In Praise of Y-Fronts - 12 Other Underwear Brands

This mitchmen selection of other modern 'visible seam' underpants shows a variety of approaches to capturing the Y-Front style..

The 2Xist attempt is very creditable, the modern low cut waist doesn't spoil the sense of working underwear. There's another 2Xist picture in post 9 in this series.

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Aussie Bum combines spacious comfort with a pleasing dipping waistband but despite the model pulling out all the stops (!) the overall effect is a bit odd. Actually this model looks a bit too hippy to be wearing this underwear.
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Mark Dalton's Hanes look comfortable but even he can't make these baggies sexy!
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This model wearing 'Hung' underwear has a fairly average body but he doesn't even have to stay awake to look sexy with all that help down below.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 11 Clingy Calvins

On a slimmer man the baggy fit is usually less interesting but fortunately CK has thoughtfully developed a more clingy model. On this young man the conventionality of the garment almost suggests a lad still 'young' enough to be dressed by his mother. He studies the tight fit which seems to symbolise the restraints on his development into independent manhood.

On a more mature model, the elastic material permits glorious shaping of the front and rear

This sleeping man squeezes every last drop of sensuality out of the 'humble' underpant.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 10 Comfy Calvin's

The mitchmen Y-Front survey today takes a closer look at Calvin Klein underwear on men.
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The comfort fit does not have to be unattractive provided the body shape is right. On this big hairy man the folds in the fabric point to weighty contents.

In this amateur body builder pose the hitched up garment adds a sense of the innocent being drawn into deep waters.

No innocent here but how useful the extra space is!

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On Praise of Y-Fronts - 9 The Competition

In the old days there was a rival to Y-fronts, the Wolsey X-Front design. The advertising picture attached shows the design but doesn't do justice to the garment which in later versions had a lower waist and broader 'X'. It looked quite good on a suitable model where the large X seams curving round the lower abdomen suggested restraint (to me at any rate!).

I can recall a striking advert where the X-fronted model was presented in a 'Tarzan' style scene, back pressed against a tree in the jungle with head turned trying to see round the trunk. In the background a camp fire could be seen through the trees suggesting wicked goings on from which he had just escaped from or in which he planned to intervene.

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After a period in which plain slips and boxers have been the staple underwear fare, fashions in men's underwear have veered back towards the Y-front sort of design in recent years. Visible seams have come back with Calvin Klein leading the way. Calvin's share with Y-fronts the essential qualities of loose fit and comfort which means they do not necessarily look terribly sexy on the average guy, but lets face it, we look through the eyes of non-average images!

The success of Calvins seems to have caused a general revival of interest in other brands. These days even porn stars wear seamed underpants – though generally they are not Y-fronts.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 8. Rear View Fantasies

As Mitchell is a fetish artist and mitchmen.com is a fetish interest site the sight of a male rear view inevitably conjures up fantasies of spanking.

The associations of 'should be worn and not seen' adds an extra twist of humiliation to this situation. This guy could almost be straight, that bedroom was certainly created by a woman and here he is presenting his Y-fronts and being punished for it.
(Picture by Young Designers Emporium of S Africa – but it's just an ad)

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The second picture from Man's Hand shows a public spanking of a man in Y-fronts, surely that's not a gay man? Have the revellers at the Folsom Street fair jumped a workman who made derogatory remarks as he passed by? Probably not but it's a nice fantasy.

Add a touch of bondage and the eroticism ratchets up a level.

Sorry no source info for this picture.

The way the leg seams shape the buttocks and highlight the thighs in these pictures is a feast for the eyes. Some of these underpants may not be Y-fronts although the effect is similar.

above: Cory from Captured Guys

Next time I'll look at contemporary rivals.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 7. From Behind

The high waist on Y's really comes into it's own when the wearer is seen from the rear.

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The sight of a substantial bottom filling out a pair of white Y-fronts is unbeatable!

The entire buttock is covered in white which hints at the treasure within. Bagginess banished.

The curve of the leg seam on the right guy makes me quiver and this image pops up quite a lot in my mitchmen drawings.

