Women's Thong & Tanga (Panties)

Two shapes share this listing. A thong reduces the back to a narrow strip of fabric running up between the buttocks to the waistband. A tanga keeps a small triangle of fabric across the back with high-cut sides. It covers more than a thong and considerably less than a bikini.

Front panels are built normally, gusset included, and everything different happens behind. On a thong the back seam carries all the tension, which makes a soft covered seam the difference between comfortable and constantly aware. Tangas spread that tension across a small panel joined to the waistband by two narrow strips at the hip. Waistbands range from a thin cord to an inch of flat elastic, and thin cords are what press into the hip through a day at a desk.

G-strings go further than either, reducing the sides to strings and the back to almost nothing, so there is less to show and also less holding the shape in place. Bikinis keep full back coverage and cut the sides instead. Boyshorts sit at the opposite end of the scale entirely. What thongs and tangas remove is precisely the back leg edge, which is the line that appears under a fitted skirt.

Fitted skirts, white trousers, tailored dresses and anything thin and clinging are the reason to own some. Long days of sitting, cycling and gym sessions suit them less well, and many people keep a cotton-gusset pair for those hours purely on comfort. Tangas make a sensible middle step when a thong feels like too much and a bikini shows.

Feel the back seam between your fingers before buying, since a hard-edged seam only becomes more noticeable across eight hours. Insist on a cotton gusset whatever the rest of the pair is made from. Send them through the machine in a mesh bag, because the narrow back tangles around zips and tears more easily than anything else in the drawer.