Saturday, December 24, 2011

aussieBum: Beauty & Innovation From Down Under

Hello all! I must apologize for not posting for so long; I have been faced with a lot of work from both college and being an executive. Therefore, I will now begin blogging once again, most likely updating every 1-2 weeks, maybe more frequently if this blog gets a real audience.

Today's topic of discussion is one of my personal favorite brands, aussieBum! As a company, aussieBum has proved to be extremely successful since its 2001 start. The company founded in hopes of bringing back a style of nylon swimsuits known as aussie cossie (basically swim briefs). aussieBum was soon gaining sales and began introducing a line of printed briefs. At this point the company became an instant success, with each year nearly doubling its income and always designing new styles of both swimwear and underwear.

aussieBum currently sells underwear, swimwear, sportswear, loungewear, leisurewear, and various accessories such as belts and towels. aussieBum puts most of their effort into producing underwear that is made of high-quality materials, of pristine design, and caters to every type of underwear a man would want. Such types include briefs, boxers, boxer briefs, trunks, and jockstraps.

Obviously, since briefs are my expertise, I will be discussing why I love aussieBum's briefs so very much. Let me clearly state, aussieBum produces a large variety of underwear, including many variations to the design and fit of each one. Currently, aussieBum is selling 23 different product lines of briefs and each one of those lines have different color or print options! I only own two briefs, both coming from the same discontinued product line. Clearly my opinion lacks a representative sample of aussieBum's products, but hear me out. I have been closely examining aussieBum's products, and what I say for the two I own does go for all of their other briefs.

Here today I present my two aussieBum briefs from the "DoubleTake" product line. The line has been discontinued for briefs, but still is present for trunks. Each brief is made of 90% cotton and 10% elastane, and each features fun, crazy, and unique print designs that will make anyone giggle. Some of the designs include bees flying through donuts, chickens regurgitating rainbows and smiley faces, and cute dead animals.











As you can clearly see, these briefs are truly something you need to take two looks at. They are great fun to wear and are a real nice conversation piece. Honestly, the only complaints I could say about either one is that the cotton can tend to get a bit not smooth and somewhat frilly beneath the scrotum both on the inside and outside of the briefs after about twenty wears. However, this does not take away from the comfort of the briefs whatsoever. Both of the briefs run a bit snug, so you may want to get a size larger than you think you are. Nonetheless, the tight feeling, the soft cotton, and the sleek design make you and your package look very sexy!

aussieBum "Chicken" DoubleTake Briefs
Pros: Unique, fun, and crazy looks. Great fit and nice material.
Cons: Some fuzz build up of the material beneath the scrotum

Setrone's Rating: 9.9 out of 10

aussieBum "Bunny" DoubleTake Briefs
Pros: Unique, fun, and crazy looks. Great fit and nice material.
Cons: Some fuzz build up of the material beneath the scrotum

Setrone's Rating: 9.9 out of 10


COMING SOON: UPDATE FOR THIS POST, NEW BRIEF ON ITS WAY:
aussieBum Electric Lightning Brief




Monday, December 27, 2010

Tommy Hilfiger & Some Basic Underwear Education



I’ve decided that Tommy Hilfiger is a great way to educate people about difference between the four basic styles of underwear. So let’s get started!

Boxers:
            Boxers (Sometimes called Boxer-Shorts) are one of the two most common male underwear types. An alternative briefs; boxers are lengthy and loose. They provide more coverage of the legs than do briefs. Boxers do not fit firmly around the groin and thus allows for more ventilation and movement of the genitals. Boxers contain an elastic waistband where the overall material is usually cotton. Boxers come in a variety of colors, patterns, and prints. Most common designs are usually solid colors, plaids, and novelties. Uncommonly found, boxers are made from silk for a smoother wear.

Boxer Briefs:
            Boxer Briefs is one of the two boxer-to-brief comprise undergarments. Boxer briefs provide the same leg length as most boxers, but also contain a brief like pouch to hold the genitals. Boxer briefs, like boxers, are usually made from cotton and come in a variety of designs.  The elastic pouch provides support for the genitals while all the same allowing the passage of air into the undergarment through the more open leggings.


Trunks:
            Trunks is one of the two boxer-to-briefs comprise undergarments. Trunks are closer to the tightness and firmness that briefs have than boxer briefs. Trunks end closer to the upper thighs versus boxer briefs ending towards the lower thighs. Trunks, like boxers and boxer briefs, come in a variety of colors, designs, and materials. They usually contain elastic at the end of the leggings to provide a tight for the wearer. Like briefs, trunks give a lot of support to the genitals and do not provide much ventilation to the groin. Trunks may not always contain a fly front like the common brief, but are sometimes considered a slightly extended form of a brief.

Briefs:
            Briefs are one of the two most common male underwear types. An alternative to boxers, briefs are short and fit right up along the groin. They provide the most support of all the basic underwear styles and the most tightness and firmness. Briefs limit the amount of air ventilation and genital movement for the wearer. Briefs, like all the other basic underwear styles, can come in a variety of materials, colors, and designs. Briefs tend to have the most variety in both physical structure and material types than the other three basic underwear styles. Briefs can have various fittings and openings, and can be made from materials like cotton, silk, elastane, spandex, nylon, etc.

  



Shown above are the four Tommy Hilfiger briefs that I own.

The top two briefs are known as Tommy Hilfiger Athletic Briefs. They tend to have a looser fit, are 100% cotton, and stylish with their color variants and large waistband. The Athletic briefs are knitting can be worn down with time and use, but remains soft and comfortable nonetheless.

The green brief is simply a Tommy Hilfiger Classic Brief. It fits like a common brief (Loose, yet cozy), is 100% cotton, and has an attractive forest green color.

The last brief shown is actually a mystery to me. I purchased it at Daffy’s after seeing no other Tommy Hilfiger quite like it. My research has found nothing on what exactly collection it falls into, so I named it a Tommy Hilfiger Printed Peace Sign Brief. It is 93% cotton and 7% spandex. The brief has a softer feel than the other three Tommy Hilfiger’s, but has weak elastic and provides a looser fit than the others.

Overall, Tommy Hilfiger makes some decent underwear that both satisfies the wearer’s need and appears relatively interesting. I would say Tommy Hilfiger’s aren’t so much great for showing off, but rather better to around the house or just around friends.

Tommy Hilfiger Athletic Colorblock Brief (Cost $14 from Macy's)
Pros: Interesting pattern, good material, good support, attractive waistband
Cons: Tend to be somewhat loose, wear over time

Setrone’s Rating: 9 out of 10

Tommy Hilfiger Athletic Navy Blue Brief (Cost $3 from Marshall's)
Pros: Good color (Both base and elastic), good material, good support, attractive waistband
Cons: Tend to be somewhat loose, wear over time, somewhat bland

Setrone’s Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Tommy Hilfiger Classic Green Brief (Cost $2 from Marshall's)
Pros: Good color, typical brief style
Cons: Somewhat bland, average

Setrone’s Rating: 7 out of 10

Tommy Hilfiger Printed Peace Sign Brief (Cost $7 from Daffy's)
Pros: Interesting pattern, good material, unique
Cons: Tend to be somewhat loose, wear over time

Setrone’s Rating: 9 out of 10

Diesel-Top Tier Underwear

The title simply just says it all. But how could I just write a post without going into any detail? Diesel not only makes some top quality underwear, but is also one of the top clothing brands in the world. The company is hip, trendy, green, fashionable, and always in style. 


Diesel, like all companies, has it’s up’s and down’s. Diesel, an Italian design company, has a strong reputation manufacturing high quality products. Since 1978, Diesel has designed a large variety of clothes, watches, jewelry, and fragrances that are targeted towards young adults. It’s success as a company financially has helped grow its public reputation as a high-end brand.


The other large problem with Diesel is price. Like any premiere clothing brand, it is pricy and some consumers may not have a high enough income to afford Diesel products. I’m not going to get in to any details so much on their clothing prices, but let me just say most of my purchases involving Diesel products were quite expensive.

Now onto to what we’ve all been waiting for, the underwear. Diesel keeps their style for underwear relatively simple: briefs and trunks. What makes their underwear so special is the design pattern. Though most of their designs are pretty basic, they are still very elegant. The first brief I am going to show you is my own Diesel Purple Striped Andre Brief.


