We challenged a man to wear sexy lingerie made for men, or 'brongerie', and found out what his take

Forget the fetish world – apparently sexy undies for men are A Thing.

We challenged writer Nick Harding, 48, to give them a go.

“Word has it that there are three things men will never understand about women: periods, childbirth and the discomfort of lingerie.

The first two, sure, but the third? Pah! I know, because I’ve tried it, thanks to the growing trend for male lingerie.

Admittedly, like most people, I’d always assumed it was something reserved for drag queens and cross-dressers.

Not so, according to Brent Krause, who runs Hommemystere.com, an online store that supplies sexy kecks for guys.

He says a mix of post-Fifty-Shades progressive sexual experimentation, gender fluidity and the increasing number of metrosexual men has inspired this new ‘brongerie’ movement.

‘Our pieces are often bought by straight couples,’ says Brent. “There is a misconception that men who wear lingerie must be part of the fetish or gay community, but many women purchase our lingerie for their partners.

‘It’s fun and can add spice to a relationship,’ he adds. ‘In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a mainstream label release a line of lingerie for men in the near future.’

Determined to give it a go, I try on a pair of floral satin pants and a bra, and take a look in the mirror.

Once the initial shock wears off, I feel ridiculous. The image staring back at me says Rocky Horror reject, not fearless fashion pioneer. It doesn’t help that my wife Steph, 38, physically recoils at the sight – and then laughs.

She has a point. I mean, I’m wearing a bra even though I have nothing to fill it with, and my knickers are so skimpy you can see everything. ‘Homme mystere’ may mean mystery man in French, but my kecks leave nothing to the imagination.

My first undies outing is to an early morning gym session. Normally I’m not squeamish about baring all in the changing room, but given the delicate nature of my undercrackers, I choose the cubicle.

Surprisingly, my lacy-backed knickers hold up well through a 20-minute run, 15 minutes on the punchbag and some weights. I assumed they’d chafe, but they’re light as air and only a VPL gives them away. My sole worry is that my lacy knicker top might pop out as I bend down to pick up a kettle weight.

But if it has, nobody notices – or they’re too shocked to say anything! After my session I change into a black bra and knickers set. I can’t be bothered faffing around with the clasps at the back, so I pull it over my head – one of the advantages of being boobless, I guess. Then I head off to a lunch meeting with colleagues.

As an icebreaker, I sit down and blurt out that I’m wearing lingerie. It’s met with an awkward silence. Finally, a female colleague declares me brave, while I’m mercilessly ribbed by the only other guy here.

I laugh it off, but I don’t feel brave, just incredibly self-conscious. I have to make an effort not to lean forward in case my bra peeps out from my shirt, and I keep my jumper on even though the restaurant is stifling. My undies may feel comfy, but the rest of me is not.

When I go to the urinal, I only remember I’m in risqué attire when I unzip and see a flash of black satin. Oops… Keeping my cool, I have no option but to front it out and just hope the bloke next to me is staring straight ahead.

Once home, with Steph out for the evening, I put on a black lacy teddy and settle down to a Netflix binge. Women often say nice underwear can make them feel sexier or more confident, but in all honestly I feel nothing.

Apart from a bit stupid.

Which is why I don’t think ‘brongerie’ will catch on – not with my generation, anyway. The sight of an average bloke with chest and back hair, a paunch and a pant beard wearing a thong is not pleasant.

But I can say with confidence that when it comes to underwear, you ladies have got it easy.

Try wearing tight, scratchy Y-fronts and see how they compare!”

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