  LEFT: HOM, HO1 Max brief, $50, with patented horizontal fly, is made from Modal, blended with cotton/Lycra making it ultra soft against the skin. In solids, stripes and brief styles.
MIDDLE: Andiamo Skins Sport Liners (1001) in lightweight moisture-wicking Hydrotek polyester has a long leg, oval shape crotch panel and minimal elastic at waist and leg openings, $26.
RIGHT: Skinz (88140), long pant in breathable, silky, second-skin microfibre/Lycra jersey, brushed on the inside to make it soft and warm, $50. Fits waist sizes 28- to 42-inches. At Mayfair Fitness and Racquet Clubs, The Bay Yonge and Bloor, Sears, Eaton Centre, Out on the Street, The Pony Club, also White Orchid, Per Lui and Studio on 7 in Woodbridge.
All underwear available at Undyworldunderwear.com. |
"Men don't understand all the different cuts, styles and fabrics and what styles are best for them," says underwear expert Ben Lambert, owner of Undyworld - underwear.com. "What a man should wear is all based on his body shape and the activity he's doing. If underwear is fitted properly in the right fabric, a man shouldn't even know he's wearing it."
Plus a guy doing a workout has different needs than a guy sitting at a desk all day, says Lambert.
A much better fit comes from cotton blended with Spandex or blended with Modal and Spandex, making it still breathable, soft and comfortable, but also more shapely.
In the fall, 2(x)ist, a U.S. brand, is launching a collection made from cotton/Spandex blended with a fibre derived from soybean extract. "It fights bacteria, is stronger than wool, as breathable as cotton, wicks moisture, is compared to cashmere for softness and is also biodegradable in the long term -- but not while you're wearing it," says David Bailey, v-p sales and marketing for 2(x)ist in Canada.
According to Cossette, at least 60% to 70% of their men's underwear is bought by women, but that's slowly changing. More men are now taking an interest in it because of all the advertising they see. "They want everyday underwear and then fashion underwear for weekends," says Cossette. Intimode's newest line, R.E.D, is a sexy athletic-looking collection targeting this market.
We think it's time for men who have been buying the same brand -- by the dozen -- for the past 20 years to rethink their choices.
"Those old standard briefs that mom used to buy ... well, nobody ever uses that fly," notes Lambert. He points to HOM, a French brand, with a horizontal fly opening as the future of men's underwear. "It's accessible whether you are left- or right-handed.
"Call it the easy way out."
