Underwear Guy Review: Ed Hardy Orange Tiger Hip Brief
Designer/Manufacturer: Ed Hardy Vintage Tattoo Wear
Website: www.donedhardy.com
Price: $40.00

By now I’m sure you’ve seen the many underwear blog news entries on the new line of Ed Hardy underwear being stocked by many online underwear stores. As a result you are clearly aware of the product but I’m guessing like me you were wondering if these briefs and boxer-briefs live up to the extreme price-tag of $40 per pair! I picked these low rise briefs at UnderU4men where they were sold in an impressive hinged chipboard box with various Ed Hardy tattoo graphics printed all over the sides. Founded in 2005 by Christian Audigier, Ed Hardy clothing was “Inspired by the youth of America, vintage-inspired fashion, Hollywood stardom, and motorcycle and tattoo culture…” (Ed Hardy Website). To learn more about the tattoo design motifs and artwork that inspire the Ed Hardy underwear line I suggest you visit the company website. As mentioned earlier, the underwear line is totally new and definitely targeted as a high-end fashion item.

I have so far identified 6 brief and 5 boxer-brief graphic/color combinations built around the same template of classically designed underwear with exposed 1 ½” black elastic waistbands, contrast piping accents and a muted natural-color palette of brown, gray, blue, green, turquoise, black and like this review’s brief: orange. I bought these in my normal size medium and I am relieved to say that they fit true to size for a standard 32 – 34” waist. The 95% cotton 5% spandex blend allows for a lot of stretch and the waistband keeps the brief on but allows for plenty of give and stretch. The fabric blend is soft although somewhat light-weight so I’m not sure about the long-term durability of these briefs. Contrast-color “Ed Hardy” logo text is woven in a repeated pattern around the waistband which is nicely texturized on the interior for softness and fit. The logo/wash/care tag on the waistband interior back is 2 ¼” wide by 1 ¼” tall if you include the right-side tab extending off the main flat-sewn piece. The tiger graphic on the front of this brief is cleanly printed ink embedded into the fabric which means no problems with cracking or peeling over time that you might get with a traditional silkscreen method. Besides the striking ink graphics on the front of these briefs there is a very bold metallic Ed Hardy logo printed on the backside. The metallic printed graphic on the back is accomplished with a raised ink that thankfully doesn’t cause any comfort issues and looks cool as a design element. I would guess that over time this metallic treatment will wear off but by then you’re probably ready for some new underwear anyway. The metallic treatment is on all the brief cuts but only one the back of the gray tiger trunk from what I’ve seen.

If I were to site any flaw with these briefs it would be the lack of pouch design in front. These are completely flat in the single-layer panel were your package resides and the result is a brief that looks good graphic-wise but could be much better in lifting and providing support of the male anatomy. This isn’t a deal-breaker for me since I don’t think *every* pair of underwear has to be engineered but I will say that in general, a front pouch design does usually feel better and flatters your form over a completely flat design. I guess my perspective is that I would have liked some thought put into that part of the underwear given the price-point. How I score this is really causing me some mental conflict since I want to be fair but I also want to hold a $40 pair of underwear to a higher standard. I’d love to hear your feedback on this in a couple of ways. I’ve written an article about price-points and underwear which you can read here and there’s a poll included where you can answer the maximum you’d spend on a single pair of underwear. You can also leave your comments on that entry or this one as well.

The Grades:

Fit:	A-/B-	What’s going on here with the split on the fit score you ask? Well that’s because I’m of two minds here. As a regular every-day pair of underwear these do fit well but I feel that’s mostly a result of the fact that you can get away with quite a bit more when using a stretch cotton blend. I think at this price-point they should have figured out a pouch design given how common it is these days. So if the pouch isn’t a big deal for you then these are an A- on the fit. If you like your designers to think of every element of the fit from a comprehensive 360-degree approach then I’m going to go with a B- given that you’re spending a lot more for this pair of underwear.
Design:	A+	I am really into the design elements, the classic contrast piping works well against the wild graphics, the bold waistband design and the truly cool metallic print on the back.
Material:	A-	The cotton blend might be a bit thin but it’s soft and does a good job of creating a comfortable all-day wearing experience.
Construction:	A	I’m glad to see clean pattern cuts, good lines on the stitching and no stray threads on my purchase.
Overall Grade:	A/B	I am allowing for the artistic design strength of these briefs to take precedent over the fit design weaknesses so even factoring in the lower grade on the fit, I would still end up with a B-level score which is a solid, good score for underwear and if you don’t care so much about the pouch then go straight for the A here.
Would I buy another pair? Yes, design trumps a wearable but not stellar fit for me in this case and I might buy another one of these briefs in the other color and graphic combinations.

Where To Buy:
There are now quite a few places selling the Ed Hardy line of underwear including direct from the manufacturer at EdHardShop.com: Product Page, InternationalJock.com: Product Page, UniversalGear.com: Product Page, HisRoom.com: Product Page, UnderU4men.com: (phone orders only). Other sites selling the Ed Hardy line but not necessarily this particular tiger brief include: JockBoyLocker.com: Product Page and TopDrawers.com: Product Page.

Wear Recommendations:

All-day Wear	Loungewear	Athletic	Sleepwear	Office Wear	Special Occasion	Bedroom Wear