"I'm Addicted" - You Choose the Winners

Hey guys.  You may remember a while back we ran a contest with Vocla Underwear to give away some Addicted underwear.  Well we got so many great entries we can't choose the winner, so we're leaving that up to you.  We've created an album on our Facebook page, so head on over there and "like" your favorite photo(s).  The top three photos (in terms of "likes") by Valentine's Day (2/14/13) will be declared the winners.  So go "like" your favorite now!  

Brief Boys Review Yorkies Binary Brief

The Binary Brief
Yorkies
Avg. $29 US


Brief Boys Mitchell and Patton review the Binary Brief from Yorkies, “for men who are going places.” The Binary Brief boasts a “hidden horseshoe-shaped cup” that “provides a little additional lift up front.”


Mitchell: Apparently, men who are going places in the digital age need more advanced underwear that “puts the total package up front.” While there are a lot of anatomical lift designs out there, these provide lift and support without any of the complicated straps and strings we’re used to.

Patton: Exactly. The “horseshoe-shaped cup” isn’t much more than a pocket, and is surprisingly un-intrusive. Though I didn’t exactly feel like I was going to get a promotion or anything, but maybe I was wearing the wrong jeans.

M: Me neither. Though it’s impressive that Patrick York, the owner and designer of Yorkies, has given himself a promotion with this entire project. His 2011 Kickstarter campaign was a huge success, and he’s currently operating and manufacturing in the Bay Area. I’m pleased to see he’s turned it into a full-fledged business in so short a time.

P: That may have a lot to do with the appearance of the brief. Graphically, they’re very stylish – all black and white, covered in binary text, with a QR code stamped on the right hip. With the lift offered by the pouch, this is a pair of underwear to show off, but from a design and structural standpoint, there’s really not much more here than a basic brief.

M: Agreed. The cut, fabric, and fit all seem pretty standard. Though I will say I was surprised to find out that they were polyester rather than cotton, since they’re incredibly soft. So that gives them a little bit of a performance boost.

P: But definitely not something you’d wear running or anything. Especially not with that extra inch or so of fabric between the pouch and the seat. After a while, they threaten to sag.

M: By the way, did I tell you I scanned the QR code?

P: No. Did it lead you somewhere secret?

M: That’s what I was hoping, but it just brings you to the Yorkies website. Which, if you’re wearing the underwear, I’m assuming you’ve already seen.

P: What if you’re scanning someone else’s underwear? Maybe they should offer customizable QR codes that lead to whatever online profile you choose.

M: In case you get lost and you don’t remember your name?

P: Or maybe the website is fine.

 FIT /  Average
 COMFORT /  Good
 STYLE /  Good
 QUALITY /  Average
 VALUE /  Average

 BOTTOM LINE /  For guys who want to show off their assets with more style than a solid color brief.

Out With the Old, in With the New

Today has been a productive day at my house: I have put together a shelf to store my DVDs that have remained in packing boxes since I moved to my house in July; I have almost completely taken down and stored away all of my Christmas decorations; I have cleaned my house; and most importantly I have organized my underwear drawer!

Drawer before organization

For those of you who have been following my posts since I began my internship, you will remember what my underwear drawer looked like back in October. For those of you who either haven't been following my posts or for those of you who can't remember what it  looked like, here is the picture that I took of it for your viewing pleasure. If you find yourself struggling to see an organizational pattern, don't fret. At this point, my underwear drawer organizational system was as follows: in the back left of the drawer are (I'm ashamed to say) the cheap Hanes/Fruit of the Loom briefs and boxer briefs; next to them, in the back right of the drawer, are the nicer, more desirable trunks; in the front left are the thongs, jocks, and bikinis; and lastly, in the front right, are the nicer briefs and some more trunks. While the system worked for me, I was still not completely happy with it. Especially after seeing how nice UMan's drawers are arranged, I began to question my system.  (For those of you who haven't seen his drawer, it's impressive!) Also, U<an continued to harp on the ridiculous amount of Hanes/Fruit of the Looms in the collection. 

