Which Gaff Style Should You Choose? A Guide to Coverage, Rise & Fit

Not sure which Origami Customs gaff style is right for you? We get it. With five different cuts to choose from, figuring out the difference between a Thong, Cheeky, Hipster, Boyshort, and Cheeky Boyshort can feel a little like trying to decode a secret underwear language. 

The good news is that there isn't one "best" gaff. Each cut offers a different combination of coverage, rise, gusset width, compression, and fit, and what works best depends on your body, your preferences, and how you plan to wear it. In this video and guide, we'll break down each of our gaff styles so you can understand what makes them different and find the one that works best for you.

A note about fabric coverage

All of our gaffs have a single layer of mesh through the back, so the back has some sheerness to it. Through the front, we use two layers of compression mesh. That extra layer makes the front more opaque, so you get much more coverage where it matters.

Thong Gaff

First up is our Thong Gaff, by far our most popular gaff style.

There’s a reason thong gaffs are so common. The cut works with the way a gaff creates compression and helps hold everything securely in place. If you want to understand more about the anatomy of a gaff and what’s actually happening when you put one on, check out our guide to how gaffs work. We get into the mechanics of lifting, tucking, and compression in much more detail there.

A low-rise, flexible fit

Our Thong Gaff sits relatively low on the hips, but you have some flexibility in exactly where you wear it. You can pull it a little higher or let it sit a little lower depending on your body, your preferences, and how much compression you want.

Wearing it higher over the hip bones can also help hold a tuck in place. The area just above the hip bones has a natural dip, and positioning the waistband there gives the garment something to anchor against. Think of it as giving your gaff a little extra grip.

The Thong Gaff provides strong compression through vertical tension, which is what helps keep a tuck securely in place. That said, you absolutely do not have to tuck when wearing one. Our gaffs are stretchy enough to work as compression garments without tucking, too.

Why the thong cut works for so many bodies

There’s another reason we love this cut: the back of the Thong Gaff doesn’t cover your butt.

Instead, the garment creates a clean, wide band around the cheeks. Besides giving you a smooth, flattering line, this means the gaff can sit higher on the hips without needing to accommodate the widest part of your butt. That matters when we’re making your custom pattern.

For the Thong Gaff, we take your high hip measurement, around the hip bones where the waistband sits. We don't need your low hip measurement, which is typically taken around the fullest part of your butt, because the garment doesn't need to fit around that area.

The result is a style that has a little more flexibility when it comes to different hip-to-butt ratios and body shapes. There’s simply less of the garment that needs to conform to the widest part of your body. That’s one reason the Thong Gaff works so well for such a wide range of bodies.

And yes, it’s still a thong

Even outside of gaffs, thongs are popular for a pretty straightforward reason: no panty lines.

If you like wearing leggings, tight pants, skirts, or fitted dresses, the Thong Gaff won't leave you with a line across your butt cheeks. There’s also no edge of fabric sitting across the cheeks that can dig in or show through your clothes.

A narrower gusset takes some getting used to

There is one trade-off to the thong cut: the gusset is the section of fabric that runs between your legs. On our Thong Gaff, the gusset is relatively narrow compared with some of our higher-coverage styles. That narrower gusset is part of what makes the thong cut work, but it can also take a little getting used to if you're new to gaffing or tucking.

If you're still learning how to position a gaff, getting everything situated can take a bit of practice. This can be especially noticeable if you're taking your gaff on and off frequently, using the bathroom during the day, or wearing it while exercising or playing sports. It's not that the Thong Gaff is difficult to wear. It just asks for a little more experience when you're getting started.

If you're brand new to gaffing and want something with a bit more room through the middle, you might find one of our higher-coverage styles, like the Cheeky Gaff or Boyshort Gaff, easier to start with. And if you've already got the hang of tucking, the Thong Gaff is a versatile, low-coverage option that combines strong compression with a clean, seamless look under clothing.

Who is the Thong Gaff good for?

The Thong Gaff is our go-to recommendation for people who want strong compression with the least amount of fabric. It's a versatile style that works well across lots of different body shapes, and it's especially popular if you want a smooth, invisible look under clothing.

The Thong Gaff is a great choice if you want:

• Strong compression with minimal coverage.

• No visible panty lines under leggings, dresses, or fitted clothing.

• A flexible fit that can sit higher or lower on your hips.

• A style that works well across a wide range of body shapes.

• A gaff that's easy to wear under almost anything.

