lingerie dresses mid-range pieces, like a £34 bra from Bluebella and a £38 bra from Fantasie, it is hard to spot the difference between the supermarket and the celebrity-loved brands. 

The collection promises to help women capture the 'inner goddess' of the film's protagonist, Anastasia Steele.