Women's Hi-Cut Brief (Panties)

Hi-cut briefs take an ordinary brief and lift the leg opening several inches, up toward the hip bone instead of across the top of the thigh. Back coverage stays full. Only the leg line changes, and it changes how the whole pair looks and feels.

That high curve leaves a narrow side, sometimes only an inch or two of fabric over the hip, and the consequences follow from it. Less fabric touches the thigh, so there is less to bunch under fitted trousers. The rise usually runs high to make up for the narrow sides. Leg elastic on a steep curve carries more tension than a straight-cut leg, making its quality matter more here than in any other shape.

Standard briefs keep the same seat and cut the leg across the thigh, covering more skin but adding a horizontal line where the thigh is fullest. Thongs reduce the back instead of the leg, solving visible lines from a completely different direction. Bikinis reduce both a little and neither much. Within the family, only a hi-cut leaves the seat covered while taking fabric off the thigh entirely.

Leotards, swimsuit-style dressing and a longer leg line all favor this cut. People who chafe in shorter-leg styles do well, since no fabric sits between the thighs at all. On fuller hips the narrow side panel can roll into a cord, so choose a wider side or a bonded edge if that has happened to you before.

Pull a pair on and walk before deciding, because a high leg either sits smoothly on the hip or climbs toward the waist within a few steps. Thin-feeling leg elastic loses its curve after a dozen washes. Line dry them and the shape survives; the leg elastic is the first place a tired pair shows its age, well before the fabric thins.