Many men feel uncomfortable walking through a women's lingerie store, in an attempt to choose a sexy gift for their woman. Most certainly, there are female sales clerks eager to assist, however, unless you know what style of bra, sleepwear, or panties to buy, you will need to look at an assortment of styles and colors.

Does it embarrass you to hold up a thong or a pair of panties while you decide which color might suit your sweetheart's pleasure? Or, maybe you've entered a women's lingerie store, looked around, saw the myriad of choices, and walked out without purchasing anything.

Of course, if you're a man who doesn't embarrass easily, and you enjoy looking at all the sexy and erotic intimate apparel, then you most likely don't have a problem buying sexy lingerie in a store.

Buying panties for a woman is a pleasurable browsing adventure, but you might prefer to shop online in the privacy of your room or office. If that's the case, then you might benefit from a few quick descriptions of panty styles, which will make your online shopping trip much easier.

Thong Panties are sometimes nothing more than a little piece of fabric at the center, and are held together with a string-type appearance at the rear, or a small triangular piece of fabric at the front. Some styles of thongs use stretchable lace, but the most apparent feature of the thong is that the fabric at the rears of the thong almost disappears between the checks of the buttocks (of course, you won't see that when you're holding up the thong, but you can use your imagination if you've never seen a thong before). Besides appearing sexy, thongs give clothing the appearance that the woman isn't wearing any panties at all.

The G-string, T-back, and V-string are versions of the thong. You might also notice that some thongs are referred to as a tanga, which is what they call thongs in Brazil. Don't be discouraged; a tanga or a thong is the same thing.

Bikini panties have more coverage and usually ride low on the hips. Also, bikini panties have a fuller piece of fabric at the sides than a thong.

Another tip for choosing just the right lingerie for your woman is that sometimes online stores group panties by brand names, such as Hanky Panky, Commando, or Cosabella. Each brand can represent several styles of panties. Furthermore, some online stores provide links to the panty styles, such as, thongs, bikinis, boycut, briefs, low-rise, or high-cut panties.

The Full Brief Panties are what some men refer to as "Granny" panties since the fabric covers most of the area from the waist to the crotch. Some men find this sexy, while some women consider the full brief panties practical, especially when they know no one will them, or during that special time of the month.

Boycut Panties are similar to the full brief panties, but they don't extend all the way to the waist. Some boycut panties have patterns, lace, or are made of sheer fabric. This style of panty looks like a tight pair of boy's shorts, and has become quite popular and fashionable during recent years.

High-Cut Panties show more of the thigh, and they look very sexy. Shorter women love this style panty since it makes their legs appear longer. The high-cut panty is also known as a French-cut panty.

Whether you're ordering panties in the United States, Europe, or somewhere else in the world, most International lingerie stores have conversion charts for calculating sizes in various countries. If unsure, you can always find a conversion chart on the Internet.

In summary, if you're man enough to shop in a retail store at the mall, then enjoy your gift-buying adventure. If you're more timid, then head to your favorite online women's lingerie and panty website to check out all the latest styles and colors.