On a recent Konmari odyssey through my drawers, I came across a variety of uninspiring underwear; everyday briefs that languished alongside thongs, seam-free shorties, and lacy high-waisted numbers which rarely see the light of day. It came to my attention that my most reliable, everyday pants — bought in multipacks, plain, botty encompassing, black, minimalist briefs — or as they are known in my house, ‘the big Berthas,’ looked a little worse for wear. No joy would ever be sparked from their sagging gusset. If even the most basic of pant wasn’t fulfilling its job in a pleasing manner, then it was time to give them the heave and find a suitable replacement.
I decided to spend time looking for something that would tick all of the boxes: They must look good. They must be comfortable. They must not give me a VPL. They must be a natural fibre. They must make me feel secure, but not frumpy, and they must be from a sustainable source.
Knowing that bamboo is largely manufactured sustainably and ethically, and in memoriam of a very soft bamboo T-shirt someone left at my house, I was absolutely delighted to find these briefs from Bamboo Clothing, a UK-based company that specialises in, yes, bamboo clothing, after an evening trawling the internet and comparing various offerings. Although they are a little more expensive than multipack knickers at £10-ish a pair (it’s £12 for a bog-standard pack of five M&S briefs), it’s well worth the investment. They range from a UK 8 to a UK 16, and FYI, they come up large in size.
They arrived the day after purchase in a subtle sustainable brown-paper envelope. I wound up buying a mixture of briefs and seamless briefs; all cut in a classic style — the shape is perfect, not too high or too low in the leg and waist area. I prefer the seamless brief, which is the classic brief shape but with no annoying side or top seams. Under a slinky dress, they are entirely invisible, and feel like there’s nothing there, and they slide on under jeans a treat. They don’t even have tags, just the brand info printed on the back, which I love, because there is nothing more annoying than a knicker tag chafing your lower back.
As they are made from a natural fibre, they don’t get too hot or sweaty, and the bamboo fibre feels like the finest cashmere on my nether area — which means they don’t dig anywhere. The best bit? Because of their topnotch comfort level, I don’t feel like I’m wearing knickers, which in turn means that even though they are kind of big, they still feel a bit sexy.
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