Men's Trunks (Underwear)

Trunks sit between a brief and a boxer brief and borrow a measurement from each. Inseams run 3 to 4 inches, the leg is cut square rather than tapered. The rise usually drops low, around 6 to 8 inches from crotch seam to band. What you get is a brief's closeness with just enough leg to draw a straight line under the hip.

Knits and elastane percentages match a boxer brief exactly, so the difference lives entirely in the pattern. Less fabric means less to fold, which is why the style sits flat under tailored trousers. A low rise puts the band below the navel where your stomach is widest. Band width does more work here than on any other style, and 1.5 inches is the sensible floor. Because a short leg has less surface holding it, the hem carries a heavier load too. Slack grip turns a trunk into a brief by mid-morning.

Step up to Boxer Briefs and the leg runs 5 to 7 inches, covering the stretch of thigh this style leaves bare. Briefs remove the leg and the square line together. One warning about the name: swim trunks share the word and share nothing else, since those are a woven outer garment with a drawcord and a liner. Anything sold as a trunk in an underwear drawer is a knit undergarment with a short square leg.

Shorter legs benefit most, since a 7 inch inseam on a 28 inch leg reaches close to the knee and shows through light trousers. Slim and tailored trousers make the second case, because there is less fabric to crease anywhere. Warm weather with a little more coverage than a brief rounds it out. Avoid the style if your thighs rub, as 3 inches stops above the point where most contact begins.

Check band width before anything else, since a low rise pair with a narrow band has nothing to sit on and rolls within the hour. Pull the leg hem and watch it return, because a short leg with slack grip climbs. Hold the seat up to a light, as trunks are cut close and thin knits show it. Warm washes and air drying keep both the band and the hem doing their jobs.