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unb-mainWe all make New Years Resolutions, and one of the most common resolutions is to lose weight, or “live healthier.” For me, it has unfortunately become an annual thing. From January to May or early June I really work hard on losing weight and eating right, and as summer gets going I find it easier to eat lighter and be active. But once football season rolls around, the sun doesn’t rise as early and I always fall into the same trap. I succumb to the temptations of bar food and snacks and I stop working out as my clothing gets heavier and masks my physique. After Christmas, the number on the scale is back to where I never wanted it be again when I began the process in January.

I know I am not alone in such a struggle, but if you’re like me when it comes to underwear, I buy the most underwear when I am feeling the best about my body. For me, that happens to be in the summer, when I almost always need to go down a pant size (but won’t because I know I’ll just give into temptation in the Fall), I am tan and look more like a professional athlete than the desk-jockey I am. But if you are like me and give into temptation and start eating poorly as Winter approaches, those sexy briefs that made you look like Apollo in July start to make you feel like Chris Farley in the Chippendale’s sketch.

I don’t think I’d be going out on a limb to say that for a lot of us underwear aficionados, nothing can make you start feeling poorly about yourself than when a pair of underwear you love goes from sexy to unflattering in the matter of just a couple of months. The best remedy to avoid this feeling is obvious–continue to eat and workout like you’re always preparing for Summer. But it’s January, and we are all diligently watching our calories, and working out when we can (right?!). Our bodies, softened from the last two months of seemingly constant temptation, don’t look the greatest in some of our favorite pairs. So what can we do that offers a temporary fix to this temporary (right?!) problem?

The underwear savants here at UNB have long advised our readers to diversify their underwear drawers, so if you struggle to maintain that summer body as you go into the late Fall and Winter months, you need to think about getting some pairs you know you’ll always look your best in, no matter how trim you are. Follow these three tricks to keep yourself looking great and feeling good on your way to that body you’ll have in a few months.

Trick #1: Bigger Can Be Better 

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If your like me and your love handles tend to re-appear as you near Christmas,  it may be a good idea to stow away a few pairs in your favorite brands and styles that happen to be a size larger than your normal underwear. XL and L are sizes that are almost always available when the big underwear brands go on sale or clearance on sites like Freshpair.com or MensUnderwearStore.com, so this trick isn’t going to hurt your wallet. And if you’re a Small normally, while you may not find clearance-priced Mediums, those websites always have substantial sales going on. Finally, pay attention to how your favorite brands run for sizing. Big, American labels like 2(X)ist and Calvin Klein run fairly big, which affords you to stay in your favorite styles while only changing size.

Trick #2: Know that There is no “Cut” Above the Rest…

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Cut and Fit. These are the two factors that can turn a good looking pair of underwear into a not-so-good looking pair of underwear once you’ve got them on. If you’re like me and prefer more athletically cut, bikini or hip briefs but have been known to put on some weight towards the end of the year, they can get tight in certain areas and loose in others. This is the “cut” affecting the “fit” and this is where the importance of diversity in your underwear drawer really comes in. So if you’ve put on a few extra pounds but maybe Trick #1 is not necessary, a great way to feel better about your appearance in your skivvies is to stock several “cuts” of underwear.

Trick #3: Dial Down the Skimpiness 

Not feeling great in these?                      Try these instead.

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No matter what your preference when it comes to your go-to underwear cuts and styles, when you’re carrying some “Winter Weight” you’re going to look (and feel) your best when every thing is covered or contained comfortably and stylishly. No guy carries their extra pounds in the same place as the next guy, but a trick I use in these winter months I call the, “Next-Less-Skimpy Rule.” It’s sort of the cumulative result of the first two tricks but shouldn’t necessitate you going out and buying more underwear.

Here’s how I apply the Next-Less-Skimpy Rule: If I get a pair on and its not fitting how I like it to fit, or it is entirely unflattering when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I drop them to the floor, fold them and pick a pair that provides the next-less-skimpy look and feel. Recently, I couldn’t get my butt all the way into a pair of skimpier Body Aware briefs. I folded them back up and put on a pair of CK hip briefs. I looked and felt a heck of a lot better in an instant.

 

brandon-cin2When you have as much underwear as I do, it is difficult to come up with the one pair that you’d place above all the others, but I think the underwear a man wears can really offer a window into who he is as a person. Of course, I have several favorites when it comes to underwear, but there is one that stands out to me every time I get them on.

