Brieflines in Briefs

You may remember our occasional contributor brflines (brief lines) began posting his daily pair on Twitter (I now do the same here).  Recently he switched from Twitter to Flickr and posts a picture of him in his pair of the day.  I mentioned this in passing a while back, but recently I've noticed that his pictures are getting more fun and more daring.  There are picture of him in his office, conference rooms, and even by his car showing off his undies for the world to see.  So if you haven't checked out brflines' briefs in a while, be sure to do so.  You won't believe what you've been missing. 

It's a Snug Fit - A Review

Baskit has long been an innovator on the men's underwear scene.  They've come a long way since their contour pouch boxer-briefs with built in condom pocket (their big claim to fame back in the day).  Today I want to tell you about one of their latest collections that is skin-tight and seamless - which is all the rage in Europe, or so I've been told.  It's called Snugfit Seamless and is very aptly named.  

The Snugfit Seamless collection comes in briefs, fishnet briefs, trunks, and fishnet trunks all in black and white.  For the purpose of today's review, I tried the white trunk.  These trunks truly live up to the collection's name.  Like the name implies, they are seamless.  Instead of having seams all over which adds bulk to the garment, the whole thing is knitted as one piece and has a special pouch knit right into the garment that is designed to expand to your body shape.  In fact, the whole thing is designed to expand to your body.  The whole line only comes in two sizes: Small/Medium and Large/X-Large.  The fabric is ultra stretchy and therefore can accommodate a much broader range of sizes than your average pair.  Also, the waistband (which is often the limiting factor for the stretch factor of underwear) is knit in one piece with the rest of the garment so there is no difference in its stretchiness.  They are made out of a special fabric blend that is 90% Polyamide (a fancy term for nylon) and 10% Elastane, which helps it hold its shape.  These things really fit like a glove because they stretch out to conform to your body.  Because of the special fabric blend used, they fit snugly (as promised by the name) but they also don't stretch out; the elastane ensures they pop back into shape once you take them off.  

As for the comfort, these things are great.  It's like having underwear that is custom fitted for you - they fit perfect and thus feel perfect every time.  You won't even know you're wearing them.  And because they are seamless this allows for a much thinner fabric and profile so there's no added bulk under your jeans.  They're literally like a second skin.  Even the waistband conforms smoothly against your body.  

So now let's talk about style.  Something this comfy and this perfect must have a catch, right?  Well wrong.  These things surprisingly have style.  Often underwear that is this comfortable jeopardizes style for comfort.  Seamless oftentimes equals shapeless.  But in these trunks Baskit has managed to work in a good deal of style.  Now don't get me wrong, these are still what I would call basics.  They are very simple, no frills, everyday wear.  But Baskit gave them a little personality with the contrast blue waistband and legbands.  These are pure stylistic features as both the legbands and the waistband are just a continuation of the fabric of the rest of the trunk and not a separate elastic band like in traditional underwear.  The blue splash gives them a little flare and makes them something more than just a plain, white trunk.  The black pair has white accents, which personally I don't think have as much flair as the blue on the white pair. 

As for the quality of these things.  Oftentimes I find underwear that is made out of super thin fabric like these don't stand the tests of time - they often get "pilly" from the washing machine and from abrasion in daily wear.  These are a little different.  I have worn mine a number of times and they are just starting to show a few signs of wear on the leg.  But compared to other underwear made of similar fabrics these hold up a lot better.  For the most part these look as good as new down to the crisp blue accents.  So are they worth it?  At $24 USD from Baskit, these trunks are a little on the high end for something that doesn't have a ton of fun details - they're not quite what I would call "fashion underwear".  But these are a great go-to pair when you don't know what to wear and want comfort but also want some style.  These are a good investment and will last you well.  They are very versatile and work well everywhere from the gym to the office; from the club to the bedroom. 

