Bonobos opened its doors in Minneapolis this week, and already, I feel like I owe the Internet-first menswear brand an apology. I was skeptical of the showroom concept, as I detailed in a column for the magazine, when I first visited a Bonobos store in New York—like maybe the brand built on better khakis was trying too hard to be different and needed to just face facts that many people still like to browse, touch, and try on product, and then actually take it home with them. At the Bonobos Guideshop, men can try on the entire line, which includes casual and tailored clothing, but all orders are placed via iPad and shipped directly to customers. There’s no stock in store.
“We find that most guys don’t really care about instant gratification,” says Bonobos spokeswoman Erin Grant. “They aren’t shopping for something to wear that day.”
And in the case of my husband, they aren’t shopping at all. So I asked my beloved to meet me on the corner of Washington and Second Avenues over the lunch hour earlier this week. Bonobos is the first retailer to open in a new building called The Washington at the high profile North Loop corner. He seemed unsure. “Near Sex World,” I continued.
Enough said.
Erin sized up Rustin right away, complimenting him on his slim fitting flat front dress pants. He looked down as though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was even wearing. “She bought them,” he said.
Must be nice to have clothes magically show up in your closet, I remarked. Well, that’s sort of what happens with Bonobos. Pick out something in the shop, and it’s at your door a few days later.
“Does that bother you?” I pressed my husband. “Wouldn’t you want to wear this jacket today?”
He shrugged. “Nope.”
Erin smiled, knowingly.
Another thing that makes shopping for, and even with, my husband challenging is the inconsistency of sizing and cuts among most brands. One store’s slim is another store’s impossible-to-pull-above-the-quads skinny. Bonobos bottoms come in four fits, and those fits are consistent across styles. So now that we’ve established Rustin is an Athletic cut (he’s very proud) he knows that’s his fit in jeans, dress pants, or chinos.
“Wait, what’s a chino?” he asked.
I must add—the Bonobos athletic cut is a great compromise: slim enough to please me, roomy enough that he can bend and breathe.
Rustin has sleeve issues, too. The larger size he requires for his broad shoulders comes with a sleeve that’s generally too long in off-the-rack shirts. Bonobos dress shirts come in neck and sleeve lengths, so he can get his ideal fit without tailoring.
Speaking of which, you are on your own if tailoring is required. The clothes, after all, come straight to you. But the convenient sizing and range of fits made it so that more of these garments fit my husband right off the rack than is typically the case. Price wise, Bonobos is similar to J.Crew. We picked out a pair of khakis for $88. Suits start at $550.
As we left the store, my husband had an email confirming his order. He quickly set up his account, put the jacket we admired on the way out in his virtual “wish list,” and sent me his password. I think he figures I’ll still be doing the shopping, and he’s probably right. Progress comes one pair of chinos at a time.
