“You can tell a lot about a man from his underwear.” 

There is one thing a lot of us have been bought this Christmas…underwear! Whilst, for some of us it’s the one time of the year to overhaul our undies drawer, we do want tasteful, reasonable and supportive underwear! At the same time, with all your Christmas money burning a hole in your wallet, don’t get caught with your pants down and look nasty!

For this post, me and a few of my pals have reviewed a variety of pants and socks from online brands, to give you an idea on where, what and how the best undies feel if you end up needing some new ones for the new year! (Girls, also take note).

While a lot of time and effort can be taken with well fitting outerwear, underwear is an area a lot of guys seem to not like to think too much about. They may think they like a colour, brand or fabric but the way it fits them often isn’t high up there, so here’s some pointers for you.

Supportive underwear is key for comfort and well-being. And while most men understand the importance of support, they also tend to opt for underwear that provides ease of movement and breathability. However, when choosing your underwear, you should ideally find a pair of boxers or briefs that offers both.

So how can you tell if you’re getting the best support with your underwear? The first thing to consider is what type of underwear you’re wearing most frequently. Boxer shorts, while loose and comfortable, offer the least amount of support. However, this isn’t to say that you should avoid boxers entirely. The important thing to remember is that you should choose boxers that offer an element of support. This could be structural, as a result of the way that the panels and seams are arranged, or material based- as a result of the fabric being elasticated.

We put out a Twitter Poll and 93% of you said that when you’re buying underwear style & support was more important to you than cost & value. So all of us are just about on the same page…

Boxer shorts are best avoided when it comes to support. They are considerably less supportive than other underwear, and boxer briefs for example, are much a much more effective choice for men. In fact, boxer briefs offer the ideal combination of comfort and support. They offer a similar cut to the loose boxer, while also providing the close fit and necessary support that is typical to traditional briefs.

Briefs are the ideal option where support is concerned. They offer structural support, that keeps your body comfortably in check. For this reason, briefs are the underwear of choice for most athletes and sportsmen. Briefs are also more supportive as they consist of less material, and more elasticated fabrics.

When buying underwear, it’s also important that you choose the right fit. While it can be tedious to try new purchases on before buying them, or worst yet return them once paid for- the power of a good fit shouldn’t be underestimated. Ensuring that underwear is tailored for your body will give you the support you need.

Here are a few of our top picks of underwear to think about:

Undies…

Jacksy

About: Jacksy provides a refreshingly real alternative for guys who recognise that style comes in all shapes and sizes and isn’t simply about how you look –it’s about how you feel…

Their designs embody the modern, fast-paced lifestyle: a little quirky, a little edgy and yet a lot of fun.

Jacksy’s inspiration comes from what surrounds us in our everyday life; from the beautiful beaches of North Wales to the bright lights of London and Manchester.

The quality and the fit of their products have always been their top priorities, making Jacksy one of the best value and quality underwear brands around.

Review: When we tried Jacksy’s classic boxer-briefs we noticed instantly that Jacksy are a vibrant brand, for a confident chap that want a supportive and flashy pant for the locker room. As a new brand the boxer-brief comes in a variety of 5 colours, the distinctive wide waistband is both comfortable and eye-catching with  ‘Jacksy’ logo across the waistband. Matt (HighStreetGent) said:

“The soft cotton feels and gives in all the right places. Nice to the touch and comfortable enough in size…had no need to rearrange like I would with some pants.

“For £8.00 (currently on the website) it’s a steal, they feel and look great.  Jacksy is a high quality brand… and I definitely would buy them if I saw them on the High Street…maybe a couple of subtler variations may be good too as the brand expands.”

Jacksy currently have their Christmas SALE on, head to the website and use xmas25 for 25% off.

We were lucky enough to speak to one of the Directors of the Jacksy, he’s passionate about this brand and aim to make them the highest quality…We pin them to be a brand of 2016!

SUKREW

About: While a lot of time and effort can be taken with well fitting outerwear, underwear is an area a lot of guys seem to not like to think too much about. They may think they like a colour, brand or fabric but the way it fits them often isn’t high up there.

SUKREW have 6 current overall styles at the moment with plans to double that in the coming year. SUKREW stock boxers, briefs and jock style pants. Three of them are the unique ‘U’ styles, that holds you firmly in place every where, which, for the kinkier of you out there may well be up your street. The others are  ‘Full’ styles, that SUKREW took a lot of time and effort over, to shape to your manhood, rather than having your manhood shaped.

Review: SUKREW is definitely a brand if you want something for the bedroom, something kinky and absolutely to impress. In the modern world we’re in, us guys are urged to ramp up our sexy side too. Well here’s your chance guys.

In a variety of style, colours and cuts, there’s something for all of us. We tried a variety of the ‘U’ and ‘Full’ style briefs they have to offer.

Dan (HighStreetGent) said: “Have you ever slid a pair on and before they were all the way on you knew the pair would be awesome. This is what we felt with the Sukrew briefs. Then when I got them on they felt so amazing. The pouch, which was my biggest point of concern, fit me amazing. The way it held me was more ergonomically designed and was deciding on how well it stretched and conformed to me. The nylon material was one that I wasn’t sure how well it would fit.

