UK Shopping Advice Needed: Underwear for Men

UK shopping advice needed for mens underwear:

Someone I know who is helping homeless men in Central London has suggested that I may provide some underwear. (Not a subject about which I know much.) Am looking to find the best balance between expense and ethical sourcing. Happy to support local, independent and artisanal suppliers. All suggestions received with gratitude!

Hi Lo Armani Lining

WARNING - OLDIE RANT ALERT

I have been spoiled in the past by having a ten yard commute from my bedroom to the office. Karma is coming back to me though, as these days I must take the Northern Line tube trains to get to work. Until now, I had thought that the Manhattan underground during rush-hour was the ultimate in sardine subway experiences. No longer is that so. In the past few weeks I have been in more intimate contact with utter strangers than with people I have dated. Since I am armpit height, I have conducted an involuntary survey on the efficacy of the use of underarm deodorants. And I have developed a strong dislike of the current fashion for women to have long hair that flows freely around their shoulders, particularly if they have a tic that means they flick their hair every few seconds. Someone's going to lose an eye one of these days!

Today, however, for some strange reason (and those who know me will know how strange this is), the issue that enraged me was younger men and their pants. There are those who currently enjoy going without whilst wearing trackie bottoms. Please don't! There's nothing more unsavoury than being crushed against unrestrained dangly bits from Finchley Central to Warren Street. As for those who are kind enough to don a pair, I am most grateful. However, I have no need for visual proof of this fact. I'm happy to trust you to get dressed properly before you leave your home. And I'm really not impressed by the label on the waistband.

Actually, I was thinking about why this bothers me so much. It's a toss-up between the anxiety engendered by worrying if your trousers will fall down at any moment, and envy that you seem to be able to keep your trousers up despite having absolutely no hips whatsoever.

In the end, if the research in the picture below is accurate, I don't understand why you'd want to do it in the first place.

Royal Highlight of the Month

This is what the Daily Mail had to say about Prince Harry's attire:

"Prince Harry looked delighted with himself yesterday as he helped Scouts scale a wall at the Imperial War Museum at the launch of a forces charity campaign. But what comes up, must come down, so the saying goes, and Harry's trousers certainly looked like they could do with a heave-up as the prince revealed he was wearing a very pink pair of pants."

If you want to read more of the Mail's concept of the important news of the day, feel free to look it up for yourself. It may be one of my guilty secrets that I have bookmarked their website, but at least I don't have to enable anyone else! Meanwhile, I think that colour pants suits him.

wonderbra woman

you would not believe how many hits i have been getting for the blurb about jeremy paxman and his pants. big papers took up the story and now it seems all people are thinking about is knickers. in an effort to be egalitarian, i now bring to you the latest news from wonderbra. after a previous commercial that ripped off the drumming gorilla from the cadbury's chocolate ad:


the company has now engaged the stunning dita von teese to be the new, er, face of wonderbra. the telegraph reports:

"Von Teese is renowned for her "traditional feather fan dance" as well as her "boudoir/bathtub show", according to her website. In 2005, she performed naked except for $5 million worth of diamonds for a benefit show at the New York Academy of Art. In her latest "Lipteese" show, she straddles a giant lipstick that spins and bucks like a mechanic bull, her website explains. She has also published a book, Burlesque/Fetish and The Art of the Teese, and is credited with being the main force behind "New Burlesque", the recent revival of burlesque dancing."

it all sounds quite wonderful, but i think it may take a bit more than this to talk me out of my marks & sparks underwire bras :-)

discarded pants boosted literacy

ok, this has to be one of the more random stories of the day. the grauniad reports that underwear had a vital role to play in the making of cheap paper, and that allowed knowledge to come within reach of a much greater audience.

apparently the use of underwear increased in the 13th century as peasants became townspeople and found themselves in more business encounters with members of the opposite sex. this increased the supply of rags, which were used for the making of the cheap paper. before then, it was just hyper-expensive parchment, beyond the reach of the likes of you and me.

today is 12th july, not the first of april. i don't think they are joking. read about it right here.

see also this expanded version.

ps remember that 'pants' in england are 'underpants' in the usa