11 Types of Panties & Underwear Essentials for Every Woman’s Wardrobe

Panties are one of the most intimate parts of our wardrobes. They have the power to make us feel special, comfortable, sexy, flirty, fun, a little wild (or a lot), colorful and then some. Your choice of underwear can also make or break your outfit and your day, depending on whether you’re wearing the right panties for the occasion. But how do you choose the best underwear to wear? What are the advantages of a bikini over a boyshort, and the differences between a G-string, a thong and a tanga? With our ultimate guide to women’s underwear for every style and body type, you’ll feel your most beautiful and confident in every last thing you wear.

Featured: Hanky Panky Signature Lace Original Rise Thong

Thongs

Thongs and their cousins, the slightly wider-backed tangas, offer even more than the big advantage of no panty lines. The next-to-nothing coverage of thong-style underwear is already sexy, even when sporty. You can take that sexiness as far as you want: Thongs and tangas come in everything from cottony comfort to set-to-stun lingerie, tummy control to low-rise and everything in between. Thongs and tangas are much more comfortable now than when they first came on the scene. Made from lightweight, high-tech fabrics, you’ll barely know your barely-there thongs and tangas are on. They love all body types, too. The main point of thongs and tangas is how well they vanish due to their nonexistent rear coverage. Thongs and tangas come in a wide range of styles: You can have smooth, seamless looks for day and, for night, a pearl thong or culotte, a sweetly sexy crotchless tanga, a bow wrap or lace-up. Thongs and tangas are perfect for staying hidden under your most body-conscious clothes, as well as for when you want to show off some seriously sexy lingerie. They’re small wonders that do big things.

Wear thongs with: dresses, skirts, jeans and pants—anything, basically, where panty lines would be apparent and unwelcome.

Featured: Calvin Klein Modern Cotton Bikini Underwear

Bikini Panties

Bikini underwear is among the most versatile styles you can own, because it can work as both comfy underwear and lovely lingerie at the same time. Bikinis offer moderate coverage between a full-coverage granny panty and a thong or tanga; the bikini leg opening tends to hit mid-butt cheek. At the waist, placement can be below, on or just over the hip. When it comes to comfort, they’re in the “ahhhh” category. You can also find bikini styles in the lingerie world, like those made of sheer fabric, sporting a strappy cage back and more. Bikini panties are a great go-to for coverage and comfort. If the bikini is your cut, you’ll find a wide variety of styles to suit your every mood.

Wear bikini panties with: flowing or loose skirts and roomy or boyfriend-fit jeans or pants. Bikinis work fine with pants in thicker fabrics like corduroy, too.

Featured: Olga Secret Hug Scoop Hipster Panties

Hipsters

Hipsters don’t just sit on your hips; they love your hips. This wide-banded hybrid of a brief and a bikini wants to celebrate your figure. Low-profile, fuss-free underwear, hipsters don’t ride up, fall down or move out of place. They can even be your favorites when it comes to sexy lingerie styles. Because the band embraces your hips, hipster underwear for women occupy the sweet spot of snug and comfy. They offer almost complete coverage in the back. Hipsters work for all body types, accentuating the curves of slender silhouettes and taking hourglass figures straight into the goddess zone. For fun, look for special details like lace trim, sheer fabric, seamless design, peek-a-boo keyholes and vibrant colors and patterns to mix up your hipster underwear wardrobe. Whether you wear them for yourself or to show off, hipsters make the most of your shape, and they do it in a comfortable, easygoing way.

Wear hipsters with: mid-rise jeans and pants, because they’ll meet the waistband without peeking over the top.

