Boyshort

A boyshort looks like a pair of very short shorts. The leg openings run straight across, horizontally, at the bottom of the buttocks or the top of the thigh, instead of curving up toward the hip. That gives the deepest side of any everyday panty and full coverage front, sides and back. The rise is usually low to mid. Many are cut from stretch microfiber or lace, often with a seam down the center back or at the sides.

The straight leg sits in the crease below the buttocks or on the thigh, where it shows less than a diagonal line across the cheek. It also stops thighs rubbing under skirts and dresses, so the boyshort is a common choice for comfort, for sleep and under short hems.

The name refers to men's trunks and boxer briefs, whose straight leg the style borrows. No designer or launch date is recorded for it.

A hipster has a similar low waist but a leg that rises to the hip crease, so its side is shallower. A full brief rises to the waist and curves up at the leg. A short-length control brief can look like a boyshort, but it is made of firm compressive fabric.

Most boyshort complaints come down to one part of the garment: the leg hem. Get that right and the rest of the fit tends to follow.

The leg hem decides everything

A boyshort's straight leg sits on the thigh, and the thigh is where trouble starts. A tight elastic leg band digs in and leaves a ridge, which then shows through leggings and fitted trousers as two lines. A band that is too loose lets the leg creep up toward the crotch as you walk, and then the short behaves like a wedgie with extra fabric.

The fix is in the construction. Bonded, laser-cut or raw-cut edges lie flat without elastic. Girlfriend Collective's Boy Short uses raw-cut leg openings for exactly this reason. Soft stretch lace at the hem, like Hanky Panky's, grips gently without biting. A plain elastic leg works under loose clothes but is the wrong choice under anything tight.

If the legs ride up on you, look for a longer leg or a fabric with more grip. Fuller thighs push a short hem up as they move, and a few extra inches of fabric reduce that.

Boyshort rises and hip shapes

Boyshorts suit straight and rounded hips equally well, because the side is deep enough that the waistband does not need to cling to a curve. Rise is the bigger variable, and brands differ a lot:

• Low rise sits below the navel, often near the hip bone. ThirdLove's Seamless Stretch Cotton Boyshort is low-rise with full rear coverage.
• Mid-rise is the most common. Hanky Panky's Signature Lace Boyshort and Else's Nano Minimal Boyshort both sit here.
• High waist covers the navel. SKIMS makes its Fits Everybody Boy Short with a high waist and a 100 percent cotton gusset.

Rear coverage varies too. Hanky Panky describes its best-seller as cheeky, and Cosabella's Never Say Never Hottie Low Rise Boyshort has moderate rear coverage. Others, like the Else and Girlfriend Collective styles, cover the full seat. Check the back view before you buy, because the word on the label does not settle it.

Under leggings, jeans and slip dresses

The boyshort is at its best under clothes that would show the diagonal line of a bikini brief across the cheek. That includes knit dresses, fitted trousers in crepe, and stretch denim. With a flat hem, the leg line falls in the crease below the buttocks where it barely reads.

Sheer fabrics are another good use. Else markets its Nano Minimal Boyshort as a base under sheer skirts and dresses, where a solid short looks intentional rather than accidental. Pick a color close to your skin under pale clothes.

Under very short skirts and wide-leg shorts, a boyshort can peek out at the hem. A short with a shorter leg, or a hipster, is safer there.

Lace, cotton or microfiber

• Stretch lace is the most forgiving. It adapts to your shape, and most styles sit flat at the hem. Hanky Panky, founded in 1977, calls its Signature Lace "the lace that started it all".
• Cotton and cotton-spandex breathes and suits sleep and lounging. Pure cotton without spandex bags out over a day of wear.
• Microfiber of polyamide and elastane is the smoothest under clothes. Else's Nano Minimal is 81 percent polyamide and 19 percent elastane.

Whatever the outer fabric, look for a cotton gusset.

How it compares, and how to care for it

For a side-by-side view of the boyshort against its nearest cuts, see boyshort vs full brief. Lace and microfiber boyshorts last longest if you wash them cool in a mesh bag and dry them flat. Cosabella's care label asks for a cold hand wash and no dryer, and that is sound advice for any lace short.