Panties, thongs, bras, Y-fronts and boxers have all become as essential a part of the celeb's clothes rail as posh frocks and designer suits and these days it seems stars are desperate to give us a lingering look at their lingerie. Forget VIP, and think VPL (Visible Panty Line) as we root through the knicker drawers of the stars, to separate the g-string supporters from the granny-pants brigade

Nicole Kidman
Labels: Dolce & Gabbana, Victoria's Secret
Style: Briefs, thongs
VPL: Elegant and refined, Nicole Kidman keeps her favourite D&G knickers, thongs and corsets strictly under wraps. But on film it's a different matter. Her appearance in Moulin Rouge trussed up in stockings and suspenders was said to have done wonders for the lingerie business. On Oscar night she wore a posh set of Victoria's Secret undies inscribed with her initials, but secretly the Bewitched star is just as happy stepping out in a more natural state. 'Hey, I love that I'm going commando,' she recently revealed.

Justin Timberlake
Label: Calvin Klein
Style: Boxer shorts
VPL: Pop hunk Justin used to keep his 'Trousersnake' in up to six different pairs of CKs a day - never wearing the same pair twice. 'Justin has a real underwear fetish,' claims a source close to the star. On hearing this revelation, Klein sent Timberlake 50 pairs of boxer shorts with his compliments but the fashion giant may think twice about sending any more. Speaking on a US chat show, Justin revealed how he now likes a little more freedom under his trousers. 'I hardly wear underwear,' he said. Maybe that's how his superstar girlfriend Cameron Diaz likes it...

Madonna
Label: Dolce & Gabbana
Style: Hipster knickers, bikini knickers, thongs
VPL: It could be argued that the Material Girl started the whole trend of celebrities wearing underwear as outerwear. Her famous bustier made headlines in the Eighties and was only the start of a whole series of public exhibitions of Madonna's undergarments and more. Nowadays she leaves all that to the successors to her pop crown but she still insists on a good, comfortable pair of pants by one of her famous designers. The conical bras are out though.

Jennifer Lopez
Labels: Pink Piranha, Splendour
Style: Hipster knickers, thongs
VPL: J-Lo always likes to keep her famous behind well-dressed but for her wedding she pulled out all the stops with a visit to Hollywood's saucy lingerie store Agent Provocateur. Failing miserably to keep her undies private, the diva sent her personal assistant with a shopping list of £2,000 worth of skimpy bras, knickers, stockings and suspenders. 'I love clothes that make me feel very feminine and drive men crazy, especially sexy underwear,' says J-Lo. 'It's a game that women play.'

Britney Spears
Labels: Playboy, Cosabella
Style: Was thongs - now maternity pants!
VPL Britney has flashed her undies to the world on more than one occasion - in fact she almost seems to insist we take a look at her smalls. Britney is big on knickers, and with her pregnant belly - she's now big in them too. She even designed her own thongs for a charity auction. Quite what a 34C bra with matching crotchless thong says about the once squeaky-clean princess of pop is open to interpretation. 'I love the way nice underwear can make you feel sexy,' says Britney. 'It's one of the luxuries I really enjoy.'

Colin Farrell
Lable: Made in Ireland
Style: Boxer shorts
VPL: 'I have a very special pair of boxer shorts that my brother gave to me a while ago, covered with all these shamrocks,' says wildboy Colin. 'The waistband says 'The Luck of the Irish' and I wear those on the very first day of every film I do. They're my lucky charm, my lucky shorts. The only problem is, they're getting a bit old now but I can never part with those. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I lost them. Probably kill myself.' Easy Colin, they're only pants!

David and Victoria Beckham
Label: Dolce & Gabbana
Style: Thongs, G-Strings - and that's just for David!
VPL: Victoria has already revealed her football hero husband has a penchant for wearing women's underwear when he's not wearing his soccer kit. And it seems whoever's wearing the pants, only one label will do. No sooner had the star couple moved into their new Madrid home, a faxed order arrived at Dolce & Gabbana's shop in Milan for £5,000 worth of knickers, bras and boxers.

Kylie Minogue
Label: Love Kylie
Style: Thongs, Cheekies - featuring a pendant suspended in a hole on the back of the skin-tight undies
VPL: Having one of the most admired rears on the planet meant it was almost inevitable that Kylie would not only show off her underwear but sell it too. Her own saucy range, which she helps design, features all sorts of satin, lace and fishnet designs with names like Diva, Vamp and Fever. Kylie has been selling undies for three years and makes no secret of the fact she wears the designs herself, saying they are 'fashionable and flirtatious'.

George Clooney
Label: None
Style: Y-fronts
VPL: He may be one of the sexiest men on the planet but when it comes to his under garments George doesn't quite measure up to his status. Earlier this year he was spotted in an LA discount store buying up a bumper supply of Y-fronts. 'He was in and out in a flash and kept his head down all the way,' a starstruck worker at the store said. 'It's funny, you'd expect him to wear those designer ones with all the money he makes.' Of course there is a chance George's panty purchase was for another of his notorious pranks - we'll leave it to you to work out the gag!

Calista Flockhart
Label: Victoria's Secret.
Style: Hipsters, V-String
VPL: Lucky old Harrison Ford. While he's been at home counting his wrinkles, his girlfriend is out shopping for sexy underwear to give her man a treat. The Ally McBeal star stunned shoppers and sales staff at posh Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills earlier this year by buying two dozen pairs of sizzling Victoria's Secret knickers. A salesgirl suggested that the diminutive star might want to try a selection of colours. But she says of Calista: 'Without blinking she said, 'I want black - they've got to be black. It's Harrison's favourite colour'.'