Body beautiful: When searching for your next lingerie, challenge the form

What lies underneath our clothes is often just as important as the clothes themselves. No, not just our personality - our lingerie. This season’s offerings provide myriad delights, from comforting basics to the extravagant and imaginative; the sexy and sublime designed to love each and every form.

Your traditional white looks get an update this season. Take Chantelle’s lace and tulle bra set, with floral patterns and ribbed cut outs, or Miu Miu’s resplendent satin bra which you needn’t pair with underwear at all, when there are Miu Miu woollen knee-high socks instead. Take inspiration from the elegant bra tops seen on the runways this season at Miu Miu and Michael Kors but dispense with conventional fabrics all together and opt for this bold white leather bra by Lulu x Sofia Madsen, complete with exposed green stitching detail.

The Y2K trend was ushered down the runway at Blumarine, Sandy Liang and Collina Strada, not to mention the explosive force that was Fendi and Versace’s collaboration: Fendace. Channel it in your lingerie too, with the zesty neon hues of Weekday’s bra and pants and Under Protection’s citrus yellow sheer lace top and thong.

But why limit your appreciation for the aesthetic to simplify your underpinnings? Dick International’s corset mesh bandeau is the ideal top for the trend and Self Portrait’s candy pink mesh dress hugs your figure in all the right places, saying all the right things. Simply top it off with an even hotter pink handbag, like Mulberry’s fuchsia chain-link example.

Related: Hanna MW on why feel-good lingerie matters

Versace’s dominance over 1990s and early Y2K fashion can be seen in the ultimate underwear-as-outerwear – the corset dress. This classic black example is stunning in translucent black, with a peekaboo silk bra and the brand’s iconic strap insignia. It calls to mind the ready-to-wear boudoir aesthetic which sashayed down the runway at the February shows, everywhere from Rodarte to Louis Vuitton.

But going back to black for your lingerie needn’t be staid. Isabel Marant takes it to another level with this black sheer mesh blouse, intricately embroidered with sequins and exposed seams and worn with a simple thong, emulating the pant-free looks seen this season at Gucci and Loewe.

Showing a little skin is one of the fundamentals of lingerie and is the perfect approach for outerwear or underwear. Weekday’s chocolate brown body suit is a sleek and smooth choice, or embrace the trend fully with Dick International’s body stocking, replete with metal ringlets linked across snaking cut outs and bold, brash patterns.

Related: The empowering force of lingerie

When it comes to your underclothing, materials matter. But instead of sticking to established favourites, be daring. Why not try crochet, which is used to remarkable effect in Weekday’s lilac crochet bra and underwear. The material also makes for daring separates, like Lou de Bètoly’s weaved skirt or its knitted bodystocking.

Indulge in fabrics when it comes to lingerie, for example the sheer escapism of this white Our Legacy shirt cashmere or Michael Kors’ toffee-hued cashmere leggings.

Naturally, the best body you can wear is your own. So why not bare it all, and top it off with a simple pair of boots? (Just make sure they are Chanel, of course.)