MY RATING:
Overall, I give the Baskit Snugfit Seamless Trunk a total score of 8.5 based on the following criteria:
FIT -- 10 (out of 10) - Snug, custom fit.  Conforms perfectly to your body. 
COMFORT -- 10 (out of 10) - Seamless trunk allows for super light-weight fabric.  Like a second skin. 
STYLE -- 8 (out of 10) - Basic with a little splash of color. 
QUALITY -- 8 (out of 10) - Well made.  Delicate fabric holds up well to wear and tear. 
VALUE -- 8 (out of 10) - Expensive for how basic they are.  But very versatile.  Can go anywhere. 

**********8.5

aussieBum MyDAY range released

This week Australian underwear giant aussieBum is releasing their MyDAY collection. The collection is a strictly limited run days of the week collection. Don't know what to wear? Well you won't have to think about it with the MyDAY collection. aussieBum will have you covered all seven days of the week. The collection comes in both briefs and hipsters and is being released one day at a time this week. The briefs retail for around $13 and the hipsters around $15 each. That's a great deal for aussieBum gear.

Guy At Home in His Underwear

For the next 25 days, Mark is going to be the guy at home in his underwear.  Stanfield's, underwear manufacturer for over 150 years, is sponsoring him in support of testicular cancer awareness to sit around in his underwear all day long.  But that's not all, you can go to his site and watch him in his underwear and interact with him - all part of further education and awareness of testicular cancer.  There are four webcams positioned around Mark's house so you can see what he's up to throughout the day.  Also on the site there is a fun feature where you can submit what you consider to be the worst underwear picture and send it in to him.  Whoever has the worst underwear of the day (in Mark's opinion) will get a new pair from Stanfield's. 

Stanfield's, in recognition of Mark's endeavor will give $25,000 to the Canadian Cancer Society in recognition of testicular cancer awareness.  But there's a catch.  That is that Mark must get 25,000 people to like him on Facebook (linked through his site).  1 like = $1.  But that shouldn't be too hard since Mark already has 10,000 likes in the first day of 25.  So go check out his site and help support the cause by liking it on Facebook. 

2Eros Black Label Swimwear

Underwear and swimwear designer 2Eros is gearing up to launch their next big swimwear collection entitled Black Label. The black label is an exclusive collection of swimwear for the no-nonsense guy who knows what he wants. A simple, sleek and sophisticated collection. The swimwear is available in two fits: briefs and trunks, and two colors: red earth and midnight.  I've had a chance to get my hands on a pair of these, and they live up to the promises.  They are definitely what I would call sleek and sophisticated.  They are very simple, but not plain.  They are clearly designed by someone who understands the male physique.  They are form fitting and flattering with high-end detailing.  They are currently available for pre-order for $79.95 for the trunks and $69.95 for the briefs on the 2Eros website.  For a limited time, you can get 10% off your pre-order by using coupon code 'black10'.  Be aware, however, that these do run small and you should probably get a size up.  I normally wear a small, but with these the medium fit perfectly. 

SPANX - now for Men

A big trend in the men's underwear world right now is shapewear.  We've talked about it on here before.  Men are becoming more body conscious and want to look their best - so if women can wear them, so can men.  Spanx has long been a leader in shapewear for women, but now they're extending their line for men as well.  They have a whole line of slimming t-shirts that are currently available at International Jock for purchase.  They are also planning on launching trunks and briefs in November, which are currently available for pre-order at Bare Necessities.  There isn't a whole lot of information available at this point, but MUB will be sure to keep you posted on any developments.  The trunks and briefs sell for $48 and $38 respectively and feature moderate compression to keep everything tight but at the same time offers contour support and lift to get the best look for your package.  These new Spanx also feature moisture wicking and Breatheasy technology to keep you comfortable no matter what life demands from you.  As of now Spanx appears to come only in black and white.  Stay tuned for more details.

Underwear Answers: Wear What You Want!

