The briefs, briefly

My object – an undergarment, size unknown – comes from a woman named Renee. I have seen a photograph of the object but have not examined the object in person, so my description here is limited by the angle and lighting of the image.

The image shows one pair of trunk-style or boxer brief–style men’s underwear. This underwear style executes the boxy, longer-legged fit of boxer shorts in the form-fitting cotton blend material of briefs (now known colloquially as “tighty whities”), resulting in a hybrid style of underwear that emerged in the 1990s and remains popular in the United States today. The boxer brief style is held in place on the waist by an elastic band, either exposed or fabric-covered, and provides coverage from the waist to the top or middle of the thighs. The front of these undergarments often features a pouch-like protuberance to accommodate the male sexual anatomy and may have a keyhole fly, a button-front closure, or no fly along the pouch.

In the production of the boxer brief, layers of cotton or cotton-blend fabric are cut along die lines to produce each piece of the undergarment pattern. Pattern pieces are sewn together and then serge-stitched along major seams. Serging machines sew straight and zigzag stitches together in a pattern, completely sealing the edge of the fabric to prevent unraveling and to reinforce the seams. Legholes are reinforced with a hem or with binding fabric for a clean look. Each undergarment is finished with an elastic waistband and a tag relating brand, size, material content, and place of manufacture.

Renee’s boxer briefs have a keyhole fly and are heather grey in color with darker, carbon-colored horizontal striping throughout. The exposed elastic waistband bears the letters “FTL” (for Fruit of the Loom) at regular intervals. At the legholes, a simple hem was created by folding the raw edge under and fastening with a standard stitch. Label information was not available, but boxer briefs available in a similar style are constructed of 75% polyester and 25% cotton material. Site of production of the sample undergarment could not be determined; however, Fruit of the Loom operates factories in the Caribbean and Central America that ship to retail locations in the United States.

The sample boxer briefs appear to have been previously worn, judging by the slight rippling of the elastic waistband in the back that results from laundering and drying elastic at high temperatures. The fabric itself lacks the crisp appearance of new underwear, suggesting laundering. It is unusual—but not unheard of—for undergarments to be ironed, but these appear to have gone through a typical washing-and-drying cycle without ironing: the fabric in the thigh portion looks soft and slightly rumpled.

These shorts are clean and well preserved. Though designed specifically for men, this style of underwear could be worn by women. If the briefs are not worn functionally by their owner, they may have some totemic or symbolic value for her.

UPDATE: I got to see the shorts! Instead of recasting my description to include the new details, I'll summarize my new findings here to highlight some of the differences between what can be observed in person and what can be seen in a photograph. I found that

• The stripes are black, not carbon grey.
• The binding thread and serge-stitch are black.
  
• The fabric has a thin-to-medium feel/weight and has developed tiny "pills" on the surface from friction and laundering.
• Elastic threads are fraying along the waistband.
• A heavy scent of laundry detergent masks what may be a very slight scent of cigarette smoke.
• The tag on the inside back of the waistband is extremely worn. It appears to have been adhered with a gluelike binding substance rather than sewn to the band. What remains is greyish "islands" of the tag with a slight bit of smeared red dye in one spot. All information about size, brand, and material content has been eradicated.
• The briefs measure 15.75" at the waist on one side of the garment, 14.5" along the side from waist to leghole, and 9" across the leghole, and have an 11" rise.