Our brief animated guide to looking smashing in your smalls.

Underpants. You might think they don't matter because no one sees them, but you'd be wrong. What happens if you get knocked over by a bus and the medics remove your trousers? What happens if you spill a hot drink all over your legs and have to remove your scalding chinos in the middle of the office? What happens if you get lucky on a night you weren't expecting any action? And don't imagine other guys in the gym, gay or straight, aren't going to notice either.

Let's be absolutely clear: the aim here is not to catch the eye. There's a difference between underwear that you're happy to be seen in and underwear that is intended to be seen – and at MR PORTER, we lean heavily in favour of the former. No neon waistbands here: from Derek Rose to Zimmerli, Hanro to Calvin Klein, our selection of brands favours subdued colours and tasteful patterns over the bold and the brash.

Of course, colour and pattern are not the only considerations worth addressing when searching for the right underwear. In our film, above, we, er, tackle a few other important issues.