I grew up in the Y2K thong era; the pants were low, the thongs high. On more than one occasion I was made to change out of a thong-forward ensemble that, according to my mom, had reputation-damaging tendencies. And as far as underwear went, briefs were for ..other people — people whose age I couldn’t fathom reaching.
Fast forward to my twenties, when Carrie Bradshaw entered my life in a meaningful way. Carrie could make basics look sexy in a way that no one else really could1. It still took another decade for me to fully appreciate the sexiness of her simple dressed-down looks. I see my wardrobe creeping ever toward this new depth of intentionally unshowcasing the body, and the different yet subtle sexiness that comes along with that.
Enter — the men’s white brief.
How could something so unglamorous be so hot? Is it the high-thigh cotton cuffs? The elastic waistband? The sensibly (& sensuously) placed seams? Whatever it is, it’s working. (oh, and if Carrie in briefs doesn’t do it for you, may I introduce you to Carmy in briefs)
A Victoria’s Secret gift card was the unexpected catalyst for realizing I needed my very own briefs, and it took me something like 4 months to finally land on the perfect pairs. I’ll save you the scrolling and send you straight to the best peekable briefs for summer.
The Brief.
Cotton High-Waist Boyshort
I got these in classic white and black, plus an amazing shade of plum.
My favorite black pull-on pants are relatively low rise, and sometimes to get the cuffs up off the ground I’ll roll down the waistband. This makes them even low risier. This is 100% my favorite look I created and something I would wear pretty much anywhere. The shirt is a peplum linen buttondown that I wear in the summer, and sometimes on really hot days I will leave the bottom buttons undone.
This look is the Carmiest of them all, and while I basically don’t wear anything with labels, I don’t mind the waistband because it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing: calling some attention.
The black version of these is a little more utilitarian, in that, it’s more subtle but can still do the job you’re asking it to. In the above ensemble the black pair would pretty much disappear into the pants — but in the below look, they are bridging the gap between low rise denim and a crop sweater. This is one of my favorite sweaters because it’s super lightweight cashmere, but the crop is is somewhat significant.
In this outfit equation, adding briefs means the ability to remove an undershirt — which declutters the midriff. Reaching for something on a high shelf is recommended.
Brazilian Briefs
Black is really the only color I like for this cut, but it’s a winner. Heading into sheer garment weather, this is an extremely flattering choice.
I’ve had this crochet cap sleeve dress since college; it used to have a nude liner that I cut out so now it’s quite literally the airiest dress. Wearing an all black set underneath is the streetwear equiv of going to the beach in this look, just sub out the bikini. Also wearing this staple black bralette from VS; a versatile shape to wear under all the sheers.
Lots of visual interest with the crochet pattern.
No-Show Modern Brief
The last pair of briefs is the most highwaisted of them all. Funny they are called No-Show because that’s the exact opposite of my recommended use case.
Another moment to highlight something low rise, a la these surf shorts. The main ingredient for a dressed-down-yet-v-cool summertime look and they are just as wearable off-beach as on.
The 3-piece monochrome look is comprised of surf shorts featuring XL botanical print, a lace camisole, and svelte briefs as the filling. Also love the idea of the black lace brief for this look.
I’m obsessed with the lowrise / tie waist effect of surf shorts. I was lusting after these Agua Bendita trunks, but they were more than I wanted to spend on a style experiment. I ended up thrifting these swim trunks from the men’s section of GW a few weeks after first spotting the Bendita shorts, and I’m so glad I waited. It’s a great hack if you are wanting to try a pair / see how they go with your bodytype or your wardrobe.
As a general rule they do sit really low on the hips. If you have a shorter torso this might not impact you, but for longer torsos, this is a good moment to intro briefs into the equation.
I actually tucked my cami into the top of the briefs, lol. Remember people, there are no rules!
until next time — G
Carrie makes basics sexy, see t-shirt & slipskirt —
or nightdress & hoodie —
then there’s the famous — ridiculously simple — grey dress