My first pair of briefs were the long-since discontinued Neon Sport Brief from 2xist. Not too long after that collection sold out, 2xist started to venture away from their sport brief style altogether. But as they were phasing it out, C-IN2 added a sport brief to all of their new lines, and it looked strikingly similar to 2xist’s design (probably not a surprise as C-IN2 was founded by former 2xist founder Gregory Sovell) but it was a much better pair overall.

The reason I’m still falling in love with the C-IN2 Sport Brief is that it seems as if it were designed with my body type in mind. Being well-endowed, the most important thing to me about a pair of underwear is how well the pouch can contain my boys while offering them a good level of support. The pouch on the C-IN2 Sport Brief is deeply contoured as a result of the briefs design, which mimics the extremely high-cut leg openings of a jockstrap. Like most well-endowed guys, I’ve mostly defaulted to underwear brands that utilize an “Anatomical Pouch” but the reason I chose this pair over any of the dozens of pairs with an anatomical pouch is the quality in construction of these briefs. The cotton is incredibly soft, and it’s also thick, but breathable. The elastic used to frame the brief is incredibly sturdy, which provides support that no pair of anatomical briefs could dream of doing, but it also frames an athletic bubble butt like mine perfectly.

C-IN2 is a member of what I call the “Big Three” in designer underwear. They are here to stay and thankfully, so is their Sport Brief.

 

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The most recent pair I received for review was the PPÜ 1310 Brief, which is described as their “Men’s Low Rise Classic Brief with Contrasting Waistband and Trim.” It comes in three color options to the masses, but the review pair I received were the royal blue briefs with white trim. Upon hearing which brief I would be reviewing and getting them in my hands for the first time I was excited about trying them. I have recently dropped a bunch of weight and really have been fitting well into all of my smaller undies so I didn’t think I’d have any issues. My first impressions were that this is a traditional brief in terms of cut and design but the fact that it is 82.5% Nylon and 17.5% spandex gives it a modern look and feel.

I’ve only gotten one other pair of PPÜ undies before, from a fan who sent me their crazy jockstrap/brief which they call a “Modern Brief” and it fit fairly well, so I was a bit disappointed when I slipped these on. It wasn’t that the waist on these XLs (34-36) was too tight, but I think the problem stemmed from the brief’s construction. The rather large amount of spandex in this brief really provides an overall constrictive fit, and with my body shape, that’s not always the best marriage. I am athletically built and have always had quite the butt on me, and with all underwear, the roundness of my backside puts all of my underwear to the test, and these briefs couldn’t really handle my bubble butt like I was hoping they would. The stretch my butt was producing naturally pulled the already small pouch closer to my body, so I felt really cramped up front and since I am fairly well-endowed had to situate myself just right to get a comfortable fit. I only wore them a couple hours before I gave up, but I blame that entirely on the brief and me just not matching up.

Overall the construction is very well done, the brief is mostly nylon which in this brief is fairly breathable making them a good choice for summer wear. All of the contrasting trim-the waistband, the pouch frame and the leg openings feature really strong spandex, which provides a close fit. I think on an average to skinny sized male, these briefs would be an excellent choice to wear this summer. As I said, the pair I reviewed was royal blue with white piping, but the two other color options are summer ready. The first is coral with grey trim, and the other option is a mint blue with royal blue trim, I think both look really good.

These briefs certainly run small in comparison with other offerings from PPÜ and some other brands that are known to run small, so make sure you size up. I wish they had given me a better fit, but as I said if you are a smaller guy, or even someone with a medium build and maybe not packing too much up front, these would be an ideal summer brief. You can find these briefs at a variety of online retailers and they retail for $21.

If you have any questions about the PPÜ Brief #1310 you can get a hold me by sending me a message on Twitter, @UNBBrandon 

Pros:

  • Breathable for summer wear
  • Stylish
  • Supportive Fit

Cons:

  • Run small
  • Small Pouch

Ratings:

  • Daily Fit – B
  • Sizing – C
  • Construction/Materials – A
  • Styling – A
  • Daily Performance – B*
  • Overall – B

*with the right fit, these would hold up over the day fairly well

PPU Furnished this pair for review.

 

 

 

loveundies

In Part One of a two-part series, I’ll be going through some of the factors that makes an underwear lover manage their obsession, how to appreciate the underwear collection you may have amassed over time, and what prompts such action. In Part Two, “In With The New” I will examine some of the factors in the underwear world that contribute in feeding the insatiable desires of a men’s underwear addict and provide some guidelines and tips that have been helpful to me, in managing your obsession with the reality of your finances. 

