Garcon Model Elite Sport Brief

Garcon Model is a Canadian underwear and swimwear company that was started in 2012. The Elite Sport Brief, one of their newer offerings, is from a range that is offered both in boxer briefs and briefs. The design is unique, and although it has some great features, it also includes some major oversights, as I discuss below. I think the young company needs to rework its designs a bit before it could justify charging the price of high-end men’s underwear. 

Materials and construction: The website records the materials as 95% bamboo and 5% elastane (spandex). It’s a comfortable, soft and stretchy material that conforms well to the body. The stitching seems adequate, although there is some obvious asymmetry where the waistband is stitched together in the back. This item also utilizes a fly with a wide and functional opening, which is the first time I’ve seen such a thing that could be used comfortably on a high-end pair of underwear. Unfortunately, there is little to no elastic around the leg holes, which is a major oversight on an otherwise well-designed and well-made item. I’ve washed the garment a handful of times and see no signs of deterioration. The design is tagless, which is a plus. 6/10

Comfort and usability: The lack of elastic in the leg holes compromises the stability a great deal. The material constantly slides up the back as a result. For this reason, I cannot recommend this item for any athletic purposes, or even for long walks. The pouch, however, is more interesting. Of the two sheets of fabric used in the pouch as the fly, neither is fastened on all sides. This lends the pouch an impressive degree of flexibility and practical support without feeling particularly restraining. The pouch itself is not particularly large, but it provides more comfort than one would expect for its size. Overall, I found the Elite Sport Brief to be tolerably comfortable. 5/10

Aesthetics: I usually give high ratings in this category, simply because I get the pairs of underwear whose appearance pleases me. The grey material, blue accents, and clean lines around the pouch and fly work well together, but are a little less distinctive than the other Garcon Model varieties. 7/10

Overall rating: 6/10

Big enough? Not quite, although I could spend the day wearing it with some adjustments.

Too Tight to Review 4: Emporio Armani Magnum Cotton Stretch Trunk

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 the day, I’ll leave a few brief thoughts rather than a full review.

Like the Supanova Hip Brief, this item has something that could be considered a contour pouch, so I decided to order it to see if it would fit comfortably. The first thing I noticed after opening the packaging was the long tag in the back, which is never a good design choice. Putting the trunks up over my hips was strange and uncomfortable due to a web of stitching across the back that limits the flexibility of the item. The pouch itself wasn’t flexible, and I felt some pain within seconds of adjusting the trunks into their resting position. Clearly, this is not a pair for me. However, unlike some pairs of underwear that don’t allocate enough room in the crotch for my comfort, I couldn’t imagine this one fitting anyone comfortably. It comes off as merely a poorly-designed cash-grab from a high-end fashion company. I can’t think of a single good thing to write about this item. If I gave numeric scores for my “Too Tight To Review” series, this would get the lowest score possible.

Ergowear EW0119 MAX Light Boxer

Ergowear is a Chilean underwear and swimwear company that utilizes in innovative, unique designs. Like many of the companies I mention in this blog, the company is fairly new (according to their website, they started in 2002). The EW0119 MAX Light Boxer is my first experience with their offerings, and I am quite impressed. If this item is representative of what the company has to offer, then Ergowear deserves to be mentioned alongside brands like Obviously and Andrew Christian as one of the companies that provides the largest and most comfortable pouches, and I’m looking forward to trying more Ergowear products in the future. 

