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The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

A Note From a Reader - Best Boxer Shorts?

 A Note From a Reader:

May I offer a brief (pun intended) endorsement for Mercer and Sons boxer shorts? 

Mercer’s OCBDs are fantastic but the boxers should not be overlooked. They fit me well, they last forever and they are a good value relative to similar offerings from J Press (my usual go-to). 

I ordered a few more pairs recently and remain highly impressed with their quality. 

24 comments:

  1. 'best' is relative. Boxers cut from good oxford cloth or end-on-end are nice, and i'm sure Mercer's are excellent. Brooks Brothers still sells those, though the bankruptcy and new ownership could translate into quality concerns.

    Calvin Klein's more generously-cut knit boxers made from cotton jersey material are very comfortable, particularly for hot weather. Take care ordering so you don't end up with unfortunately confining boxer briefs. If you live in a colder area or do a lot of hiking or walking, Smartwool's 150 merino boxer briefs are worth the spend.

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  2. O'Connell's and the Andover Shop also have very fine boxers. Do the Mercer boxers involve a wait like the shirts do?

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  3. I absolutely loathe boxers, I haven’t yet managed to understand why anyone would wear them over briefs. They are so uncomfortable and awful!

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    1. If you're wearing them over briefs I can see why they feel uncomfortable.

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    2. LOL!!! Bravo!!! You win the internets today!

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    3. This is a good one! LOL!

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  4. Andover Shop all the way! HA!

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  5. Boxers are more comfortable and healthier than briefs. Also, more traditional.

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  6. I split the difference. It's boxer briefs for me, from Lands' End.

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  7. I will offer an endorsement for Mercer. Andover are good too, and I think they may source from the same maker as J. Press. With Mercer, you can rest assured that David Mercer and co. are making your boxers by hand. Just like the shirts, they are sized generously. Their medium is everyone else's large. The cotton is the best quality of all of my boxers.

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    2. Good endorsements. I shall try them next time I order U trou.

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    3. I think Mercer's quality is superior to J. Press - and I agree on the sizing. A size medium from Mercer is very generous.

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  8. I'm as preppy as they come but you can't beat Old Navy boxers- and you can't beat the price.

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    1. Respectfully, there's a reason why clothing from Old Navy is cheap - poor quality fabrics, finishing that cuts corners, poor labor practices, etc.

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    2. Few people will judge you by your underwear.

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    3. Uniqlo also makes a great pair of boxers that sell for about $7.

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  9. CDLP - the lyocell trim fit boxer is tremendous.

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  10. A few years ago, I bought a pack of bamboo boxer shorts and after a few weeks of wearing them proceeded to clear out pretty much every pair of cotton boxer shorts I owned. I pretty much exclusively wear bamboo boxer shorts now. I'll never buy a pair of cotton boxer shorts again.

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    1. Mad Dogs and Englishmen: a couple of years ago bamboo fabric started to be promoted as a very natural material, recommended even for babies. Nothing more wrong unfortunately. Bamboo fabric is manufactured during a very environment & human unfriendly, chemical process. Perhaps the feeling is nice but your body would surely prefer cotton.

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  11. I find it hard to justify $34 boxer shorts…

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  12. J Press sized for the weekend and Lands Ends mid week.

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