If you're completely new to gaffing or tucking, you may find one of our higher-coverage styles a little easier to start with. But if you're looking for a low-profile, everyday gaff that disappears under your clothes, the Thong Gaff is hard to beat.

Cheeky Gaff

Next up is our Cheeky Gaff. Like the Thong Gaff, it has a relatively narrow gusset and less overall coverage, but the shape is quite different. The Cheeky Gaff has a higher rise and higher-cut leg, which gives it a little more coverage while still keeping the overall silhouette fairly minimal.

A higher-cut leg and higher rise

The leg opening on the Cheeky Gaff comes up high on the leg. It isn't quite a French cut, which would come even higher over the hips, but it does create a long, clean line through the leg. If you like the look of a higher-cut leg, this can be a really flattering option. It visually elongates the legs and keeps the garment from adding much extra fabric around the upper thigh.

The Cheeky Gaff also has a higher rise than our other styles, with the exception of the Thong Gaff. Rise simply refers to the distance between the bottom of the gusset and the waistband, or essentially how tall the garment is.

That higher rise can be especially useful if you have a larger difference between your high hip and low hip measurements. If you have more volume through your butt or low hip, a higher-rise style can give you more coverage and help the garment sit securely higher on your body.

With a lower-rise style, you may find that there just isn't enough fabric to comfortably reach where you want the back waistband to sit.

More room than a thong

The Cheeky Gaff has a narrow gusset, just like the Thong Gaff, but there is one important difference: there's more room through the back. Because the Cheeky has fabric covering part of the butt rather than disappearing immediately into a thong, there's more space for everything to sit within the garment. The gusset still narrows through the middle, but you aren't working with quite the same minimal amount of fabric as you are with a thong.

That can make the Cheeky a nice middle ground if you like the streamlined feel of a thong but want a little more coverage and room.

The trade-off: the cheek line

The Cheeky Gaff does have one potential drawback, depending on what you wear over it.

Because the back of the garment cuts across the middle of the butt cheek, the elastic can create a visible line under very tight clothing. If you're wearing leggings or another close-fitting garment, you may notice that edge more than you would with the Thong Gaff.

How much you notice this will depend on your body, too. If you have more tissue through the butt cheek, the elastic may sit more deeply into the body. Softer tissue in that area can also make the edge feel more noticeable. For some people, that's no problem at all. For others, especially if you're looking for completely smooth lines under tight clothing, a different cut may be a better choice.

Who is the Cheeky Gaff good for?

The Cheeky is one of our most popular styles because it gives you a combination of higher coverage, a higher rise, a high-cut leg, and a streamlined silhouette.

It's a particularly good option if you want:

• A higher rise than a traditional low-rise style

• More coverage than a thong without moving into a full-coverage gaff

• A high-cut leg that creates a longer-looking leg line

• More room through the back than a thong

• A streamlined style that still provides strong compression

If you like the minimal feel of a thong but want a little more coverage and a higher rise, the Cheeky Gaff might be your sweet spot.

Hipster Gaff

If we divide our gaffs into two broad groups, the Hipster, Boyshort, and Cheeky Boyshort sit in the higher-coverage group. Compared with the Thong and Cheeky Gaffs, these styles have a slightly lower rise, more coverage, and a wider gusset through the center.

First up is the Hipster Gaff, which is our second-best-selling gaff after the Thong. It’s also one of our favourite styles to recommend to people who are new to gaffing. In fact, when organizations are ordering gaffs from us for the first time, particularly when they're working with younger people or people who are newer to tucking, the Hipster is often where we point them. It’s very user-friendly.

Full coverage, without feeling bulky

The Hipster Gaff gives you plenty of coverage through the hips, legs, and butt. Instead of the high-cut leg of the Thong or Cheeky, the leg opening sits lower, giving you more fabric around the upper thigh.

The back is also full coverage, with the elastic sitting just underneath the butt cheek. This creates a secure fit all the way around without adding a lot of unnecessary bulk under your clothes.

The Hipster has a wider gusset than the Thong and Cheeky Gaffs, giving you more room through the center of the garment. If you're new to tucking, that extra space can make a big difference.

You don't have to achieve an extremely tight tuck every time you wear your gaff. You might want a little more room for everyday comfort, you're still figuring out how to position everything, or you're simply worried about things shifting around during the day. The wider gusset makes all of that a little easier.

It also makes the Hipster more forgiving when you're taking your gaff on and off throughout the day. If you're using the bathroom at work, changing clothes, exercising, or just getting used to wearing a compression garment, you have more room to work with rather than having to perfectly reposition everything every time.

