Well, actually, mostly all briefs and a few jockstraps but the word play was just too tempting. Hi! My name is Tim and on Twitter I tweet under the name @underloverwear. I have been in love with higher end underwear ever since I would sneak the Nordstroms catalog into my bedroom and stare at the models, even in tightie whities. When I was 13 I bought my first pair of Calvin Klein, black, hip briefs and my obsession was sealed. Generally I sway towards fun, bright briefs and very supportive, active jockstraps but I try to have a good sample of everything.

A few years ago I got to live out one of my dreams and moved oversees for a year, to France. Oh la la, c’est vrai. I had studied French throughout college and this was the perfect time in life to get some travelling under my belt. I took a position with the French Education Ministry to teach English in Normandy for 8 months. It was the perfect chance to get long term paperwork to live in France and have a small bit of income coming in throughout the time there.

Now, this was not my first in Europe or in France. I can say that I definitely have a pair of cute trunks with the French tricolor (their flag) on my ass.  When I was in my “home town” of Caen I tried to go underwear shopping. The mission was not going super well and I bounced between stores for a better part of the afternoon before settling on a sheer black bikini from HOM Chic. It was by chance that I picked up a French brand among all of the offerings.

Then it hit me, underwear was a perfect souvenir. Sure one can always pick up some cute knick-knacks and take tons of photos but underwear is interactive and special. It gives you that extra bounce in your step and can be kept as that day’s little secret. So why not have it remind you of an amazing trip, a fun city, a moment in time?

For the rest of my year living and teaching in France I tried to travel a lot. Hitting two different locations or countries every time I had a two week break. First up, Ireland. I am IN love with Dublin and now I have a Modus Vivendi green jockstrap to remind me of the streets of Temple Bar, of meeting new friends at The George, and taking a bus out to Glendaloche. Also, it makes my ass look amazing.

I was not always able to find countries or cities with local or native underwear companies so.  In the case of Ireland, I tried to tie it together some other way (green might be cliché but that’s okay with me). Edinburgh is thought of every time I slip into my (slightly small) black briefs with bright orange trim.

And not only is having the underwear great but buying it is too. Generally I would find the “gay” neighborhood or street or area of the city, if there was one, and explore if they had any underwear or even sex items shop, since they often have a small selection of undies in them. Cities like London, Paris, and Berlin these were easily spotted and explored. Other cities like Dublin and Stockholm did not seem to have them. In these instances I would turn to the dreaded department store to browse the racks of universally sold underwear from big names.

In one instance a guy on Grindr directed me to an underground sex store in Stockholm that had a small wall of undies. I checked it out but in the end decided to go with Sweden’s own Bjorn Borg for good measure. Most times that I would ask guys on Grindr if there were any specific stores to go to. I would get a very typical response that they just go to the big box stores or they buy them online.

Sometimes, like with England (London specifically) I went with a native brand, SURKEW, and scored even bigger because it used the good ole Union flag as the pattern. In Berlin I got a mesh pair of briefs that I was not 100% in love with, so what did I do? I bought my first ever singlet. Now I will never forget Berlin.

As mentioned, London, Paris, and Berlin had huge selections, multiple stores, and pairs for days! Browsing through selections was so much fun. Brands from home that I love, like Timoteos and Jack Adams, weren’t found much over there. I got introduced more to Addicted and ES3. It was fun to see the difference in brands. In some places (cough, Germany, cough) had a wider selection of kinky or fetish themed underwear.

I mostly stuck to my favorites with briefs and jockstraps.  In France, I tried some new ones too. I picked up a grey swim thong with orange piping and a black and maroon square cut jockstrap just to try something a bit new. You never know what you might like if you don’t try.

My friends rolled their eyes at me when I told them of my souvenir plan. But I honestly can’t think of a better way to commemorate a trip. Without trying to sound too hokey. every time I step into those undies, I step back in time and think about that year, that trip, that place and that pair of underwear gives me an extra spring in my step that day.

So what all ended up in the Souvenir Trunk:

• Dublin: Green Modus Vivendi Jockstrap
• Edinburgh: Black and Orange hip briefs BRAND
• Stockholm: Multi color Bjorn Borg trunks
• Berlin: Andrew Christian black mesh briefs, BRAND assless singlet
• Paris: Addicted Jockstrap, BRAND Jockstrap, BRAND swim thong, Sheer HOM Chic bikini
• London: SURKEW Union flag trunk with peek a boo hole
• Boston (on my way home to Seattle): Lavender Calvin Klein Steel briefs

Let’s face it how many of us actually look forward to Monday? Anyone? I didn’t think so, no one is happy for Monday to come rolling around. Many of us spend the weekends in our swim briefs by a pool/beach or lake. Others to out to Fetish nights and wear the stuff we wish we could wear during the week. Lastly there are those who just want to hang in their undies all weekend and relax.

