Men's Boxer Briefs: Are they boxers or are they briefs?
Probably the least understood silhouette in the world of men's underwear in the UK. Boxer briefs are often confused with the boxer trunk style, which has a much shorter leg length, or the boxer short, which has a much looser fit and is often fabricated in a woven cotton.
And boxer briefs are also mixed up with the men's briefs shape, which has a minimalist design in the leg.
But boxer briefs are a unique style.
Boxer briefs: extra length giving greater support in the leg
Like the boxer trunk style, the boxer brief also has a snug fit, typically has an elasticated waistband with striking branding, a front pouch, and is more often than not constructed in stretch cotton.
However, the key difference is the leg length to the boxer. The boxer brief typically has around 2-4 extra inches in leg length.
Whereas the length of the leg (from bottom of the waistband to the bottom of the hem, in the side leg) in the boxer trunk typically ranges from 6-8 inches, the boxer brief is more usually 10-12 inches.
This provides extra support to the leg.
That is the key difference.
Now it really is a personal preference as to which style you prefer, and personally I like to mix it up between the boxer trunk (both low and mid rise) and the boxer brief. And I prefer wearing boxer briefs when playing sport, preferably fabricated in a microfibre stretch material rather than the stretch cotton.
💡 Did you know
The "Boxer" part of boxer briefs originates from the elasticated shorts worn by boxers in the ring.
What are the most popular boxer brief brands?
With nearly 20 years operating in the men's underwear industry, I like to think we know which brands provide the best boxer briefs. In no particular order, here are a selection of 3 of our favourite boxer brief brands for men.
1. BOSS: the boxer brief with understated elegance
- Premium Cotton stretch fabric is used to provide breathable comfort and extra supportive stretch.
- Prominent BOSS logo adorns the waistband of the BOSS boxer brief.
- Smooth microfibre stretch waistband provides extra smooth stretch around the waist.
- Double-layered moulded front pouch to provide perfect cupping around the crotch.
😍 My preferred underwear style when playing football matches is the boxer brief, and the last pair I wore was a Puma boxer brief.
2. Calvin Klein: the market leader in boxer briefs
- Premium Cotton stretch fabric is used to provide breathable comfort and extra supportive stretch.
- Striking Calvin Klein script logo stitching wrapping around the waistband.
- Smooth microfibre stretch waistband provides extra smooth stretch around the waist.
- Double-layered moulded front pouch to provide perfect cupping around the crotch.
3. Sloggi: specialists in underwear design the perfect sports boxer brief
- LYCRA® FREEF!T® X-MOVE quality cotton stretch guarantees perfect fit thanks to stretch proportion and is exceptionally light and comfy to wear
- Extra long leg length to provide extra support to the leg, perfect for when playing sport.
- Discrete Sloggi tonal script logo stitching wrapping around the waistband.
- Smooth microfibre stretch waistband provides extra smooth stretch around the waist.
- Double-layered moulded front pouch to provide perfect cupping around the crotch.