-Part One- “Love What You Have” 

For the average male, it is probably close to inconceivable to think about owning over 160 pairs of underwear, and for straight men in particular owning that much underwear at one time just seems crazy. But for an underwear addict regardless of orientation, (I happen to be straight) your mind never thinks about the number of pairs you own, because you are constantly thinking about the next purchase. Unless you have an “in” within the underwear industry, you are mostly left paying asking price for your newest, favorite pair. On the rare exception, that is, if you are lucky (and driven) enough like I am, you can score free pairs by writing about and reviewing underwear,  (we are always looking for new talent – so if you like free undies and you like to write – get in touch with us) but for the pairs that you just have to have, you’re left paying full price, or shopping around the internet for sales.

When I got into underwear about 3.5 years ago my collection stood at just three pairs. Today, by my count, my collection is at 160 pairs.  Obviously in those 3.5 years I became an addict, obesssionist, whatever you want to call us underwear loving nerds, and with that comes the honest reality of the money it cost me to get here. Just doing some basic math, the average price for each piece of underwear in my collection is roughly $16, so that honest reality I was talking about shows me that I’ve spent over $2500 in 3.5 years, hundreds of dollars a year.

Of course, if you have a collection that numbers over 20 pairs of designer undies, let alone a collection as big or bigger than mine,  I am preaching to the choir. Men’s designer underwear is expensive and it is expensive for a variety of reasons, which I won’t get into here, but might venture into in a completely separate post later on. I also don’t need to tell you that even as big as that $2500 figure looks on paper (as you read it) you never think about the overall total you’ve spent, you are just thinking about your money in terms of your next purchase.

But life can throw the proverbial curve ball, which can require a shift in priorities when it comes to how you spend your discretionary income, and it did for me this past winter.

My wife was pregnant with our son, and while I knew that his arrival would mean my routine, 2-3 underwear purchases per month would need to take a big hit, I figured I could get by with one, maybe two purchases a month. Then my wife lost her job at 8 months pregnant.  In the four months since our son was born I haven’t made a single underwear purchase. My collection has only been added to by the underwear I get to review for UNB. As tough is this has been for me as an underwear addict, the silver linings to all of it has been quite rewarding.

Since I am no longer having new underwear delivered to my door constantly, I have really been able to enjoy the breadth and depth of the collection I have amassed. If you’re an addict like I am, and constantly growing your collection week in and week out, what you end up doing is neglecting all the great underwear you’ve already got. For instance, before my son was born I had over a hundred pairs of underwear that had been worn less than three times, and a large portion,  less than twice.

No matter how big your underwear stash is, its really imperative that you aren’t wearing certain pairs out, and to do that means you need to “wear through” your collection-meaning, alternate through your collection over the course of as many days as you can. There are so many benefits to doing this too.

For one, in the last couple months of my wife’s pregnancy and especially in the first two or three weeks after he was born, I packed on the pounds. With such a massive underwear collection, some of the pairs from brands that run small-including many of my favorites just wouldn’t fit me any more. The result? I’ve been working out 5 days a week in the morning doing strength/circuit training. I’ve lost a bunch of weight and inches off my waist and I fit into just about everything I own. It’s really been the biggest benefit of loving what I have.

Another huge benefit to enjoying what I have has been the benefit some of my favorite pairs have received. When I gained weight I just wanted to wear all my stretchy Andrew Christian underwear, and cycling the rayon through the wash every week or so is not ideal. Without the threat of new AC briefs to replace them, I’ve forced myself to explore all the other underwear in my collection that performed the same task-and now that I’ve lost weight, the conscious decision to hop around from different labels, styles, and cuts. I could probably go on about my own experiences with why I love taking the break from the thrill of having new pairs to wear each week and instead loving what I have, but it is probably better to make it simple.

Whether you’re like me and you are somewhat forced into the “Loving What You Have” concept, or you simply realize that consistently adding new pairs just creates a ton of barely worn, brand new underwear that languishes in your drawers, there are so many benefits to taking a break from the grind of feeling like you need to buy every designer’s newest offerings. Here are some tips as to why you should do it and the benefits of loving what you have.

