Men in tights (that fit)

—By Amos Kenigsberg

| Wed Jan. 24, 2001 12:00 AM PST

When some fashion designers recently expanded their lingerie lines to provide more options for plus-size women, they tapped into an unexpected market. Actually, they found two markets: women who couldn't squeeze into size 12 clothing, and transvestite men unable to find duds that fit their relatively narrow hips and broad chests.

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A NEW YORK OBSERVER reporter caught up with a few trannies who delight in the vastly improved selection of lingerie they now have at their fingertips. Like their female counterparts, the men can now find a wide variety of sexy underwear at big retailers like Bloomingdale's and Macy's.

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Salespeople say their crossdressing customers have more in common with the women than you might think: "We all have the same goal in mind. And that goal is totally fashion."

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