A lower rise means a different fit

The Hipster has a lower rise than the Thong and Cheeky Gaffs. That lower rise is part of what gives it its more traditional underwear-like shape, but it also means that the fit around your butt and hips becomes particularly important.

For the Hipster, Boyshort, and Cheeky Boyshort, we need both your high hip and low hip measurements when we're making a custom pattern because these styles actually cover the fullest part of your butt. The garment needs to fit both around your high hip at the waistband and around your low hip where the garment sits underneath the butt cheeks.

If those two measurements are very different from the measurements in our standard size chart, a standard-size garment may not fit you properly in both places. It could be too loose in one area and too tight in another.

If that sounds like you, make sure you order the custom size! Custom sizing is free, so if your measurements don't line up neatly with our size chart, take advantage of it. We'd much rather make the garment to your actual body than ask your body to negotiate with a size chart.

Who is the Hipster Gaff good for?

The Hipster is an excellent all-around choice if you want more coverage, a wider gusset, and a secure, easy-to-use fit.

It's particularly good if you want:

• A full-coverage gaff that's easy to get used to.

• More room through the gusset than the Thong or Cheeky.

• A lower-rise style that feels more like traditional underwear.

• Plenty of coverage through the hips, thighs, and butt.

• A gaff that's forgiving if you're new to tucking or still figuring out your technique.

• Strong compression without needing the most minimal cut possible.

The main thing to keep in mind is the lower rise. If you have a significant amount of volume through your low hip or butt, you may find that the Hipster doesn't sit as high at the back as a higher-rise style like the Thong or Cheeky.

For most body types, though, the Hipster is an incredibly versatile option. It's been one of our most popular styles since we started making gaffs, and for good reason: it's comfortable, secure, straightforward to use, and provides a strong tuck without asking you to master the garment first.

Boyshort Gaff

Next up is our Boyshort Gaff. Like the Hipster, it falls into our lower-rise, higher-coverage group, with a wider gusset and plenty of coverage through the hips, legs, and butt. The Boyshort is quite similar to the Hipster, but there are a few important differences in where that coverage sits.

A little more coverage, a little lower

The Boyshort comes down lower through the hip and upper thigh than the Hipster. Where the Hipster sits around the natural crease of the hip, the Boyshort extends roughly an inch lower, giving you a little more coverage through that area.

You'll also notice more coverage around the butt, particularly along the sides and lower portion of the cheeks. Rather than ending underneath the butt cheek like the Hipster, the Boyshort continues farther down the leg. This gives the garment a more continuous, full-coverage shape from the waist all the way down the upper thigh.

The widest gusset in our range

The Boyshort has the widest gusset of all our gaff styles. If you're new to tucking or simply prefer having more room through the middle, this can make the Boyshort especially easy to wear. There's more fabric to contain and support everything, while the elastic around the leg openings helps keep the garment securely in place.

That combination can be particularly useful if you're worried about shifting or "spillage" during the day. The leg openings create a strong, secure edge around the body, so once everything is positioned, there's less to worry about moving around.

This is also one reason the Boyshort can be a great option for sports and swimming. When you're moving around a lot, having a wider gusset and secure leg openings can give you some extra peace of mind that everything is going to stay where you put it.

A good fit for straighter body shapes

Because the Boyshort is lower-rise and extends farther down the leg, it can be particularly comfortable for people with a straighter shape through the hips and butt. If you don't have a lot of difference between your waist, high hip, and low hip, the extra coverage through the upper thigh can sit smoothly against the body rather than needing to accommodate a dramatic change in shape.

That doesn't mean you need a particular body type to wear a Boyshort. Our gaffs are designed for a wide range of bodies. It's simply one of those cuts where the shape of the garment may work especially nicely with a straighter hip-to-butt profile. 

As with the Hipster and Cheeky Boyshort, we take both your high hip and low hip measurements for custom sizing because this style covers the fullest part of your butt. And remember, custom sizing is free! If your high and low hip measurements don't correspond neatly to the same standard size, we'd recommend going custom so we can make the garment fit your actual proportions.

Who is the Boyshort Gaff good for?

The Boyshort is a great choice if you want maximum coverage, a generous gusset, and a very secure fit.

It's particularly good if you want:

• The most coverage through the gusset of any of our gaffs.

• More coverage through the hips, butt, and upper thighs than the Hipster.

• A lower-rise style with a traditional boyshort shape.

• A secure fit that helps keep everything firmly in place.

