Many women tend to buy their bras and knickers as and when the need arises. In doing so, they have almost reduced the action of buying underwear to that of a commodity, like buying bread or milk.

Others spend ages choosing pretty underwear sets, splashing out on silk and satin lingerie that’s matched to perfection – only to discontinue the exercise the moment it’s put in the drawer. It’s not that they want to grab the first thing that comes to hand – it’s just that in today’s busy work-a-day world, there’s simply too much to think about to worry about matching up knickers and bras.

A lot of women would argue, what’s the big deal? Outside of romantic liaisons, does it really matter if my bra doesn’t match my knickers? Well, of course it matters. Why else would designers put such emphasis on creating underwear sets in a myriad of styles and colours? We take care over matching our outer garments, so why not our underwear too?

In catalogues or on the hanger, lingerie is always displayed as matching underwear sets. It looks good, and gives us a psychological lift when we put it on. That lift can be repeated over and over again – the perfect antidote to a bad day.

So here’s a tip: make a concerted effort to ditch all those mismatched bras and knickers, and stock up on some pretty underwear sets. If you stick to neutrals and simple classics, it’s not hard to do – and the result will be perfect.