The Andre brief shown above is only one of many different styles. The Andre style applies both to Diesel’s trunks and briefs. Andre style can range from the stripes shown above (in variant colors) and different printed designs (i.e. polka dots, dollar bills, colored briefs, etc). Usually these briefs have a base color above the overall design. These colors would be one of three; black, white, or grey.


This brief shown above is also an Andre brief (The second of my two Andre briefs). As I mentioned before, polka dots can be one of the many Andre brief designs one may find in the Diesel collection. Obviously, the base color for the above two briefs are white.

These next two briefs are part of Diesel’s Lukex collection (Featured in both trunks and briefs). The Lukex style runs from a basic two-tone color design to complex abstract and logo filled designs. The two-tone design is either black or white elastic components with a solid base color. Other designs can range from multiple colored stripes (Such as the Rainbow Stripes brief shown below) to unique logo display (Such as the Dripping Colors brief shown below).



The only huge difference between the Andre stlye and Lukex style is the fly front. The Andre style lacks a fly front in order to provide a better crotch enhancement than the Lukex style. Nonetheless, a fly front does provide the wearer a simple access his genitals without pulling down his underwear.

Overall Diesel briefs are top tier. Not only do they have amazing designs and patterns, but everything else is perfect. Their briefs fits extremely well (no painful tightness), shapes the buttock and crotch excellently, are very soft (All Diesel underwear products are 95% cotton and 5% elastane), and most importantly are great to wear for any situation. Whether its just around the house, chilling with friends, or simply trying to be sexy; Diesel briefs are perfect.


If I had to point out just one issue, I would say the waistband. Sometimes the waistband may fold over on the wearer, which can be mildly annoying. Still, everything else about the underwear compensates for that small problem.

Diesel Purple Striped Andre Brief (Cost $18 from Freshpair.com)
Pros: Design, Fit, Look, Brand Reputation
Cons: Possible waistband discomfort

Setrone's Raing: 9.9 out of 10


Diesel Red Polka Dot Andre Brief (Cost $6.99 from ebay.com-Tokyo)

Pros: Design, Fit, Look, Brand Reputation
Cons: Possible waistband discomfort

Setrone's Raing: 9.9 out of 10


Diesel Rainbow Striped Lukex Brief (Cost $24.50 from Amazon.com)

Pros: Design, Fit, Look, Brand Reputation
Cons: Possible waistband discomfort

Setrone's Raing: 9.9 out of 10


Diesel Grey Dripping Colors Lukex Brief (Cost $23.97 from ebay.com)

Pros: Design, Fit, Look, Brand Reputation
Cons: Possible waistband discomfort

Setrone's Raing: 9.9 out of 10

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Calvin Klein-Most Popular Brand

Out of all the brands of underwear in the world, Calvin Klein ranks as one of the best. The brand has been around since 1968, and has been bringing consumers stylish, comfortable, and overall good quality underwear. Calvin Klein has been producing many different models of boxers, trunks, and briefs.

Since I personally prefer briefs, I will mostly be discussing about Calvin Klein briefs. Now Calvin Klein can be found in nearly any department store. One of their more popular locations is Macy's. Macy's offer a wide variety of Calvin Klein's products, including the company's brief line. The most common brief sold by Calvin Klein is the white or black classic brief multipack.


At Macy's and most online underwear stores, the price for this pack usually goes for $24.50. That may seem a bit pricey, but sales history shows that 3 pairs of underwear will sell for that price. My collection of briefs doesn't include a single Calvin Klein classic brief for the simple the brief is too uniform and lacks pizazz.

So we now have two important questions here: "Is there more than the Calvin Klein classic briefs?" and "Can I purchase Calvin Klein underwear at a cheaper price?" To answer the first question, it is yes. Calvin Klein carries a multitude of brief style collections to fit your personal needs and desires. Each of these collections carry their own unique trait, some of which other companies do not even offer. Currently in stores, you can find these brief collections:





Of all the collections, I own just two hip briefs from the 365 collection. I chose this collection for two particular reasons. One, they fit somewhere in between a lose rise brief and a classic brief, which is good for both showing off one's body and underwear at the same time (Made 95% cotton and 5% elastane). Second, the 365 collection offers the most variety in color, pattern design, and print. They do run a little loose after a few times wearing them, but still keep that nice shape to your body when worn. I bought the one on top straight from a Calvin Klein outlet store at the MSRP of $18. The one on the bottom only cost me $10 at Daffy's.



