“You’ll forget you even have them on,” he says, describing them as “ultralightweight, breathable, and moisture-wicking with enough stretch for comfort while still providing the necessary support.” They come in two rises with a traditional fly and a more generous inseam of four to five inches, depending on the size you wear. Nicolás Lazaro, a community specialist at menswear resale platform Grailed, says he used to wear cotton boxer briefs but has “never looked back” since switching to these. According to our experts, these AIRism boxer briefs are especially lightweight and breathable. Uniqlo’s AIRism line is all about performance the brand promises moisture-wicking technology intended to keep you cool, dry, and feeling fresh. Polyester, spandex, and nylon | Traditional fly | Regular rise or low rise | Sizes S–3XL With that said, longer inseams can be helpful for keeping boxer briefs in place, especially during workouts. Inseam lengths for boxer briefs typically fall between three and five inches, which is usually enough to provide good support and coverage without adding too much bulk under pants. Regular-rise underwear sits closer to the waistline, and I find it to be more supportive. But for someone who prefers low-rise trousers, a low-rise pair of underwear will prevent too much overhang at the waist. In my own experience, low-rise boxer briefs sit too far down on my hips, and I find them generally uncomfortable.

Your preferences may depend on what type of pants you like to wear. To find your best fit, pay attention to both rise and inseam length. We looked for options that are supportive without feeling too restrictive and that stay in place without sagging, riding up at the waist, or bunching in the legs. The style of the fly can also vary the most common versions are a traditional vertical fold-over fly, a button fly, and a horizontal fold-over fly that is supposed to feel more secure.įit and support: Materials and construction are directly correlated to how boxer briefs will fit, the level of support they offer, and how well they stay put as you move. Most of the brands we recommended have a fly, but we’ve learned that no-fly designs are sometimes favored by men who like to wear slimmer-cut pants. Other than fabric, the factor that will most affect how a pair of boxer briefs feels and functions is construction: how the waistband is built, where the seams are and how they’re sewn, and the style of the fly if there is one. Performance boxer briefs that are designed to be worn for sports or during workouts are often made with synthetic materials like nylon to help the underwear keep its shape, regulate body temperature, and dry quickly after exercise. It is sometimes blended with spandex or other synthetic fibers to add stretch. Cotton is sturdy, breathable, and soft, which makes it well suited to everyday wear. And when they’re made from good materials, they just feel nice.” So to find the very best pairs, we talked to a panel of 15 designers, stylists, and other fashionable men about the underwear they like best.īest overall | Best ultrathin | Best performance | Best designer multipack | Best less expensive multipack | Best supersoft | Best long-legįabric and construction: Most boxer briefs are made of cotton or a cotton blend. “They’re infinitely better than boxers,” says Derek Guy, editor at men’s style site Put This On and blogger at Die, Workwear.

Boxer briefs are now one of the most common styles of men’s underwear - or at least that’s true among the many men we’ve spoken to about the underwear they prefer, as we’ve found they tend to dominate the conversation. The style was popularized in the 1990s after designer John Varvatos, then the head of menswear at Calvin Klein, cut the legs off a pair of long johns to create a hybrid that offered both a tight fit and a longer leg.

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist Photos: RetailersĬombining the snug support of briefs with the coverage of boxer shorts, the boxer brief, for many men, represents the best of both worlds when it comes to underwear.

Hanes comfort flex mens boxer briefs