When you read the title of this blog, what was your first reaction? Many people may think it’s an advert for an adult site, or is it a misprint for Women in Panties? Whatever your initial thoughts, a search for ¨men in panties¨ is quite illuminating. There are indeed a lot of questionable sites, but you will see one that stands out is Xdress, a serious designer and manufacturer of men´s panties: that is panties for men.
Exploring the Rise of Men’s Lingerie: Xdress and Its Revolutionary Impact
It turns out that there is a significant sector of the male population that likes to wear men´s lingerie, and especially panties. Xdress has been around for about 30 years and its claim to fame is that is caused a mini revolution back in the 1990 by being perhaps the first company to offer sexy men´s panties. Back then, the subject of men in panties was explored in depth on both sides of the Atlantic in TV talk shows and many print publications. The reaction to a product line of “sexy panties for men” was varied, some thought it was good for men to have a choice in their underwear, while others were quite hostile. Macho men would not admit they were intrigued by men’s lingerie, while some women felt that men should not be intruding into the feminine domain by taking their lingerie. To see the depth of feeling, there is a vintage TV show from 1994 on YouTube with Xdress representatives defending their concept of men’s lingerie and the right of men to wear panties: Men in Silk.
Back in the 1990´s men were generally wearing either loose woven cotton boxers or Tighty Whiteys (Y-fronts in Europe). Boxers came in some prints for the daring, typically stripes, but generally some muted shade of blue or white was the standard. For the Tighty Whiteys, as the name suggests, they were virtually always white. So in this men’s underwear wasteland, surely there was room for something a little more adventurous, so the designers at Xdress came up with panties for men and later a wide range of lingerie for men.
Surely, you think, it can´t be the dainty little strips of fabric that adorn women so beautifully? Well, yes and no. Men do have an anatomy problem when it comes to micro panties, there is just not enough fabric to hold the goods in place, so some modifications are required and that´s where the skilled designers at Xdress came into their own. They make panties that still have the feminine appearance but have added enough fabric in the front and incorporate all those little details that make lingerie so attractive. So you will find Xdress offering men’s panties with pretty picot elastic and lace trims and of course little bows. Why do they incorporate bows you ask? It´s so guys can tell the front of the panties from the back!
That´s all very well you may say, there was definitely little choice for men in underwear back in the day, but why men´s lingerie? Delving into the archives we find that the Xdress brand grew out of Body Aware men´s underwear and sportswear company. Body Aware was making some more interesting underwear, for example briefs without the rather pointless front opening and also early boxer briefs. But Body Aware was mainly known for experimenting with different fabrics, not limiting themselves to cotton. So men´s underwear was made in nylon, tricot, satin, silk and even stretch lace. It was this latter that led to the birth of Xdress, as the lace boxers and briefs were a resounding success and production could not keep up with demand. Whether it was the erotic nature of semi see through lace that appealed to so many men, or just that it was generally considered forbidden for men to wear lace, but the result was that the lace range expanded and then was spun off into what was to later become the Xdress brand of lingerie for men, specializing in men´s panties.
So now we have determined the origin story of how and why Xdress came to be, lets look into what sorts of panties men like best. Men´s panties come in all styles from tiny g-string, thongs, bikinis, full briefs and occasionally even bloomers. Generally, if men wear panties made for women, the only style that will fit satisfactorily are full briefs. They will give a supportive snug fit, while not being too tight. As there is ample coverage in the front they will generally hold the male anatomy, while virtually all other styles will not have enough room in the front to accommodate. But men´s panties cover all the styles that are readily available to women, but designed to take account of the differences between men and women. Xdress has developed hundreds of styles of men´s panties in dozens of fabrics and colors over the years, all guaranteed to fit the male physique.
Xdress.com is known for its sexy panties for men, but in fact the most popular panties for everyday wear are the bikini styles, that is quite minimalist briefs typically with 1 inch deep sides. They can be made in hundreds of styles by mixing and matching (or contrasting) fabrics and colors and adding feminine trims and elastics. They tend to sit on the hips on men, and tend to emphasize, rather than hide, the male physique. Thong versions of the bikini incorporating a narrow strip of fabric running from the crotch to the back waistband have become very popular in recent years. Men´s thongs now account for about half of the men´s bikini styles sold.
Many men have exchanged all their regular underwear for men´s panties, and often have quite a collection, even expanding into other men´s lingerie items such as camisoles, bodysuits, bras and nightwear. Whereas the styles and colors of ordinary men´s underwear is limited, so most men may only have half a dozen or at most a dozen pairs, not requiring much space in the underwear and socks drawer, men who switch to panties tend to get quite a collection due to the vast variety of styles, fabrics and colors to choose from. So those poor socks get relegated to another drawer, and the men´s lingerie drawer predominates. Often heterosexual men will find their collection of men´s lingerie surpasses that of their partners! Men who wear panties and other lingerie will usually wear them daily under their regular work clothes and certainly at home and in bed.
The market for lingerie for men has grown tremendously over recent years, especially with the demand from the younger generation who are not so constrained by convention and are comfortable with experimenting with gender-neutral fashions, and that extends to their choice of underwear. So to the partners of men out there who would like to spice up their relationships, why not get him a pair (or two) of sexy panties for men from XDress.com?
