What does a man get when he buys underwear at the mall? A comparative review

Most men receive their underwear as gifts, and the majority of men’s underwear sold falls into two categories. The first is the multipack: An option for convenience and a cheap price, multipacks are offered by companies like Hanes and Jockey and are a quick way of replenishing a rapidly depleting underwear drawer. The second category is a more pricey and varied section of the market, men’s underwear offered by general clothing brands. This variety caters more to discriminating men (or their significant others), usually is sold as individual items, and is usually offered at a higher price point. While many men will end up with underwear purchased alongside other clothing items, what do men actually get when they purchase underwear from a common shopping mall brand? To investigate, I wrote four reviews on products by American Eagle, Gap, Hollister, and Express, and I compare my findings here. 

• American Eagle AEO Mesh Panel 9” Flex Trunk: Compared to the other three items, the AEO Mesh Panel 9” Flex Trunk combines the best construction quality and materials with the worst design. Created as activewear, the AEO Mesh Panel 9” Flex Trunk is abrasive on the legs and very hot. Combined with the lack of room in the crotch, this is undoubtedly the least comfortable and practical item of the bunch. Still, given the mesh panel design, one could tell that the company had actually made an effort rather than just releasing a cheap item to the market with as little thought as possible. 
• GAP Stripe Stretch Trunks: This has the most conventional design of the four. The quality is not much better than what would be found in the cheapest underwear available, and the Stretch trunks began to degrade within a few washings. The fit is slightly more relaxed, and there’s noticeably more room in the crotch than the American Eagle or Hollister items. 
• Hollister Active Classic Trunk: Slick, rubbery feeling makes the Hollister Active Classic Trunk unpleasant to wear. The stretchiness of the fabric makes the crotch a little more comfortable than it would be otherwise.
• Express Vintage Star Print Boxer Briefs: The highest quality of the four, this one is certainly my favorite.  The elastic around the legs is among the best I’ve seen, which prevents the Vintage Star Print Boxer Briefs from riding up. While this is not competition for high-quality pouch underwear, I can at least say that what quality and features are offered are reasonable for the price.

Overall, I was actually disappointed by my experience trying these four items. While my expectations were not particularly high, three out of the four pairs seem like they are closer to the bottom end of the market than the top end (despite some redeeming features). Half of the items, the offerings from American Eagle and Hollister, were so clumsily designed that it seems like they were released to the market prematurely. My unsurprising observation that the best underwear tends to be made by dedicated underwear companies is vindicated by these four items. What one actually gets when they purchase a pair of underwear from a shopping mall brand varies significantly, but is no better than what one could find from an underwear company at a similar price.

American Eagle AEO Mesh Panel 9" Flex Trunk

 
American Eagle Outfitters is an American fashion company. Founded in 1977, it is popular among teenagers and young adults, and close to 1,000 dedicated retail outlets exist to sell American Eagle products. Due to its popularity and ease of access, I decided to review one of the company’s underwear items as the first post in my investigation into what the underwear from shopping mall brands had to offer. My reaction on this bizarre item is recorded below. 

 
Materials and construction: The materials are listed as 88% polyester and 12% elastane (spandex). The Flex Trunk is a perplexing mix of good quality materials and great construction quality with an awful, dysfunctional design. For an item that is ostensibly made for athletics (which boasts of “moisture-wicking”material and “breathable mesh”), this garment is very hot. In fact, it is hotter than most of the thermal underwear I’ve worn. The “mesh panels,” which are a thick material that stretches across the sides and between the legs, does very little to make the boxers breathable, and just give them a vaguely abrasive feel against the legs. The item also isn’t anatomically correct. 2/10 

Comfort and usability: Not only is the Flex Trunk anatomically incorrect, but it also isn’t stretchy enough to compensate. As a result, it just smashes your package against your hips, if not in a different direction. The best quality of the item is that the elastic in the leg holes holds them in place throughout the day, so the Flex Trunk does not ride up at all. 2/10

Aesthetics: The waistband looks sharp and distinct, but the dark green pattern contrasted with black highlights looks blurry and dull. 3/10

Overall rating: 2/10

Big enough? No.