The thong dress. The whale tail. The visible G-string. No matter what you call it, this going-out trend is not for the faint of heart, and I should know.
The style is enjoying a casual resurgence, though adventurous dressers gave the look a spin as far back as 2019, when Hailey Bieber rocked a bold pink gown at the Met Gala and Alexa Demie showed off a crystal thong strap at the "Euphoria" premiere. More recently, Bieber sported a strappy Mugler minidress on New Year's Eve. And Dua Lipa layered a thin, iridescent sheath over white panties.
These are just a few examples of celebrities who commit to the thong dress with utmost confidence and dedication. Meanwhile, I am a rookie. I called in designs from the likes of Revolve, I.Am.Gia, and PrettyLittleThing, brands that specialize in alluring yet boundary-pushing pieces. What arrived were various thin strips of fabric I was somehow meant to configure across my body.
I'm not going to lie, out of the four looks I tried, I felt completely comfortable in just two. I BMOT (brought my own thong) to the I.Am.Gia halter, as it did not have one built in and featured low-slung material at the open back that would have fully displayed my - ahem - crack. Even after accessorizing and adjusting my glam, these more revealing options just felt a little too skimpy for me, personally. After photographing my outfits and taking them for a whirl on the town, I decided I prefer the thong dress trend when the detail is utilized as the only element of surprise on the back of a much more modest front.
Ahead, join me on my journey to reaching this conclusion, and browse the exact dresses I wore.