The spring underwear drawer reset
Every September the jumpers go up on the shelf and the linen comes down, and almost nobody does the same thing with the drawer underneath. It stays exactly as it was in July.
Which is odd, because it's the layer closest to you and the one doing the most work — and it's the one the seasonal change actually affects most.
Why September changes the brief
Two things happen at once. Everything you wear over the top gets thinner, lighter and paler, so show-through becomes a live consideration in a way it simply isn't in winter. And it gets warmer, so what a fabric does with moisture starts to matter.
A drawer full of black is well set up for the first of those and badly set up for the second.
The ten-minute version
- Retire anything that rolls or digs. Elastic relaxes at 12–18 months; it isn't you and it isn't the size.
- Pull out the black. Keep some for dark trousers. It's the wrong answer under everything spring puts on top.
- Be honest about the back section. If you haven't worn it since last spring, next spring won't be different.
- Replace with one pack, not piecemeal. Buying two at a time is how a drawer stays a negotiation.
- Weight it light. Powder Blue and Pastel Pink cover white jeans, linen trousers, stone chinos and pale scrubs.
What good looks like afterwards
One style, enough of them to cover a week, in colours that work under the clothes you're actually going to wear for the next six months. The upgrade isn't really the underwear — it's that you stop making a decision every morning.
If you're weighing pack sizes, the maths is in is an underwear multipack worth it.
The Anywhere G is a seamless G-string with a performance nylon body, cotton-lined gusset, bonded edges and no waistband. $32 a pair, or from $21.90 a pair in packs of 4, 7 or 10.
Frequently asked
How often should you replace underwear?
Most underwear is past its best at 12–18 months of regular wear — elastic relaxes, edges start to roll, and colour goes. If a pair is riding up or digging in more than it used to, that's usually age rather than size.
What underwear should I wear in spring and summer?
Lighter colours, because everything you wear over the top gets thinner and paler, and a moisture-wicking knit rather than all-cotton, because absorbed moisture stays against you on a warm day.
Do I need different underwear colours for summer clothes?
In practice, yes. Black works under winter's dark trousers and is the most visible option under summer's white jeans, linen and pale dresses. A mid-tone close to your skin covers both.
