I had the good fortune to attend the Salon internationale de la lingerie.

This trade show –which I understand to be the largest in the world devoted to women’s lingerie– is held in Paris. This is appropriate, as French women reportedly are the world leaders in lingerie consumption. It’s a € 2.5 billion market.

But the French woman’s average annual lingerie budget is down, to €93.

In prior years, younger women (15-34) were the top lingerie buyers. This makes sense: changing tastes, evolving personal situations, maternity. But in 2009, the top lingerie buyers in France were –surprise!– women age 45-54. Younger women are actually spending less than they used to.

Apart from these figures –all of which were supplied in materials provided by the trade show itself– the women’s lingerie profession struck me as unusually mum about matters financial, treating sales figures like state secrets. The Institut français de la mode offers information, mostly at prices in excess of an annual French lingerie budget. The French trade association site makes available some data, from 2005.

Unfazed by stunning displays of innovative and inventive intimate apparel, I took the organizers at their word when they spoke of a sector in crisis.

If women’s lingerie purchases are down, perhaps men can help revive the sector, by buying gifts? Industry insiders laughed at this; only one man in seven has ever bought a woman lingerie (including pyjamas). Here’s the lowdown: these men tend to be older, fifty-plus, and they tend to splurge on pricier sets. I have not been able to find data to back this up, but several people in the industry told me that women are much more likely to buy men’s underwear as a gift. (socks!)

Finally, an enigma: the women’s lingerie industry is certain –absolutely certain– that most women –at least two out of three– wear the wrong bra size. But can so many women really be wrong? And if they are, might the problem rest with sizes or sizing on offer?  And what has the lingerie industry done to make it less likely that their customers purchase an incorrect size?

(photos courtesy Salon International de la Lingerie)