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UPDATE—July 12, 2022: Good news! You can now get the Hanky Panky during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2022, where the styles are discounted up to 30% (!). Scoop up a zillion pairs, then scroll over the find the best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale deals on fashion, lingerie, and beauty.
ORIGINAL STORY—AUGUST 7, 2020: The closest thing I’ve ever felt to the thrill that, I imagine, must come with winning the lottery was the day I fell in love with Hanky Panky’s retro thong underwear. I know this sounds surprising because it is, after all, just a thong. Typically you do not fall in love with thongs; you wear them, grudgingly, teeth clenched from a wedgie. Not so with these. These are the most perfect thongs, perhaps the most perfect underwear in existence, and right now they’re on major markdown with early access at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2020.
Maybe you didn’t expect a fun fact about my lingerie drawer when you clicked on this, but I’m gonna hit you with one anyway: Hanky Panky’s retro thong underwear makes up about 90% of it. These panties are my ride-or-die, my one true lingerie love. I do not remember a time in my life before these little numbers, and there will not be a time in my life without them. Sure, they’re pretty—one should absolutely wear sexy underwear every day—but they’re also way more practical (and comfy!) than you might think.
It should go without saying that I love everything about this thong. I love that the wide lace band doesn’t roll down or bunch up throughout the day (which lately involves a lot of lounging at home). I love that they are legit high-rise, coming up almost to my navel. I love that they sit smooth without lumps, bumps, or panty lines, even under my most fitted pieces. I love that the underwear has thaaat much control to it, so you feel some nicely snug compression, but it’s not enough to make it uncomfortable—and we all know that that’s the biggest factor these days.
As far as dreaded thong wedgies go, I will say that these are not 100% immune to them—which is the only reason they are not completely perfect—but they really only attack if you’re sitting in them for a long period of time. (Say, for example, during a days-long road trip across the country—don’t wear thongs for long car rides, kids.)
And even though I will always have a place for these in my heart and space for them in my drawer, they’re super-expensive where I live in Berlin. So during times like these, when the sale is too good to ignore, I stock up and ship them to the next understanding soul who’s coming to visit me. Sure, the retro thong isn’t cheap—even on sale—but they’re not going to fall apart in six months, either. (They hold up a long time.) This is proper spend-the-money-because-it’s-worth-it grown-up underwear that also makes you feel like a flawless goddess. And when you can get four pairs for under $60 during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, or $16.90 each, it’s a great time to revamp at least part of your underwear drawer if you’re overdue.
And if a thong really isn’t your thing, I’m also obsessed with the briefs, which I’ll also be restocking as they’re also majorly on sale. I don’t buy them as much because they’re more expensive, but I’d live all day in them if I could.
