Buff Possie Gets Skivvies Skinny

JENNIFER LEBOVICH DAILY NEWS WRITER
352 words
12 August 2004
New York Daily News
SPORTS FINAL
19

A BEVY OF SCANTILY clad models took to the streets of midtown yesterday, asking the all-important question: What do you have under there?

"I was, like, 'They're naked in Manhattan!' " said ambulance driver Michelle Lugo, 35, after she was approached and asked her underwear preference.

"Calvin Klein briefs, no thongs," Lugo said, a sheepish grin on her face.

The male and female models were dispatched by the online vendor freshpair.com, which says it hopes to make Aug. 11 National Underwear Day. About 20 paraded around Times Square in their skivvies, asking hundreds of New Yorkers whether they preferred boxers or briefs.

Alista Ford, 44, showed his striped briefs to the crowd but said thongs are his favorite.

"I'm glad I got on clean underwear," said Ford, who spends about $100 a pair for Guccis. "I always match my underwear to my outfit. It makes me feel good, even if no one sees 'em."

According to freshpair.com, men prefer boxers and women choose thongs as their favorite, with bikini-cut a close second.

The models attracted hoots and hollers from the crowds. Tourists stopped to take pictures. One man walked into a pole as he checked out the ladies and some dropped
their pants to give passersby a peek at their drawers.

Dorothy Myers, 77, stopped to talk with the models and get suggestions about underwear to buy for her husband.

"I like the guys, not necessarily the underwear," she said, pointing to one model's tight navy briefs.

Personal trainer Kami Falcione, 30, swears by thongs and says she owns about 100 pairs of underwear.

"I don't like panty lines. There's nothing uglier," she said.
But others found another solution to avoid unsightly underwear lines - going commando.

"I'm not wearing underwear," admitted Nora Scharff, 59. "I don't want to wear something that shows lines. You have to be clean."

Caption: ANGEL CHEVRESTT Underwear-clad models circulate in Times Square yesterday, conducting brief survey on men's and women's under- wearing habits.