To answer that question it helps to know what you want to buy thongs for.

Do you want to buy a thong swimsuit for the beach? If so you will see there are a number of thong styles for beachware. Generally speaking, beach thongs are made of lycra and/or spandex. This gives them stretch and makes them comfortable to wear.

Let' s take a look.

The first is the Rio thong. This thong has the most rear coverage of the thong family ? generally about 1/3 to 2/3 of your butt is covered by material and similar in the front. Thong styles vary, but they all have a steep angle to the material.

A t-back is a thong that as the name suggests, forms a definite T at the rear, the material comes up between the buttocks and broadens to the T shape waist band. This is a revealing thong with the buttocks exposed.

A v-string is another revealing thong. In this thong, instead of forming a T, the material comes up and broadens to form a definite "V" shape.

The next thong is the g-string. I am sure that most people are familiar with the g-string, but if not, a g-string has no material around the waist !

the waist is a string as is a string which goes down the rear for maximum exposure of your butt cheeks. VERY good for tanning! You undo the strings and there is no tan-line at all.

Thong styles as lingerie don' t really change the basic designs that much. The only real differences are in the materials used. Thongs can be made out of just about any comfortable material, but the more common thongs as underwear materials are cotton, lycra mix, satin and silk They also come in leather and PVC.

Choose a material that is comfortable for the purpose or function. Leather obviously has a very different appeal to cotton!

The fashion industry has adapted thong styles to suit its needs as well. With the lowering of hip lines in jeans, thongs have gotten lower as well.

So the similar rules apply as with panties ? you 'll see descriptions of Ultra-low rise and Low-rise applied to thongs. All this means is that these thongs have less material rising to the waistband. This allows you to wear thongs with low-rise jeans and pants without your thong going over the top.

One recent and sometimes controversial fashion trend has girls wearing high rise thongs with low rise jeans. The midriff is bare and so from the rear you see a thong riding up over the top of jeans waistband. This trend has caught on in Europe and the US - much to the irritation of a generation of parents.

We don't take any sides in this one - except to say: if you want to wear a thong over the back - then make it a really interesting, hot thong.

Styles and fashions come and go. This one will be no different.

We'll be commenting on new trends and styles as they come along - as well as highlighting where the deals are to be had and the new exciting designs on the market.