Forget lipstick, the new small but luxurious item being cited as a saviour to the British high street is, quite surprisingly…  the Speedo.

Last week, Selfridges reported a 28% increase in sales of men’s bodywear, with trunks acting as the sector’s strongest performer. In light of this, they will soon be extending their men’s bodywear department, with the section set to become one of the largest of its kind in the world.

But whilst lipstick can be seen as an affordable yet effective way of maintaining an element of glamour in the depths of the recession – trunks, socks and boxers don’t seem the most obvious choice… so why so popular?

As with many trends amongst men over the past decade or so; from mohawks to man bags and everything in-between, we can look to one man to explain this recent surge in pant purchasing… step forward Mr David Beckham.

It’s been claimed that celebrity underwear ranges by body beautiful men such as Becks and rugby star Thom Evans reinforce the idea that buying into their brand will somehow buy you a slice of their lifestyle – which would be appealing to any man in these tough times.

Whatever the cause, any influx in advertising of male undergarments will not be met with complaints from the ladies at BrandAlley HQ… and in light of this news, we felt it was only fair that we share this aesthetically pleasing countdown from Grazia Daily of their Top 5 underwear hunks… Diet Coke man who?

Find out who made the list here.

Want to buy in the Becks phenomenon yourself? Check out the Men’s Designer Underwear Flash Sale here.