We've spent years and years collecting drawers full of cute and lacy underwear that, if we're being honest, no one ever notices anyway. But the older and wiser we get, the more we appreciate the beauty in a basic black bikini-cut bottom — there's something to be said about comfort and coziness and underwear that's straight-up delightful to slip into.
So we gave the lacy stuff a break and converted to comfy-only for a week to narrow down the enormous list of basic underwear and bring you our review of the best and blackest of the bunch. For the experiment, we opted for bikinis from each brand for consistency, but we imagine our findings would be reflected in other cuts and styles from these brands, too.
What we found is that all underwear is not created equal — shape and material really make a difference when it comes to comfort and breathability, and it's not all as wedgie-proof as we'd like it to be.
So with all that in mind, here's our list of our best basic underwear on the market. You'll want to ditch the lace soon too, we promise.
Image via meundies.com
MeUndies
MeUndies uses a lot of fancy sources and fancy language ("MicroModal" fabrics, Austrian Beechwood tree fiber, Edelweiss technology for incorporating CO2 neutral processes, etc., etc.) to try to convince you that their underwear will be the most comfortable you will ever put on. Let us tell you: We were skeptical until we got our first handful. You can feel the extreme softness of the Women's Bikini ($16, meundies.com) before you even slip into them, and these really might be the most comfortable pair of underwear we've ever worn. The material is thicker and denser than cotton typically is, but it's also much stretchier. The $16 price point isn't making us sing, but the sustainable sources and eco-friendly manufacturing makes the price a little easier to swallow.
Patagonia
Patagonia's __Women's Barely Bikini __($22, patagonia.com) were by far the best pair for dealing with sweat in a cool and concise manner. By that we mean that the fabric they're made from, polyester and spandex, wicks like a master, making them a great choice for working out. It also makes them thinner and more slippery than some of the other pairs we tried — but, surprisingly, that ended up meaning we could wear these under skirts and dresses and not worry about panty lines or that weird bunching thing that happens sometimes where the dress fabric sort of sticks to your underwear. You know that thing? It's annoying.
True & Co.
Look, we're not totally insane. We're not ready to give up lacy forever. We thought we could, but then we tried True & Co.'s Lace Brazilian ($16, trueandco.com) and realized that the best of both worlds was actually kind of a possibility. The leg and waist bands on these are less forgiving than the ones on the other pairs we tried but they're surprising breathable and truly, truly sexy.
Tomboyx
Okay, fine! We cheated a little with this one! But we heard over and over how comfortable Tomboyx's Iconic Briefs ($18, tomboyx.com) were, so even though they're not strictly bikinis, we felt we had to give them a try. And we are SO glad we did. The best word we have for this pair is "sturdy" — they're thick and built to last but still look very cool in a very (*duh*) tomboy sort of way. The thick waist band was also a huge comfort — both in a "I'm not digging into your skin and leaving marks!" way and a "hide anything you want under me, I got ya," kind of way.
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Calvin Klein
We sort of wanted our Calvin Kleins to quietly turn us into Kendall Jenner for the day, and while that didn't really happen at all, even after the experiment ended, our pair of Calvin Klein's Logo Cotton Stretch Bikini ($12 or 3 for $30, calvinklein.com) has been one we always grab off the top of the clean pile first. The weight is of the cotton is just right, and the thick band across the top makes them feel solid and secure. Plus, thealmost '90s-ish height to the leg openings makes us look pretty hot, if we do say so ourselves. Not Kendall Jenner hot, but at this point, we'll take what we can get.
Aerie
Aerie's Aerie Logo Bikini ($7.50, ae.com) swooped with one of the lowest price points of all the underwear on our list, but that really didn't have any bearing over the quality. They're not made with particularly fancy or particularly eco-friendly fibers like some of the other brands used, but they're thick and soft and sometimes you really just need a good ol' pair of cotton underwear in your drawer. Plus, the cut of these is one of the cutest we tried — they sit just right on our hips and the scalloped waistband is elastic enough to keep 'em up with out squeezing too much in.
On Gossamer
All of On Gossamer's lingerie is pretty dang adorable, even when it's trying to be basic and plain. Exhibit A: Their Microglamour Hip Bikini ($16, ongossamer.com), which is pretty standard in terms of cut and color, but with embroidered bands that pull the whole thing together. Every underwear drawer must have some nylon, and this pair would be our pick — it's 86 percent nylon and 14 percent spandex, which helps solve some of the stickiness and stretchiness issues we normally run into with 100 percent nylon undies.
Gap
Gap has always been one of our go-tos for solid staples, and their underwear selection is no different. This String Bikini ($10.50, gap.com) sits with a little more flexibility and a little more of the "barely there" feeling than most bikinis do, making it one of our light-weight faves.
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Hanky Panky
Hanky Panky's Organic Cotton V-kini with Lace ($29, hankypanky.com) look pretty sexy, right? Like, so sexy that there's no way they could be comfortable, right? Wrooong. The lace band is actually the most comfortable part of the whole package — it's stretchy and forgiving and doesn't slip or squeeze any more than necessary. But it's also fairly delicate and has a pretty high rip risk, so we'd be afraid of being too hard on these guys. Mostly, though, we love them. (For the record, Hanky Panky also has an awesome plus size collection that's truly no less sexy than their originals, which gets 18 thumbs-up from us.)
Fruit of the Loom
Since we really were on a mission to get black only, we didn't love that Fruit of the Loom's Breathable Bikini ($12.77 for 5, amazon.com) came in assorted color packs. But we felt like we had to include a cheaper option on the list, and these were our favorite of the bunch. The mesh fabric is kind of strange but really lightweight and breathable, and the microfiber lining is super comfy on.
Magic Silk
Because we believe in treating ourselves, and in the power of silk to make us feel cosmopolitan and luxe, we tried Magic Silk's Silk Knit Bikini Brief ($36, figleaves.com). We came for the 100 percent silk and stayed for the 100 percent silk — this pair of underwear is all luxury, and while they probably wouldn't be up to summer sweat or many big bends and stretches, they're still all we ever want to wear while lounging at home from now on.
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