To those of us who own an underwear drawer full of greying, baggy cotton, renowned lingerie label Agent Provocateur might seem a far-off foreign paradise of silken wonder.

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The 50 Best lingerie

From foxy florals to sexy sets, Emma Akbareian selects the underwear that's too good to hide

Mark Ronson marries Josephine De La Baume

Mark Ronson has married Josephine De La Baume.

Agent Provocateur: How to create the perfect bedroom

Now designing bedlinen, the saucy knicker house shows gives ten tips to planning your bedroom, by Annie Deakin

The Devil has the best lines: How Satan has informed much of our great art

Phil Boucher wonders if the greatest trick Lucifer ever pulled was to inspire such dangerous creativity

The Secret History Of: The Tolix chair

Xavier Pauchard was born in 1880 in Le Morvan, known as the green heart of France. Unsurprisingly wood was the most important construction material but despite that, he and his father and grandfather before him were zinc roofers.

Sloane Crosley: 'I bought my just-engaged friend maternity underwear'

Nothing says love like a pair of discount knickers. For a friend's upcoming bachelorette party, we – her friends (which, by the end of this, may or may not include me) – decided to each send the bride a pair of racy underwear. Given the price limit, I decided it would be better to procure a discounted version of something pricy, rather than a full-priced version of something paltry.

Police under fire as trial collapses over 'agent provocateur' claims

Scotland Yard has come under pressure to reveal the extent of its covert surveillance of peaceful protesters after the collapse of a case following the unmasking of an undercover police officer.

Inquiry call over climate campaign undercover police officer

Police were facing serious questions today after using an undercover officer to infiltrate climate campaign groups for up to 10 years at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Still crazy: Director Mike Figgis reveals the stories behind his favourite shots

Mike Figgis is better known for his films than for taking photographs. But now some of the director's sexually charged images of women, including blindfolded girls, an abstract nude and Kate Moss descending a staircase in suspenders, are going on show in "Best of British", at London's Little Black Gallery, alongside pictures by Terence Donovan, Terry O'Neill, Patrick Lichfield and Bob Carlos Clarke.

Claire Rayner's last words: 'Don't screw up my NHS'

Claire Rayner, the doyenne of agony aunts whose warmth and wisdom imparted in her trademark gravelly tones made her the nation's favoured mother figure for four decades, has died after a long illness to which her family said she had typically refused to succumb.

Agent provocateur: BBC's head of drama plans plenty of sex and the return of Tom Stoppard

Ben Stephenson is shaking things up at the corporation

Peace protesters ordered out of Parliament Square – but Haw can stay

Peace protesters camped across the road from the House of Commons have been ordered to pack up and be gone by the weekend in a court victory for Boris Johnson.

Last Night's TV: Rude Britannia, BBC4

Britain's lewd awakening

John Terry's father spared jail over cocaine deal

The father of Chelsea and England footballer John Terry was spared jail today for supplying cocaine to an undercover newspaper reporter.

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Day In a Page

Grace Dent: If you were on your first foreign trip for 24 years, would you want Bono to be a part of the package?

Grace Dent

If you were on your first foreign trip for 24 years, would you want Bono to be a part of the package?
Ireland's austerity D-Day: How much pain can it take?

Ireland's austerity D-Day: How much pain can it take?

After years of savage cuts, the Irish now face a stark choice: do they hand over control of their economy to Europe – or go it alone without the safety net of future bailouts?
Is doctors' fixation on treatment making us ill?

Is doctors' fixation on treatment making us ill?

Advances in medicine have made the impossible, possible. But an over-reliance on healthcare threatens to bankrupt the world – and make all of us sick
The most complained-about advertisements of all time

The most complained-about advertisements of all time

The ASA has received 430,000 complaints during its existence, with a record 31,548 in 2011
Olympians: They're fit and don't we just know it

Olympians: They're fit and don't we just know it

From Tom Daley's six-pack to scantily clad volleyball players, Olympic athletes are being sold on their sex appeal. Why can't we appreciate talent, not totty?
Return of the unacceptable face of capitalism?

Return of the unacceptable face of capitalism?

Sir Richard Needham's resignation from the board of Lonrho brings back bad memories of the group's controversial past
Off the rails in Bermuda

Off the rails in Bermuda

Best known for beaches, it's also home to a stunning hiking trail that follows the route of an old railway line
Get ready for a royal good time

Get ready for a royal good time

There are plenty of events to help you fly the flag during the Diamond Jubilee long weekend and half term
Spain: World football's marathon men

Marathon men: Are Spain running out of puff?

They have every right to be exhausted after four taxing years of almost non-stop action but the chance to claim a unique treble is spurring them on
Usain Bolt: The Bolt show runs on

Usain Bolt: The Bolt show runs on

Friday's 'slow' 100m has done nothing to dent Jamaican's supreme confidence he will triumph in London
The weirdest and most wonderful Diamond Jubilee memorabilia

Weird and wonderful Jubilee memorabilia

Coronation Chicken ice cream and Jubilee jelly moulds
'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

Being a teenager is hard enough – for those with hearing loss, it can be even more complicated
A right royal trip down the river

A right royal trip down the river

A new exhibition celebrates the glory days of London's mighty Thames
The 10 Best lawn mowers

The 10 Best lawn mowers

From petrol-fuelled to self-propelled
Every second counts

Why does life appear to speed up as we get older?

Matilda Battersby finds out how the clock plays tricks with our minds