The End of International Male & Undergear

[Kevin Slater]

International Male, a clothing catalog that served as the intro to gay porn for many of us, is ceasing operations.

[url=http://www.out.com/truman-says/2015/6/25/international-male-undergear][/url]

http://www.out.com/truman-says/2015/6/25/international-male-undergear

 

http://www.out.com/sites/out.com/files/international-male-comp.jpg

 

Kevin Slater

[+ Gar1eth]

Another fad I missed out on. Really if I weren't attracted to handsome muscular guys, I think I'd have to turn in my gay card.

 

Gman

[doitb4ugo]

Their catalog was certainly my first look at beautiful guys wearing very sexy clothes. And to think I could get and peruse this catalog in my own home without having to hide it from my wife. After all it was just menswear. I do miss the simplicity that those days represented.

[Tonyko]

We used to call it International Male Prostitute :-) (Their bathing suits etc were a tad skimpy) Imagine my SURPRISE when first in LA to discover that it was an actual STORE lol. On S.Monica Bl. I STILL have a (Modest) bathing suit that I bought there.

[+ Just Sayin]

I remember when the catalogs arrived in the mail trying to find time to discreetly look at the scantily clad men; they were wonderful!

[+ purplekow]

I do not know how I got on their mailing list. Perhaps it was some sort of cosmic referral. In any case, the first time I saw it I thought "who would wear such clothing?". Years later, I realized the clothes were not to be worn, but rather to be removed.

I did order a shirt from their catalogue once. It sort of resembled the "puffy shirt" from a Seinfeld episode.

[rvwnsd]

We used to call it International Male Prostitute (Their bathing suits etc were a tad skimpy) Imagine my SURPRISE when first in LA to discover that it was an actual STORE lol. On S.Monica Bl. I STILL have a (Modest) bathing suit that I bought there.

When they were an independent company they had three stores in San Diego, where they were based. One was downtown on G street, one in Hillcrest, and the third at the North County Fair Mall (now Westfield North County) in Escondido.

[Guest]

Yeah, those catalogs really helped clean out my prostate many a time...

[bigvalboy]

Sad, but it was all so inevitable. They always had that little twist on fashion, and the store on SM, back in the day, gave us our own little enclave.

[loverboy95]

Oh the memories I have of all the hot models I discovered from them!

[Bargara Leatherboy]

Thats the end of an era - one of my weight loss goals was to be able to buy all my clothes thru that company, as the models always looked so sexy - guess I need to find a new goal

[Diverdan]

I remember getting my first catalog. I spent hours looking at those models and wondering where they were found ! It is a sad day, but inevitable, as has been said, so many others are getting into the skimpy and sexy undergarment and swimsuits, etc.

[Diverdan]

I remember getting my first catalog. I spent hours looking at those models and wondering where they were found ! It is a sad day, but inevitable, as has been said, so many others are getting into the skimpy and sexy undergarment and swimsuits, etc.

[BaronArtz]

Thankfully, the much edgier Rufskin is doing really well ... I love their bathing suits. Stylish and sexy:

 

http://www.rufskin.com/

[Kenny]

Victor's Secret.

[geoffk]

i think this is the picture that made me gay. Just incredible.http://www.nowhavefun.com/celebritypictures/d/31381-1/15+Brian+Buzzini+foto.jpg

[caliguy]

Damn. I didn't even know they were still a thing. That is sad though.I used to look forward to them. Opening them up was so exiting. The 80's finally called them back.

[Epigonos]

The West Hollywood shop was located on Santa Monica Blvd. just west of Robertson. Their sales guys really knew the merchandise and could locate immediately what looked good on a customer. In my early 30's I was big time into bodybuilding and shopped there on a fairly regular basis. They had great shirts, pants, and jackets. Much of their clothing was skin tight which is exactly what most bodybuilders want. If one works that hard, in a gym, to build those muscles one definitely wants clothing that show them off.

[+ Gar1eth]

To expand the OP's topic on the demise of International Male---

 

It's not just bodybuilders. It seems to me a lot of gay guys wear things overly tight. I know definitely that multiple escorts I've been with have worn really tight clothing. I remember being with an older escort-he was 40. He only escorted for the thrill of it. He had been married at one time. Had children. And had a regular 'day' job. He had a nice physique. But it really surprised me that a 'normal' older probably not in the party life of a young gay male would still dress that way. He wasn't even from a gay 'mecca' like NYC, Chicago, LA, SF, or Atlanta. He was from staid conservative Missouri.

 

Is it because males are said to be more visually oriented than woman? Isn't that why woman wear tight clothing to exhibit to straight males?

 

Gman

[Kevin Slater]

Thankfully, the much edgier Rufskin is doing really well ... I love their bathing suits. Stylish and sexy:

 

http://www.rufskin.com/

 

Although they just closed their Chelsea store, with a sign in the window saying "See you in California." Too bad, too, cuz some of the sales waifs were fucking hot.

 

Kevin Slater

[doitb4ugo]

A brief comment on their clothes and other tight or skimpy attire; when I came out a few years ago (I was over 60), my first best friend convinced me to buy clothes that made "me" feel good and to stop worrying what others might think about my dress. I have followed this ever since. Now I have a large collection of Andrew Christian underwear and 4-5 very skimpy bathing suits which I do wear and wear them proudly. They pass the test of making me feel great when I put them on.

[+ Robster]

God, I used to love those catalogs. Here's a picture of me perusing one, back in my 20's. <sigh>

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/280sk83.jpg

[+ purplekow]

God, I used to love those catalogs. Here's a picture of me perusing one, back in my 20's. <sigh>

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/280sk83.jpg

Baby face You got the cutest little baby face......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taBAIlev89w This version was probably popular a bit before your picture was taken but many here will recognize it from their disco club days

[+ Gar1eth]

God, I used to love those catalogs. Here's a picture of me perusing one, back in my 20's. <sigh>

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/280sk83.jpg

 

Baby face You got the cutest little baby face......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taBAIlev89w This version was probably popular a bit before your picture was taken but many here will recognize it from their disco club days

 

I like the dancers in this one.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxi9cjT3S2o

 

Gman

[+ azdr0710]

God, I used to love those catalogs. Here's a picture of me perusing one, back in my 20's. <sigh>

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/280sk83.jpg

 

 

lookin' good, Rob!....but that sofa!....holy jeez!