It's Thong Season: Reasons To Wear a Thong

What lots of men don't realize is that one should diversify their underwear wardrobe.  Many men find a particular style or brand that they like and they stick with it.  But every type of underwear has it's time and it's place, including thongs for men.  

Now I'm not one of those guys that wears a thong every day (although there are guys like that - more on that later), but I do realize that thongs have a time and a place and I am not afraid to wear them.  Today I wore a thong, and that got me thinking about thongs and their place.  

Today wasn't going to be a thong day for me, but it ended up that way, and I'm glad it did.  I originally put on a pair of skimpy briefs (that I was planning on reviewing).  But then when I put my skinny jeans on, I realize there just wasn't space for the briefs - they were bunching up.  So with a bit of effort, I took off my jeans and briefs and grabbed a thong.  The jeans went on a lot smoother and fit better, no uncomfortable bunching.  Now of course not every guy has jeans as tight as I do, but this brings up a bigger point that you should tailor your underwear choice to work with the rest of your outfit.  Thus you should be willing to be a little versatile in what you wear.  

With hot summer days around the corner, thongs (and other skimpy undies) have the benefit of keeping you cooler due to their minimal coverage.  My thong came in handy today when I found myself out doing yard work.  I ended up hot and sweaty.  If I had kept the briefs they would've held all the sweat against my body, but the thong makes for a much more comfy experience in the heat.  They could also be useful for workouts for the same reasons.  

I have a friend that wears thongs on an almost daily basis.  And when he's not wearing thongs he's wearing something else that's skimpy, like a jockstrap.  He tells me he wears thongs because they make him feel hot and they're "crazy comfortable".  He also loves the support in the front and the air in the back.  I have to agree.  There is no other underwear for men that is as supportive and liberating as a thong.  

While thongs for men used to have a stigma in society, they have now become a lot more mainstream and acceptable.  Gone are the days when they were relegated to the realm of male strippers and could only be found in sex shops.  Now you can pick up men's thongs made by mainstream brands like Jockey, 2(x)ist, or Calvin Klein at stores like Target or Macy's.  So while I'm not suggesting you be like my friend and wear a thong every day, why not give them a try if you haven't already?  

Michael Kors Launching New Men's Underwear Collection Soon

It seems that everyone who is anyone in fashion has to have an underwear at some point, it's like the sign that you've arrived.  Kind of like how it seems that ever celebrity and their mother has to launch a fragrance line.  Anyway, top American fashion designer Michael Kors, known mostly for his women's handbags, shoes, and of course his prominent role as judge on Project Runway, is now branching into the men's underwear world.  The collection is very basic and consists of briefs, boxer briefs, and boxer shorts as well as an assortment of different undershirts.  All the styles come in three colors: black, white, and powder blue.  Nothing very original or outside the box.  It seems that Kors is aiming to get in with the other department store staples like Calvin Klein, Hilfiger, and more recently 2(x)ist.  The question is will he be able to do it?  His new collection is very basic and far from innovative in my opinion.  I feel that the type of man he's marketing towards won't be so willing to branch out and try a new brand -- the guy who I think would buy his brand is certainly not an underwear connoisseur and thus probably has his brand that he sticks with year after year.  If I was in the market for basic underwear I certainly would branch out and try a brand new brand.  It will be interesting to see how Michael Kors fares against more established brands in the same category like Calvin Klein.  The line also comes in two and three packs, which gives you an idea of the target market.  The new collection is available for pre-order or Kors website for between $26 - $34.  It should be available in department stores like Nordstrom, Macy's and Bloomingdale's soon.  Below is a teaser commercial for the new line.

2(x)ist Neon

Just a couple days ago one of my favorite brands launched a new collection of underwear. 2(x)ist debuted their new Neon collection. The brand has this to say about Neon:

"Taking cues from ideas of the future, fast living, and the digital age, NEON dazzles with bold color in our specially-engineered Soft-Fle(x) Cotton for the man in perpetual motion. The NEON Sliq Trunk itself features an Ultra Low Rise—hitting about two inches below the hip—and the (X)-treme Contoured Pouch for an even more enhanced profile than ever before. And with brilliant hues like Hibiscus, Mediterranean Blue, Black, and White (all contrasted with fluorescent elastic piping), NEON makes the future look brighter than ever. Shine on in NEON."

The collection consists of several low-rise pieces including a sports brief, trunk style, and a pouch brief. The collection also has a forthcoming V-neck t-shirt. 2(x)ist Neon can be found in Macy's stores and online at macys.com.

On a final note, if you haven't checked out 2(x)ist's website lately be sure to do that. It looks outstanding.

It's Raining Men

Friday I had the opportunity to go to Macy's Glamorama, a fundraiser fashion show to benefit the Children's Cancer Research Fund. The show ended with a bang when male models came out in nothing but their Papi underwear. The models danced in the "rain" to the Weather Girl's song "It's Raining Men". They were a big hit. It was a great way to wrap up a great show.

As for the underwear itself. The new Papi collection was a lot more out there than previous collections. I've always thought of Papi as basics with style, but this new collection has made them a fashion underwear brand. There were bold, metallic waistbands (a big trend right now). And metallic foil embellishments on the back and legs of some pairs. It was a little difficult to tell exactly what the underwear looked like because it was all wet. But overall, it looks like a fun new collection and I'm excited to see it in stores.

(Also sorry for the lack of photos, I wasn't expecting to need to take photos so I had to rely on my camera phone and the photos that I could find online. Note: the first photo is from the rehearsal where the models did not wear Papi underwear but Armani.)

Basic Briefs

Where I live its not that easy to find great designer underwear, to say the least, I'm pretty much limited to my local Macy's store. So the other day I was shopping for just some basic briefs and me being the athletic type I wanted some athletic briefs. When I mean basic I wanted just no-frills, simple stuff, so I was pretty excited to find the 3100 Essentials collection from 2(x)ist. These are as basic as it gets, yet retain the high quality we have all come to love from 2(x)ist.

While shopping I picked up a 3-pack of black Fly Front Briefs, and a pair of black Sports Briefs. The Fly Fronts were $19.00 and the Sports were $10.00. The sports pair are made of 100% cotton, and are pretty dang comfortable. I'm a big fan of athletic briefs because they allow a great range of movement that you don't get with regular briefs. You all know I love my jocks so the athletics are a great alternative to those, when I run in a jock I find that my shorts like to get stuck up my crack, so the full-back on these do great. Now the basic fly fronts aren't my first from 2(x)ist, I got some a couple years ago, and they've held up like you wouldn't believe. Often times I find briefs stretch out pretty quick, but these have held their shape very nicely, and they hold my boys even nicer.

If you're in need of some underwear but don't wanna drop the dough, check these out and check their prices out.

Calvin Klein Display at Macy's

So today I was walking through Macy's, and I noticed a very in-your-face underwear display. Positioned at the entrance to the men's section were four mannequins modeling just their Calvin Klein underwear. Now these weren't any Calvins, they were Calvins from the new CK Steel line. So if you have not looked into this new line, you should. The underwear looked hot. The large display was in honor of the new line and Macy's Glamorama. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with so I do not have a photo to share. But if any of you have seen such a display and have a photo, please send it to me and I'll post it. Or maybe I'll have a chance to stop by again and snap a photo. Anyway, the display was very sexy, and the mannequins were wearing just the underwear and holsters (in honor of Glamorama's Western theme). So if you are in a Macy's near you, be sure to check it out.