Women's Tanga (Panties)

Two narrow strips at the hip join a small triangle of fabric at the back on a tanga panty, replacing the wider side panel a bikini uses. The result sits in the middle of the coverage range: more fabric at the back than a thong, less at the side than a bikini.

A thong reduces the back further still, down to a single strip running between the waistband and almost nothing else, while a tanga keeps a real panel there. A bikini keeps a wide, curved side panel instead of narrow strips, covering more hip in the process. A cheeky covers a similar amount at the back but does it with a full side panel rather than two strips, so the two shapes solve the same coverage problem in different places. Of the group, a tanga is the one built around the hip strap rather than the back panel or the side panel.

Fitted skirts, thin trousers and anything where a wider side would show benefit from the narrow strap, since there is less fabric at the hip to print a line. The honest weakness sits in that same strap. A strip narrow enough to disappear under clothing is also narrow enough to concentrate its whole hold into a thin band, and a thin band under tension digs into the hip over a long day at a desk or in a car seat. Wider straps or a soft covered strap ease this; a thin cord strap rarely does, whatever the fabric above it looks like.

Hip measurement decides fit here more than anywhere else in the drawer, because the side strap has almost no width to spare. Measure around the fullest part of your hips and check that number against the specific maker's chart rather than guessing from a dress size. A tanga bought a size small does not sit any higher or neater; it just pulls the strap tighter against the hip bone.

A cotton gusset, the separate panel sewn into the crotch, should run the full width no matter how narrow the rest of the pair is, since the strap carries no coverage of its own to fall back on. Straps finished as a soft covered band sit more comfortably than a bare elastic cord. Wash on cold and use a mesh bag, since narrow straps catch on zips and other clothing in a regular wash and tear before the rest of the pair wears out.