We Are Living Through An Underwear Renaissance
Not so itsy bitsy teeny weeny anymore!
Shitters! We are currently living through several cultural phenomenons, but I want to direct your attention to one that’s been the center of my attention recently: Our Underwear Renaissance.
As someone whose spent the better part of the past 20 years in women’s locker rooms (first in school, and then in various gyms and boutique fitness studios), it seemed that for years, the thong reigned supreme among the cool girl cohort. Not necessarily for sex appeal—while the old school G-strings (their heyday was before my time) and the colorful array of lacy Cosabellas and Hanky Pankys from the 2010’s (much more my speed, though I was definitively team Cosabella) may have been, by the early 2020’s, those had given way to Kim K’s simple cuts and smooth fabrics in various shades of nude (and while I’m not saying that those can’t be sexy, they weren’t overt in the same way). It was the promise of relative ease and invisibility under clothing that seemed to make them the go-to option.
Frankly, they seemed like the only style that I and most of the people around me wore. Full butt underwear (I’m aware the word “briefs” would suffice, but this is just always how I’ve thought of them in my head) were “granny panties.” Something you might wear to sleep or maybe on certain days of your cycle, but that was pretty much it.
But if you’ve been looking around lately and seeing a lot more options with much more coverage than you were once used to, it’s not in your head! A quick text to veteran underwear designer/ friend of the letter Allie Kriz of The Collection Atelier confirmed—there is a real shift going on out there! People are ditching the thongs and moving back to options with more coverage, specifically in materials like cotton.
The evolution in materials makes sense—it’s born from the same attention that we’ve been paying to what’s in everything from our food and cosmetics to our period products and activewear (yes it’s freezing, but that’s not the only reason the cool girls are wearing FreeCitys to pilates—no one wants to sweat up a storm in plastic anymore!). Not all cotton is created equal (some can be treated with real nasty stuff), but it’s been my personal fabric of choice for underthings (and across the rest of my closet + home too!) for a while now, and the move specifically towards organic cotton is the next step up.
And the coverage—well, apparently thongs aren’t quite as comfortable as they’re cracked up to be?! I’ll admit this was news to me. I’ve been wearing them since I was probably 15, and never really thought of them as uncomfortable. But as it turns out, there’s a whole wide world out there with options that are actually considerably most pleasant to spend a full day in! What follows are a few of the pairs that have opened my eyes to the Underwear Renaissance unfolding before our eyes:
The Gateway Drug: Eby Mesh Briefs*
This wasn’t the first pair of briefs I bought in recent history (I was influenced by a Skims model to pair these with their ribbed tank for a monochromatic sleep set a few summers ago), but the recent popularity of these Eby briefs was the first thing that tipped me off to the shift in what people were gravitating towards. They offer thongs in the same fabric, but it seemed like all anyone cared about was their famous mesh bra + brief set, myself included. While they are certainly comfortable, I had to do a little digging to find the fabric makeup (red flag), and as it turns out, their micro-mesh is made up mostly of nylon, which if you’re paying closer attention to materials, is likely what you’re trying to avoid (though the gusset itself is cotton). They’re not my pick of the bunch for this reason (also if you are eyeing, know that they do stretch out a bit—I’d size down if you’re in between sizes), but they were the first pair that tipped me off to the shift. *PRIYANKA15 gets you 15% off of all things EBY.
The New Favorite: Negative Underwear Whipped French Cut
I wrote about these last month, but I want to reiterate—these are the most insanely comfortable underwear I have ever tried, and it seems like a lot of you now agree! The pricing is steep, but if you’re on the fence, know that they really are incredible. The cotton/modal blend is soft and buttery and feels like you’re wearing nothing, minus any of the discomfort of wearing nothing, and the French cut is the perfect stepping stone for the recovering thong addict—they’re cheeky, just without the perma-wedgie. (Though if you’re not ready to make the jump, they do make thongs in the same whipped fabric too.) The packs give you the best pricing, but more color options are available in singles here, and don’t skip the matching bra—you know I’m a sucker for a set! (Because of the cut/wireless construction, that one is likely best for smaller chest sizes IMO.)
The Organic Option: Iris Undies
This is a new line launched entirely in organic cotton, and their tagline, “Protective, pretty, pure,” encapsulates exactly what they’re doing. They offer a few different styles—traditional briefs, a cheekier option, a classic thong, and a 90’s-style string bikini (not to get caught up in the CBK-mania sweeping the internet, but there was a shot in Love Story of her traipsing around in a cotton tank and black string bikini, and it singlehandedly convinced me that I need to have a pair). I just placed an order, so I can’t speak to the fit and feel quite yet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things, and am looking forward to their arrival! I went for their signature light purple, and even though the last thing I needed right now was more bras, you know I had to complete the set!
These are just the ones I’m familiar with, but if you have other favorites that are worth checking out, let us know!
Other things I’m loving lately: I wasn’t sure what to expect from 440ME, but I’ve really liked their knitwear, especially this wool/silk blend tee. I’d normally consider this time of year past the point of sweater shopping, but seeing as there was a literal blizzard three days ago, I felt it was justifiable to place an order for this delicious-looking charcoal crew. I’m newly obsessed with all things from this plum-focused clean skincare line (SIBAL15)! The hero ingredient smells like marzipan, is completely non-comedogenic, and has been making my skin look/feel quite nice, if I say so myself! Did we know Ruggable did a collab with Scalamandré because I sure didn’t?! (PRIYANKA15) There are a lot of brands making tubes of hair gel with mascara-style wands for taming flyaways and hairlines, but Ceremonia’s is the first one I’ve tried that doesn’t leave residue on dark hair (a BIG no-no!). And speaking of hair, Crown Affair’s Air Dry Cream lives up to the hype! Tbh, this is what I was hoping for from their Air Dry Mousse (which was really not for me personally)—this one gives a much smoother, more polished dry IMO (PRIYANKA15).
I've been loving Oddobody! Although they can get holes they are way less delicate than the Negative whipped. And I just mean holes in the laundry even when I wash on delicate. I tend to label my Negative Underwear as my "good" ones since they're so delicate.
The Barely Zero collection by Neiwai changed my life!!! Highly recommend the bralette and undies.