Remember the days growing up when you would get underwear as a present? If you were like me you would go WTF? I wanted games, toys or something, not underwear? Also, it was never anything good, it was a 3 or six pack of the big box stuff. Now that we want to get underwear as gifts, how many of us get what we want? We are going to explore a few scenarios for underwear giving in the holidays.

Partners – BF/GF, Wives or Husbands

If you are lucky enough to have a partner who supports your undies love, congrats. Consider yourself super lucky. So many guys, both gay and straight, have partners who just don’t get the underwear thing. We have readers who told us their partners buy them sexy undies and they love it. Opening the package and seeing some great new undies under the tree. This would be awesome.

Friends

This is more geared to the gay guys but If two straight guys loved undies I could see it happening. Unlike the partner, one above this is one I have participated in. Give a good friend, who you know is into undies, as presents. I tend to be open about my undies love and what I like. It’s easy to shop for someone who you talk to about undies. It’s good to set this up ahead of time. Me and my friend used to do this on a monthly basis. It started after a holiday exchange. It’s fun to get some pairs you may not have thought of before.

Buy Yourself Undies

This is what I usually do. I buy myself presents of undies around big occasions such as birthdays and holidays. There are two things to guarantee. Frist, you will get the correct size. Next, you will get exactly what you want. But this is not as much fun as the ones above. There is something awesome about a person putting in through to what undies they should give you. Either done for romantic reasons or to expose a friend to a new brand, style or etc.

Online Gift Exchange

This came to me when I was brainstorming this post. Create smaller groups of guys and do a small gift exchange. I was initially thinking about this for the guys at UNB. We are a small group of guys and would be interesting to see who gives what to who. This could be done online with guys who love undies. The only ground rules would be the undies must be new, with the tags still on. If you participate you must send out a pair. Lastly, be local or in the same country. When you get have to deal with international post and customs it can take forever for a pair to get to you.

These are a few scenarios for a gift exchange for underwear. I’m curious as to you guys thoughts.

As most of you know, I am a huge proponent of wearing thongs, both as underwear and swimwear.  I wear thong swimwear almost exclusively, in both private and public settings.  I have gained a bit of experience over the years, which I feel is sage advice for any of you contemplating wearing a thong style suit to the local beach or pool.  I will focus on a few key elements you should keep in mind as you plan your first public thong outing!  You will need to plan on a number of things including knowing the laws, proper grooming, judging your audience, and practicing proper beach etiquette.

KNOW THE LAWS! I cannot stress this enough-whether that means looking for signage around the beach or pool, researching case law, browsing Internet forums, or calling/writing the local jurisdiction you plan to visit to ensure you can legally wear the particular suit you wish to wear.  Some areas have no laws restricting what you can wear as swimwear, provided that all of the essentials are covered.  Other places (or so I’ve heard) actually specify that the smallest part of a suit must be a certain minimal width.  Some places even go as far as to outlaw thongs entirely.  No matter which route you take, please ensure you don’t break any laws or offend anyone else. The laws are created for a couple of reasons.  First, local jurisdictions may impose laws that their citizens vote on, to uphold a certain standard of conduct that they want to form a community around.  Next, just as some of us may want to visit a thong friendly beach or pool, others may absolutely not want to see that view when they sunbathe.  Local laws can provide each group with a designated area they are free to do as they please without fear of repercussion.

As you prepare to step out into the public wearing a thong (possibly for the first time), take a moment to look in the mirror or ask your spouse or a friend to take a view of you.  Make sure of a few things before you share that same view with the public.  Ask yourself (or a friend) a few questions: Does this suit fit me? Is it too small or large?  Does anything hang out of it that wasn’t intended?  Can you see through it?  Do I need to groom myself before going out into public?  If the answers satisfy you, then go ahead.  If not, you may need to revisit your grooming routine to make sure everything is tidied up first.  A thong (in my opinion) will look best if you do some proper manscaping or outright shaving so that it is the focus of attention and not any unsightly body hair!  I’ll let you make your own decisions concerning that, but at least you know my opinion now!

Please consider the location before making the decision to strip down to a thong.  Just because it is legal to wear a thong in your city and they have provided a water fountain with benches around doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best idea to strip down for your suntan there.  Please take others activities into consideration-if you visit a park that is completely occupied by families with kids playing and you are the only person that will be in a swimsuit, you may want to rethink your idea.  I don’t at all want to discourage anybody from wearing a thong, but understand that we have to help build a positive ideal for guys who wear thongs.  Don’t be the creepy guy that gets on a playground swing (wearing next to nothing) next to a three-year-old and their mom!  As long as you are in a setting appropriate to wear swimwear, other people are (or have previously) wearing swimwear, then you should be fine.  Be a trendsetter-don’t wait for somebody else to show up in a thong.  If you do you will likely never wear one!  Wear your thong with confidence and be positive about it-you aren’t required to cover up every time someone walks by.  I have worn a thong in many places thongs aren’t the norm and places where I have seen dozens of thongs in a single day.  Do what makes you happy!

