Staying Fit and Healthy in 2012

December is a month of indulgences. We stuff ourselves silly with roast turkey dinners, left-over turkey sandwiches, mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, chocolate and an array of alcoholic beverages. In light of all these calorific treats, it’s hardly surprising that the majority of the nation vow to go on a diet and get fit and healthy in the New Year.

January is the month where gym membership subscriptions soar, people leave their houses to jog or cycle, enrol in team sports or just get a little more active in general. It is also the month where the sales of sports equipment also rises from home-gym equipment to new trainers. But often overlooked when people tog themselves up with Lycra shorts, moisture wicking t-shirts and air-sprung trainers is the fact that their underwear may be doing nothing to keep their private parts healthy and protected. This is where the need for sports underwear comes in.

A number of designer men’s underwear brands have launched lines of specialist sports underwear. Among them is infamous men’s underwear brand Calvin Klein who offer a range of underwear which is designed to support you. Their Pro Stretch collection for example, is made from light, breathable microfiber which quickly dries to keep you comfortable while you exercise.

Famous sports brand Nike has a number of sports specific men’s underwear ranges available too. Amongst them is the Compression Active Shorts which have been designed to hold everything in place during exercise whilst using Dri-FIT fabric technology to absorb moisture.

Banglads have a great range of sporty jockstraps for sale from Andrew Christian and Rufskin. Dolce and Gabbana also have a range of sports underwear available which includes the Double Band Active Regular Boxer Shorts. These boxer shorts are lightly ribbed and partially padded to protect you during an array of activities. The elasticated double waistband helps to alleviate ‘slip down’ to keep your boxer shorts in place whilst you exercise.

So if your New Year’s resolution involves any type of exercise regime, we suggest you invest in some sports underwear to get you on the right track.

Rounding Up Underwear Styles for 2011 – Part 2

In our last blog entry, we decided to round up some key styles in men’s underwear that were seen throughout the year. We looked at pink being the new black in April, a move towards nude shades in May and packaging of men’s underwear being the key in June. In this instalment, we look at what else 2011 had to offer when it came to underwear for men.

July 2011
In July 2011, we saw a modern take on a Scottish theme in the men’s underwear arena. The key trend was tartan. Designer men’s underwear brands launched a range of tartans which followed traditionally famous red toned tartans such as Royal Stewart Tartan Boxer Shorts and more modern styles such as Pump’s Navy Tartan Boxer Shorts which were a more simplistic blue and white tartan print.

In fact Gregg Homme even launched a strange thong come kilt design but the least said about that the better as far we're concerned.

Unfortunately this tartan trend appeared to be one of the fads of the year and although various tartan styles can still be found in a variety of online shops, it isn’t really a trend we suggest you rush out and buy as a gift for a loved one.

August 2011
August was the month where men’s designer underwear met military styling with camouflage being the style of choice. Our personal favourites were Diesel’s Darius Camo Boxer Trunks which used traditional jungle camo featuring green and brown toned prints.

However, famous brand Emporio Armani launched a more modern take on an arctic styled camouflage with their Blue Camo Print Boxer Shorts. These featured a white background with grey, black and light blue swirling patterns.

Camo has remained a fashionable print throughout the year in both t-shirts, shirts, shorts and men’s underwear so we’d still recommend investing in this military style even after the New Year has arrived.

Rounding Up Underwear Styles for 2011 – Part 1

With December well under way and the New Year just around the corner, we thought it was about time to round up the key underwear styles of 2011 to see which trends we embraced and which fads came and went.

April 2011
In April 2011, the designer underwear fashion arena embraced pink as the new black. Although the major designer mens underwear brands already had their sights on hot pinks and bright fuchsia designs it was the sight of international singing celeb Justin Beiber wearing the typically feminine colour that converted shoppers to the new trend.

Amongst the designer men’s underwear brands that held pink close to their hearts were fun brand Luis and Juke with their 1960s Pink Cadillac Boxer Shorts and Bjorn Borg with their Short Shorts For Him Raspberry design.

