To make matters worse, this fashion faux pas is exacerbated by summer's trends: the hottest color is white, the silhouettes are slim and body-conscious, and the fabrics are diaphanous and flowing. Yikes! What's a girl to wear under these clothes?

Recent innovations by savvy manufacturers can be problem-solvers. Designers have listened to women's wails and put their creative teams to work to shape, control, enhance, support and slim the figure. These are not your grandma's girdles or great-grandma's corsets.

Comfort is the key.

We went shopping in search of the best underpinnings to help smooth us through the summer.

Before You Shop

We all have garments hanging in the back of our closets because we can't find the right thing to wear under them: Those unlined pants with the see-through seat, that adorable tank top that seems to show straps no matter what, the delicious silk skirt that reveals lumps we didn't know were there.

Take each of these garments out of the closet and make an appointment with a trained fitter in your favorite lingerie department.

White or colored panties under white pants act like a bright sign pointing to your panty lines.

Even the most slender figure can be sabotaged by lumps and bumps caused by an ill-fitting bra.

Ready to Shop?

Our first stop was the Neiman Marcus intimate apparel department, where we met Lucy Chelini, merchandise manager, and Debby Marquez-Gahan, the department manager.

We've all heard about Oprah's favorite bra, the Tisha by Le Mystere. She has waxed poetic about the virtues of its comfort, its cups and its seamless appearance under sweaters. At Neiman Marcus, we overheard numerous customers asking for "that Oprah bra" as we shopped.

But other lingerie manufacturers, among them Donna Karan, Chantelle, Wacoal, Simone Perele, Cosabella and Spanx, also have focused on problem-solving undergarments.

Sara Blakely created Spanx footless pantyhose because she couldn't find anything to wear under a pair of unlined cream-colored pants. Her original idea for body-hugging footless pantyhose has now expanded into a line of 40 products to smooth and shape from neck to ankles.

Oprah is in love with Spanx Power Panties, which slim the tummy and thighs. The TV diva layers two pairs at a time.

Chelini said the Spanx Slim Cognito (you gotta love the names) sits above the waist and can hook onto your bra to give you a smooth line from decollete to derriere. The longer version, called Higher Power, goes down the thigh. Each has a practical opening so you don't have to take it off when nature calls.

Spanx Hide and Sleek is a bra and slip smoother in one. However, the modest might want to wear Breast Petals (those little, sticky, flower-shaped things that cover the, ahem, nipples) under this one.

Cute, colorful and sexy, yet smooth under clothing: Cosabella Instinct hot pants ($24) and camisole ($47).

Karan also created a style (No. 354415) that can convert to a racer back, crisscross straps and a halter with a deep back, said Marquez-Gahan. A racer back, she added, is ideal for women with sloping shoulders.

The Chantelle Alhambra style also has clear straps and serves as a multiposition bra.

Chelini said that a simple "nude" on the color chart no longer cuts it. Now designers are offering numerous shades of flesh-toned lingerie to match most women's skin tones — "nude," "beige," "cocoa" and so on, with pink or brown undertones. "Look at the various brands to find the right skin-tone color for you," she advised.

Swiss lingerie manufacturer Hanro has just released its latest innovation at Neiman Marcus: Perfectly Nude, a line of camisoles, bras and panties that are laser-cut and contain no seams. A bonus: They added silicone strips at the hems and edges so they stick to you and lie absolutely flat, like a second skin.

Wrong Size Fits None

More than 80 percent of American women wear the wrong-size bra.

Christine Kobeck, who works for Chantelle, a French line of lingerie, said an ill-fitting bra is the main culprit in unsightly lumps and bumps. Be sure to look at yourself in a rearview mirror when trying on a bra, she said.

Some of the new long-line bras or bra-camisole combinations help erase unsightly bulges in the back, above the bra line. A bra with laser-cut sides can also help give you a seamless finish, Kobeck added.

Sometimes you actually want those pretty underthings to show. Denise Pho layers a colorful Cosabella camisole beneath a tunic by Margaret Loves Peter.

A too-big bra can create puckers in the cups. Little silicone stuffers can ease that problem.

Bottoms Up

Chelini said Island women love boy shorts, while the Neiman Marcus stores on the Mainland hardly sell any. "It's very much an Island thing, I think. Boy shorts are cute and sexy, and they appeal to athletes and women who are into water sports." A favorite style is Cosabella's Instinct Hot Pants that are made of a fine mesh that clings to the body.

Julie Haskell, owner of Morgan Beret, a lingerie store in Kahala Mall, said that while thongs are still popular among her clientele, you don't always have to wear a thong with low-rise jeans or pants: "Boy shorts with a seamless look are the hottest bottoms right now."

Her best seller is Hanky Panky ($18), made of a soft cotton lace that hits at the right place and doesn't budge. It comes in 40 colors, and when a new color comes in, "I have a list of 100 women who want me to call them to let them know."

Marquez-Gahan said the thong is still her most popular solution for low-rise or see-through pants, and the low rider Hanky Panky is Neiman Marcus Ala Moana's best seller.

Lisa George, special services manager at Macy's Ala Moana, said their stores have a line called Miracle Shaper, which includes a body suit that slims the torso, various styles and lengths of panties, and a sleek camisole.

George also said to look for a style of bra called "body slimmers" (most manufacturers, including Playtex, Olga and Maidenform make them) that will offer a smooth line under T-shirts. Avoid lace, which looks lumpy under clothing.

Whether your summer wardrobe calls for smoothing, shaping or supporting — lingerie designers offer a plethora of solutions for smooth sailing in the season's most revealing clothes.