Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, I discuss men's underwear, different styles, types you can wear, when
and why you should wear them, what materials you should go for, what colors, and I'll touch
on what brands are worth your money.
As you know, we're big into history and if you want to learn more about the history of
underwear, I suggest you check out our in-depth written guide on our website.
First, let's discuss underwear styles.
Probably the most well-known one is the boxer short.
It's made of cotton, it's well-suited to be worn with suits or pleated pants, and it's
very loose fitting.
Usually, men either hate it or love it.
Boxer shorts are usually made out of shirt fabric material so it's not super flexible
but since it's cut very roomy, it's so comfortable.
Moreover, it has a button fly, in this case, it's covered, sometimes it's not but it allows
for easy access.
The promise of boxer shorts are that they're usually made of absorbent cotton, they're
loose and airy.
Because it's shirt fabric, it's very hard wearing and some people really like to sleep
in them.
The cons are, they have the tendency to bunch up and it's very easy to sweat in them which
is one of the main reasons why I dislike them, personally.
On top of that, they're not well-suited for physical activities
because the shirt fabric in this elastic waistband really digs into your skin and when you have
sensitive skin, it may even chafe it and be very uncomfortable so when you
work out or exercise, stay clear of them.
Another very classic pair of men's underwear are briefs.
They are cut so they basically cover everything and they don't have anything on the leg.
It's basically a simple , Y shape and it's a classic that your grandpa probably wore.
They're particularly good for skinnier clothing because it doesn't bunch up underneath of
it and is more comfortable so, if you sit a lot, if you prefer skinny jeans, or just
slim cut pants, the brief is definitely a pair of underwear style you should look into.
The cons are that it may look old-fashioned and some people even call it the banana hammock
so maybe when you're on a date, it's not the best choice and on top of that, when you exercise
and go to the gym, it doesn't offer a whole lot of support.
It's definitely better than boxer shorts but not as good as boxer briefs or trunks.
Which brings us to the next style of underwear, boxer briefs or trunks.
Some people refer to them as best of both worlds because, on the one hand, they have
the tapered cut of the boxer short, just a little slimmer and on the other hand, they
are more fitted like a brief.
Most boxer briefs come with an elastic waistband that is flat, hence, it is more comfortable
to wear especially when you work out or even during a regular day.
Simply compare it to.. on the one hand, you have the harder, cotton material with ridges
that dig into your skin.
On the other hand, you have this smooth, elastic waistband.
Some boxer briefs don't have an elastic waistband but they're still very comfortable and basically,
what you're looking for is a smooth surface so you can wear them without really feeling
them all day.
The advantage of being longer in the leg and offering more compression and support , on
the flip side means that it's more likely to bunch up and because of that you can find
briefs and trunks in various lengths so when you work out, you want something that's longer.
When you just wear a suit or regular clothes and you sit a lot, you should go with shorter
legs.
Last but not the least, one form of men's underwear are thongs, bikinis, and g-strings,
and if you want to learn more about the differences of these types of underwear and when to wear
them, you can check out our in-depth guide, here.
The classic underwear color is white.
Usually comes in cotton and it works all year round especially during the winter when you
wear thicker fabrics.
Now, in the summer, when you wear thinner fabrics, maybe even a white pair of pants,
underwear can show through so you should stir clear of patterned underwear and take only
solids.
White underwear only gets you so far because you can see it because it's different from
your skin tone so you can either get a nude colored pair of men's underwear which is hard
to find or make it yourself by putting it in some black tea.
Alternatively, you can get a heather grey pair of underwear which are much easier to
find than nude ones and they actually show through less than a white pair of underwear.
If you're darker in skin color, you can look for something in a darker grey.
Ideally, always get something that's as close as possible to your skin tone and won't show
through.
Next, let's talk about underwear materials.
The most popular underwear material is cotton and it comes in white.
Now, the prices for cotton underwear range from $1.50 to more than a $100 and as with
all things in life, just because it's cotton, doesn't mean it's the same quality.
The feel and the touch of your underwear, when you hold it in your hand and when you
wear it, can be hugely different and of course, you want something on your skin that feels
comfortable all day long.
A lot of premium brands try to use words like Pima cotton, Egyptian cotton, or sea island
cotton, unfortunately, there's a lot of seal abuse going on so you don't really know what
you're buying unless the material comes from a trusted source.
In terms of cotton, it all comes down to staple length then the yarn and the knit.
West Indian Sea Island cotton oftentimes comes with a staple length of more than 5 cm which
is extremely long.
A cheaper cotton may just be 1cm long which is less than half an inch.
If you want to get quality cotton underwear, look for hallmarks such as Swiss Cotton or
Pima Cotton.
Ideally, of course, you try on the underwear and you touch it and you feel them, so can
you determine the quality of cotton by simply touching it?
Unfortunately, not.
When you have a short staple cotton and you get a little fuss like on a flannel, it can
feel very soft but after just a few times of washes, it can pill.
On the other hand, a quality pair of long staple cotton underwear will also feel soft
but it's much more durable.
You always want long staple cotton for maximum comfort and longevity.
The big advantage of cotton is that it's absorbent, it's hard-wearing and easy to launder.
The cons of cotton underwear are that they lose color over time so no matter how high
the quality, they will look faded and in the grander schemes of things, there are softer
materials out there.
One of the most popular underwear materials in today's age is Modal.
A material made by the Austrian company, Lenzing, that is derived from beechwood.
It's a cellulose fiber so it starts with a natural fiber that is then taken and made
into an artificial yarn that is very slim with a very small diameter and hence, it feels
very soft on your skin.
To get an even softer feel, the same company created something called MicroModal.
It's simply a smaller diameter and it's even softer.
The big advantages of modal underwear are that they are shrink resistant, the colors
never fade and it's about three times as soft as cotton so you really get the best of everything.
The only downside of modal or micro modal are that it is prone to pilling so after a
while, you may see some of the pilling.
Sometimes manufacturers try to add cotton to prevent that but it's simply something
you have to live with and it means that you have to exchange your underwear maybe a little
more often but they're extremely soft.
As if micro modal wasn't fine enough, the company came up with micro modal air which
is the finest and softest underwear material on the market today.
If you want to learn more, please check out our guide on the website, here.
One of the two quality hallmarks of underwear is comfort.
It has to be right for you, the cut has to be right for you.
Some companies even offer various shapes because humans are different.
In terms of longevity, you can really break it down by cost per wear so even if you buy
an inexpensive pair for a dollar or a dollar and fifty, it may actually cost you more per
wear than if you get more luxurious pair of underwear for forty dollars simply because
it lasts longer.
So what underwear should you buy?
As you can imagine, it really depends.
It depends on your budget, it depends on the cut that works best for you and if you want
to check out some low-end and mid-market underwear that we tested and recommend, please check
out our full guide, here.
In terms of luxury underwear, I've tried many different brands such as La Perla, Hanro,
Zimmerli and lately, one brand called, Tani.
I really like Tani underwear because they always strive to go for high-end materials
such as micro modal air, they also use a long staple swiss cotton, the cut is modern, and
I love them because they have different cuts and different things, so I can wear a trunk
for the gym, I can wear something when I sit a lot.