Underwear Guy Review: Emporio Armani Logo Essential Stretch Cotton Brief
Designer/Manufacturer: Emporio Armani
Website: www.emporioarmani.com
Price: $22.00

These are the infamous David Beckham briefs that have been featured in the ad campaign images talked about and reported on virtually every type of media in connection to the frenzy surrounding the Beckham's arrival in the US. Emporio Armani most likely had a good estimate of the return on investment they would get for signing on David as a model for their men's underwear launch and I think it's paid out very well for them. I admit I was curious about the underwear, wondering if the product would come event close to matching the hype, and as my last review concluded, it hasn't been a disappointment. These hip briefs are a little more interesting than the style from my last review as they have some different design choices that make them stand out better from the sea of hip briefs available. First off, the waistband is very noticeable on due to its giant size and correspondingly enormous woven Armani logo. The height of the waistband is 2" tall and composed of smooth microfiber that certainly does the job of keeping the underwear on. Thankfully the fit on the waist is very good and surprisingly comfortable with the interior sporting a very smooth finish. The logo tag in the back is 2" wide by 1" tall and has a very long content/care tag attached at the base that measures 3/4" wide by 2" tall. It might not be clear in the photos but the waistband is actually a very dark navy blue that is also employed on the matching color contrast stitching. Your color choices for the main fabric of this particular style are limited to black, white, gray and navy. The body of the brief is composed of a 95% cotton 5% spandex blend that is fairly thin but as a consequence, very stretchable and soft-very much like the Calvin Klein 365 Cotton Stretch line of underwear.

The waist is true-to-size although I would say the body of the brief is cut slightly loose. If you want a more form-fitting feel to these I might suggest you could try a size down although I didn't have any problems with these in my usual medium. The back is full-coverage and the sides narrow to 1 1/4" from the base of the waistband. The leg-bands are folded-over with about 1/2" of the cotton material and they are accommodating of different leg sizes. The front pouch includes a functional double-layer fly accented with 1/4" piping that also has contrast navy stitching including the center seam. The pouch on this brief is a little roomier than the average hip brief but still does a nice job of providing support and some shaping to your package. There isn't as much lift to be found here as say, the C-In2 pouch or Mundo Unico underwear but it's still better than average at giving you some shape.

The Grades:

Fit:	A	I was really impressed with the cut of these briefs. They differ in some significant ways from the other Emporio Armani briefs I reviewed and are very comfortable while still providing nice definition of your back and front. If you don't like your underwear too snug then I think this is a good choice for an every-day wear brief.	Pouch Fit
Design:	A	The change in waistband style to this large format is an interesting visual choice and the super-sized logo certainly stands out. Some more exciting color choices might have been fun but the contrast stitching adds a small amount of design and the fly-front is a nice addition.
Material:	A+	I really liked this stretch cotton fabric and I think you will find it an excellent choice for a range of activities.
Construction:	A	Very nice construction details throughout with clean lines, no loose threads and good pattern cuts.
Overall Grade:	A	I was very happy with this purchase and perhaps a little surprised at the good combination of fit, material and design.
Would I buy another pair? Yes I would definitely buy another pair. I think these are great briefs for a lot of different hours of the day.

Wear Recommendations:

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

Where To Buy:

I picked this brief up in-person at a local Macy's department store which was carrying a broad array of Emporio Armani underwear styles. You can purchase this brief online at these websites: Macys.com: Product Page, UnderU.com: Product Page, Asos.com: Product Page, FigLeaves.com: Product Page and direct from EmporioArmani.com: Product Page.

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