Full Brief

The full brief is the traditional shape. The waistband sits at or near the natural waist, the stomach, hips and seat are fully covered, and the leg openings curve up modestly without exposing the hip. It covers more than any other everyday panty, and it is the cut behind the joke name granny pants.

It suits wearers who want coverage and a waistband that stays above the hip. The leg elastic sits in the hip crease rather than across the buttocks, which keeps the brief in place. It is the usual cut for cotton everyday underwear, for many period pants and for matching sets in larger sizes. Its drawback under fitted clothes is the leg line, which bonded or lace edges can soften.

It has no inventor; it is the baseline that lower cuts were trimmed from. The bikini and the hipster took their names from swimwear and trousers of the mid twentieth century, and both are described by how much of the full brief they remove.

A high-waist brief may share the rise but is defined by its tall front and often a vintage or fashion cut. A boyshort covers as much but has straight legs rather than curved ones. A control brief can have the same shape, but its fabric is thicker and compressive.

Few people shop for a full brief with any care, and many end up with one that rolls at the waist, creeps at the seat or leaves a line under trousers. All three faults can be fixed by size and fabric choice, not by giving up on the cut.

Waistband, leg line and the hip crease

The waistband belongs at the natural waist, the narrowest point of the torso, usually just above the navel. It should lie flat without pinching. A waistband that folds down when you sit means the brief is too small, or its rise is too short for your body. One that slips below the navel through the day means it is too big.

The leg elastic should sit in the hip crease, where the thigh meets the body. That position keeps the seat covered and stops the brief working its way inward. If the elastic sits lower, across the top of the thigh, the leg openings are too big and the back will bag. If it cuts into the buttocks, the brief is too small.

Fabric across the seat should be smooth, without horizontal folds, and the gusset should lie flat rather than pulling forward.

Who it suits, and who should trim down

The full brief makes sense with high-waisted trousers and skirts, where a low panty leaves a line at the hip. It also suits wearers who want a waistband above the stomach rather than across it, cold weather, and sizes where low cuts tend to roll. The rise lines up with high-waisted shapewear and with matching sets in fuller sizes.

Skip it with low-rise jeans, where the waistband shows above the trousers, and under very fitted, thin dresses unless the edges are bonded. If you want the rise with more shaping or a vintage look, compare it with the high-waist brief; the high-waist vs full brief comparison sets them side by side.

Leg lines under trousers and skirts

The weak point of a full brief is its leg opening, which crosses the seat lower than a bikini or Brazilian line does. Under fitted trousers or a jersey skirt, that line shows unless the edge is flat. Look for flat-locked seams, bonded edges or a soft lace trim that sits flat. Hanro describes the flat-locked seams on its Cotton Sensation full brief as designed to be invisible under close-fitting clothes.

Under wool trousers, denim and lined skirts, ordinary elastic edges are fine.

Cotton, modal and what lasts

Cotton is the default fabric for a full brief. The question is how much elastane comes with it. Hanro's Cotton Sensation full brief is 92 percent cotton and 8 percent elastane, enough stretch to recover after a day's wear without losing the cotton feel. Pure cotton with no elastane relaxes and sags by evening. Hanro's Moments full brief uses a modal and lyocell blend, which feels softer and cooler than cotton.

Sloggi, the Triumph label that launched in the late 1970s on high-cotton underwear, sells its basics in a Maxi cut, the brand's name for the full brief. The Basic+, Double Comfort and Go Sense lines all come in it.

Washing and replacing

Hanro rates its Cotton Sensation brief for a normal 40C (104F) wash, with no tumble-drying, no bleach and a cool iron. That last part matters for every full brief. Dryer heat breaks down elastane, and the waistband is the first thing to go. Once a waistband no longer springs back after a gentle stretch, the brief will start rolling, and no change of size will fix it.