The pool table images are from the excellent Buk Buddies but I can't find the model on the current roster at the site.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 6 Seams and Pockets

Such has been the impact of Y-fronts that they have become a universal shorthand for men's underwear over the years although none of the competition have the upside down 'Y' seam which gives the garment it's name. The fork of the Y frames the pocket in which the male organs rest in a most satisfying way.

The shape and size of the pocket varies, small ones creating a 'trapped' effect while broader styles bring the area forward visually.

The other salient feature, traditionally, is the high waist which looks a bit old fashioned in this day and age – but in a way that's part of the appeal suggesting an innate modesty in their wearer which is endearing. The wearer is no flashy kid but a mature adult who favours comfort over image and who expects to reveal his underwear only to the select few.

Modern Y-fronts however do make concessions to the trend to skimpier fits and this picture shows a lower waisted example which is by no means short on erotic appeal. The superman tattoo on this model makes a nice connection to the hey day of Y-fronts in the 50's and the joke about wearing of underpants on the outside.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts 5 - Baggies

Because Y-Fronts are designed for comfort there is a tendency towards bagginess, especially in well used – or should I say much loved - examples. You can see this in the pictures of Dustin I posted earlier and I've added more views here (thanks to Buk Buddies again).

The baggy Y-front has been much ridiculed by the media and those women who get a kick out of mocking male stereotypes. Personally I don't find baggy underwear sexy in itself but the statement it makes about the wearer can be attractive. It certainly doesn't detract from Dustin's sexiness.

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The reality of any garment – male or female - is nearly always different front the glossy image portrayed by a model. And the image can be magnificent!

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Humble Y-fronts? No way, these garments are mighty masculine apparel.

The modesty more apparent than real in these examples.

On a practical level, any red blooded male will be happy to claim that 'room to grow' is essential whilst aficionados of the feel of cotton on the skin can (in private moments) appreciate the luxurious freedom of movement within.

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In Praise Of Y-Fronts - 4 Invidious Comparisons

Today's pictures are intended illustrate the 'undressed' effect I talked about in the last post. The vintage model posed in Y's and boots is intentionally sexual despite the superficial modesty. Forty years on, this picture still manages to deliver a sense of shock at seeing underwear inappropriately exposed. In fact the picture positively reeks of seedy sex.

The striped slip below which is slightly later it captures a little of the same effect by virtue of it's unfashionable pattern. 

Contrast this effect with the selection of more modern, overtly sexy and fashionable underwear below. Younger readers may have a different perspective but to me the other models don't look undressed at all – at least no more than a man on the beach in swimming trunks does.

These garments are intended to be seen and admired. The skimpy line, close fit and uncluttered look is certainly attractive but the image lacks the extra charge that comes from a sense of indiscreet exposure.

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Read Part 5


There are 3 other “In Praise of...” series at mitchmen in which Mitchell the gay fetish artist describes the allure of Jock Straps, Swimming Trunks and Sailors and the influence they have on to his drawings. Use the search functions in the side bar to find them.

In Praise Of Y-Fronts - 3 Caught Undressed

I have always been turned on by Y-front style underwear on men. To me this garments seems to say 'I'm a man and real men don't dress in skimpy or coloured underwear, we wear practical garments'. And because the seams and pockets clearly show the functionality of the garment, they highlight what is contained within. So that same modesty also dictates they be kept hidden as far as possible. So when I see a man standing in Y-fronts, it doesn't mean he is trying to look sexy it means he has been caught undressed, his intimate garments exposed for all to see. That's sexy!

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These pictures are from Buk Buddies, now defunct,
but one of the few sites that proudly featured Y-Front style underwear.
The model is Dustin.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 2. Catalogues

I don't imagine I am the only person in the world whose adolescent development was lit up by images of men in newspapers, pictures from football matches and other sporting events and adverts selling men's underwear. Later I discovered Shopping Catalogues and feasted my eyes on the wide selection of garments on offer.

These underwear ads were the most exciting because they showed garments that were supposed to be hidden from view and worn by handsome young men too. I loved the way these ads placed men in underwear in situations where they ought to be fully dressed – it was quite shocking to my youthful sensibilities – and unbelievably sexy.

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The sop to 'decency' was that the models always wore vests as well as pants, so no nipples or belly buttons, which might inflame the reader, were visible - even through the cotton. The vests were always tucked into the pants and the tackle was generally morphed into a smooth unrecognisable lump. One of the pictures shown here seems to have slipped through the last test.

