The hunt has been going on for thousands of years, but it's only in the past two centuries that underwear has really come of age.
Around 1900, the bra was invented, followed by boxers and Y-front jockeys in the 1930s and bikini panties in the 1940s (named by a French inventor after the equally tiny Bikini Atoll). Then things got a lot more stretchy and comfortable when Dupont invented Lycra in the late 1950s.
But these innovations are nothing compared to the technology revolution now sweeping through the world of underwear.
Bulky, expensive seams and darts are out, thanks to the development of high-tech, seamless fabrics that stretch in all directions to mould around the body. The latest thing is underpants made up of different types of fabrics that do different jobs: an anti-bacterial fabric to keep the gusset smelling sweet; perforated, wicking panels around the groin to suck up moisture; and hidden silicon strips in the legs to stop your undies riding up

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Cracking the science of undies ...