• A beginner-friendly option with plenty of room to work with.

• A gaff for sports, swimming, or other activities where you don't want to worry about shifting.

The main thing to keep in mind is the lower rise. If you have a significantly larger low hip than high hip measurement, you may find that a higher-rise style like the Thong or Cheeky sits more comfortably and securely higher on your body. But if you're looking for a full-coverage gaff that feels secure, gives you plenty of room through the center, and isn't going anywhere once you've got it on, the Boyshort is a very solid choice.

Cheeky Boyshort Gaff

Last but certainly not least is our Cheeky Boyshort Gaff. This one is a personal favourite. Not just as a gaff, but as an underwear cut in general. It brings together a few of the things people love about our other styles, which makes it a bit of a best-of-both-worlds situation.

More coverage on the sides, less in the back

The Cheeky Boyshort is built similarly to the Hipster and Boyshort, with lower-rise coverage and wider sides. The difference is in the back. Instead of continuing down over the butt like the Boyshort, the back curves upward across the cheeks for a cheekier cut.

On an actual human body, that curve sits higher over the butt than it looks on our mannequin. The result is a rounded, flattering line while still giving you those nice, substantial sides. Those wider sides aren't just about coverage, either. They also contribute to how secure the garment feels.

Compression in two directions

A gaff uses tension in different directions to do different jobs. The vertical tension through the garment provides the stronger compression that helps hold a tuck in place. That part of the garment has less stretch. The horizontal tension, meanwhile, has more give. That's what allows you to actually get the garment on and off and keeps it comfortable once you're wearing it.

The wider sides of the Cheeky Boyshort give you more of that horizontal compression around your hips. They hug the body without needing to feel rigid, which can make the garment feel particularly secure. For some people, that snug feeling is exactly what they're looking for. It gives the whole garment a little more "I've got you" energy without making it unnecessarily restrictive.

A generous gusset

Like the Hipster and Boyshort, the Cheeky Boyshort has a wider gusset through the center. If you're new to gaffing, this can make the garment much easier to work with. There's more room through the middle, so you don't have to worry as much about everything being perfectly positioned or having enough space for a comfortable tuck.

The gusset also extends relatively low through the front, giving you plenty of coverage through the area where the legs meet the body. If you've tried a narrower-gusset style like the Thong or Cheeky and found that you wanted a little more room, this is one of the styles we'd recommend trying.

Who is the Cheeky Boyshort Gaff good for?

The Cheeky Boyshort is a great choice if you want the security of wider coverage with a cheekier shape through the back.

It's particularly good if you want:

• A lower-rise gaff with substantial coverage through the sides.

• A wider gusset that's easy to work with.

• A snug, secure feeling around the hips.

• More coverage than a thong or Cheeky Gaff, but less coverage through the butt than a Boyshort.

• A cheeky back that creates a rounded, flattering line.

• A beginner-friendly style with plenty of room through the center.

There isn't one "right" gaff

After all five styles, there's one thing we really want to emphasize: there are no hard-and-fast rules about which gaff you should wear.

Bodies are different. Preferences are different. The clothes you're wearing are different. And sometimes the best way to choose a gaff is simply to think about the underwear cuts you already know you like.

If you love wearing cheeky underwear, you might feel right at home in the Cheeky Boyshort. If you live in leggings and hate panty lines, the Thong might be your winner. If you're new to tucking and want plenty of room to work with, a Hipster or Boyshort could be a better starting point.

The recommendations we've given throughout this guide come from years of making gaffs, looking at patterns and measurements, and listening to feedback from our customers. They're starting points, not rules. And we're not finished developing gaffs, either. They're one of our most popular products, and we're always interested in expanding the range to meet the needs of more bodies.

And remember, all of our gaffs can be custom-sized for free with our Perfect Fit Guarantee! And if you're not sure which style will work best for you, reach out. We're always happy to help you figure it out.

We've also got more resources covering how gaffing and tucking work, how to tuck safely, wearing a gaff while swimming, and plenty of other useful information.

Thanks for Being Here

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our gaffs. We know that finding the right garment can sometimes feel a little overwhelming because there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to bodies, tucking, or comfort. So we hope this information helps!

If there's a style you've been wishing existed, or something you think is missing from our current lineup, we want to hear about it. We make every style by hand in our Montreal studio, and we design our styles based directly on client feedback, so we love to hear from you!

And as always, if you have questions about fit, measurements, tucking, or which style might work best for you, reach out to us. We'd much rather help you find the right fit than have you try to make your body fit the garment.