When I was a little girl, panties came in sizes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. If you were bigger than a 10, you were SOL. If you were smaller than a 5, you wore girl sizes.
When I entered college, I saw this fantastic movement towards sizing panties in dress sizes. A size 8/10 panty was for someone who wore a size 8/10 pant.
Later still, I saw the sizes move towards XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL which unusually corresponded to the first sizes of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Now, I see all sizing methods out there. So, how is one to know which size is what?
Here is a chart to help you out.
| Panty Size | Apparel Size | US Dress Size | UK Dress Size |
| 4 | XS | 0/2 | 2/4 |
| 5 | S | 4/6 | 6/8 |
| 6 | M | 8/10 | 10/12 |
| 7 | L | 12 | 14 |
| 8 | XL | 14 | 16 |
| 9 | XXL | 16 | 18 |
| 10 | XXXL | 18 | 20 |
| 11 | 4x | 20 | 22 |
| 12 | 5x | 22 | 24 |
| 13 | 6x | 24 | 26 |
Now you always want to look directly that the brand you are interested in sizing chart, but this chart is a good general guideline. You will find that some brands have the Dress sizes one bigger than what I have listed here. For example, in some brands, a L is a 14, not a 12. However, I tend to deal with a lot of European lingerie, which runs smaller, so when it doubt, use this smaller sizing chart as a guideline.
Measurement are also usually provided but since they vary so much from brand to brand, I didn't try to generalize them.
Panty: Styles and for which Body Type
When you start looking at panties, you will see a million different cuts and styles. Worry not because, at it's core, there are only a handful of styles and all those different names are only manufacture's way of making their product sound fancier than it really is.
Boy Shorts
Boy Shorts seem to be all the rage right now. As the name implies, boy short panties are cut like a pair of very short shorts. Boy shorts look and work best for women who are thin and don't have a lot of curves. If you have a lot of curves, rolls, or fat, they will not sit right on you. If you have a bubbly butt, they tend to ride up your crack. Since the leg cut is lower than a regular panty but not long enough to be an actual short, fat or curves also tend to make the material gather at you V area.
If you just love the boy short style but are too curvy to pull it off, try the cheekie or hipsters style.
It is worth noting that there are some boy short that are even longer in the leg than the majority, which make these panties fit just like tight shorts.
Cheekies
Cheekies are what I call the thong version of boy shorts. They are cut very similarly except they are cut higher in the butt area (usually only covering the top half of your cheeks) like a thong.
Cheekies are good for women who are otherwise tone but have a nice butt they wish to show off. If you are really curvy or lumpy, I'd stay away from cheekies as they are still going bunch in the front and not sit right.
Hipsters
For those of us who are less tone and a little bit more jiggly, I suggest a hipster style if you like the boy short. Hipsters look like boy shorts but are cut higher in the leg so that they don't bunch in your V area. And, because they don't bunch, they sit right on your body. Hipsters also usually cover your butt area like a brief so you don't get ride up in you are big butted.
Thongs
Thongs have a bikini front but have no coverage of the butt cheeks. Rather, they have a strip of material which sits between your cheeks. Thongs are good for any body type and great for no panty lines. However, some people hate they way the feel, thinking they have a constant wedgy.
Some say if you are unconfortable in a thong, it is because you are not wearing the correct size.
G-Strings
If a thong is uncomfortable for you because you feel like you have a wedgy, you might want to try a g-string. a g-string is just like a thong but the strip between the cheeks is, as the name implies, a string. The smaller material might make a difference for you.
Briefs
Briefs are the traditional panty and are often called"granny panties". But briefs can be extremely flattering. They mesh well with all body types and a well fitted brief won't look granny at all. Briefs are characterized by a full coverage of the butt. They can be high waisted or low waisted (rise) and have a hi cut or low cut in the legs.
- Granny Panty - High Waisted briefs with a low leg cut tend to by the "granny panty".
- Hi-Cut Briefs - A common variety of the brief is the hi-cut brief which has a higher cut in the leg which can be a sexy look.
Bikinis
Bikinis are brief cuts except they are very high in the leg, which only a small strip of material. Bikinis also tend to have a very low rise in the waist.
String Bikinis
String bikinis are bikini cut panties which only have a thin string for the hips. Bikini and string bikinies tend not to look too good on body types with large or rolly tummies since the panty doesn't tend to stay in place, but rather rolls down.
Panty: Picking out your Style
So, how do you know what size and which style look best on you and are the most comfortable? I suggest going to Walmart and picking up one of each style. Try them on, wear them for a day. You can get panties at Walmart in each of these styles for $2-$3 a pair. It is the cheapest and best way to gauge what works best for you. Once you know what styles you like (which is also one that looks good on your body type!) and you know your size (more or less), you can invest if more expensive panties with a much better chance of being happy with your pick.
Panty: Brands
Honestly, I'm a big fan of making sure my panties and bras match so I usually purchase panties to match the bras I get. Since the bras I get are from good brands, the quality of panty tends to also be good. However, one usually wears a bra two or three times but a panty only once. That means we have a day or two where we need panties to go with our bra. You could purchase 3 pairs of the same matching panty, but who wants to do that.
A good rule that I follow is I have one fancy panty to match a particular bra and then I have several plain, but nice quality and sexy panties which I can mix and match with all my bras. If I am dressing real fancy or sexy, I'll wear my matching panty with the bra but for work, I'll pair the bra with a plainer panty.
I'm still looking for good panty brands so I'll post more later. Right now I'm testing out Hanky Panky.
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