JUST when you thought lingerie could not get any skimpier than the G-string, out comes the CString.

Think of it as a thong with no strings and with minimum coverage.

The promotional material on the online store, CString Direct, touts it as a good way to eliminate visible panty lines and says it can be worn under dresses and pants.

It also claims women who use it as swimwear will have no tan lines.

The garment's inventor, Mr David Bradshaw, is a US insurance salesman in his mid-40s. He told The New Paper in a telephone interview from his office in Phoenix, Arizona, that he had the idea for the CString when he was in university.

He said: 'I sat on it for 20 years because I thought no one was ready for it.

'Now since it is more acceptable to wear skimpy lingerie, I thought I'd give it a try.'

Two years ago, Mr Bradshaw set up the online store, www.cstringdirect.com.

However, at this stage, he maintains it is still a side business to his insurance job.

He declined to reveal how much he has made but claimed that sales are sporadic. Some months he can sell up to 1,000 CStrings a month, he said.

The CString is a plastic frame with fabric sewn over it.

Mr Bradshaw said he makes the frame out of a pliable plastic product called ABS plastic, that is easily moulded when heat is applied.

He first tested his product on his wife 'to get the shapes right,' he said. 'That is how I came up with the perfectly smooth C.'

Customers have a choice of fabric - a nylon-spandex blend for the lingerie line or a Lycra blend for the swimwear range - colours, and patterns from stripes to polka dots.

The CString bottom costs US$20 ($28) per piece and US$38 for a set with a matching bra. This excludes shipping costs.

Mr Bradshaw estimates it will cost at least $40 to ship to Singapore.

While he says he hasn't received any orders from Singapore, he can ship to any part of the world, to anyone who has a valid credit card.

So far, the only Asian country he has sold to is Japan. Most of his customers are online adult and lingerie shops in Russia, UK, France and Germany, with a few women buying it for themselves.

In the meantime, the invention has become an object of curiosity online, with some netizens discussing it on their blogs.

One anonymous netizen on blog site Yadogg described it as 'a glorified sanitary napkin, and about as comfortable'.

Another named Rob said: 'This is just ridiculous... What is it that people have against decency?'

When asked about these criticisms, Mr Bradshaw said: 'People who criticise it have not tried it. They should try it on before they say anything about it.'

And yes, he assures buyers that the CString will stay on and not fall off, say, in the middle of a hot date.

'The fear is psychological. It will take you a while to get comfortable with the fact that they are not going to fall off,' he said.

'My wife says that it feels like you are wearing nothing at all.'

The CString is currently available in two sizes - small and medium.

Mr Bradshaw is working on a line for larger women, as well as a men's range, which will 'have a pouch'.

The New Paper called 15 lingerie and adult shops to find out if they stocked the product and most of them had not heard of it.

One lingerie store, Oohtique, said they had heard of it but were not sure how Singapore women would take to it.

'WEIRD?'

And you will not find 2004 The New Paper New Face finalist Christabel Campbell wearing one.

The 21-year-old model said the CString looked 'weird'.

'You might as well not wear anything. I am not a big fan of the G-string - it is so uncomfortable - do you think I will wear this?'

Ms Campbell also does not buy the product's tagline that it can eliminate visible panty lines.

'There are other lingerie items on the market that can do that, like seamless undies,' she said.

As for wearing it as a swimsuit, Ms Campbell thinks Singapore women are far too conservative to wear it openly in public.

She said: 'If they won't even wear those thong bikinis like the ones you find on Brazilian beaches, they certainly won't wear this.

'It looks illegal.'

But Ms Agnes Ng, a 32-year-old make-up artist, said she would be curious to try it, provided she likes the material.

'I think it sounds interesting and would be good to wear with something like a jersey dress so you won't have VPL (visible panty lines),' she said.

However, she drew the line at wearing it as a swimsuit. 'I think the more flesh you expose, the less sexy it is,' she said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Feb 19, 2008.