In an age of metro men and male fashionistas, no man can get away with poor underwear choices. The modern male is suave, trendy, and confident. The underwear he chooses serves his body type to the hilt and is equally fashionable. Your choices should hide your imperfections, but they should also feel comfy. Your outerwear should inform your choices as well, as its explained further below.
First Thing’s First: A Guide to Sizing:
If you shop online, you’ll be exposed to enough sizing complications to baffle you, but tracking the right fit is easier than you think. All you need is a tape measure. Start by measuring your waist from the top of your hip bone, taking care not to create an angle that will add inches to your measurement. Now all you need is a sizing chart.
- Extra small is generally a size 30, which is 76 to 81 centimetres.
- Small is a 32 and a half or 80 to 85 centimetres.
- A 34 is a medium at 86 centimetres.
- A 36 is between 92 and 97 centimetres or a large.
- An XL is 98 to 103 centimetres or a 40.
Choosing the Right Style for Your Size
If you don’t have a classic triangle-shaped physique, size isn’t enough to help you track down the right underwear for your body. Some styles will never fit your shape. If you have trouble fitting your thighs into a pair of Levi 501s, the odds are fair that boxer-briefs will feel equally uncomfortable. If you’re underweight or have an exceptionally low BMI, flat-fronted trunks will suit your body type best. If your hip/thigh/waist ratio is unusual, boxers are the most forgiving style on the market.
- Hipsters and trunks are short, flat-front boxer briefs that end at the upper thigh.
- Boxer briefs are slim-fit, stretch cotton boxers with a lower hem than trunks.
- Boxers are loose around the thigh and generally have a high waist.
- Briefs end above the thighs and offer firm support.
Boxers and boxer briefs are the most forgiving options in terms of sizing because their waistbands and hemlines tend to leave plenty of room for error. If you have a classic thigh/hip/waist ratio, however, boxers might be too loose to give you a neat physique. The underwear you choose this has as much to do with body type as it does size.
Finding the Best Style for Your Wardrobe:
When skinny jeans hit retail shelves, the fashion industry had to invent an entirely new underwear style to accommodate slim physiques. That should give you an indication of how important your underwear choices are in terms of the clothes you wear from day today. If you work in loose jeans or linen suits, that trendy pair of boxers you found online will serve your needs beautifully, but if you opt for slim, wool trousers, you’ll need something that won’t bunch. Briefs cause an obvious line under slender cuts, so boxer briefs or trunks should be your go-to option. If you’re a jeans man, you need airy underwear that will keep you cool, so choose cotton over Lycra.
Coping with Style Variance:
When you’re shopping online, you don’t benefit from the standardization you enjoy at brick and mortar retailers. France’s 32 isn’t necessarily Italy’s, so you’ll need to adjust. French and Italian brands tend to be on the small size. Germany’s small is 44 or 85 centimeters, while the USA’s is generally a size 34.
To complicate the issue, even more, manufacturers often vary their size charts as well, so investigate before you choose an unforgiving pair of briefs. Looser elastic gives you an extra inch to play with, so boxers might be a good place to start. Natural fibers let your skin breathe. Polyesters and other synthetics aren’t breathable and can make your skin feel damp in hot weather.
Once you’ve developed a sense of what a particular eCommerce store sells, your choices will become much easier. Remember that online shopping is supposed to add to your convenience, not take it away, so don’t be afraid to ask the support staff working for your favorite e-tailer. That’s what they’re there for.