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In Praise of Y-Fronts - 1 (Boys will be Boys)

Today's post introduces a series of articles called 'In Praise of Y-Fronts'
in which I show my appreciation of a much loved garment.

 I love to dress my boys in white underwear.

In this series I explain why
and give some favourite pictures of how to wear them well.

Mitchell - Boys Will Be Boys

This picture is an image from Mitchell's "S+M Clinic" series posted at mitchmen (Yahoo Group).
All the pictures and Story can be seen by joining the mitchmen Yahoo Group (link in right sidebar).

Read Part 2 

Other titles in the In Praise Of..... series covered 
jock straps, swimming trunks and sailors 
and can be found by using the search functions.

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Conclusion of Letter 'I'

I generally select a favourite artist for each letter. Very often it's an obvious choice and sometimes I have to weigh up a couple of contenders, but I find it difficult with this group. I don't feel I know any of the artists really well, either because of lack of material or because their genre is not my thing. The Japanese contenders generate a lot of atmosphere in their pictures but the facial expressions are not really the stuff of erotic dreams and, in my collection at least, there's more sex than fetish. So I'm going to plump for Iceman on the grounds of cute men and plenty of pain. See the example below.

For link see original Iceman post

For earlier posts in this series click on the A-Z label below

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Iwao

Iwao completes a trio of comic artists beginning with 'I', his style contrasts with the other 2. There is a bit more 'production' about these images and the shading is more complex. His men are inclined too be very big, overweight even, with distinctly muscular arms. The faces are probably the most realistic of the trio but with a distinctive cuteness about them attributable to their slightly exaggerated ears and small noses – yet another example of the youth enhancing devices available to artists!

Iwao's hero looks more 20th Century than Iceman's and his voluptuous muscles, neat hair grooming, shiny accessories and carefully shredded loin cloth have a touch of Hollywood about them but it's still a nice image.

The nose ring picture is an unusual punishment image and a most effective one. The artist works hard to bring out the humiliation of the victim. The facial expressions tell a story of their own – pain and embarrassment - vindictive mischief - amusement and satisfaction. The victim's nudity contrasts with his tormentors everyday clothing. Only the open front on the young man's overalls at the back suggest a possible sexual motivation. I must say he looks very sweet – which makes his participation in the cruel behaviour all the more erotic. If you are wondering 'why the ring', take a close look at the lower left background and you will see some more members of the audience which explains all.


Sorry no link for Iwao, it's a common Japanese name.

For earlier posts in this series click on the A-Z label below

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Irizarry

At first glance this looks like a picture by 'Sean', there are similarities both in the drawing line and facial characteristics.

However, when you put an example of Sean's art alongside, as I have here, the differences are readily apparent and you can see that Irizarry has a greater command of his craft.
The foreground is shaded in a most sophisticated way, the facial detail is convincing and the use of perspective for the body is ambitious and successful. The result is a little bit 'staged' however and this looks like a pretty friendly encounter despite the bondage.

Sean's picture scores more highly for drama and eroticism - despite the humorous overtones (which I suppose are rooted in politically incorrect stereotypes in this day and age). I don't have many pictures by Irizarry or know very much about him but on this picture alone he is worth a mention.

I have no website information for this artist.

For earlier posts in this series click on the A-Z label below

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Kobaro

I originally posted the artist under the name 'ie' but a reader has now identified him as Kobaro. I wanted to include him as an example of Japanese comic art which is firmly focussed on adult males.

These pictures show men, often big men, captured and under threat. The drawing style has a sort of exaggerated, almost carved appearance which is very 3-dimensional. Interestingly, the bondage detail doesn't seem to capture this effect, there isn't a strong sense of tightness or indentation of the flesh. There is a sense of drama and emotion conveyed by facial expressions, flying perspiration and the close placing of the characters in relation to each other. Of course the eyes and bared teeth are stock stylisations anchoring the pictures in the comic realm but much of the drawing is more representational.

In the knife attack picture the attention to detail in the clothing is fascinating and you could not have a better example of clothes being used to add detail to characters and situations. In fact this picture is chillingly convincing if you study it. The captives over-large eyes are another example of exaggerated size conveying youthfulness and innocence but the craggy jaw and muscular neck affirm his adulthood so there is no ambiguity about age here.

