Underwear Guy Review: Emporio Armani Stretch Cotton Brief
Designer/Manufacturer: Emporio Armani
Website: www.emporioarmani.com
Price: $19.50

Emporio Armani underwear has been on the market for some time now but they've recently bought themselves a lot of publicity for signing on David Beckham as the feature model for their latest advertising campaign. With all the attention paid to the man wearing the underwear I was interested in finding out if the actual product itself was worthy of the hype or if it was all just corporate marketing in over-drive. There are several variations of Armani Underwear available for purchase online and in-person in stores which is how I purchased these Stretch Cotton briefs from Macy's. The underwear comes in boxes with a style of artwork very reminiscent of Calvin Klein Underwear with b/w front and back photos and the Emporio Armani Logo centered in the middle. These briefs were only available in black and white although I know there are other Armani Underwear styles that include navy as a color option. The fit on these briefs runs true-to-size in my experience with the mediums working out well for myself. The light-weight fabric is a soft and reasonably stretchable 95% cotton 5% spandex blend. The 1 1/4" tall waistband is all-microfiber which is very nicely executed with a very smooth weave of the material and bold contrasting Emporio Armani text and logo across the front and plain on the back. The logo tag occupies space on the interior-back of the waistband at 1 3/4" wide by 1" tall with an attached wash/care tag on the right. Although labeled a "brief" cut I would say this is really more like a hip brief with the sides extending just 2" at the narrowest point (excluding the waistband). The back is full coverage and the front includes a well-designed pouch that is dual-layered. It's sometimes hard to draw direct comparisons but I would say the pouch is a bit tighter than some other lines like C-In2 and its design reminds me of the Calvin Klein Pro Stretch Cotton hip brief in overall fit. The legs feature a 1/4" folded-over edge that feels durable and well-made.

The Grades:

Fit:	B+/A-	I think there could have been some better engineering in the pouch but overall the fit is good.	Pouch Fit
Design:	B+/A-	The waistband style is great although the lack of color options is a bit boring for anyone looking for variety.
Material:	A	I liked the cotton blend which felt soft and comfortable making for an excellent all-day wear brief.
Construction:	A	I would say the construction was on par with other premium brands with clean pattern cuts, straight stitching and clean seams.
Overall Grade:	B+/A-	This is a good all-around every-day brief that some may find limited in its design and a bit tight in the pouch but otherwise a good option for anyone looking for quality underwear.
Would I buy another pair? Yes I would consider another pair although I think I still recommend C-In2 or 2Xist briefs a bit more than this one if asked to provide a ranking.

Wear Recommendations:

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

Where To Buy:

I found this brief at my local Macy's department store although oddly enough the exact same one is not listed on their website. I did find some online stores with the exact match including FigLeaves.com: Product Page, Asos.com: Product Page and UnderU.com: Product Page.

Photos: