Drop the boxers – Y-fronts give security

SALES of Y-fronts have increased by 35 per cent since the recession began, retailer Debenhams said yesterday.

The derided style of men's underwear has been the high-street giant's fastest-selling pants this year, outperforming more trendy boxers and trunks.

Last month, Y-fronts outsold boxer shorts for the first time since the early 1990s – the last time Britain was in recession.

And it is the standard white styles which are selling like hot cakes rather than the high fashion versions of previous years.

The store's spokesman Ed Watson said: "These are the sort of pants our fathers wore. They provide a much greater sense of security than boxers, and in these troubled times, perhaps that's what men need to feel."