Olivers makes some of our favorite athletic shorts, precisely because they don’t look like athletic shorts. And now, they want to sell you base layers that don’t feel like base layers to go underneath them too.
The company’s Base Tight and Base Short are assembled in Los Angeles with Como active fabric from Italy. That blend of 45% nylon, 40% cotton, and 15% elastane offers four-way stretch and a lot more support than a traditional boxer brief or tight, while still wicking sweat and staying breathable. And I have to say, it’s also softer than any activewear base layer I’ve ever felt, making my usual workout go-tos, ExOfficio’s Give-N-Gos, feel disquietingly synthetic.
At $78 for the brief and $98 for the tight, this isn’t going to be your every day underwear, but rather something you own one or two pairs of just for working out. They also come with a 1-year warranty and free returns, if that helps you swallow the price tag. Just be warned, once you put them on, you’re not going to want to send them back. Or take them off.