Hot Tanks for a Cool Summer

Beware the tank top-clad movie heroine. In current cinema shorthand, a muscle shirt pretty much guarantees that the wearer is one tough-but-sexy woman. Take Linda Hamilton in “Terminator 2,” or Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in “Thelma and Louise.” But the premier tankster of them all is that buzzed and sinewy alien fighter, Sigourney Weaver, whose Warrant Officer Ripley muscles her way through “Alien 3

Inspired by these no-nonsense characters, women of slightly less heroic proportions are sending out their own tough-but-sexy message, trading the ubiquitous little white T for a little white tank.

The style’s charm is that it manages to combine two intoxicating forces: Power (exposed muscles) and Sex (exposed skin). Of course, well-toned arms look best in tanks. But even the imperfectly shaped woman (is there any other kind?) should be able to find a tank that flatters for summer.

Prices range from $4.99 for a cotton-blend style at Target to $98 for a camellia-festooned Chanel knockoff at I. Magnin. What really separates them is the fit.

* Hanro’s Swiss cotton tanks (starting at $30 at Neiman Marcus) feature tiny ribboned or spaghetti straps--perfect for small-chested women who would wear a jacket over them, but too revealing on anyone else. Most women will need to wear a seamless, lace-free bra.

* Calvin Klein’s undershirt-style tank ($9.50 at Robinson’s) is ribbed, so sheerness isn’t a problem, and can accommodate a skimpy racing bra.

* A bra without wide underarm panels can be worn under The Limited’s versatile cotton/lycra tank top ($19).

* Pricier styles, like I. Magnin’s ribbed Chanel-esque styles and DKNY’s cotton bodysuit ($60), are reasonably opaque and also work with carefully chosen undergarments.