Perfect Panty Candidate 10

Did I mention the new Red Mango by my workplace? It makes me very very very happy. It's also right beside Fredericks of Hollywood. I was never a huge fan of Fredericks, finding it a bit more trashy than VS. Of course, then VS started selling crotchless underwear and now all bets are off.

Couldn't hurt to check it out, right?
I grabbed a $6 thong and was on my way. It's great because its seamless and cotton which makes it very comfortable. Really comfortable. As comfortable as the DKNY - and for those of you who don't like strings, this is the thong for you. No crawl, AND Jon thinks its just as cute as the Hanky Panky. And its a lot cheaper!

Perfect Panty Candidate 9

I'm a researcher by nature. Science, history, law, I love the researching aspect of it. So when it came to underwear, you'd better bet I did some major research.

And the #1 recommended underwear is hanky panky's thong. In the spirit of science, I shelled out $18 at Nordstroms for a pair.

These are one size fits all - which right away raises some eyebrows. But, its true. They did fit. The stretchy material just stretches to fit which makes the lace more or less close knit. I do have to say, these are my sexiest new underwear. I absolutely adore the way they look. The dip in the top of the back is complemented by the curve of the bottom of the waistband.

I would love to say the feel was just as good as the look, but it wasn't. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as the DKNYs. They even began the dreaded crawl. Sigh. I guess these are "for show" panties only.

Perfect Panty Candidate 8

Wee-Mo is not going to love this one, I can gaurantee it. While she may never touch the stuff herself, I find thongs to be a necessary evil. The perfect thong is adept at hiding all lines under clothing. However, no underwear is magic and the power of the thong is easily subdued by wearing clothing that is either too see through, or too tight. If your clothes fall into either of these categories, the solution is not to disregard the thong, but rather to make a wardrobe upgrade that doesn't leave you looking like a call girl or a sausage.

In terms of comfort, the thong can be just as comfortable as regular underwear, you just need to find the right one. First, you want to make sure you have the right size. To large and you have an annoying amount of fabric gathering in the crotch of your pants. To small and, well, you get the picture. Second is the right thong itself. Personally I look for one that doesn't do the 3pm crawl as the day goes on (similar to the 5 o'clock shadow, the 3pm crawl is where the back of the thong continues to investigate its surroundings, growing braver and braver as the day goes on)

That's an awful lot of buildup, but since we are embarking on "thong week" I thought it best to get it out of the way. Thong week begins on a high note. A very high note. I may have found the perfect thong on my first day out. This does leave a little worry though because expectations should start low and build. I'm bound to be disappointed in the next selection.

I got a pair of DKNY low rise g-string underwear from Nordstroms. I shelled out the big bucks for these puppies. A whopping $9. And, as time often proves, you get what you pay for. These are phenomenal. At first I was worried, because DKNY was obviously left off the memo about tagless underwear. However, once I put them on it was magic. I loved the fit. No annoying crawl the whole day! And I wore them to the gym! Twice! I hate the phrase "feels like you're not wearing underwear" because frankly I hate the feeling of not wearing underwear. Instead I will describe the feel as "feels like your underwear is an organic part of your clothes."

Perfect Panty Candidate 7

Did you ever read the Velveteen Rabbit when you were a child? Just in case I'll give you a brief synopsis. Child gets new toy for Christmas, old toys fall to the wayside. Poor poor old toys get neglected and feel unloved, until child rediscovers them. It's kinda like Toy Story - Old School.

I've been kinda feeling Velveteen Rabbity about my new underwear collection. I should clarify, I'm not missing my "old underwear" per se. I'm missing my favorite brand. Before this year, 90% of my underwear came from Victoria's Secret. Every time I go to the mall now, I see the store and I hurry past with my head down, ashamed at how I've neglected my old firend, hoping they don't see the bags under my arms containing "new and better" underwear.

Of course, guilt eventually wins out and I went and picked up a pair of my old favorites, "just to have."

I really like the VS Cotton Collection and I'll tell you why. First there's the cotton thing, which we know I have an affinity for. Second is the price. These babies are always on sale. If its not during the semi-annual sale where you can pick them up for $3.99, then they're usually on sale 5 for $25. New since last time is the tagless wonderment which I've mentioned before is my new favorite invention ever. And equally imporant, as boring as these cotton undies are, Jon finds them infinitely cute. It's nice when an old favorite doesn't disappoint.

Perfect Panty Candidate 6

I remember my first day of 1st grade. One of the reasons I remember it was because I had underwear with pink polka dots on them. I was very excited about my underwear, so excited about those pink polka dots that I showed them to everyone in my class. I was very popular in first grade.

Nowadays I am much more private about my underwear designs, but I still get that little zing of happiness knowing there's something exceptionally cute down there. Maybe that's what drew me into American Eagle, because the last time I heard underwear mentioned in correlation with a store like that, it was when Abercrombie was getting in trouble for selling thongs made for children. The underwear is geared for a younger crowd, and because of that is super duper cute. But does super duper cute = comfort?
For the most part, it does! These haven't surpassed the Gap girlshorts, but these boyshorts were cheap ($3.99) and pretty comfortable. There's good coverage in the back, and they're not too low in the front, but still low enough in the back where I wasn't flashing these babies to anyone. I actually was going to write a really crappy review about how uncomfortable the right leg hole was, until I realized the problem was actually a pesky tag on my jeans. Once that tag was removed I forgot I was wearing underwear at all.

