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.

Express Vintage Star Print Boxer Briefs

 
Express is a company that makes men’s and women’s clothing. I decided to give their Vintage Star Print Boxer Briefs a try as a part of my investigation on the quality of underwear found in the sort of stores that are commonly found in shopping malls. I was pleasantly surprised about the results. While this isn’t my favorite pair of underwear, it is undoubtedly better than the offerings from American Eagle, Gap or Hollister that I have reviewed for the upcoming comparison post.

 
Materials and construction: The Express Star Print Boxer Briefs are made out of the typical cotton/spandex blend, and have a moderate length. Right out of the package, there were a few loose threads on the waistband, so I expected them to rapidly deteriorate with washing, but they’ve actually held up well. There’s a fly, and it functions decently, although a larger opening would be better. The elastic around the leg holes is about as good as that in any other pair of underwear that I’ve tried, and this prevents the boxer briefs from riding up. The waistband is also sturdy, so the whole item stays in place well. 7/10

Comfort and usability: There isn’t a pouch on the garment, so it feels too tight to be genuinely comfortable, especially while sitting down. However, since the waistband and the elastic around the leg holes are so secure, this prevents the garment from riding up and becoming more uncomfortable over the course of the day. For people who are comfortable with underwear that doesn’t have a pouch, I’d say this is one example of a pair of underwear that is actually offers a reasonable deal for the price, although better options can be found. 5/10

Aesthetics: Not exactly my style, but it does appeal to the sort of style that Express shoppers would expect. The distorted star pattern would go with distressed jeans. 7/10

Overall rating: 6/10

Big enough? No.