Featured: Bare Adjustable G-String

G-Strings

G-string style underwear was originally designed to be discreet, offering minimal coverage and no panty lines. They’re still top performers when you want to look like you’re not wearing underwear but don’t actually want to go without, or you need some very sexy lingerie. The difference between G-strings, thongs and tangas is that G-strings have the least coverage in the back—just the thinnest strip of fabric between the cheeks, versus the band that makes up the back of a thong and the slightly wider tanga. Some women say G-string underwear is the ultimate for a “barely there” feel, while others like G-strings for their sexy effect. If you’re looking for something a little flashy, you’ll find lots of fantasy-fulfilling G-string panties with special features like crotchless fronts, pearl strands and almost any other G-thing you can dream of. G-strings are more than just an insurance policy against panty lines; they’re a way to bring a little levity into your lingerie. They’re pretty…and pretty daring!

Wear G-strings with: booty-hugging jeans, leggings, skirts and dresses. The total absence of back coverage you get from G-string style panties means you won’t detect them at all under your outfit.

Featured: Maidenform Microfiber Boy Short

Boy Shorts

Boy shorts are the women’s underwear equivalent of super-comfy men’s boxer briefs…but a whole lot cuter. Boy shorts come in a variety of hip heights. These shorts-style women’s panties offer more coverage in the back than a hipster or brief because they extend down the legs a bit. Boy shorts are one of the comfiest kinds of women’s underwear, but there are also lots of styles that are meant for the bedroom, with ribbon backs, sheer lace, a high rise and more. Who knew that a women’s panty style based on men’s underwear could be so outrageously feminine?

Wear boy shorts with: roomy jeans or pants in thicker fabrics during the day. By night or on a lazy Sunday is when boy shorts really shine, doubling as sleepwear and loungewear.

Bare Necessities The Easy Everyday Cotton Brief

Featured: Bare The Easy Everyday Cotton Brief

Briefs

No need to borrow from the boys. Brief-style underwear for women has the comfort engineering of men’s briefs, but they’re designed for women’s bodies, with decidedly feminine style. On the whole, briefs are all about a snug, cozy fit. Briefs for women come in a range of rises, from hip to mid-waist, so they sit higher up on your torso than bikini underwear. They offer pretty complete coverage in the back. The rear coverage usually does away with visible panty lines, though under thinner fabrics, a thong or tanga will probably be your better bet. Some briefs come with added control for a smooth tummy, and briefs work with all body types for an easy-wearing fit and feel.

Wear briefs with: the high-waisted pants and jeans trending now because they complement the waistband; you feel soft fabric on your tummy instead of a cold metal zipper or, worse, chafing.

Featured: Wacoal B-Smooth Full Brief

Seamless Panties

Most fashion rules were meant to be broken, but one preference is universal: Panty lines need never happen. Not when there are smooth, seamless panties to ensure that your best outfits have a flawless finish. Seamless styles don’t sacrifice comfort while eliminating panty lines. They come in both hipster styles, offering more rear coverage, and bikini styles, offering mid-cheek coverage. Because of their flat-seam design, there’s never any bunching, riding up or shifting, and definitely no seams showing. Seamless women’s panties have a super-thin, flat laser-cut hem at the legs and waistband or are finished with a special woven fabric that won’t betray you with lines or bumps. Some seamless women’s underwear also extend down the leg, becoming seamless shorts for added hip and leg smoothness. Whatever level of coverage you want, seamless panty styles mean smooth sailing.

Wear seamless panties with: your silkiest dress, closest-fitting skirt or lightest pants while enjoying the comfort and coverage of bikini or hipster style panties (as opposed to a thong).

Featured: SPANX Undie-Tectable Lace Hipster

Shaping Panties

You’re a total goddess—you already know that. Shapewear helps you put your goddess figure into the silhouette that makes you feel your most confident, with clever designs and woven panels that hug and embrace rather than constrict. Thank you, modern lingerie technology, for letting us leave tight, pinchy girdles in the past. Today’s shaping panties let our figures be what we want, and let us do fun things like enjoy cake and breathe. Your comfort is maximized by finding the right shapewear for your outfit; our Bra Fit Experts are here to help with that. Seamless stretch microfiber, targeted panels, strategically placed control zones and other tricky engineering offer smooth lines and sinuous curves right where you want them. We stock a variety of coverage options, from thong-style shapers to shorts. The bottoms in our collection of shapewear and shaping panties were chosen because they work the best and are the most beautiful. When you’re ready to find the perfect shaping underwear, in whatever type of coverage and control you want, you know where to look.