Perfect Panty Candidate 5

Let me begin by addressing Ashley who is oh so upset I haven't tried her Target Hanes underwear yet. First - GEEZ hold your horses lady. I haven't had time to get to Target since December! They're on my list, just wait, mm'kay? Second, I'm a little hesitent to try them since I fear my husband will compare the way I look in them to the way Jennifer Love Hewitt looks in them and I am no Jennifer Love Hewitt. But I promise to try them and I'll let you know just as soon as I get my butt in them.

Okay, now on to the substance. Gap has redeemed themselves!


I actually picked these up because I thought the print was super cute (I'm not wrong am I?) and because the cost was super cheap (another $2.99 pair). Now I wish I had bought a hundred of them. Seriously. New.Favorite.Underwear.Ever. First they are 100% cotton. Really comfortable. Second they have the all important imprinted tag info instead of tag. Third they have the even more important elastic at the waist. Finally they are SO flattering looking. Really. I looked adorable. I almost didn't want to wear my skirt yesterday, but a button down and underwear isn't considered work appropriate. They were so cute I danced in them as soon as I got home because everyone needs a good pair of dancing underwear.

Perfect Panty Candidate 4

Another one from the Gap sales bins!
I picked up a couple of ultra low rise cheekys because I thought they'd be great under suits, pants, dresses - They are totally and completely seamless. Probably formed from one piece of material stamped through the world's most technological machine. They were more expensive than the bikinis - a whopping $4.99, but hey, they were made of stretch nylon - which is like astronaut material.

Before putting them on, both Jon and I admired the way the material felt. All smooth and rubbery goodness - soft. However, once I put them on, I quickly realized why they were on sale to begin with. You know how they're seamless? They're also elastic-less. What holds YOUR underwear up? Chances are its an elastic band around the top. Know what happens when the elastic is gone? Your underwear falls down. I spent the remainder of the day tugging and sitting, and praying no one would ask me to go get anything that would require my underwear to pool around my ankles. Notice the model in the picture isn't moving? It's because she's afraid to. One false move and her photo isn't an advertisement as much as it is an "art pic."

Perfect Panty Candidate 3

I am a fantastic shopper. I know where all the best bargains and sales are to be found. Two of my all time favorite places to shop for sales are at J.Crew, and Gap. Back in college I'd go crazy during sale times. I mean you just can't beat $12 bathing suits, $2 tank tops, $15 jeans. $15 sweaters, etc. etc. etc.

So of course I had to hit Gap up and pick up a few pairs of underwears during their after Christmas sale.

I got a pair of printed cotton bikinis for $2.99. I let Jon pick out the print because I'd already learned my lesson about plain white bikinis. These are definitely a tie with the targets. They're oh so comfortable and cotton. These might have a leg up because they get the husband seal of approval. They're more similar to string bikinis than the Target ones - although I don't feel they are quite string bikinis because of the coverage in both front and back. I got the regular rise ones which are still low enough that they don't show when I sit down - which could be even worse than visible panty line. Cute and Comfy? I'd recommend these anyday.

Perfect Panty Candidate 2

One of the nice things about driving to San Diego everyday is passing the outlets. Especially when there's an underwear outlet store there! I picked up a couple of pairs of Bali's "Barely There" underwear for dirt cheap.


First I picked up a bikini for $6. The Barely There bikini is nylon/spandex and a little on the shiny side, but it still doesn't show through clothes because of its seemless quality. However, see that little band on the top? I don't love it. I don't love where it hits or the way it looks, these aren't near as comfortable as the cheap-o target ones.


I also needed to pick up a new thong - every woman needs a couple thongs. I wanted to get a "Barely there" one because of the seamless quality because no one wants visible panty lines (and I think thong visible panty lines are the tackiest kind). These are modal/cotton/spandex (I don't know what modal is to tell you the truth) and they were definitely more comfortable than the bikinis. And cheaper. They cost $2.99! Even still, they started doing the crawl as the day wore on - bleh. Still for $3, I might be able to bear it. Especially since Jon thought they were a lot cuter than the target bikinis.

The search begins

In building my new wardrobe, I'm starting from the bottom - literally. I'm hunting for the perfect underwear. Ideally I want something that's comfortable, cheap, and looks fantastic. Of course, the looking fantastic is purely subjective, because really, I don't go around flashing my underwear to most people....at least not on purpose.

Perfect Panty Candidate 1:

Like every good bargain shopper, I started my search at Target. Gilligan & O'Malley 3 pack for $7.99? Sounds as good a place to start as any. Jon wasn't impressed - "they look like granny panties." Perhaps white bikinis just aren't very exciting for him. These are soooo comfortable though. I especially love that they're tag free. The tag information is printed directly on the underwear so there's none of that obnoxious rubbing. I liked the fit too. I was a little unsure about buying a three pack of underwear in case I didn't like them, but now I'm glad I did! I would highly recommend these!