  • Tip #1 – Make sure you have a succinct method of organization in your drawer – it has been my experience the best way to get the most out of your collection is to organize by style then brand. Better organization leads to seeing your entire collection, and also will help you follow Tip #2.
  • Tip #2 – Keep your underwear on constant rotation, allowing for only a few exceptions – (for those pairs you know won’t work with the outfit you plan on wearing, or they have an awkward fit, but you feel bad throwing/giving away). If you’ve followed Tip #1 every time you go to put them back in your drawer but the clean pairs on the bottom or the back (depending on how you like to organize your undie drawer) that way the pairs from that brand, in that style will always be those you haven’t worn in a while.
  • Tip #3 – Put a bit more thought into your selections on a daily basis – Maybe you are plan on wearing a tight fitting pair of dress pants or jeans, go to the thong or jock pile and give them a chance. Maybe you’re planning on an active day, go for the breathable fabrics in a brief or a trunk that will give you all day comfort. And if all else fails, and you can’t decide which pair to wear (if you’ve made it to this point you’ve succeeded) “dress your mood,” or follow the underwear social media days, like #jockstrapwednesday or #thongthursday. By putting a bit of thought into it each day, you’re guaranteed to remain content.
  • Tip #4 – Don’t be afraid to change when you get home from work – A surefire method I’ve used to make sure I’m wearing just about everything in my collection is to put a fresh pair of undies on after getting home from work. No matter your work setting, by the time you get home, no matter how great your underwear is, it just isn’t in the same great shape it was when you slid them on in the morning. Giving a call to the bullpen is a great way to change your mood, and go in an opposite direction of the underwear you just wore out during the day.

For an underwear addict like me (and many of you) of course it must be said that nothing is better than getting those new pairs in the mail or on your doorstep to open and do that initial first try-on. For me, I know I will be back in the game once my family is back on more firm footing–it is killing me not to be able to test out all the new styles from my favorite brands. Yet, with that said there is something noble about wearing what I’ve got. It is all underwear that at one time or another I simply couldn’t live without, and the only way to feel that way about those pairs again is to get them on.

So whether you are like me, and somewhat forced into “Loving What You’ve Got” or you are looking at your credit card statements each month thinking what you could do if you had spent just half of what you spent on underwear, making the decision won’t be easy to swallow at first, but once you realize that your drawer(s) 🙂 are already filled with the underwear you love, loving what you have becomes so much easier.

And of course, don’t forget to remember my tips!

Zylas 4034

 

I haven’t ever worn a pair of Zylas underwear before, so when I got the 4034 Brief in the mail, I was excited to try them out. Once I had them in my hands I had a mixed first impression. The brief is mostly made of Nylon, an underwear fabric that I haven’t had much luck with. While I am not a huge fan of the 70s inspired conglomeration of greens and vertical stripes, these briefs do have some style to them.

Another first reaction before I had before I got them on was the size of the waist, it looked too small to match the sizing chart for what a Zylas XL brief should be (34-36). Once I got them on, my initial impression seemed accurate, as the waist was a little snug.  You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that when it comes to men’s briefs, if the waist is snug, it’s likely going to be snug in all the wrong places too, but this turned out to be only partially true. I decided to wear them for a full work day to really put the brief through its paces. While I was nervous about how the brief would hold up, with its blend of nylon and spandex, these briefs stood the test of a busy day.

I did have an issue with sizing, when I peeled them off in the evening, I did have quite the “imprint” on my 36″ waist but over the course of the day, I wasn’t experiencing any discomfort around my waist. As with many Latin/South American brands, these weren’t made with U.S. sizing. While there are several brands that can get away with this, the XL at 34-36 is going to be too small if you’re wearing a 36 pant size. Quite honestly, I’d say if you’re wearing a 34 jean, you’ll want to go with the XL.

As I mentioned above, I haven’t been a huge fan of some of the nylon pairs in my collection, but the way this brief uses nylon I was pleasantly surprised. The fabric had vertical perforations throughout, making the briefs very breathable, so that helped score this brief some points.  As far as the look of this brief, I am of two minds. Green is one of, if not my favorite color, but it can be overdone and the penchant Zylas has for vertical stripes overall, could be re-thought. While I appreciate the attempt, I am not a fan of the 1970s fashion trend of purposefully clashing several shades of the same color together, but I think this brief could have really been tied together well if the waistband and the elastic leg openings were the same shade of green as one of the stripes in the brief, instead it’s a lighter lime which clashes with the neon green stripes that feature prominently.

The style of the brief is described as an “almost bikini” and there has been a bit of a pickup of this type of style across several different labels. When you wear this style it certainly feels a little more comfortable and less boxy than a traditional cut brief and that is good. If I had to make one complaint overall though, it would be that this style does not lend itself to the ample pouch that my anatomy requires. That is not to say I felt too crammed in these briefs, but this brief certainly does not feature a contour pouch, which is something I need.

Pros: 

  • Breathable Nylon – a novel concept!
  • Fashion-forward cut

Cons: 

  • Lacks a contour pouch
  • Sizing for me didn’t work

Ratings: 

  • Fit – C
  • Sizing – C
  • Construction/Materials – A
  • Styling – B
  • Daily Wear – C
  • Overall – C+

Zylas furnished this pair for review