Underwear Guy Review: Go Softwear Metallic Crowns Trunk
Designer/Manufacturer: Go Softwear
Website: www.gosoftwear.com
Price: $20.00

Go Softwear has continued to diversify their men's underwear range through 2007 and 2008 with interesting selections for fabrics, a nice array of cuts and a variety of colors. One of the newer lines introduced recently is the Metallic Crowns collection available in black with gold details or white with metallic blue details. I purchased the white version of the trunk and you can find a jock, low-rise brief, brief and retro short version of this underwear line as well. The material is a 90% cotton 10% lycra blend which should be fairly stretchable although it's surprisingly somewhat stiff and not particularly soft. Sizing can be hit or miss with Go Softwear but more often than not it's a good idea to purchase a size up from your normal range so I bought this trunk in a large and I'm glad I did. The waist fits well for the most part (after sizing up) thanks to the exposed light gray elastic waistband which measures 1 1/4" tall with gray Go Softwear logos and text repeated all the way around. The interior of the waistband is smooth but not texturized in any way so the end result is a slightly lower-quality feel on the material choice. The wash/care/content tag on the back is a shiny nylon material cut to 2" wide by 1" tall and sewn flat for a smooth finish. The metallic crowns print is made up of a mix of a crown logo and a fleur de lis design which is very eye-catching although my feeling is that the ink will wear off relatively quickly through standard machine washing.

The legs of this trunk are fairly short extending 7" from the base of the waistband which almost qualifies these as a squarecut but I would still keep them in the trunk category given the final look and fit. There are fairly thick 1/2" binding for the leg-bands which include covered elastic. I found the leg-bands tighter than I would like to the point of being slightly uncomfortable while walking around. The front pouch is detailed with substantial 1/2" reinforced piping on the sides that also highlight the functional fly. The pouch itself is designed fairly well with a decent amount of room and a design that does a good if not stellar job of providing some lift and shape. The Go Softwear website says the pouch is "roomy" but I would disagree and place this pouch in the "regular" range.

The Grades:

Fit:	B-	Sizing up is a must with this trunk but once you do, you'll find the overall fit for the waist and the main body to be good. The stumbling block for myself at least came with the leg-bands which I was fairly irritated with the fit as it was really too tight for my legs and I am not necessarily that much above average in leg build.	Pouch Fit
Design:	B+	I think the fabric pattern is fun with the unique metallic accents and the black and gold version is particularly eye-catching. Despite the positives on the graphic treatment, I'm not really sold on the shape or outline of this trunk cut from an aesthetic standpoint so I'm going with a positive but not stellar B+.
Material:	B+	I think some of my issues with the fit are attributed to the cotton blend which could have been a little more stretchable and soft to the touch. I would say this is a decent cotton for underwear but I wouldn't give it my highest marks so a positive "B" score applies here.
Construction:	A-	One area of this Go Softwear trunk that deserves a positive mark is the construction quality which includes clean seams, no loose threads and mostly clean cuts with just some minor roughness on the seam where the trunk joins the waistband.
Overall Grade:	B	I would say if you are looking for an underwear item made from an eye-catching fabric you might consider this item as a possible addition to your fashion collection.
Would I buy another pair? No, there's just enough issues with the fit that I don't see myself justifying more than 1 pair of these trunks.

Wear Recommendations:

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

Where To Buy:

There are a select number of methods for ordering the Go Softwear Metallic Crowns trunk including direct from Go Softwear: Product Page, InternationalJock.com: Product Page, and UnderU4men (via phone order).

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