I believe the thong is made of braided cord. I apologize if I'm mistaken. It's a free size, but if you usually wear a size L, your heel might stick out. I love kimonos and have collected a lot of them. Looking back, I regret not buying gold with the money I spent on kimonos (T-T) I don't have many opportunities to wear kimonos anymore, so I plan to gradually sell them to those who need them. Unused, stored at home. Please refrain from purchasing if you are sensitive to unseen deterioration. I have a cat.