Boxing clever

LAST week, former England footballer, David Beckham, was photographed wearing only boxer shorts, on a roof in London.

He was advertising his latest range of underwear for H&M. At one point, he was even lifted skywards by harness, dangling for ‘aerial shots’.

Increasingly, advertisers are spending millions on campaigns for men’s clothes, but, surely, underwear is taking the whole thing a button too far, isn’t it?

For most men, choosing, in the morning, what underwear to wear is as automatic as breathing. Open the drawer, dip your hand in, and put on whatever comes to hand. Most of the drawers in your drawer were probably bought unceremoniously, in sets of three for a fiver.

Or is that just someone like me?

Are there men out there who care about their briefs? “I think men have a new confidence in their appearance,” says stylist, Darren Kennedy. “There was a time when it was frowned upon for guys to take care of their appearance. Now, there’s just an overall sense that guys just want to look and feel good about themselves, as well. And men really do care about their underwear. The days of guys wearing big, bloomer-style boxer shorts are gone, and thank God.”

Kennedy says that underwear is a basic foundation, which, if carefully chosen, can help your clothes to fit and look well.

“If you’re wearing extra-baggy underwear, under your jeans or your trousers, it means there’s extra fabric there and the trousers aren’t going to fit as well. Good underwear can help with your look. There’s no doubt,” he says.

Kennedy, who can be seen every morning on ITV’s TVAM, says that there was a time when you had to spend a lot of money to get a decent pair of boxer shorts.

In recent years, with improvements in textiles and technology, good-quality underwear has become more affordable.

Kennedy is impressed with Beckham’s latest ranges for H&M.

“Whatever way they’re cut, they give a really good shape,” he says. “They really enhance things and make them look bigger, without being in your face. They’re quite low-cut, as well, so they’re quite flattering to a man’s shape.”

“Then, there’s other brands, like AussieBum,” says Kennedy. “They’re for men who are really confident in their look and are into showing off their bodies. They tend to be quite short — so the extra-short brief is coming back in vogue.”

A quick visit to the AussieBum website is a revelation. The most eye-catching of their vast, and often colourful, range is a fishnet — yes, fishnet — garment called ‘catch of the day’.

Many men’s underwear-makers are now offering jocks that can enhance the look of a man’s appendage. AussieBum, and others, including Andrew Christian, have attached a type of cup to the front of their underwear, allowing the packaging to look more promising.

Andrew Christian has added ‘butt implants’ to one range, presumably to make the rear more ‘enticing’.

Men’s underwear sales are big business, and some companies have gone online to sell exclusively. Deadgoodundies.com was founded by Englishman, Adam Davies. Since starting, in 2007, the company has gone from strength to strength.

“Women’s lingerie has dropped, due to the recession, because women probably aren’t treating themselves, whereas men’s underwear has remained steady,” says Deadgoodundies.com’s Jane Garner.

“It’s not as seasonal. Guys buy things either when they run out, or, if they’re very fashion conscious, they might buy underwear once a month, or even once a week. Men are also very loyal.

“When they like a brand or a shape or a colour, they tend to go back for more. So, men’s underwear is very steady — it’s not as influenced by the weather, by the seasons, except, of course, for Christmas.”

Deadgoodundies.com sell the products that Garner says the high street doesn’t offer, but that (some) men want. Of the products available at the online store, Garner says that thongs continue to be the most popular.

“For years, when we first started, thongs and strings were always the best sellers,” she says.

“Until about 2011, when briefs, and I’m talking micro-briefs, began to take over. This year, the balance is shifting slightly again. It might have been the hot weather, I don’t know, but thongs are coming back.”

Ask women what they prefer — boxers or briefs — and the answer is clear. A recent survey, carried out by Clothes Show TV, found that women (in Britain, at least) preferred the look of boxers to briefs and, presumably, most of them would scoff at thongs.

Model David Sanz, and TOWIE cast-member, Dan Osborne, showcased the different styles at a recent photo shoot for the television show. While David sported the briefs, Dan wore boxers.

The pair tried on three styles each, from well-known high street names, including Marks and Spencer, Calvin Klein, David Beckham for H&M, and Henry Holland.

Female viewers were then asked to vote, on Facebook, Twitter and the Clothes Show website, for their favourite look. Boxers emerged as the clear winners, with a whopping 89% favouring them over briefs.

“I think women just prefer the more rugged, manly look of the boxer,” says Kennedy. “They consider them more masculine, less preened.”