The $100 Pair of Men’s Underwear

Alan Greenspan claims he watches men's underwear sales to get a sense of the health of the economy. (If me are buying underwear they feel confident about the economy, according to Greenspan) This report should blow him right out of his boxers. MarketWatch reports:

[W]hat distinguishes a $100 pair from the kind you purchase in a three-pack at a big-box store for less than 20 bucks? Begin with a high-end microfiber fabric (mainly nylon) and high-tech design that includes “mesh zones” plus “laser-cut vents” in the rear. The idea is to keep things, well, cool. “We made sure that we used the most breathable construction,” says Frigo exec Mathias Ingvarsson, who’s best known as one of the entrepreneurs behind the Tempur-Pedic mattress brand. But also key to the product is an interior mesh pouch that separates a man’s “package,” as Matthew Butlein, president of underwear retailer Freshpair.com, delicately puts it. (Freshpair is the exclusive online source for the $100 pair.) Not only does that help prevent sweating — by virtue of avoiding “skin on skin,” says Butlein — it also offers more support. (And it’s adjustable support, too — there’s an elastic band that controls the degree of lift and separation.)

Other important features include the silicone-lined leg openings that are designed to prevent ride-up — underwear manufacturers “do the same thing on strapless bras,” Butlein notes — and a seemingly seamless (or “bonded”) construction that supposedly minimizes chafing. Butlein is particularly impressed with how carefully the waistband is joined with the fabric, so there’s no overlap (and therefore less rubbing against the body). “This brings out the underwear nerd in me,” he says of the $100 pair.