A creation by Chinese designer Lu Ye.

Japan's Midori Matsuo used the fragile inner world of a woman's psyche to win the prestigious Triumph Inspiration Award for innovative lingerie.

Midori beat 31 designers from all over the world to gain the unanimous approval of the celebrity judging panel in Beijing's ultra-hip 798 Art Zone.

Her winning entry Under Skin was a sexy ensemble portraying the face of a crying woman and she explained that her inspiration came from the delicate inner world of Asian women.

"When women feel like crying, they tend to hide it," she said. "What this kind of emotion and lingerie have in common is that both are only revealed to the important person in a woman's life. My lingerie illustrated this."

Female Fascination was the theme of this year's competition and creativeness was the key for the judges.

The panel included the Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf, Danish top model Helena Christensen, German fashion photography icon Ellen von Unwty Rerth, Colette's chief purchaser and creative director Sarah and Chinese top model and actress Lu Yan.

Runner-up Theresa Bachler from Germany said she had been inspired by the glamour of the 1930s. Her showpiece, named Once Upon a Time, carried a nostalgic touch of romance and elegance.

"I am impressed by 'the little black dress' - back in 1935, Vogue magazine said nothing else in fashion was as new," Bachler said. "Thus I use a lot of high-quality fabric, such as silk and lace, with modern cutting to represent such ideas in my lingerie."

Stine Fagervik-Rosen, 28, from Norway, was third with Desire for Beautiful Trash, fusing innovation with ideas gleaned from second-hand shops.

"My inspiration comes from the atmosphere and fascination I experience while shopping," she said. "I love the way the elements - clothes, furniture, art and jewelry with their lively colors - are mixed and keep the balance of the chaos, and the way every element tells me its hidden story."

China's Lu Ye made the top 10 with a feather-inspired collection, and her country earned praise from Jan Rosenberg, the sales and marketing at Triumph International.

"Chinese designers are showing much more creativity than before," he said. "For instance, the graceful material cascade in Lu's design is really touching."

Fashion veteran Victor and Rolf paid tribute to the innovations shown by all the finalists: "What we love most is the fact that the designers freed themselves of the commercial side of things - almost no restraints were put on their creativity. "