Too Tight to Review 1: Andrew Christian W/ Show-It (2 items)

The “Too Tight to Review” series covers the pairs of underwear I’ve tried on that I couldn’t wear long enough to give a fair review. If I can’t keep a pair on for at least the length of one day, I’ll leave a few brief thoughts rather than a full review. 

 

“Show-It” technology is a feature found on many pairs of Andrew Christian underwear. According to their website, its “maximum frontal support adds up to 1.5” (3.8cm) onto your current frontal measurements."  An elastic band supported by a sheet of fabric is designed to go behind the testicles, raising the entire package up and forward. I thought the feature might be useful for keeping my package from falling between my legs while sitting, so I decided to order the CoolFlex Tagless Brief W/ Show-It.

When briefs arrived, I realized that the pouch is rather small for an Andrew Christian brief, even without taking the Show-It feature into account. I slipped them on and immediately realized these were far too tight. They put more uncomfortable pressure on my testicles than any other pair of underwear I’ve tried, and after about ten seconds of adjusting in vain, I had to take them off.

Suspecting that the small overall pouch size on the first pair I tried might have been responsible for my discomfort, I decided to try out a Show-It item from their line with the biggest pouches: Trophy Boy Link Brief W/ Show-It. Trying this on just confirmed that Show-It pouches were unusable for me.

Diesel "Kory" Boxer Briefs

Diesel is an Italian fashion brand that makes a variety of clothing items for both sexes. While the company is probably best known for their denim, I’ve found their underwear to be perhaps the most comfortable I’ve tried that is made by a major fashion company rather than a dedicated underwear brand. The “Kory” boxer brief, the item on hand today, is a simple design that works well.

Materials and construction: The material is listed as 95% cotton and 5% elastane. The simple design is form fitting while still being fairly relaxed. This pair doesn’t include the sort of pouch that is found in most of the items I’ve reviewed on this blog, but it is constructed to leave some extra room where the pouch would be. The overall design provides a good balance of support and flexibility without being constricting or tight. 7/10

Comfort and usability: The design is very comfortable. While I wouldn’t use this for activewear, everything generally stays comfortably in position both while sitting and while walking. The looser fit mediates cotton’s tendency towards warmth. If it wasn’t for cotton’s limited stretchiness, I’d name it as my favorite fabric, just because of its balanced feel and function. I think this garment portrays those advantages very well. 8/10

Aesthetics: Very basic, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The bold white stripe and “DIESEL” lettering works well on black waistband. The relaxed aesthetics work well with the design of the boxers. 6/10

Overall rating: 7/10

Big enough? Yes, I find it comfortable.