Oh, and speaking of pricey: when the time comes to nix the 12-pack and upgrade your skivvies drawer, there’s only one brand for the job. That brand, according to our testers, is CDLP, the upstart Swedish label that emphasizes fit and fabric above all else—and charges accordingly for its expertise. These days, plenty of brands hawk undies adorned with billboard-sized logos or done up in gaudy colorways, but CDLP’s approach is a lot more subtle, and in our opinion, a lot more effective.
Out on a run wearing the brand’s house-speciality boxer briefs, Alex Wedel found them “super successful at keeping sweat at bay”—and even better at imbuing the quotidian routine of everyday life with a low-key dose of sex appeal. One thing to note: CDLP crafts almost all of its boxers from silk-like lyocell jersey, which feels decadent (and is plenty durable), but can run a little snug. Size up judiciously.
Best Boxer Shorts: Sunspel Classic Boxer Shorts
Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: XS-3XL | Fly: Functional; open | Colors and Patterns: Available in 8 colorways
How do you do, fellow boxer short apologists? We see you, we hear you, and we have not forsaken you. That’s mostly thanks to the efforts of Sunspel, the generations-old British label responsible for some of the crispest, classiest skivvies on the planet. Sunspel’s tees are a favorite of a certain licensed-to-kill superspy, so, naturally, its underwear is charmingly old-school the whole way through, endowed with an inimitable sense of retro Hollywood flair. And just like the clothes of that era, its basics are made better—in this case, out of a long-staple cotton that’s light, smooth, and far more durable than most of the newfangled shlock.
GQ Commerce Writer Gerald Ortiz, an avowed boxer shorts-wearer, swears by Sunspel for one wonky detail: a back panel that’s actually cut and shaped. “Not only does it make for a better fit,” he maintains, “it means they don’t bunch at all.” And while some boxer shorts include a button fly, the majority of our testers preferred Sunspel’s open-fly alternative. They’re Ortiz’s favorite boxers “without question”, he says. “They don’t fit like a garbage bag, they’re very well made, super comfortable, and actually elegant.” They’re also multiple factors more expensive than the big-box store fare, but who says you need to replace your underwear drawer in one fell swoop?
Best Value Boxer Shorts: Uniqlo Woven Trunks
Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: S-3XL | Fly: Functional; button-fly | Colors and Patterns: Available in 2 colorways
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