Tani Underwear – Luxe Comfort For Today's Man

   There's a new brand of luxury underwear in town, and it's all about comfort. In fact, Tani may well be the most comfortable underwear you ever put on. It also perfectly demonstrates our cherished belief in the power of understatement –– you'll find no silly gimmicks, no bells and whistles, here. Instead, Tani trunks, briefs, boxers and loungewear are designed with both technological subtlety and extraordinary attention to detail. And, as should always be the case with great clothing, Tani underwear begins with great fabrics, like Micro Modal Air (made from Austrian beechwood), superfine Tencel, and high-grade Swiss cotton.

   Here at Fashion As a 2nd Language, we are freakishly obsessed with how clothing is designed and constructed, even (perhaps especially) when it comes to underwear. Extraneous seams or design elements are no-nos; so are things that itch, scratch, pull or snag. And while we're perfectly willing to dry clean more complicated garments, we firmly believe that underwear should go in and out of the washer and dryer and not suffer for it. With Tani, that's not too much to ask.

   The story behind Tani is interesting, too. It's a Chinese brand, with significant distribution (some 300 stores in Asia alone), but it's only now being introduced to America. The man behind its US launch is Adam Dinkes, CEO and president of Tani's wholesale business in Europe and the Americas. Dinkes and his partner, Yarden Gagnon (former VP of Design at Calvin Klein Underwear), know precisely what they've got, and who will crave it. For example, this Tuesday, April 8, Tani will be among the sponsors of New York's Jeffrey Fashion Cares, which is one of the industry's great parties, benefitting charities like the Hetrick-Martin Institute and Lambda Legal. Tani is even part of the event's online silent auction: take a look, bid on a week's worth of Tani underwear, and offer your support. In turn, Tani underwear will support you, in style and –– of course –– considerable comfort.

This portfolio: Photographs by Noël Sutherland. Model: Eric Bryant at Ford Models. Hair by Davide Marinelli for MUZE Salon. Produced and styled by Mark Grischke for Fashion As a 2nd Language.

Fashion credits, from top to bottom: 1) White brief by Tani. Vintage watch at Beth Frank. 2) Striped boxer brief by Tani. Tank top by Levi's. Sneakers by Maison Martin Margiela. 3) Slim boxer by Tani. Eyeglasses by Lafont. Vintage watch by Verdura. Leather flip-flops by Rainbow sandals. 4) Lounge pants by Tani. Vintage watch by Tissot. 5) Boxer brief by Tani. Sneakers by Brooks Heritage. Bath towel by Missoni.

Fashion and Finance 101: Undressed For Success

Forget the rise and fall of hemlines: Alan Greenspan's theory of "briefonomics" tracks sales of men's undergarments as a leading economic indicator. Typically, these numbers are relatively stable: everyone needs new underwear, right? Only in periods of extreme crisis do they drop, as they did steadily for most of 2008. By extension, increased sales suggest burgeoning consumer confidence.

Well, hold onto your shorts, gentlemen, because WWD reported Monday that underwear sales were up 4.5% for the first half of 2009 (according to NPD Group's market research analysts). And they continue to climb, which could mean America's economic recovery is poised to happen sooner rather than later.

This optimistic news inspired us to shop for skivvies, and Go Softwear's "English-Cut" cotton-and-bamboo boxer brief quickly became a new favorite. The basic shape suggests vintage athletic togs (think Chariots of Fire) but its low rise, slim fit, and snappy, red-striped waistband are very up-to-date. Go ahead: invest some money in yourself and the economy. You'll end up looking good while doing some good.

www.gosoftwear.com

Understated Luxury: Birds of Sausalito's Boxers

Boxers or briefs? For some men, there's no question: boxer shorts literally define masculinity. FA2L doesn't follow such hard-and-fast rules--briefs seem right under jeans, for example, but boxers are nice for lounging around the house. Our main concern is with quality, which means comfortable fabrics, strong construction, discrete labels (if any) and no bunchy, scrunchy elastic waistbands. This makes the Birds of Sausalito custom-fit boxer (shown above), with its near-perfect score, such a great find.

Megan and Michael Papay, Birds of Sausalito's founders, offer a textbook example of matching product to demand. Megan studied costume design at the University of Virginia; worked in New York as a fashion publicist; and ran a made-to-measure company dressing the quietly rich women of Wilmington, Delaware. Michael specialized in entrepreneurship at Babson College. When a job for Michael moved the couple to Sausalito, just north of San Francisco, Megan started thinking about a new venture that would take advantage of her fashion experience and Michael's business savvy. She knew the women's clothing market was over-saturated, so she focused on menswear; and she chose to concentrate on the luxury end of the spectrum, where a good idea could allow her to dominate a niche. Underwear had already seen several decades of remarkable growth, but most new businesses were pushing briefs. Megan and Michael set their sights on luxurious boxer shorts, and launched Birds of Sausalito in 2006.

The casual consumer may ask, what can possibly make one boxer more luxurious than another? For aficionados, the answer is simple: superior fabric, sturdy-yet-elegant construction, and no elastic, anywhere. Custom shirt makers, like Charvet, are one source for perfectly-sized, finely-finished boxers, but only if money is truly no object. At the other end of the scale, Brooks Bros. still makes its tie-back version (with, as the name implies, a string that ties in back, adjusting the waist) and its Frenchback boxer (with a fabric tab and buttons performing the same function). The fabric and details are basic--not bad, not luxurious--but the fit is traditional in every sense of the word, with front pleats and a very generous cut. Comfortable? Yes. Flattering? Not always.

Birds of Sausalito's boxers are more expensive than the Brooks Bros. shorts, but the Papays have upped the luxury quotient considerably, resulting in a product that's similar to a custom-made item (using 448-count Pima cotton, single-needle construction, and mother-of-pearl buttons) at less-than-custom prices. They manage this by working with a Peruvian company that's vertically integrated, meaning it grows, processes, and weaves the cotton, then cuts, sews and finishes the boxers (as well as a new line of pajamas). There are two styles: the classic fit, which combines a smooth front with an elastic back and a generous seat gusset; and, our favorite, the custom fit. This boxer is slim and trim, with a tailored yoke and charmingly large buttons. Its only flaw (we may be in the minority here) is a small section of elastic in the center back for "ease." Boxer enthusiasts will appreciate it as underwear; guys who wear briefs will like it as lounge wear. As Megan says, "Birds of Sausalito boxers are for someone who appreciates quality. He's willing to pay a little more (when something is worth it) because he knows it will last longer." Our feelings exactly.

www.birdsboxers.com

Photograph: Noël Sutherland www.noelsutherland.com
Grooming: Stacy Beneke for Mark Edward, Inc. www.markedwardinc.com
Model: Jake Madden at Ford Models www.fordmodels.com