It employes 2600 people in the UK and has 146 shops. La Senza is working with its accountants (KPMG) and seeking a suitable administrator.

Theo Paphitis, now more famous for Dragons Den, was a director of the company in 2006. It was a very profitable company. Theo explained to the BBC that La Senza was profitable up until 2010. But recently a combination of the decline of the high street, increase in supermarket clothing lines and out of town shopping centres, plus of course the Internet, has drastically cut sales in the last year.

Theo Paphitis sold his shares of La Senza in 2006 for £100m.

Theo’s catchphrase is “There are three reasons to be in business. To make money, to have fun – and to make money.” La Senza is not making enough money now, so it is time to hang up its tape measures and close its doors.

Benefits of Hold-ups include:

• They’re sexy
• They are very easy to wear
• They’re even a good option for those who need to keep the groin area clear.

Sexy – There aren’t many men out there that aren’t attracted to sexy lingerie. The holdup offers the appeal of garter belts without your having to actually wear them. And in terms of your mate’s reaction to your wearing the holdups and an accessibility perspective, there isn’t all that fussing and messing about to get them off as there are with tights — if you know what we mean. Really, they don’t have to come off at all.

Easy to Wear – Slip them on and you’re ready to go. They hold up on their own so there’s no need to fasten them to anything and no need for you to have bulky material at the waist that holds them up. Zero lines from a garter belt. There’s also no messing about when you need to use the restroom, either. Pantyhose coming up and down while trying to keep smooth underwear lines can be a pain. And the more often they come up and down, the greater chance of a snag or a run.

Infections – Traditional tights often have a nylon crotch. Many women who are prone to bacterial infections are told to avoid these as that fabric is infamous for trapping moisture, odour, and bacteria. Hold-ups end well below that area of the body so it’s not a concern.

Hold-ups can also provide you with the support you need for shaping your legs and even for varicose veins. Light support hose doesn’t have to be unattractive.  You’ll find a great variety of hold-ups available. Do look for a great brand so you are assured they won’t slip down while you’re walking and land around your ankles as well as to be sure they won’t cut off your circulation at the thigh either.

Sharon Hurley Hall is a freelance writer. She suggests you check out a great selection of holdups from Pamela Mann.

The Kimono Brazilian Brief has a stylish lace trim with a very modern look. The cut is low in the popular Brazilian style and there is a matching balcony bra to go with them.

In addition to the Kimono Brazilian Brief, Gossard also do the Squeeze Me Brazilian which is less lace and more contemporary. It is made from a soft satin and has a high cut on the buttocks to give that cheeky Brazilian look. These knickers come in red and black.

Gossard have made some really nice Brazilian style lingerie here, as good as buying them direct from Brazil.

The Brazilian cut knicker is simply a lower cut piece of underwear with a flirty cutaway at the front and the back. These are designed with the Brazilian shape in mind as Brazilian women tend to have larger bottoms on average, a trend which is starting to develop in the UK too!

Brazilian cut knickers combine comfort with style in a way which traditional underwear styles fail to do. Many brands that offer Brazilian cut knickers provide them in a wide range of colours to give a taste of the vibrant and exciting Brazilian lifestyle.

Many Brazilian knickers of this style come either plane of in lace and as well as the vibrant colours there are now more styles in subtle tones, with beige, pinks and black as well as simple white.

Reports from the financial press suggest that Marks & Spencers may have had a much worse year if it was not for their ranges in the Brazilian lingerie that are proving to be so popular at the moment.

So if you are looking for something a little different which is designed to show off your curves then why not try some Brazilian cut knickers?

The Autograph Spray Print Lace Brazilian Knickers, with Silk, are an elegant and very feminine piece which are made from luxury stretch silk that hugs your curves and produces a very sexy and seductive shape.

The shapely Brazilian style looks very modern and gives a flattering fit. Sophisticated, modern glamour.

Marks and Spencer stock these in a range of sizes, from size 6 up to size 20.

More Brazilian Lingerie in the M&S Collection:

Girdles are a thing of the past, today sculpting underwear is comfortable, cool to wear and can look attractive too. Many shops to Brazilian Shapewear for women, try La Senza and Figleaves for some great deals.

For men there are now Mirdles, which is short for Men’s Girdle, but like the women’s control wear it is more comfortable than a girdle and provides excellent support.

Spanx

Spanx is a new popular brand in shapewear that does underwear for men as well as women. Spanx is known as the celebrity slimming secret because so many actors and pop stars use Spanx underwear to help hold their less toned parts in tight. It is invisible under clothing and gives a natural look.

Max-Core shaping and posture control

Max-Core make a range of vests for men and are sold through Debenhams as well as other stores. They are stylish and more affordable than some other brands. They do vests, V-neck shirts and T-shirts.

Other Belly Fat Control Options

Some sports shops provide compression wear which helps to hold in excess fat. This is designed for sports performance but can provide the same, or similar, effect as specialised sculpting wear.

Stella McCartney is releasing a range of lingerie in vibrant reds and subtle yellows that will tantalise and inspire.

La Senza is set to thrill this year also with a range of stylish vintage lingerie. We will see a revival of vintage laces, retro teddies and burlesque babydolls; candy colourpops; chic monochromes as well as some exciting and glamorous bikinis.

Ann Summers has some fun new items in stock this Spring too. Some of the most exciting new items are the Ophelia Suspender Skirt, a n Booty Parlour Body and Peephole Bra. The Ophelia range also includes a transparent body. Animals are back, with Leopard Top Hold Ups and the Animal Instinct Body.

For their 2010 Fashion Show they had Transformers’ director Michael Bray at hand to direct their promotional advert, that we can share here. The fashion show was held on the 2nd December in 2010. It was an amazing event and we are certainly looking forward the the 2011 event.

Victoria’s Secret – 2010 Commercial (by Michael Bay)

Note the helicopters and explosions – true action movie entertainment. We reported earlier that one of Victoria’s Secret Agents, Rosie Huntington-Whitelely, is featuring in the next Transformers movie in summer 2011.

She will be playing Carly, and replaces Megan Fox as Sam’s new girlfriend in the film that is set to be another action blockbuster this summer.

Rosie Huntington-Whitelely Stats

Rosie is 1.75m tall (5 fott 9in) and is a size 34 dress (EU) which is size 4 in America. Her vital statistics are 34-25-35. She was born in Devon on 18th April 1987,

Rosie Huntington-Whitelely is also dating action hero and heart-throb Jason Statham so will certainly know how to exercise and get in shape for action roles. He has many contacts in the movie business so if Transformers 3 proves to be a hit it could mark the start of an acting career for Rosie. Maybe she could even feature one day as a new Bond Girl?

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: VS’ Transformer Bombshell

Watch Rosie Huntingon-Whiteley from Victoria’s Secret in this video clip.

Victoria’s Secret Angels

Victoria’s Secret Angels was a lingerie line at first but now is how Adriana is known by the company. Adriana has been modelling Victoria’s Secret since 2000 and is one of a team of Angels.

Past and present Angels also include Tyra Banks, Rebecca Romijn, Gisele Bundchen, Helena Christensen, and Stephanie Seymour. Being one of the Angels is considered to be one of the best modelling opportunities in the industry.

The Victoria’s Secret range covers many different styles of lingerie, from lace-trim bikinis, lace-trim things and V-strings to Slimming Tanks and Shapers, Lace-waist Cheeky Panties as well as Hiphuggers, Boyshorts, Garters and special bridal ranges.