“Another area I had concern was the waistband. The band is a bit larger than most brands on underwear. So my biggest concern was that it would roll or bind through the day. I loved the design of the band the blew with the off set Sukrew name is pretty awesome. As the day went on I totally forgot what I was wearing. Which is how great underwear should be. You shouldn’t have a second thought about what you are wearing.”

With prices ranging from £7.99 on wards in the current clearance sale, they are great value for money!

Again, we had the opportunity to talk to the Founder and Director, who was more than happy to provide us with the samples. Open your mind guys and give this underwear a try!

British Boxers

About: Designed in Britain. Engineered for Comfort. Filled with character. British Boxers are knockout undies and nightwear for men and women who know how to protect what matters. Made from some of the finest woven cottons and exceptionally soft, supportive and breathable jerseys, our entire range is designed to for superior comfort and finished with exceptional design details. British Boxers are the foundation of the thinking person’s wardrobe and ready for the ring of life.

Review: Tom (HighStreetGent) said: The British Boxers Stretch Trunks – Blue Monday “are a great looking pair of pants that any chap would buy and wear proudly. Modern and stylish no one would be worried to strip off and wear them in the locker room at the gym.

“The material is of high quality and feels soft, stretchy with enough room for movement and breathing. They’re extremely comfy to wear.They fit snug around the legs, bum and groin with no restriction but enough support to wear for everyday use or even sport.”

The variety of styles and ranges for men is great for “everything under the belt. ding, ding!” Take a look for prices, but for £18.00 a pair, there’s no worry as your money will go a long way with this brand!

Socks…

Now for ankle wear, socks are becoming noticed more and more, so here’s a few of those to tickle your toes. As these little piggies went to market to find out about some niche sock ideas:

The London Sock Co.

About: The London Sock Company, a stylish sock brand for today’s modern gentleman, proudly offer quality, luxury men’s socks also available on their popular Sock Club subscription service, where members receive new socks conveniently delivered monthly; the perfect gift for any modern gentleman.

For the founders, this is part of an exciting entrepreneurial journey that began with a simple observation; that people really do notice your socks.

The brand has backing from David Gandy himself! (Come on chaps, if he approves, we’ve got to).

Review: Men are increasingly more style conscious. Socks are a really simple but effective detail that allows a man to add style and express personality with anything they are wearing. Socks are most definitely moving from being a commodity product to a style accessory.

We said: “You can buy individual pairs, but the London Sock Co. also has a subscription service. Inspired by the Dollar Shave Club in the US, so you can pay a monthly fee (from as little as £10) to receive socks each month.

What about the socks themselves? Are they any good? The company goes to great lengths to stress they’re all designed in the UK. They majority of them are also manufactured in Britain.

They’re a mix of cotton and man made fibres but cotton always makes up the majority of the fabric. This is important as I can’t abide socks that aren’t predominantly cotton or wool.

Most importantly, they look and feel great. You don’t imagine there’s a huge difference when it comes to socks but you really can tell when you’re putting on a decent pair. The quality was instantly apparent compared to the pairs I usually throw on if I’m simply spending the day at home.

In terms of cost, the socks represent very good value for money. I thought they may turn out to be prohibitively expensive but they start at £10 a pair while the subscription service costs from £10 – £25 a month depending on how many pairs you wish to receive.”

London Sock Exchange

About: They’re “bringing socksy back! Receive new socks in the post . Recycle your old ones.”

The London Sock Exchange do the hard-work for their subscribers. They craft high quality socks in maximum comfort and a superior fit, but also curate and deliver the very best in British design for your ankles.

The London Sock Exchange offers a very reasonable sock subscription service (price info below) that also encompasses a free recycling service for your old socks. Their motto: “One small step towards helping the planet. One big step towards a better sockdrawer.”

How it works: Re­fill your box with any old, unwanted socks you might have in your sock­drawer. Re­seal the box, pop on the freepost label and send it back to us at The London Sock Exchange

Each pair of socks is sorted and ranked in order of their highest value, so they can be recycled in the appropriate way.

Socks of sufficient quality are sent to developing countries, where they will be distributed to communities in need. The remaining socks are turned into recycled fibres and given a new life as industrial textiles. Socksy.

Just over half of the old pairs of socks received will make their way to developing countries, where they’ll be distributed to communities in need.

Cool, right?

Review: You can really tell that the company are focused on fantastic quality for fantastic prices! The quality and styles are great.

Each sock design is dreamt up by British designers which create socks exclusively for the The London Sock Exchange with the modern gentleman in mind…you definitely don’t see these in TOPMAN or River Island. They’re far better!

Most importantly, they look and feel great. You don’t imagine there’s a huge difference when it comes to socks but you really can tell when you’re putting on a decent pair. The quality was instantly apparent compared to the pairs from High Street giants!

One of the beauties to the idea is that 3 pairs are delivered to you in a box custom-built for the British letterbox.

You can ‘spice up your socks life’ with a subscription for £60 for the year or £15 for a quarter! It’s a brilliant concept and great value for money.

Pants Up, Round Up

So there we have it chaps – a short insight into what underwear is available out there at the moment, straight from the horses mouth!

A brilliant collection of online brands that offer a range of support that will help all of us.

Stock up your underwear drawer and stay lucky!