Learn proper beach etiquette!  Whether at the beach or pool, know that first and foremost safety is the number one concern.  Don’t set up your chair right in front of the lifeguard stand, or so far away that they can’t see you, especially if you plan on getting into the water.  After you have planned that out remember that you aren’t the only person on the beach.  The people who got there earlier than you earned the right to that view of the ocean or pool-don’t set up right in front of them!  Also, keep in mind everyone goes to the beach or pool for their own reasons.  Just because you are a social person and love talking doesn’t mean that everyone does.  Learn to read social cues and body language.  If you must approach someone to speak, pay attention and leave if you think they aren’t pleased with your presence.  The last thing we all need is somebody calling the police because “some guy in a thong” kept talking to them or wouldn’t leave them alone.  Plan on admiring the scenery from a distance.  Avoid approaching other people because you want to see what they are wearing (or lack of) or that you want to show off your new suit.  Most locales that don’t prohibit thongs could quickly revisit their policy if they find people are practicing exhibitionistic or voyeuristic behaviors in a public setting!  Be friendly to people if approached, and make sure you clean up after yourself.  When you visit the beach or pool, take a bag or container for your trash, and always make it a point to look around for trash others may have missed as well.

So now that fall is setting in in most parts of the country, you have several months to plan your perfect new beach day.  Pick out a hot new thong, research an area convenient to where you live, and maybe even plan on convincing a friend to come along and get out there and enjoy the sunshine. If you have any questions about where may or may not be an appropriate place to try out that new swim thong, drop me a line in the comments and I’ll try to provide you with some resources to form your own opinion.  I’m definitely not an attorney, but I’ll do anything I can do to point you in the general direction. In the end, do what makes you happy (within the realm of the law), forget what others think or say, and enjoy the freedom of wearing that new thong bikini.  If you’re like me, you’ll never go back!  Drop me a line in the comments below with your experience!

I have a pretty broad definition of fetishwear. It’s anything that I consider skimpy, wild, and out of the ordinary. That could be leather, rubber/latex, lace, pleather, satin and more. Its a market I have seen grow over the last 9 years of running UNB. It’s going more mainstream. Which I think is awesome. You no longer have to go to adult stores to get it. Many sites are starting to carry it along with the mainstays of the underwear world. Here are a few companies to check out!

Gregg Homme – This is one of the pricer brands on the list. It’s not uncommon to pay $30-50 a pair. Their designs and fabric are first class! The skimpy barely there cuts with fabric that seems magical. I say this because when you get some of the pairs you’re like “This is missized. But, it will stretch to fit you and give amazing support. Every year they release two collections.

Cellblock13 – Like a bit of leather inspired gear? Cellblock13 is Timoteo’s brand that mixes the leather, neoprene and harnesses to create an awesome collection. Timoteo has been pushing the designs to create some of the most innovative pairs in the world of fetish. Just when I think he can’t top the last collection he does!

PetitQ – PetitQ is mixing the masculine and feminine. This is a big trend in men’s underwear. The walls are being broken down and you are able to wear whatever you want. PetitQ has always done skimpy well! From the start, they were all about showing off what you have and making you feel great while doing it. The last few collections have seen more lace sneak in the collections. Still looking super hot!

Nasty Pig – They are one of the first fetish brands to go mainstream. They have been the brand around the longest. They have a mix of underwear, fetishwear, denim and more. They have expanded out of the world of just gear. They have some great designs that will make you happy! The fetishwear and underwear are still on point.

BodyAware – One taking the masc/fem to the next level is BodyAware. Not only do they do lace, but also do satin, silk and other fabrics that have been traditionally for women’s lingerie. The designs are also influenced by women’s wear. This brand crosses both gay and straight worlds. From thongs, bodysuits, bikinis and more. The skimpier the better I would say from BodyAware

Maskulo – The last on the list is a brand out of Russia. Yup, we said Russia. Having the issues with gay’s in Russia, you wouldn’t think of them having a leather-like fetish line aimed mainly at gay men. They do a mix of leather and sports gear. When I first saw it, it made me stop and go “Who is this, I MUST KNOW.” Jocks, pants, shirts, singlets and more carry their signature codpieces and padding!

And I could name about 20 more. But these are some of the brands I think are on top of their game right now. We will profile more soon! So stay tuend.

Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of Show us your Drawers!, a series dedicated to having a look at the underwear drawers of UNB readers and writers. Today we are taking a look at the drawers of UNBDustin. Here is what he has to say:

“I’d love to say my underwear drawer is perfectly folded and organized because half of me is OCD and likes things just so.  However, the other half is lazy and can’t be bothered.  So first, you’ll see I have a dresser just for underwear.  It’s vintage and cool (even the original liner in the drawers) but doesn’t actually hold a lot.  I do separate by style: top drawer for thongs and jocks, middle two for briefs and bottom drawer for boxer briefs and boxer shorts.  This keeps things easier to find and looking pretty neat.  However, with 250+ pairs, they don’t all fit.  This is where the other side of me kicks in: a laundry basket with underwear simply folded and stacked in there.  It’s not on its way from the laundry – that’s where it lives.  The problem with this is that I think I only wear about 10% of my gear because I grab what’s on or near the top.  I never make resolutions but I might this year…wear a different pair every day until I’ve gone through my entire collection.  If I don’t like wearing them, get rid of them.  This will hopefully help me clear things out and make way for new stuff!”

Thanks, Dustin! Want to join Dustin in showing off your collection and storage methods? Send an email to info@underwearnewsbriefs.com with “Drawer!” in the title, along with a picture of your underwear drawer and a short paragraph describing your collection and/or storage methods. I hope to receive your submission soon!