Undies to throw out.

And that leads me to today. I've finally parted with (most of) those dreaded Hanes/Fruit of the Looms and am proud to show you my bag of them that I'm gladly parting with. There are approximately 20 pairs of briefs and boxer briefs in this bag. I was fully prepared to throw them away, until UMan suggested I try to sell them on Naughty Bids. So, for all of you who would like a piece of the Georgia Dude collection, let me know and I'll be sure to list them on there for you ;-). (My apologies for that shameless plug. But hey, I'm a recent graduate with an underwear obsession and credit cards and student loans to pay off. Every little bit helps!)

Over the holidays, I spent a majority of my time at my parents' house. That's right, a 20-something male spent his time off at his parents' house. (Obviously I'm single and have nothing going on in my life). During that time, I made several trips to Wal-Mart (the only form of entertainment in a small Georgia town). Ever the organizer (mixed with obsessive-compulsive tendencies), I ventured back to the home/office organizers section.  And that led me to the canvas boxes that have become such a popular tool in home organizing.  For only $1.97 a piece, I couldn't complain and knew I'd find a good use for them. Little did I know how good of a use I would find for them. In my time of unpacking from my visit home and cleaning the house of the Christmas decorations, I realized that the canvas boxes would fit perfectly in my dresser drawers, which led me to cleaning out and going through my clothes, especially the undies. 

Drawer after organization

So there you have it. I used 5 canvas totes for the underwear drawer (and 2 for my ties drawer and 1 for my dress socks and belts - as I said, very useful).  I have dedicated a canvas box for each style of underwear in my collection:  briefs; trunks; bikinis; thongs/jockstraps; and those few remaining Hanes that will only be used for camping and other outdoors activities where I would be concerned with ruining a good pair of undies. Who knows if this system will stick, especially as the collection grows and the canvas totes are no longer enough to contain it (a day that I welcome with open... pants?) 

I welcome any comments on my progress in my ongoing endeavor to have an impressive and brag-worthy collection and in my attempts at organization of one of my favorite things. And I hope that this post inspires some of you to clean out those drawers and get your life more organized. Happy 2013 everyone! Let's make this year one for the books!

~Georgia Dude (georgiadude.mub@gmail.com)

I'm ADDICTED - Giveaway!

MUB is partnering up with a new online underwear store Vocla to bring you a special end of the holidays giveaway.  Our "I'm ADDICTED" sweepstakes launches now!  If you aren't familiar, Vocla is a great new designer underwear store that offers many great brands like ADDICTED, Andrew Christian, D&G, and more.  If you're a new customer you can get 10% off with coupon code "10new" at checkout. And they have free worldwide delivery on ADDICTED brand underwear!

Which brings us to the sweepstakes.  To enter simply send us a picture of you in your favorite undies to underwearblog@gmail.com with subject line "I'm Addicted" and you'll be entered to win one of three pairs of ADDICTED underwear from Vocla.  Special consideration will be given to creative photos.  Entry period is from December 31, 2012 - Midnight (CST) January 11, 2013.  Decision of the judges is subjective and final.  There will be three winners, one pair each.  There will be a claim period after the winners are selected, if the prize is not claimed during this time it will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected.  Contest is open to those 18 and older in the countries to which Vocla delivers (consult their website for details).  

The Stockings Were Hung... Eye Candy

Hope the holidays are treating everyone well.  Sorry we haven't had time to make up a gift guide for this year.  We've been so busy preparing some exciting new things for 2013 for you.  Stay tuned for an after Christmas giveaway.  In the meantime, enjoy this eye candy entitled "Winter Breeze" from one of my favorite artist Paul Richmond.  And be sure to check out his work online.  

Tommy John on GILT

A Tommy John sale just launched on GILT today. The collection features lots of great basics for guys, including trunks, briefs, and stay-tucked tees.  The collection is in basic colors like black, white, grey and red.  Great gift for the man in your life this holiday season.