We have a blast over the weekend and then reality makes us come crashing back to earth to be a responsible adult again. So what are we to do? We want to start #undiesmondays. Which is to wear a fun pair of underwear every Monday. Fun depends on your definition. It could be a thong, trunk, bikini or anything that makes you feel awesome. This pair could be something you may not wear a regular basis or one of your favorites.

We all know great underwear gives you a bit of confidence. It can change your mood and put a smile on your face. We hear many of you guys with similar stories all the time, so why not start doing this every Monday. It will give us something to look forward to on Monday morning.

Starting next Monday Tweet us or Instagram us with hashtag #undiesmondays and tell us what you are wearing!

We all have those long shot dreams that we don’t ever really think will come true. For me, that was becoming some kind of underwear model. Let’s face it, I hate the gym and work out very reluctantly, I don’t have an athletic build or a classically handsome face. The dream was never going to happen.

That love and long shot dream started when I was 13 years old and would sneak clothing catalogs into my bedroom to look at the underwear section. I did not know why or what it was about them, but I was captivated. I would see those men in the catalogs and I somehow wanted to be like them, in any small way.

I grew up in a very conservative household where things weren’t flashy, tight, or sexy. Things were very traditional, expected, and plain. Except…for my new, secret underwear collection that all started with a pair of Calvin Klein hip briefs. The packaging caught my eye for how they cut across the thigh, how they formed a well-rounded bulge, and how bold the black was. After a few more pairs of Armani Exchange and Tommy I bought a grey, Calvin Klein thong. The obsession and slight rebellion was in full force.

What was it about the underwear? No one besides me ever saw it. Heck, when your first kiss doesn’t come until you’re 18, it’s not like your seductively pulling down your pants for a captivate audience.

What was it? It was my secret, move over Victoria these were mine. Sitting just under my clothes these well-made, sultry undies hugged my lil bum and supported everything that needed it but more than that, they made me happy. Really happy. It made me smile in secret, it made me feel attractive, attractive! I was a goofy looking kind, big nose, straw hair, slightly gangly, just about average height but underneath I had a secret weapon.

The obsession grew and grew.

In college I branched out from my safe, known brands and into new and exciting territories. I started to get Andrew Christians, 2xist, Diesel, Aussie Bum, and Timoteo. At the time I would always go for regular briefs or trunks. I don’t mind trunks but briefs, and later jockstraps and thongs, are what really excite me when it comes to different cuts.

I was in love with the colors, the styles, the design and the feel. Knowing that at any moment I could slip out of my pants and be rocking some cute baby blue Diesel briefs or bulging out in some white lined red Andrew Christians.

And then one day, I snapped a photo. *click*

These days who hasn’t taken a “naked selfie” or in my case an “undies selfie”? They were happening way before camera phones and I’m sure they will continue with whatever technology comes next. The camera phone and subsequent smart phone sure did make them easy. I wanted to share my picture. Not just with a few close guy friends but I wanted people to see it because I felt SO attractive, so cute, so proud of myself in those photos and believe me, I had a few photos to share.

Twitter. The first time I launched @underloverwear on Twitter just last summer I started with a simple tweet: For my first tweet I thought a thong would be good #underwear #manthong. With a photo of my backside and a classic cut, teal, Andrew Christian thong. In my mind, the world exploded at that instant. Seeing as I only had 7 or 10 followers by that time I was blown away that it got retweeted almost 20 times and liked almost twice as much.

Thus, my tweeting began. I would post every few days and tried to find all of the brands and other enthusiasts to follow. Sometimes a photo would hit it big and I would be lifted even higher that day. Other times photos would sit there with just a little attention, but that was okay. It was all fun and apart of this new, uncharted adventure.

I kept my face out of the photos for the beginning until some fun, fellow tweeter @Chase_Z91 told me how much more personality my photos had with all of me in it. Sure, the photos of my bum had always been the most popular but now when I would post a frontal photo with my smiling or smirking face, people noticed. From there I was shocked and humbled by the numbers of likes, retweets, and followers. I never thought it would get anywhere near 300, or 500, or 1000, or 2000 like it has.

So, maybe it’s not the same as being that guy in the catalogs that I used to sneak into my bedroom. And maybe it’s not the same as actually working as an underwear model. And maybe it will all end tomorrow. But it has helped fulfill that long shot, impossible dream of mine and I am excited with each and every post. I’ve amassed a small collection of around 200 pairs of underwear and each and every one of them gives me the ability to be, in a small way, like those underwear models I used to see in the catalogs and let me share what was once just my secret.