I feel that many people struggle with choosing what style of underwear to wear.  They want to wear what's comfortable for them, but they also are worried that they'll be judged in the lockerroom, by an intimate relation, or a spouse.  I especially get many questions from teenagers in this situation.  They want to wear something other than what they wear, but they're not sure how to ask their mom or what their friends will think.  My advice?  Forget them.  Wear what you want.  After all, you're the one wearing it.  You should be comfortable.  Who cares what they think?  Below is a question from a teen reader via Formspring and my advice to him.  If you have any underwear related questions, feel free to ask me them via email or Formspring. 

I'm a teen guy and I wear boxers and hate them. Boxer briefs aren't much different.  I really want to switch to briefs but I'm too embarrassed to ask my mum any advice.

I feel like this is a problem that many teen guys have. I know I did when I was your age. Underwear should be about wearing what's comfortable for you. If you aren't happy with what you have you shouldn't have to wear them. Next time you're at the store, just say, "hey mom, I'd like to get some new underwear." and then instead of going for the boxers grab some briefs. She should be fine with it. She's not the one who has to wear them so you should get to wear what you want, not what she wants. And if that's not going to work with your mom, just go to the store and buy them yourself. You're a teenager, you're old enough to make your own decisions and choices. Your mom isn't going to be buying your undies for the rest of your life you know. If you're worried about her finding them in the laundry, then now would be a great time to start learning how to wash clothes. It will be good practice for college. Good luck!

Buy new Undies for Charity (Late Notice)

Hey guys.  Just came across this.  Australian underwear company Grundies is giving $1 from every item sold to Blue September - a men's cancer awareness organization.  This promo has been ongoing all month, so there's still a good week left to take advantage of this deal.  So go on and get yourself some new undies and feel good about your purchasing knowing that you're doing your part to help. 

Review: Popduds

A popular trend of late seems to be using the men's brief as a canvas for one's artistic endeavors.  We're not just talking your everyday comic prints from H&M or aussieBum, I'm talking actual artists choosing to display their work on your pants.  Step into the picture, Jackson Walden.  Jackson is a graphic artist who has chosen to expand his canvas to encompass clothing by creating a line called Popduds.  This line of course includes underwear. 

Today I'm going to review the Popduds brief.  So let's get down to business and start with style.  The style of these briefs is reminiscent of American Apparel with screen printed graphics.  In fact, some of the briefs in the Popduds line are done on American Apparel blanks (the ones with white waistbands).  But today I'm only going to focus on the one's designed and manufactured by Popduds (the ones with the colored waistband).  Since Popduds does use AA briefs in their collection, they are obviously inspired by them.  But unlike the AA briefs that have a colored background with white elastic, these are the exact opposite with a white background and colored elastics.  Like many briefs of this style, they do have a fully functional fly, but it is really just a stylistic feature (in my opinion) to allow for more colored elastic - I would never actually use it.  The white body is then screen printed with an image that is placed in a specific position on the briefs.  I say this because the designs are actually done with the location in mind, it is not just a big screenprinted pattern that is then cut out to fit into a brief design, the images are placed in specific locations relative to the brief's design. The style is very fun and whimsical.  It reminds me a little bit of the little boys' briefs that I used to buy in 3 packs in Target back in the day (in a good way).    They bring back memories and make me smile - even the frownosaurus that I'm wearing today.  

Now the first thing you want to do after you get these things (besides smiling and reminiscing about your childhood) is to wash these things AND dry them.  Yes I said dry them (there are very few cases where I will tell you to actually use a machine to dry your undies).  This is because, as Popduds informs me, they are not preshrunk and so will not fit properly until you wash them.  I tried wearing a pair without washing and drying them first, and the babyrib cotton stretched out ridiculously throughout the day and never quite recovered even after washing and drying.  So lesson learned, be sure to wash these things AND dry them before wearing.  Now on to the fit.  These are a full-coverage brief. They are not skin-tight, but instead have a little bit of breathing room.  Normally I would hate this, but the elastic bands are nice and tight and hold everything in place and the extra room is a little refreshing.  Now these are by no means what I might call "baggy briefs", but they are simply just a little bigger than the micro and low-rise briefs that are so popular these days.  

