The Cult Bra That Unites Beyoncé, Gabbriette & Victoria Beckham

Of all the bras in the lingerie sphere – balconette, push-up, wired, non-wired – there is one particular bra that has quietly come up trumps: Agent Provocateur’s Lorna. The bra that, nearly eight years ago, Beyoncé wore to announce she was expecting her twins, captured in Awol Erizku’s ethereal photograph. The bra that many women – myself included – count as an everyday wardrobe hero. As longstanding creative director Sarah Shotton tells me, Victoria Beckham and Paris Hilton are also fans. And proof that it’s resonating with a new generation? She’s spotted young women wearing Lornas with miniskirts at Glastonbury.

Born from an archival design that arrived when Joseph Corré and Serena Rees launched the brand in 1994 – which Sarah, as a shop assistant in her twenties, says she shifted by the masses – the Lorna as its known today debuted for spring/summer 2011, rendered in black and powder pink. Like its predecessor, it was met with acclaim, beloved for its simple, hard-working blueprint: Lorna is a plunge cup bra with a sheer net tulle base, Austrian embroidery, French seam detailing and signature scalloped edges.

“It looks like an X-ray” Sarah continues of its barely-there, but at the same time noticeable, presence. Bar the occasional tweaks over the years, like the additions of basques and quarter cups, the silhouette has remained the same for over a decade. “It’s stood the test of time where other ranges haven’t,” Sarah remarks. One thing that has, however, changed about the Lorna – and the AP range as a whole – is the customer split. Men reportedly used to account for a large portion of purchases, but it’s now flipped. “Women buy the Lorna because it makes them feel great,” says Sarah, who analyses a weekly list of famous shoppers buying AP worldwide.

Breaking down the figures, 49 colours have been released to date and in the past four years, AP has sold approximately 400,000 units per year, equating to around 110 units per day. There’s no wonder it’s won mass appeal: unlike the kinkier pieces that can be found in the Agent Provocateur range, in Sarah’s words, “the Lorna is not ‘Miss Whiplash’, it’s understated and iconic.”

“It transformed me,” Sarah explains of her first personal interaction with the Lorna prior to her heading up the creative at the brand, speaking while surrounded by rails of fresh Lorna hues for the new season alongside garters and sprightly underwear. “Everyone who’s an Agent Provocateur” – an apt name for devotees – “they’ve all got the Lorna”.

The best thing about the Lorna? Comfortable, supportive and empowering, it can provide as an unseen foundation for an outfit or as a very visible statement; peeping beneath a shirt or strappy top (as so many wearers of its predecessor championed in the nineties and Noughties). I can personally attest to its brilliance.