Why today? Well, it was in the fall of 1993 when I first started wearing boxer-briefs almost exclusively. I remember it well… I was seeing Ian, that nice yet emotionally troubled Jewish boy from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, and he commented on my black Calvins the first time he got into my pants.
I had switched to boxers a few years earlier, and judging from my locker room observations, every other guy had as well. But ah, the boxer-brief… we called them Marky Marks back then, after the infamous ad featuring the hunky - and as we now know, very talented - Mr. Wahlberg. A fellow named Jamie, whom I briefly dated in the beginning of 1993, wore them exclusively, and I was intrigued. Far more interesting than my striped or plaid boxers.
But it was still with much trepidation that I, a slightly shy young gayboy just beginning to find his way in the big city, went to the Bay to buy my first pair. Back then it was Calvin Klein, with very few knockoffs available - at least up here. (Joe Boxer appeared soon thereafter.) And they were $20. Twenty dollars for a pair of underwear! Would that strain my meagre student budget? Was it really worth it? And what color should I get? Small or medium?
As it happened, I had just recently acquired my first Visa card (long since cut up and paid off, but that’s another story). I discreetly chose a pair of black Calvins - small, because I had a 31" waist in those days - and went to pay. The thrill! The excitement! My loins literally did tingle. Then, when I got home, I tried them on. Pure comfort. No more swinging from side-to-side, but ample leg coverage. No risk of bunching, or of visible panty line (at least VPL of the ass).
But $20 a pair? That seemed steep, if I was going to replace all of my regular boxers with my new-found preference - which was quickly becoming a minor fetish.
I found reasonable knock-offs at a store called Tip Top, and these were three for $20. Much more reasonable.
Fast forward ten years. Good quality boxer briefs by such underwear giants as Fruit of the Loom (which now goes by the slightly more hip moniker FTL) and Hanes can be had two pair for $10, or less. My underwear drawer is filled with nothing but. All of the Calvins have since been thrown away, as nothing - not even cK - lasts forever.
I did realize later on that boxer-briefs do present a certain form of visible panty line, around the thigh. But it’s a pleasant kind of VPL to see on a cute guy whose jeans are just tight enough to show what he’s got on underneath.
And so, today I toast the boxer-brief. Support, comfort, fashion, quality, and now, economical. How did I manage before?