No familiar with GILT?  It's a invite only flash sale site.  Don't have a membership?  Don't worry, it's free to join and you can sign up using our exclusive invite link.  Enjoy.  

A Christmas Underwear Conundrum

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to UMan that I thought it would be cool for the staff of the blog to submit a picture of pieces of their underwear collection hung upon their Christmas tree. Apparently he thought I was joking, because when I sent the picture to him, he said, "Haha wow. You did do it! Post please!" So here I am, posting the picture of my "Underwear Tree" for your enjoyment. (I apologize for the picture not being the best quality. My good camera is out of commission, so my iPhone camera has to suffice for now). 

"The undies were hung on the tree with great care."

And in keeping with the Christmas theme, I would like to discuss the Christmas underwear gifting concept. We are, after all, in the season of giving. I, for one, find underwear gifting to be a very intimate situation. I wouldn't buy underwear for just anyone. Nor would I accept underwear from just anyone. It is highly likely that my association of underwear being an intimate is because it's one of the last things that separates us from being in our most vulnerable state. I mean, if I'm in a state of dress in anything less than my undies (naked), then I really trust the person who is with me. Not to mention, very few people even get to see me in my underwear, especially my more exotic pairs (the bikinis, jocks, and thongs, of course). 

For most of my life, my grandmother has given all of us underwear for Christmas. Normally, they are those tacky seasonal boxers from Old Navy or someplace similar. Now, I side with UMan on the boxers situation - I find them tacky and completely atrocious and furthermore will not wear them. Needless to say, my grandmother giving me the holiday boxers is far from the intimate underwear exchange that I have in my mind. So this year, I told her, "Please don't give me underwear this year. I'm way to picky with my underwear." 

Were I to do an underwear exchange, I would hope it would be with one of two groups: either a bud with whom I have shared the fact that I have an underwear obsession or a significant other in which case the underwear exchange could turn into something even more intimate and exciting. 

So what say you? What are the readers' perspectives on the underwear gifting conundrum? Also, feel free to post pictures of your "Underwear Trees." Oh, and if anyone cares to send me a Christmas underwear package, I like anything other than boxers ;-)

Not Your Grandpa's Long Johns

From left: Timoteo, Nasty Pig, 2(x)ist. 

With the snow falling down hard outside my window this morning, I thought what better day to pull out the long johns.  Long johns have really come a long way from what they used to be.  They're no longer the fugly, thermal white things that you're grandpa used to wear.  The long johns of today are stylish and you'll want to wear them.  They're form fitting and sleek, but still keep you warm thanks to performance fabrics.  So today I thought why not do a quick round up of some great long johns on the market this season.  Here they are:

• The Timoteo Sport 2.0 - comes in blue, white, and black.  This form fitting style has contrast stitching and pouch for an added flair.  They're sure to keep you warm as well as show off your assets with a rear seam and pouch stitching.  $36
• Nasty Pig - comes in red, black, and white.  These are a looser fit that is a throw-back to the older styles, but still style conscious and forward.  They have a snap fly for style (it doesn't open) that sure looks sexy and intriguing.  $39 at Jockstrap Central.  
• 2(x)ist Tartan long john - comes in black, white, and red.  This low-rise long john has a tailored fit down through the ankles, perfect to wear under your skinny jeans.  They have some style with the tartan waistband.  Functioning on pouch fly.  Normally $34, currently on sale for $25.50 from 2(x)ist.  

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Review of Piado Briefs

Today I will be reviewing the Piado briefs. Many of you loyal followers may remember a giveaway that Men's Underwear Blog did about three years ago.  Well, fortunately for me, I was one of the lucky winners. I will be reviewing the exact same pair that I won through that giveaway. This is a special review for me because these very briefs are the ones that started my underwear collection. Now, I must admit, my underwear collection hasn't grown that quickly, but I'm hoping to improve that soon (and quickly).

