Season’s briefings

There are those among us who forgo underwear. If this is you, you’ll find the following entirely irrelevant and completely contrasting to your free swinging values. Today on The B Brief I’m talking about briefs, soon after the unofficial underwear restock event of the year that took place on the 25th. Nestled between the selection box and socks, there was more than likely a pair or two to keep you ticking over. I think in our teens we let slide our parents concerted efforts to buy repeat pattern underwear or dreaded joke pairs for us. We wore them, we enjoyed them and we made sure not to wear them on a day that involved getting changed around others. But now that we’re adults, fully fledged students and working men of society, we want to have underwear that’s more akin to tinder than kinder surprise.

I am pretty certain that I read somewhere that David Beckham used to wear a brand new pair of underwear everyday. And for those in the school of thought that you should replace underwear every 6-12 months, I say that’s outdated information. I, both ashamedly and unashamedly could not be further from this, making do with rips, irritating waistbands and legs that ride up time and time again. As long as you’re washing them properly after wear, they’ll last as long as the band that holds them together. Take note Becks. 

So with all underwear myths banished, let’s give more thought to our boxers the same way we would our trousers. No more cheap ‘they’ll do for now’ multipacks, but ones that’ll last and a joy to wear. Here are three of my own that’ll have you covered up in confidence.downicon

1/3 ASKET GREY MELANGE BOXER BRIEF £23.00

At times I feel like an unofficial ambassador for Asket and I have no problem with that at all. The Stockholm-based brand currently create one type of underwear, the boxer brief. Making them from Egyptian cotton it means they are going to be very soft on the skin and a double lined cup to keep everything in place too. I’m often wearing these at least a couple times a week and they are a solid day-to-day contender. Like the rest of their permanent collection, you’ll find information on where and how they were made along with their transparent pricing model which shows their price in comparison to competitiors.

2/3 CDLP BOXER TRUNK IN NAVY BLUE £28.00

Staying in Stockholm, for all the recent additions to CDLP’s collection the brand’s hero product is underwear. I’m wholly impressed with how fun and cool they have made underwear while ensuring their product is solid. They offer four styles (brief, trunk, short and y-brief) with slightly different cuts, but all of them are made from a closed loop lyocell which for you means a super smooth experience wash after wash, as well as less water and chemical use in production. This trunk style is a shorter than usual fit on the leg, but if you want something longer than you can always opt for their brief option. Require something looser? Go short. CDLP really feel like an it brand at the moment, but their underwear will last long after their hype dissipates if it ever does.

3/3 SUNSPEL CELLULAR COTTON ONE-BUTTON SHORTS £38.00

Some trivia knowledge for you… stick with me. Sunspel’s Long Eaton factory is made up of two buildings and in the brand’s early existence one of them was dedicated entirely to boxer shorts due to their popularity. Just last year the brand did an overhaul of their underwear range and has again made it one of its key focuses. You’ll find twenty styles currently available, but my pick is the one-button short made from cellular cotton. A classic look developed in the 1990s which I’m yet to see elsewhere and is my choice for the weekends when I want a lightweight and loose option.jbicon