In the twenty-first century, boxer shorts are still as relevant to men's wear consumers as they have ever been. In the mid-1980s Jean Paul Gautier paraded a pair of men's trousers down the catwalk with a pair of boxer shorts visibly built in, symbolizing their importance to the new male look. Men's underwear is no longer just a functional afterthought to completing a wardrobe, but an element in the creation of a casual-wear image. Name brand designer versions by Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, and many others, of both boxers and briefs have turned the men's underwear trade into a multimillion-dollar industry. Like many other leisure garments, boxer shorts are often heavily branded with conspicuous designer names. Winston Churchill was said to be partial to pink boxer shorts, and Union-Jack boxer shorts were popular at the coronation of George V (they have since been adopted by British football hooligans). Once made only in white fabrics, boxers areĪvailable in every color as well as in novelty prints. Many men prefer boxer shorts to the more restrictive briefs for those reasons.Īlthough the underwear market has changed dramatically since the 1940s, with many men opting for tighter-fitting styles such as briefs and bikini shorts, men's boxer shorts cut loosely and made of cotton or silk (or a mixture of the two) have remained standard men's wear items. The association with military men (as well as with professional prizefighters) may also have helped to make boxer shorts a symbol of manliness. Soldiers found their baggy undershorts to be comfortable both because of their loose fit and because they allowed air to circulate in warmer temperatures. As with many pieces of functional military clothing issued during both World Wars (the parka, duffle coat, trench coat, and T-shirt) soldiers retained their boxer shorts during peacetime and became instrumental in accelerating their adoption by the general population. They consisted of tight-fitting linen under-trousers of varying length that, rather than having a fly front, had a buttoned opening at the rear.īoxers gained popularity when they were issued to United States infantrymen for summer wear during World War I. Prior to the twentieth century, most men wore undergarments that were akin to those worn as far back as the Middle Ages. Shorts of similar cut, made of lightweight fabrics, were soon being produced as underwear. But it was when the heavyweight fighters Jim Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons both abandoned traditional boxers' tights in favor of loose-fitting trunks, at the turn of the twentieth century, that an icon was born. The term is more often than not, shortened simply to "boxers." Historyīoxer shorts trace their heritage back to the long woolen drawers worn by boxers in the nineteenth century. The only form of underwear that can still be made to measure, many versions have vents at their sides to allow for ease of motion and to be unobtrusive beneath a well-tailored suit. Derived from the loose, full-cut shorts worn by professional boxers in the ring, boxer shorts are cotton or silk underdrawers with an elastic waistband, back panels, and buttoned front closure.
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