The babyrib cotton of these briefs is oh-so-comfy.  And the extra room makes these a comfy pair for daily wear.  They do stretch out a bit during the day, especially if you do a lot of physical activity.  But the elastic bands are nice as they hold everything in place, but not too tightly.  While these briefs do have a bit of extra fabric, they stay in place and do not ride up.  They are a great choice to bring a little fun into your average day.

So far my briefs have gone through numerous washes with no major signs of wear.  The screen prints have faded a little, but that is to be expected.  They are still comfy and funky and fun to wear.  And at $18 a pair, these briefs are a great investment that's sure to bring a smile to your face every time you take off your pants.  And if they're not enough to bring a smile to your face, know that part of that $18 you spent goes to a charity of your choice - so what's not to smile about?  Go out and get yourself some Popduds. 

MY RATING:

Overall, I give the Popduds brief a total score of 8 based on the following criteria:

FIT -- 8 (out of 10) - Full coverage, mid-rise.  A little looser than some briefs, but not baggy. 

COMFORT -- 10 (out of 10) - 100% babyrib cotton, great comfort throughout the day. 

STYLE -- 9 (out of 10) - Fun.  Brings back childhood memories. 

QUALITY -- 8 (out of 10) - Not preshrunk.  Prints fade a little after multiple washes, but otherwise hold up well. 

VALUE -- 9 (out of 10) - Very inexpensive.  Plus part of your purchase goes to charity!

**********8

New Store: AlphaMaleUndies

AlphaMaleUndies is a new underwear retailer out of Ireland stocking a wide range of styles, cuts and colors.  They stock designer labels like Andrew Christian, LASC, Tribe, Pikante, Punto Blanco, PPU, Clever, Joe Snyder, Teamm8, Todger and Ed Hardy.  They just started advertising with us at MUB, so as a special for MUB readers right now you can save 20% off your purchase by using coupon code 'MUS234' at checkout.  This offer does not apply to sale items. 

Attention Chicagoans: Want to Play Dodgeball in Your Underwear?

In celebration of Jockey's new men's sport collection known as "Unordinary Underwear for Unordinary Athletes" and in observance of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Jockey is challenging all Chicagoans to play dodgeball in their underwear.  Jockey is hoping to break the world record for the largest dodgeball game.  To break this record they need 1,200 players to participate in this event on September 25th.  For each player that signs up, Jockey will donate $5 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation*.  And they're also gonna be giving away free undies!  So if you live in Chicago, get out there and go participate in this great event.  It's a great cause, and really who can pass up free boxerbriefs?  To find out more information, check out Jockey's Facebook page and RSVP at the Facebook Event.   

New Brand: Grundies

Grundies is a new brand of underwear coming from Australia.  It seems there are a lot of underwear brands in Australia these days.  But Grundies is a little bit different.   When clothing company Pacific Brands moved its manufacturing offshore, over 2000 Australians lost their jobs. Melburnian and former Pac Brands employee, Tony Vass, witnessed the impact of the mass redundancies first hand and vowed to tread a different path, investing in local manufacturing and creating his own underwear line: "Grundies".

"The day Pac Brands announced it was moving manufacturing overseas was a pivotal day for me" Tony says. "That decision cost thousands of people their jobs, many of them close colleagues of mine. That was the day I decided I was going to be the master of my own destiny, create my own underwear line and put back in to the Australian garment manufacturing industry."

Grundies underwear launched early 2010 and is the culmination of over 2 years of research and development, utilising some of Australia's best underwear designers and local manufacturing facilities. It was important for Tony to manufacture locally.  

Tony is aiming for a distinctly Australian flavour with Grundies, from the name which derives from Australian rhyming slang for undies - "Reg Grundies", through to the design of one of his Grundies ranges featuring iconic images of the Australian flag and the southern cross.

With three different ranges - a basics range called "originals", a "signature" range which has a more street flair, and an "aussie" range which hearkens back to its roots - Grundies is off to a great start and they are definitely worth checking out.  Also stay tuned for a review soon.