Dress Like a Man: Underwear 5.0

I have slowly gone away from the standard cotton underwear that I wore for the first 28+ years of my life, much to the bemusement of some people around me. The truth was, that while inexpensive, the cotton pairs I used would bunch, ride, and were generally not all that comfortable. So why did I put myself through this torture day in and day out for so long?

So while I have “graduated” to fancier materials and styles, there is really something to be said about those old simple underwear out there. The Bread & Boxers boxer briefs are quite the unassuming and definitely live up to the mantra of the company. There is no fancy writing on the waist band, no logos, no pouches or new features. They are just straight forward cotton-blend boxer briefs – constructed solidly and pretty comfortably.

My mind harkened back to the old days, yet the cotton-blend felt better than the straight-up cotton pairs I had before. The blend stayed true to the “essential” part, yet gave it a little more form and comfort than I anticipated. While I wouldn’t necessarily use these as a pair of performance or workout briefs, I have a feeling they would perform a lot better than those old cotton pairs did. It’s not groundbreaking stuff, but it’s efficient and fit’s that essential quality that many men are looking for.

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Brand: Happy Socks
Style: Optic Boxer Brief and Big Dot Boxers
Cost: Approximately $24 on Amazon or $20 on the Happy Socks Website;
Specs: 95% Cotton/5% Elastane
Description: Happy socks started in the spring of 2008. Two friends had a vision: to spread happiness by turning an everyday essential into a colorful design piece with a rigid standard of ultimate quality, craftsmanship and creativity. A concept now brought to perfection by the happy socks collective of creators. Today happy socks are sold in more than 70 countries and on every continent. Happy socks features an almost endless variety of models and designs, using a broad spectrum of color combinations and original patterns. Simply put: there’s a pair of high-quality socks and underwear for every occasion, mindset and style.

Impressions:

Underwear purchases are a running joke between my wife and I. There was a time in my much younger years, where I would buy underwear for her when she was my girlfriend, fiance, and finally wife. There purchases were for Valentine’s Day and, looking back I (and we) both laughed about how the underwear weren’t all that practical for her, but VERY nice for me. As a result of this, I generally purchase her a pair of underwear each Christmas as an inside joke. This past Christmas was her first experience with a pair from Happy Socks – and was one of the first that is still being worn and not cast off to the back corner of a drawer.

I didn’t even realize that Happy Socks had male underwear, so I was interested to see how they delivered. Considering that my wife was still wearing hers, that gave me good reason to think that I would be fine. The cotton-blend was reminiscent of old pairs, but was still comfortable. Much like the Bread & Boxers cotton-blend pairs, these are probably not designed for performance, but do fill a great role in your underwear drawer. I was also give a pair of boxers as well. I am fairly certain it has been 15 years since I have worn boxers, but these are pretty solidly built. I have slowly converted them into sleep and late-night loungewear, but would obviously be great for the boxer enthusiasts out there. There are plenty of great styles, colors, and designs on the Happy Socks website, so you can definitely stock up with all kinds of stuff. Also check out their sock collections, as both casual, dressy and athletic styles are available.

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Brand: Puma
Style: Tech Boxer Brief & Pro-Stretch Cyclist
Cost: Approximately $20 for each

Specs: 85% Polyester / 15% Spandex
Description: PUMA is one of the world’s leading Sports Brands, designing, developing, selling and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. For over 65 years, PUMA has established a history of making fast product designs for the fastest athletes on the planet. PUMA offers performance and sportstyle products in categories such as Football, Running, Training and Fitness, Golf, and Motorsports. It engages in exciting collaborations with renowned design brands such as Alexander McQueen and Mihara Yasuhiro to bring innovative and fast designs to the sports world.  The company distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 10,000 people worldwide, and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that everyone has heard of Puma. As one of the big brand names in the sports/running apparel world, they are generally able provide quality products at a reasonable pricepoint to meet needs without breaking the bank. I found them to be lightweight and I had no issues with chafing. They weren’t as soft as some other products I have tried, but they got the job done in the workout department. These are great pairs to wear to work when you know you are going to go for a run right after the day is through. The transition is seamless.

The Cyclist style is constructed with same material as the boxer briefs but has some neat construction that really would help those multi-sport athletes out there, in addition to running. The material remains thin, but they moved the seams in an arch around the undercarriage and curved up the thighs in an effort to allow for increased range of motion without constriction. I found them to be extremely comfortable, and while they are described as being a thin fit, I can say that even me (with my larger thighs) had no issues with feeling constricted. There is a lot of ventilation where it is necessary, and even some seemingly additional areas on the inside of the thighs that would be extremely beneficial for cyclists.

These may be able to be found with distributors that United Legwear partners with, such as Foot Locker, Dick’s and Sports Authority. There are a variety of specialty and mass-market (Target) stores where these may be available as well.

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Brand: Gold’s Gym
Style: Performance Long Boxer Briefs
Cost: Approximately $15
Specs: 85% Polyester/ 15% Spandex
Description: In 1965, in a small concrete room in Venice Beach, Gold’s Gym opened its doors and launched a fitness revolution that would go on to bring exercise and healthy living to the forefront of American culture.Today, Gold’s Gym delivers life-changing results for millions of members, while changing perceptions of what it truly means to be strong throughout its 700 gyms across the globe. Impressions: Of all the underwear I have tried out so far, these are probably the most in line with the compression shorts that I have been used to when running. I guess that makes sense, as these are Gold’s Gym brand and are designed with the gym/fitness individual in mind, first and foremost.

While these were not necessarily anything super fancy, I felt they did the job they set out to do. They provide a solid baselayer under workout shorts while achieving the necessities: a comfortable waistband, chafe-free construction, and appropriate ventilation. The stretch is good and stuff stayed in place, and as a result, these felt right at home on my body while running. I tossed out some old compression shorts (way overdue), and replaced them with the Gold’s Gym pairs without issue. You may not being getting the “latest and greatest” materials, but these are simple options to help build up your capacity or fill the gaps while keeping your spending low.

These may be able to be found with distributors that United Legwear partners with, such as Foot Locker, Dick’s and Sports Authority. There are a variety of specialty and mass-market (Target) stores where these may be available as well.