New look

We've made some changes
to The Sunday Times

Navigation - link to other main sections from here

Skip Navigation

From The Times
March 20, 2008

Men's briefs: our man finds Marks & Spencer is still the best

Times reporter Patrick Foster

Patrick Foster

Asda joins Jeremy Paxman in assault on M&S pants

According to The Times lawyer, wandering around Central London department stores wearing nothing but a pair of underpants does not constitute a criminal offence.

Someone should tell this to the floor manager at Marks & Spencer’s flagship Marble Arch store, whose unreasonable insistence that customers trying on underwear remain within the confines of the changing room area cut short a vital test as to the true quality of M&S pants.

Fortunately, his interference did not unduly disturb matters. Make no mistake, the M&S Real Cool cotton trunks surveyed by Which? justifiably outrank the Calvin Kleins, particularly as, at £5 a pop, they are a quarter of the price.

Related Links

Mr Klein may have the cachet, the cool, and the ad men to make his clobber desirable but, speaking as one who spent an entire day prancing around in nothing but pants, Mr Marks and Mr Spencer offer a garment that is better, just.

Both products are comfortable, both look pretty good (although, not to judge by the pictures on the left). Both provide adequate support. But the M&S pants just feel more appropriate. It is as if they are cut for Everyman, rather than just the bulging brutes who adorn Calvin Klein posters. The old ladies looking through the M&S lingerie section liked them, too.

Never mind the best, though. Asda’s offering was by far the worst. Ill-fitting, rough to the touch and replete with a central seam that overdid the support. You’d be more comfortable with one of the store’s carrier bags wrapped around your crotch. At £1.75 these pants are good for nobody but the incontinent, being more economical to throw away than to wash.

Sadly, however, the pants I tried on were not thrown away. A store assistant said that she would mark them up as damaged, for resale.

Buy black underwear when you hit the gym. So gradually replace everything with black. Keep in mind when you select size that the top of pants do not come up to your waist. You need more pants than vests, but with Chinese garments in the 100* yen shop, no problemo.
*100 yen, 50p, approx.

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

Re-selling worn pants?! That is just unhygienic!

Andrew, Wakefield,

Have your say

* Required

Also in UK News

Also in News

Final days of French students

The carefree lives of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez before brutal murder

Slide Show

Comment    

Rob Fahey from

open quote mark Video games have escaped from the messy bedrooms of teenage boys into all our livesclose quote mark

More...
Rob Fahey

Comment Central

Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols.1978

Did Sid Vicious do it?

10 guilty people that many believe are innocent

    Pictures of the Week

    Serena and Venus Williams walk past each other during their doubles match against Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua at Wimbledon (Toby Melville/Reuters)

    A selection of the best images from around the world

    Slide Show

    Piper Alpha, 20 years on

    Piper Alpha, July 1988 (News Group Newspapers Ltd)

    The world's worst offshore disaster is remembered in Scotland

    Slide Show

    Cartoon

    Morland Cartoon

    More cartoons

    Red box blog

    Big Ben and the House of Commons

    Is your MP on the roll of shame?

      Most Read

      Skip Most Read

      Today

      MOST COMMENTED

      Skip Editor's Pick

      Today

      MOST CURIOUS

      Skip Most Curious

      Today

      Focus Zone

      woman texting on a mobile phone whilst walking along the pavement

      Know on the Go:

      How the new breed of location based mobile services can find your nearest cashpoint, restaurant or wi-fi hotspot

      Dr Zhivago

      Top 100 Films:

      Enjoy screenings of all the classic films you love, plus take advantage of two-for-one tickets

      A family canoeing on a lake

      Sport Safety :

      We explore leisure activities that are safe and suitable for all of the family

      Focus zone, pets, 100x100

      Perfect Pets:

      Times Online's new TV show helps you make the right decisions for your pet

      California

      Totally California:

      Are you California dreaming? Explore the wonders of the Golden State. Also enter our fantastic competition

      Nikon D40X camera

      Young Photographer:

      See the best entries in this year's competition

      Train your brain

      Surprise Yourself:

      Your brain is capable of more than you might think...

      James Bond eye image

      James Bond:

      An interactive preview of the brand new For Your Eyes Only exhibition

      ba business travel clouds

      Business Travel:

      The latest travel news plus the best hotels and gadgets for business travellers

      previous next

      QUICKLINKS

      Sudoku 

      Skip Sudoku

      70 x 70 JPEG

      Now Interactive

      Love Sudoku? Play our brand new interactive game: with added functionality and daily prizes

        Career/Jobs 

        Skip Career/Jobs

        70 x 70 JPEG

        Forget burnout, boreout is the new office disease

        Are you irritable when you return from work? Drained of emotion? You could be suffering from boreout

          Podcasts 

          Skip Podcasts

          70 x 70 JPEG

          The Bugle - Dead Hill Walking

          John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman beg Hillary to pack it in

            Driving 

            Skip Driving

            70 x 70 JPEG

            Jeremy Clarkson's greatest hits

            Prepare for some shock and awe, petrol lovers. Despite the greens trying to wipe it out, the car is about to offer us the most exciting year ever

              Travel 

              Skip Travel

              70 x 70 JPEG

              100 summer holidays for '08

              We've trawled the brochures and websites to find this summer’s best holidays for every taste and budget

              Skip Photo Galleries
              70 x 70 JPEG

              Photo Galleries

              Pictures of the Week

              A selection of the best images from around the world

                Services

                The Singapore skyline pictured at night

                Business City Guides

                Overseas contacts and local business information

                Luxx

                The Times Luxx

                A treasure trove of baubles, booty and stylish quests

                Beat the Price Rises

                Compare energy prices from suppliers

                A mobile phone with a map displayed on the screen

                SPECIAL

                Know on the Go

                More than mobile

                Classifieds 

                Cars

                Skip Cars of the Week

                LAMBORGHINI Murcielago LP640 E-Gear

                2006
                £189,500
                NW England

                FERRARI F430 Spider F1

                2008/08
                £169,950
                NW England

                Volkswagen Touareg Altitude 3.0 V6 TDI

                2007/57
                £35,000
                South East England

                Car insurance

                Great car insurance deals online


                Jobs

                Skip Jobs of the Week
                Commercial Director

                Circa £82,000 per annum
                Birmingham Women's Hospital
                Birmingham

                Management Information Analyst

                To £28k
                Barclaycard
                Various (outside London)

                ICT Manager - Service Delivery

                £ Up to £66,000 per annum
                Hertfordshire County Council
                South East

                Senior MI Analyst

                To £38k
                Barclaycard
                Northampton/Liverpool

                Properties

                The Gardens @ Riverside Quarter Luxury Appts in Wandsworth

                Beautiful Gardens w/ stunning Thames Views

                Ariel Condos NYC Condo Close to Central Pk

                Dining, Shopping & Riverside Pk

                Barclays

                Mortgages, bank acc & money transfers to help you buy abroad

                Holidays

                Skip Travel of the Week

                Classical Jordan guided tour

                Explore mystical Jordan
                From £1030 for 7nts 4*

                Great Value City Break

                to USA's Most Cosmopolitan City; San Francisco!
                £POA

                Antigua Beach Club Holidays

                Book Now for Winter 08/09 and Get 10% off!


                Travel insurance

                Great travel insurance deals online


                Place your advert now