The Control Thong

By Charla Krupp

PRODUCT The have-it-both-ways undie: a seamless back but with a supportive Lycra front to suck in excess tummy

HOW IT STARTED Under today's clingy garments, flimsy underwear doesn't cut it. Women need some support

JUDGMENT CALL Likely to become a lingerie-drawer staple

Ever wonder what kind of underwear lies beneath those revealing dresses worn by Toni Braxton and seemingly every other Hollywood siren these days? On Grammy night, the members of Destiny's Child weren't wearing a thing underneath their tight Versace gowns, their publicist says. But for every other woman who has tried to pour herself into one of those unforgiving bias-cut dresses, the inspired undergarment of the moment is the control thong. It's a pair of panties that eliminates the lumps and bumps of underwear lines. You can wear it with clingy dresses or sheer pants and still tighten your tummy--maybe even zap an inch or two.

One early enthusiast was designer Donna Karan, who was looking for something to wear under her famous body-hugging sheaths. Donna Karan Intimates now offers a sexy but supportive thong ($22 at Bloomingdale's), and others come from Nancy Ganz, Maidenform and Victoria's Secret. Made of lightweight microfibers, the thongs are a far cry from your grandma's breath-stopping girdle. And though some women still find the thongs a little risque, they're getting used to them. Some 37 million thongs were sold in the U.S. in 1999, giving the business a 20% boost in revenues over those of 1998, according to the marketing information group NPD. Karyn Monget, lingerie editor at Women's Wear Daily, predicts that come sandal season, as more women opt for bare legs, the control thong will take over right where control pantyhose left off.

--By Charla Krupp