Shopping Bazaar: Checkout/Bjorn Borg, 70 Sloane Ave, London

Friday 14 June 1996 23:02 BST
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What is It? Not the Seventies tennis champ's fan club, but a Swedish- owned "underwear palace" in London. There's nothing below the belt about this: it's licenced to use Bjorn's legendary name. Deliciously cheesy promotional postcards show Svenska sirens Inga-Britt and Ulle giving nerdy Uffe a good birching. "A sauna gives the Swedes an opportunity to `pusta ut' (take it easy)," explains a caption.

The shop's stock? Sporty, no-frills 100 per cent cotton undies for guys `n' gals in black and white or cheeky apple green, sunshine yellow and burnt orange. A smorgasbord of polo shirts, shades, and shoes. Racy zip- front Lycra scuba trunks for the men and snakeskin bikinis for the women. There's not a towelling headband to be seen.

Who shops there? Tara Palmer Tompkinson and Ringo Starr rub shoulders with repeat buyers and curious tourists, including Swedes, according to one of the many flaxen-haired staff. Also, men after "UPC" (unlimited package control) - the pounds 20 classic white men's trunks with a lovehandle- taming elastic waistband are the shop's bestseller.

Best buys: For girls: low-cut, visible-panty-line-proof briefs, (pounds l0.95). For boys: black leather loafers (pounds 85), chunkier than Patrick Cox Wannabes but no less elegant.

Don't buy: Day-glo wetsuit-style cozzie stamped with a dirty great "Bjorn Borg" signature - unless you want to look like a stray Home And Away surf dork.

Mail order, 0171-581 0150

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