May 2011
May was the month that saw a move away from bright, bold colours with the introduction of natural or nude shades. Although men’s shapewear brands such as 2(x)ist had included nude shades for a number of years, other designer brands began to launch boxer shorts and men’s briefs in this colour. Amongst them were Gregg Homme with his Nude Scene Briefs. However this trend was one of those fads that came and went with very few other designer underwear brands following suit.

June 2011
It wasn’t a particular underwear style that came about in June but more the way the underwear was presented. June was the month that saw packaging as one of the key trends in men’s underwear, especially when it came to underwear gifts. Henri Lloyd offered boxer shorts such as the Newry range in minimalist boxes that were embellished with the designer brand name. Other designers offered similar selections such as Frank Dandy’s Positive Typo Boxer Gift Set while Calvin Klein even offered boxer shorts packaged in a tin.

Plenty of these trends of men’s boxer shorts are still available to buy online so if one of these trends takes your fancy, there’s still time to buy them.

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Christmas Inspired Men’s Underwear

With Christmas just a few weeks away, it’s time to get into the festive mood. Now you could invest in a Santa costume and wear it to the shops but you might get some strange looks without the accompanying reindeer. Or you could put on a festive print tie which plays a merry Christmas tune for the office but we doubt your co-workers will be very impressed. We therefore have the perfect solution in the form of Christmas inspired men’s underwear. Now we’re not talking about novelty pants with fur trim or music, we’re talking about classic festive underwear in red and green tones. Having scoured an array of boxer shorts and men’s briefs online, here are our top three designs to get you in the mood for Christmas:

Number 1 – In our first place position is the Polo Ralph Lauren Woven Boxer Gift Set which is available to buy online from Figleaves. This two pack set contains a pair of red boxer shorts featuring the iconic Polo logo and a pair of red, blue and white check boxer shorts. Maybe it’s just the red colour scheme that reminds us of Christmas or maybe it’s the check pattern that reminds us of our Grandad’s pyjamas from years gone by. Whatever it is, we think this gift set makes a great festive addition to your underwear drawer.

Number 2 – In second place are the Calvin Klein Pro Stretch Boxer Briefs which can be purchased online from Whites And Smalls. These simplistic men’s trunks are classic white and have a contrasting red waistband. These trunks remind us of Santa’s outfit, although maybe in reverse.

Number 3 – In our third place position we have the Diesel Fresh Bright Underwear in Green which can be bought online from Banglads. These funky boxer shorts remind us of lush, fresh green Christmas trees before all the needles fall off and they turn brown.

Underpants for Christmas

With less than six weeks to go, we’re surprised that we’ve waited this long to talk to you about Christmas. Underwear as a Christmas gift is nothing new to women with partners buying them frilly pants and dainty nighties while grandmothers and long lost aunts buy them flannelette pyjamas and dressing gowns. But the concept of designer underwear for men at Christmas is a little more modern and people often think it’s simply too difficult a decision to make. In reality though, with so many brands and styles to choose from, you can’t go wrong with designer boxer shorts at Christmas, as long as you know your man’s style:

The Traditionalist
The traditional man likes things that are mainstream and conventional in their styling, plus of course practical. Briefs are usually the perfect style choice for this type of man and it’s better to stick to plain colours and more well-known designer brands. Might we suggest the Calvin Klein 365 2 Pack which is available to buy online from Whites and Smalls. These briefs are more traditional in their styling and as they come in a pack of two, they’re practical too so fit all the criteria. You can choose from either conventional white or classic black.

The Fun Lover
The fun loving man is often light-hearted and doesn’t take life too seriously. The ideal designer men’s underwear for him is therefore something colourful which features a bold pattern. Might we recommend the Guitar Hero – Singing the Blues Boxers Shorts by Luis and Juke. Available to buy from Jacksies Underwear Store, these boxer shorts are certainly bright and incorporate a mix of white, lime green, yellow and blue. The guitar imagery means that these boxer shorts are just as light-hearted as the fun loving male recipient.

The Pretty Guy
The pretty guy likes pretty things, including designer underwear. He will love delicate patterns and subtle colours. We are therefore going to suggest the MANstore M241 Mini Pant in Lace which are available from Dead good Undies. These boxer shorts feature a black and white print pattern that resembles lace – you can’t get much more delicate than that.