Wear shaping panties with: something that fits you like a second skin. Shaping panties create the smoothest possible silhouette so you can shine.

Featured: Oh Là Là Chéri Goodnight Kiss Crotchless Boyshort

Crotchless Panties

Crotchless panties are pure fun and fantasy. At first glance, they may look like regular underwear, whether that’s a sweetly innocent bikini, a lacy hipster or something a little more daring with flirty straps. Their sexy surprise, and what sets them apart from other types of women’s underwear, is a strategic opening that puts the "oh!" in oh la la. These little numbers come in a variety of styles, sweet to sassy, so choose from the types you like best, or go wild with something entirely new to you. Crotchless panties are fabulous, flirtatious and utterly unself-conscious. No lingerie wardrobe is complete without at least one pair that’s ready to come out and play.

Wear crotchless panties with: a sexy bra or nothing at all. Because they come in so many styles, you can rock crotchless pantiesunder jeans, dresses or anything you want for a big reveal at the end of the day.

Featured: Adidas Cut Free Cheeky Hipster Panty

Activewear Panties

Athletic panties are potentially more important than the workout gear you wear over them. Whether you want to wear your clingiest yoga pants or your baggiest running shorts, athletic panties are designed to let you focus on your A-game. What’s on your wish list for athletic underwear? That it keeps you comfortable, dry and moves with you without bunching, falling, wedging or other underwear fails. Our collection of athletic panties was designed to win in all of those categories: Anti-microbial, sweat-wicking fabric takes moisture away from your skin to keep you dry and going strong. The high-performance athletic designs move with you, and they’re as strong as they are soft. Nobody wants to work out in ugly undies, either. That’s why athletic panties look cool while playing hard. You choose the type of rear coverage and rise that works with your favorite kind of workout and activewear. However you enjoy staying fit, our experts can help you find the right kind of athletic panties that will make you feel like an MVP.

Wear activewear panties with: yoga pants, running shorts or whatever athletic attire you like.

Featured: OnGossamer Gossamer Mesh Hip Bikini Panty

Sheer Panties

Sheer women’s panties hint at sexiness in the most alluring way. They come in a variety of styles, so you get to choose exactly the kind of look you want while enjoying their whisper-thin feel. Many sheer types of panties are cut like a traditional bikini, hipster, thong or other familiar panty style, so you can get as many different options as the night is long. And because they’re made of fabrics designed to be diaphanous, they’re breezy against the skin. Sheer and nearly see-through panties are made in a major range of fabrics, from super-feminine lacy styles to fine mesh. Some sheer panties have strategic cutouts that take them from suggestion-of-sexiness to all-out bold. They run the gamut from functional to fun—you get to decide how much you want to show off. Sheer panties are best known for their beauty…and their playfulness. When you want to go sort of bare but still want something there, sheer panties are the most appealing answer.

Wear sheer panties with: your favorite outfit—or lack thereof.

By now, you’re a panty pro, and you’re ready to start enhancing your underwear drawer and lingerie wardrobe. Just think: No matter what you want to wear, you’ll always have the perfect pair of panties ready to go. Whatever styles you prefer, our Bra Fit Experts are here to help you find the right fit and fashion. Treat yourself to the best of our collection, and build a wardrobe of panties you can’t wait to wear.

From the desk of: Our Bare Necessities Bra Fit Experts

We take fit personally! With over 20 years of experience, we know how the perfect bra should fit and feel. Our Bra Fit Experts stop at nothing to find you the perfect fit. Chat online or call 877-728-9272 (select option 4) for a complimentary bra fitting or personal shopping advice.