Missed Underwear Brands
Since my venture into the bikini and thong world there has been a brand explosion. The main online underwear retailer at the time I made the leap was Undergear also known as International Male. Today we have several retailers that carry multiple brands you can choose from. Even with the many brands available now, we have lost brands over the years too.
One we almost lost was JM out of Canada, which was revived not too long after it’s closing. They still don’t offer the colors they use to in their Skinz or Natura lines. Hopefully in time we’ll see them bring some colors back.
Two other brands that I miss are Mansilk and Parks for Recreation. I think I last bought those brands for the site Metroman USA, which went out of business. Mansilk was available from other places, but Metroman USA is the only place I’ve seen Parks for Recreation. What I liked from Mansilk was their knit silk thong. I found it to be a great fitting comfortable thong that I thought would be a great first thong. I need to try out Magic Silk’s knit thong and see if it would be a good replacement. My Mansilk ones are getting old.
Parks and Recreation had some great bikinis and the thongs were good too. The back cut of the bikinis were right on with coverage is what I liked about them. Showed off some cheek while staying in place. Their thongs were a traditional cut thong. Wouldn’t say they were anything real special but comfortable. They were both well made in my opinion and are holding up well. Wish I could pick up a couple more of their bikinis.
Now going way back to the beginning of my bikini wearing. There was one brand I really liked to wear. They weren’t anything out of the ordinary and were bought from Kmart. But at the time they were my favorites to pull out of the drawer. They were Brut string bikini underwear. They were your typical string bikini cut of the day with the elastic waistband, which I typically avoid now a days. I did enjoy the fit of them and how they looked. I wouldn’t mind giving them a try again and see what I thought today if they were still available.
Those are a few brands that come to my mind that I have some nostalgia towards. Any brands that are gone that you miss?
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Such great articulation and one can see the emotional connection to those skimpy’s (not calling thongs and bikini’s underwear anymore). That even I want to own them now.
The good old days, the breakthrough. Although I am new this, I feel as if I missed out the good ones.
Will def research these brands.
Maxx from Target (AU) had great G-strings that were available for about 18 months in 2007/2008. A t-back with a double layer pouch of cotton on the inside and polyester (don’t think any Lycra added) on the outside. Really comfortable if you got well-made ones – Australian designed and Chinese made, but lasted well. The last one went late last year, the waist elastic being what eventually gave out with all of them.
There may have been too many colours in hind-sight (black, red, light grey, light blue, dark blue, don’t remember white) and initially a weird comfort/sport options. They had stickers on the front stating which option, but after a few months that disappeared. I don’t know what the difference was supposed to be, I couldn’t tell, maybe the sport option was supposed to be a bit tighter for extra support.
Initially about AUD 11.00, but after about a year they were reduced to AUD 5.50. The original price compared to Bonds cotton string bikinis at about AUD 7.50. I was reluctant to buy at first as I thought the thin side strap would not be strong enough to offer good support, or that the pouch would be too large. Could not have been more wrong – they were great and worked really well. Target had had a couple of other styles of G-strings prior to this, but they did not seem to be much, probably better to call them thongs.
By the December of 2008 it was all over, never to be seen again. Some of the Kiniki G-strings are excellent replacements, but until I discovered (and trusted) on-line shopping, their loss was a real blow to me. As a real first venture into G-strings they got me hooked. They showed that g-strings could actually be comfortable, supportive underwear and could look good as well.
Another advantage of having them available in a store, as has been discussed previously, is that you can quickly see what you are getting. That also is now lost.
Prior to this, in the late 1990s, Myers (a more up-market store) used to have Yves St Laurent cotton micro-fibre thongs. They were alright, but the thin cotton meant they did not last too long. They were Aus designed and made, but eventually went to China and the style changed with deeper sides. Others must have lost interest in them also as they were soon removed from the stores and not replaced by another brand. A silk version was available for a short time, but that did not offer much support and seemed to stretch to much and was hotter than the cotton.
I’d like to see the Maxx G-strings again, perhaps with just a single layer of fabric this time. But a men’s G-string on display in a public store, well I don’t think that’s going to happen any time too soon in our supposedly modern liberal society. The YSL ones have been replaced with something better so I don’t miss them.
yes i still have a bunch of their lycra thongs and i loved them
Can’t say I miss a particular brand with the possible exception of a company called Estelle which was the first company I discovered,via a small add in a newspaper,that sold really skimpy undies.
Even though the next two companies are still trading i.e Kiniki and Gregg Homme,they both had a g-string that I loved,but are no longer available. I’m talking about Kiniki’s Gigolo and Gregg’s Commando. Two of the sexiest,most comfortable g-strings I’ve ever worn,and if I’d known at the time that they were about to be discontinued,I would have bought a whole stack of them! No better endorsement than that!
I miss the Bill Blass Hanes collection, namely the high cut bikini. Sold for about 10.00 for a 3 pack. Very affordable and sold at Target, Walmart and even Riteaid in the 90’s. Not high end, but comfortable and great colors and patterns.
Fruit of the Loom made a very practical and comfortable men’s cotton thong for a period. Not sexy but great for day to day wear, I really miss thrm.
I’d like to know what happened to yellow underwear. This year offerings are hard to find. I’m sure it’s a marketing decision, but that begs the question, “Why don’t people buy yellow?”
Jordache made a very cool string bikini circa late 80’s early 90’s sold in Bradlee’s department store used to be around MA can’t remember if they carried them til they went under- the fate of department stores once Target& Walmart took over that scene. They came in a 4pk I think back wasn’t full- (not almost wrapping around the front) very comfortable cotton sides about 1/2”
Brands that I first started wearing:
Hang Ten
Brut
Britannia
Reed St James
Calvin Klein string bikinis (early 90’s)
Jockey Elance Poco bikinis
Jockey String Bikinis (thin-banded, early 1990s)
Jockey and Calvin Klein are still around, but they constantly change their product designs, which I do not like. Their “string bikinis” are such in name only. A string bikini that has a thick, two-inch wide waistband is not a string bikini by definition. I don’t like them because the waistband folds and rolls down, which is annoying and I hate it. Plus I am a large-man and their products don’t fit me.
Joe Boxer products were very good, especially their line of men’s thongs. I miss them!
For a while Vassarette made women’s nylon string thong that accommodated the male anatomy quite nicely, they were stretchy and comfortable to wear.