British Undergarments (News Item)

LONDON (AP) -- Saucy? The British? Yes, and keeping well abreast of the latest science, judging by a new exhibition of -- er -- underwear at London's Design Museum. Here, the nation famed for its reserve has raised its hem, offering a peep at sheepskin corsets, barely-there cashmere vests and a glow-in-the-dark bra.Should all the titillation prove too much, there's also a bra that detects a racing heartbeat and a pair of panties that protects against radiation. ``This exhibit is a compelling statement about British design -- but it's also quite saucy,'' said Dame Helena Kennedy, a leading lawyer and chairwoman of the British Council, which launched the show Wednesday.``The perception of British people as being strait-laced is no longer real,'' Kennedy said. To prove it, the displays are almost as provocative as the garments. Vivienne Westwood's blue sheepskin corset and ditzy, star-patterned mini-crinoline and Alexander McQueen's pink satin corset crusted with black Swarovski crystal are suspended inside giant inflatable women's legs in transparent plastic. Vacuum-packed thongs and Clements Ribeiro's red silk chiffon panties with polka dots hang from pegs on a washline. Near the entrance, a mannequin sprawls seductively on her back, a vision in pink fishnet stockings and the briefest green teddy and panties by the aptly named Agent Provocateur.And everywhere there are bras to make even 1950s ``sweater girl'' Lana Turner envious -- from Gossard's new padded Ultrabra Super Boost in patriotic red-white-and-blue, to Stella McCartney's tassels and gray beads, to Agent Provocateur's sliced-away style in sheer black net.For the traditionally minded, there are the more substantial constructions of Rigby and Peller (they put the foundation in foundation garments), suppliers of spine-stiffening unmentionables to the royal family since the 1960s. Owner June Kenton, personal bra fitter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Mother Elizabeth, believes 80 percent of all women are wearing the wrong size bra ``and have two drawers-full of bras that they don't wear.''Rigby and Peller's offerings contrast with the futuristic Techno Bra, made of conductive textile with silicon gel inserts that contain electronic devices to detect heartbeat changes. A British industrial design company is developing the piece for the commercial market and designer Kirsty Falconer hopes it may one day incorporate a personal alarm that will sound if the wearer is attacked. Constructed in a dun-colored conductive nylon and silver fabric, the anti-radiation panties are no thing of beauty. But if, as their makers claim, they drain electricity from the body -- thereby protecting it from magnetic radiation -- can you afford to be without them? The exhibition runs through July 2, then tours Japan and Australia.