Let's move on to the second question, "Can I purchase Calvin Klein underwear at a cheaper price?" The answer is an obvious yes. Most, if not all, underwear can be bought cheaper in discount department stores or online. The best places to look is ebay.com or stores like Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and/or Daffy's. Just a quick example, at Marshall's, the earlier mentioned $24.50 multipack cost only $9.

Finally, I'd like to end this post with a quick review on a pair of Calvin Klein trunks that I own. They are from Calvin Klein's Steel collection. The material is very soft, made 94% cotton and 6% spandex. The trunks make both your crotch and buttock bulge and stand out. Simply, they make you pretty sexy. As much as they do look good on a person, I have a couple of issues. One is the big waistband. Sure it may look nice, but can hurt the lower belly if you are bent over or if your stomach hangs over the waistband. My other issue with them are the leggings being too tight. The spandex that keeps the leggings firmly attached to the thighs can cause a little discomfort when walking for a while.


Calvin Klein 365 Hip Brief
Pros: Stylish, nice fit between low rise and classic
Cons: Loosen up after a few wears

Setrone's Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Calvin Klein Steel Trunk
Pros: Sleek, sexy, nice fit
Cons: Large waistband, tight leggings

Setrone's Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Friday, December 3, 2010

American Eagle Classic Low Rise Briefs

To start off my very first post I'm going to talk about the oldest underwear in my collection. In late 2008, American Eagle Outfitters released its first brief underwear line. When I found out about the release I was in shock and awe. I ran to the nearest American Eagle to purchase a pair or two of the briefs, but sadly that particular didn't carry the product. It turns out that only retailers that were located in larger malls would carry the product. So I simply ventured off to a different mall with an AE and bought my first pair there. A solid orange brief with a white fly front, a large waistband featuring the brand name, and costing $12.50.


I was immediately in love with the brief. Being 100% cotton, I was guaranteed being comfortable wearing them. The brief does tend to be a little snug and enhances the crotch bulge and nicely shapes the buttock. It was my first pair of quality underwear, and from that first purchase I began to build my collection of higher quality underwear (Specifically briefs).

Not too long after that first purchase of American Eagle briefs, I began to by more of their brief product line. I didn't buy the complete line, but I did get a good portion of it. If you look below, you can see the other briefs I purchased and a little description on each of them.

I only bought one other solid brief, and as you can it is a very bright yellow. It remains to this day to be my brightest yellow brief (I have about 2-3 other yellow briefs). Basically I feel the same exact way about this brief as I do for the orange one. It feels good, fits well, and makes you look sexy.


Now these four are all obviously similar because of the two-toned horizontal stripes. Personally, I think because of the horizontal stitching, the briefs are a little more lose. However, I don't feel this is a determent to the feel or look whatsoever. These briefs look more fashionable than the previous two.


These two briefs are simply twins. Both feature gray AE Eagles printed throughout the front and back of the brief. Due to the more complex stitching on these two, they are more snug than the solid briefs and striped ones. Nonetheless, very comfortable and well fitted.


Finally we have the camouflage designed briefs. This pair has the most complex stitching and makes them tighter than any of the others I mentioned. It's a little strenuous to wear them at first, but like any pair of tight underwear, they will loosen over the time worn and its overall life span. Personally, a guy should only have one camo styled pair of underwear in their arsenal. Camouflage is should be treated more as an exclusive look versus an everyday appearance.

  • Overall I love my American Eagle Classic Low Rise Briefs. They really got me started in collecting briefs and being more fashionable with my underwear. Originally, the price I paid was $12.50 a pair. Over time they were being sold on special at two pair for $20. Finally, they went on clearance, selling at about $5 a pair.
  • The one sad thing about them is that they are no longer being manufactured about AEO. They were only being produced for two fiscal quarters for the retailer and thus are deemed as RARE. So the chances of finding an exact one you want is very difficult. I've seen a view on ebay.com going for about $13 a pair, but the size and color choices are limited.
American Eagle Classic Low Rise Briefs
Pros: Good material, great looks, much variety
Cons: Large and sometimes annoying waistband, tightness on particular designs

Setrone's Rating: 8.7 out of 10