I have no website information for this artist but a search on his name will turn up plenty of examples.


For earlier posts in this series click on the A-Z label below

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Letter 'I' - Iceman

After the riches of the letter 'H' we're on slightly different rations for 'I'. I have picked out Iceman, 'ie', Irizarry and Iwao. Virtually every one of these poses an identity issue of one sort or another so there may turn out to be very few entries indeed if my identification is mistaken!

IcemanIceman uses the classic comic style to show typical comic heroes in conflict with typical comic baddies. It's the captivity situations which are atypical! In the pictures which I have collected the hero is young, muscular and handsome whilst the enemy seem barely human except for basic anatomy. The superhero genre is not particularly alluring to me ( although I lusted after Superman in my youth). For this reason I don't claim exhaustive knowledge of this artist (and indeed am not 100% sure that this name is just one artist) but I have shown a couple of his heroes here.

I particularly like The Barbarian tied to his horse, a highly erotic image and not simply because of the novel seating arrangement. The twisted body pose cleverly shows both rear and frontal curves and the artist has used the lightest of shading to turn those curves into voluptuous 3D surfaces. The accessories – gag, gauntlets and thigh boots – throw additional emphasis onto the man's muscular limbs and nudity invoking a high level of sexual interest but without any sense of 'over-egging' the cake. Meanwhile, the minimal but delightfully awkward bondage and the rearing horse create a sense of danger and excitement, the whole picture is full of action.

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As with Fillion's snake picture (see letter F), I marvel at the ability of comic artists like this to use apparently simple techniques to create such powerful, memorable images. Of course the muscular horse, like the sensuous snake, brings his own sexual persona to the party.

In the second picture the effect is not so great, the scene is less convincing, but this is one of a tryptich and the interest lies in the developments from scene to scene which you can probably guess from the clues in picture 1. I like the ripped briefs and chunky boots, reminiscent of moon-boots. The cartoon device of exaggerating the size of certain body parts - like feet – adds a boyish dimension to the character. This has a direct appeal to most people on a subconscious level but in a sexual context can be quite disturbing. Iceman avoids that trap fortunately.

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I don't recommend the web address on the pictures as it seems to have been hijacked. There's a blog at iceman blogger and a selection of his pictures at
http://yaoiai.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=521

For earlier posts in this series click on the A-Z label below

Mitchmen A-Z of Fetish Artists

The next series of postings will be a continuation of my series reviewing favourite fetish artists. This will cover Artists with names beginning with 'I'

Muscle and Rope Postscript - Thong Model in Bondage

Having raided the image archives of numerous studios, this is Mitchell's take on the Muscles and Rope theme. My model is in the simplest form of bondage and is wearing backless briefs which, for some strange reason, always seem to be sexier when seen from the side than from the back.

. Mitchell - Muscle and Rope

Young man, short hair, Mitchman....yum!

Muscle and Rope - 25

I conclude this series by returning to the studio which is producing some of the most exciting male bondage images on the internet, Bound Gods and it's creative genius Van Darkholme.

These pictures of tied up bodybuilders are simple compositions but so erotically charged and in their own way artistically satisfying.

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Rope is tightly bound round the subjects where it is not really needed for the purpose of restraint but it serves to shape and highlight erotic areas like the pecs and thighs.
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What I particularly like about these images is that they are so clean. Not only is the photography crisp and well lit, the backrounds are uncluttered by distracting domestic or dungeon paraphenalia and coloured to display the model's bodies to advantage.
Simply excellent.

You can see limited pictures at the site above, but Mr Kristofer regularly features sample pictures which link to trailers (films and stills)

Muscle and Rope - 24

By special request of one of my readers I present Roger Marvik of Hard Heroes - a very big man! The noose like motif is quite erotic for those who like black forbidden fantasies but basically muscle here is totally in charge of the senses.

The straining chest above and the submissive pose below is quite a nice combination. Imaginations go!

Hard Heroes features superheroes in tight lycra. There are some pictures on the site - the imagery is a bit fanciful unless you are into that genre. There are also pictures on the Can-Am site - see No 19 in this series for info about accessing Can Am pics.