Materials and construction: The materials are listed as 90% viscose and 10% elastan (spandex). This blend works well in the garment: It’s about as stretchy as modal fabrics, but with a softer, rather than a slicker, feel on the skin, and is also less prone to accumulating wrinkles. The term “boxer,” as it applies to this garment, is slightly misleading: The design looks like a pair of trunks from the back, but cuts away significantly towards the front. This does create the problem of the material sliding up in the back, as I mention below, but is in line with Ergowear’s efforts to minimize size while maximizing comfort. There is a pouch present, which is substantially bigger than most. The garment is low rise, which usually isn’t something I like, but the fit works quite well in this case. I’ve washed this pair of underwear a handful of times and have not noticed any major signs of deterioration. 9/10

Comfort and usability: The first thing I noticed I noticed when I tried these on for the first time is that I didn’t need to adjust the pouch at all: When I slid these up my legs and onto my hips, everything fell immediately and comfortably in place without adjustments, which is something that normally doesn’t happen with even the best designs in pouch underwear. The MAX Light Boxer sits closer to the skin than most underwear. The stretchy material makes the pouch big enough and very comfortable, but not particularly supportive, so I would not recommend this item for athletics. Between the thin material and minimalist design, the MAX Light Boxer is very comfortable in warm weather. There is little traction in the leg holes, so the garment does slide up a great deal in the back and a little on the front of the legs, but the pouch stays comfortable while this happens. 8/10

Aesthetics: The ERGO WEAR label, split up into two lines arranged diagonally across the waistband, looks unique and cool. The way the design cuts away in the front looks slick and modern. The looks of Ergowear underwear are as unique as the company’s functional innovations. 8/10

Overall rating: 8/10

Big enough? Yes.

Too Tight to Review 3: Supawear Supanova Hip Brief

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 the day, I'll leave a few brief thoughts rather than a full review.

Supawear is an Australian company that makes men’s clothing. They have some cool-looking designs, so I decided to order the Supanova Hip Brief to see if it would offer a comfortable fit. They do utilize a proper pouch, separated from the rest of the garment like many of the most comfortable pairs of underwear I’ve tried, so I thought I might have good results. When it arrived, I noticed that the size looked as if it would wear a bit small, but that hasn’t always been an issue. Quality looked decent. Putting it on, I immediately realized that the space allotted for my genitals wouldn’t be nearly enough. The experience I’ve had with constricting pouch underwear is that pouches are only a benefit for comfort if they’re big enough. If they’re not, they merely force the genitals into an insufficient space and become worse than a more generic underwear design. Supawear isn’t an option for me. 

Andrew Christian Black Boxer Briefs

 

Andrew Christian’s Black Boxer Briefs are another one of their more subdued styles. Available in briefs and boxer briefs and in three simple colors (black, blue, red), this collection is not as attention grabbing or innovative as many, but is well constructed and solid enough for me to enjoy wearing them. (Note: Apparently the item in review, purchased a few months ago, is not identical to the current version.) 

Materials and construction: The material is a rayon/spandex mix. It’s comfortable and stretchy, but after a few washings (air dried each time), the body of the underwear has started to adopt a fuzzy look due to the degradation of the material. (The waistband still looks new.) The pouch is similar to the horseshoe-shaped attachment found on the Obviously Essence AnatoFREE Hipster Trunk, with the exception that the pouch on this item has more depth and has more material in the pouch, both of which increase comfort for the genitals. The leg holes don’t have much elastic material, and the garment as a whole doesn’t stay in place well as a result. There is a fairly long tag in the back, although it seems like the newest version has resolved this problem. 6/10

Comfort and usability: The overall fit is comfortably fitted around the waist and a little looser in everything below. The legs, given their minimal elastic, do slide up my legs quite a bit. For this reason, I do not think this boxer would be acceptable for exercise, although it is decent for leisurewear. The large pouch is rather comfortable in a sitting or standing position, and stays that way even when the material around the legs piles up, but the pouch’s inflexible seam makes deep squatting and crouching uncomfortable. 6/10

Aesthetics: With the thin yellow stripes on the waistband being a nice accent, the colors work together, but the overall visual appeal strikes me as a bland compromise between the playfulness that Andrew Christian is known for and a more conservative style. The way the pouch holds the genitals, while comfortable, is also unflattering. 5/10

Overall rating: 6/10

Big enough? Yes, although this is not among the best offerings from Andrew Christian.