The Piado line is unique in that it is a "green" underwear line. Their undies are 94% bamboo in their make-up, which makes them lighter and more "airy," enabling the boys to breathe. It also makes them lighter and gives them that "barely there" feeling. They call their collection the "Colors of Life" collection, and they design their undies with the inspiration of life, energy, and freedom. They seek to be an underwear company that "is earth conscious and works hard to do its share of preserving the Planet." They come in 4 color choices: red, orange, blue, and green.

The fit of the briefs is snug. Not overly tight, but definitely snug. They have a tendency to ride up and settle in the crack over the course of the day. (Honestly, I personally don't complain about that - I strangely enjoy that - but it might not "settle" well with others). The pouch is adequate for me, but as someone who is a grower and not a shower, pouch size is rarely an issue for me. These briefs hold up over the course of an 8+ hour day on one's feet, but they may not be the ideal underwear for all occasions. Something really nice about the briefs is that they have held up for 3+ years of washing and drying. They have held their color and their shape in that time despite continuous "normal" wear and regular machine washing and drying.

As with all designer underwear, the next question is that of price. After I received my free pair of the Piado briefs from the giveaway, the first thing I did was to look them up to see if I could somehow add some more of them to my collection. Because I was just starting off my collection, my uninformed mind was blown away by the price - $20 for a pair of briefs?!  Over time, I have come to realize that $20 is an average price for a designer pair of briefs.

So, keeping all that in mind, I give the Piado briefs a rating of 9 (out of 10) based on the following categories:
Style - 10 (out of 10): Bright, vibrant colors that don't fade in the wash
Comfort - 9 (out of 10):  Soft, unique bamboo fabric
Fit - 9 (out of 10):  Good fit, snug but not overly tight, tendency to ride up over the course of the day
Quality - 10 (out of 10):  They are very well made
Price - 9 (out of 10):  A little pricey for my budget, but not outrageously expensive

New Style: aussieBum PocketJockit

I know we haven't talked about aussieBum in a while, but they're still strong and kicking and pumping out sexy, innovative undies. Today I just thought I'd share a new style from them, the PocketJockit. This style features a pocket in the pouch "to store anything you can imagine". I also imagine that you could stuff the pouch to enhance your profile if you like. I just thought that this video was fun and cheeky so I wanted to share it. The PocketJockit normally retails for $25 USD, but it's currently on sale for $16 USD. So that's a great deal. No idea how long this sale will last, so act fast!

Weight-Loss Update

Hello. It's me again - the guy who writes about normal guy thoughts in and about underwear. Sorry I don't have a hot body or any other eye candy to offer, like the other interns.

But I am working on the body shape part of things. When I first wrote awhile back, I was down 19 lbs and just starting to notice the positive changes. Well, as of today I am 26 lbs down, and still feeling good. This losing weight business is tough stuff - way harder than putting it on in the first place. I've kinda hit a point where my losses have slowed down, because I've been busy lately, and I've been lazy about my diet and exercise. Next week it's back to the routine, hopefully.

Here are some progress pics for you. The navy blue pair is a Stafford ribbed trunk, available from JC Penney. I chose to post in this pair, because even two months ago, it was too tight and made me look and feel awful. Now I can wear them comfortably, although the muffin top is still there. I keep losing inches higher up, and the fat is settling down just above my hips (argh).

The other pair is a Calvin Klein X trunk. I put these on today because they are all stretchy and a bit flashy, and they just make me feel nice when I wear them. Hope you like 'em.

Neither of these pairs has a fly, but quite a few of the pairs I own do. That was one place where I noticed that I needed to lose weight. A number of my pairs have small rips or tears at the seam of the fly where the pouch was stretched too far because my thighs were too big before. (No, it's not because of how much is filling the pouch. I wish.) Now my flys work properly. Guess I'm just going to have to add those to the list of pairs to be replaced. Any suggestions on what to replace them with? I'm still waiting for UMan to hook me up with anything...