I've been known to both celebrate and scoff at times about the stodginess of menswear. While I love the classics involving of gaberdine, tweed and Prince of Wales and the foundations they've laid, I also have a penchant for new perspectives involving bonded nylons, French terry and vegan leather. One area in particular that men seem to wrestle with being either a maverick or a creature of habit is in choosing their underclothes. It used to be that most men had their wives buy a three pack that was worn till they bore holes. Now as men have become way more body conscious, a standard boxer short has found dresser-drawer neighbors in boxer briefs, square-cut trunks, low-rise this, fancy-jock that and in fabrications that pull gents into the tactile comfort zone.
I have long been that kind of guy who knows that with the onslaught of low-waists, shrunken silhouettes and skinny jeans, my underwear must shrink just as enlightened. As outer fabrics hug the body closer, social environs such as gyms and casual dating pushed underwear to not be such a hidden thing in menswear. For years now, I've sought to put some fun into my underwear-sock combo just because I felt that women shouldn't have all the fun and options. So it's a delight when I discovered a brand that shares in my vision for comfort, color and coolness with options for those days you feel either sexy or slouchy. That amazing brand is Pair Of Thieves.
What Cash Warren, Alan Stuart and David Ehrenberg initially set out to do was create a better fitting sock. However, fast forward a few years later and what was wrought was a company that took the aesthetic of fit-fuction and fused that into the category of undergarments to make them better feeling, better looking and better fitting. And they've done it well! Pair Of Thieves is a really well though-out brand whose underwear, tees and socks feel so soft against the skin and make for an excellent fit due to the great ergonomic no-chafe seaming, four-way stretch, breathability, moisture wicking and comfy waistbands. Admittedly, when first introduced to the brand, I slipped into creature-of-comfort mode as I was highly skeptical of any brand tearing me away from my low-rise junk-hugging favorites. The off-putting thing about a lot of 'popular' mens underwear nowadays is that I feel them under my clothes and that makes me have to worry about them riding up or irritating my skin since I also workout and kind of fall in-between sizes. When I first pulled on a Pair Of Thieves boxer brief I was sold. Like sold sold!! The softness was astonishing and I truly did feel free to move and like I was wearing a fabric that wouldn't make my 'car parts' overheat. Pair Of Thieves also showed me that underwear could be fun again with just as much emphasis poured into design, comfort and fit. The exuberant prints and the cacophony of colors they offer are just plain cool with a variety that speaks to the mindset of a huge cross section of men. Their socks, which birthed the Pair Of Thieves brand, also boast a stellar fit as they stay in place all day, fit the foot snugly and then fit the ankle and calf areas securely with clever and great seam design. Your foot is bathed in softness.
Enjoy these photos and installations from their recent NYC 'Basic Britches' event then head on over to their website PairOfThieves.com and I dare you to take the 'Pair Of Thieves' challenge. The experience will sell you and you'll want to hook they guys, friends, lovers and co-workers in your life up too. Just in time for the holidays at that.
www.PairOfThieves.com
