Sorry if your firm didn’t make the cut. We’ll do something similar again soon, so start spreading the word with your colleagues to make sure you make the next tourney.

The rules are simple:

• Starting today, any @[yourfirm].com email address that’s added to our mailing list will earn your firm 2 points.

• Each purchase of more than $50 from anyone at your firm on bonobos.com will earn your firm 3 points (note that each individual can earn points for purchases only once per round).

• The winning firm for each match-up will be determined by total cumulative points to date, so don’t hold back in the early rounds!

You can download a hi-res .pdf of the bracket below here.

NOTE: If you are uncomfortable using your work address, we completely understand. We simply ask that after adding your name to our mailing list or making a purchase, you email us with a valid work email address from your firm to ninjas@bonobos.com so that we can include your points and confirm your identity.

We also just wanted to take a second to address a concern that two of you raised over email. When we said our pants go well with “Irish Car Bombs” we clearly didn’t mean to endorse any sort of illegal or violent activity! We were referring to a drink that we thought was commonplace the world over (and we even ran it by our “Dad” test of showing it to a few of our Dads to make sure they knew what we were talking about). But maybe it’s just an East Coast thing…

Anyway, the drink we were referring to is one we HIGHLY endorse. It consists of:

1/2 oz. Irish Cream (Bailey’s)
1/2 pint Stout (Guinness)
1/2 oz. Whiskey, Irish (Jameson, or my personal fave, Redbreast)

Pour chilled Guinness into a beer mug and let it settle. Take a shot glass filled with 1/2 oz. of Irish whiskey on the bottom and 1/2 oz. of Irish cream on top. Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and chug.

It’s been one of our favorite St. Patty’s Drinks for years and one we hope you’ll enjoy next Wednesday. Any bar with even a hint of Irish should know how to make one. We apologize for any confusion or any offense we might have inadvertently caused.

Scott, VP Marketing

I took the bait – “What in the world are you wearing my man?”

“The best thing to happen to my feet EVER,” was the reply.

What were they? Vibram FiveFingers.

Explained by the creators – “The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.

That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.”

It looks intriguing, but it also looks like the more serious version of Nike Free.  I’m simultaneously disturbed and intrigued by them.  It’s like watching a train-wreck – you don’t want to look, but you can’t help it.

It’s crazy that “sports” are evolving out of the shoe (?).  This reminds me of the Freestyle Walking phenomenon.

So what’s your take?

Mr. Radin is a graduate of Andy’s alma mater, Northwestern University (I told you I’d be expanding the geographic horizons…).  His music might best be classified as whisper-rock.  It is entirely refreshing and spiritually soothing. Personally, I listen to it before bed every night as a fantastic night cap.  The only drawback? I have developed an almost Pavlovian response such that whenever I hear it in public or in concert, I find myself nodding off.  Very dangerous…

Joshua is the perfect candidate for a feature here.  Musically spot-on, aesthetically a perfect match.  Plus, you have to respect someone that pursues a path all his own – one most likely littered with naysayers.  Joshua only pursued music after graduating from school, moving to NYC, buying himself a guitar and teaching himself to play and write songs.  He embodies the Bonobos spirit.

It is rare these days to find songs whose lyrics match the integrity of the tune.  Joshua Radin is one of those rare music talents.  A few of our favorite songs after the break.

I’m posting live videos because he’s another artist who’s studio performances don’t do his live act justice. Hope you’ll indulge me and apologies for the shakiness of the video…hope you took your Dramamine.

we are okay from kelly johnson on Vimeo.

Regardless, it brought rain boots to mind and how necessary they can be on days like these (live shots from Bonobos HQ below).

What brands do you wear to keep the water out?  Tretorn, L.L. Bean, Hunter? Are you devoted to one brand over another? Do you wear the same boots for snow and rain conditions?

As the snow continues to turn to rain, we’ll bring you our recommendations.  Maybe even as a Stuff category if you’re having trouble finding something stylish?

P.S. – We posted this once with just two images, but the Bonobos crew wanted in on the action (even Tiff with her little boots). We tried to disqualify James (3rd row on the left), but he quickly rebutted that his kicks were waterproof.  John then quickly validated the claim with a hefty glass of water to the foot – they’re legit.

The opening ceremonies of any seasonal Olympics always provide a fashion/style extravaganza (some even proclaimed Beijing’s ceremonies as The World’s Biggest Fashion Show).  This year’s Winter Olympics were no exception.  What was particularly interesting was that countries really brought the pants-related fire.  Is it the time honored tradition of really awful looking ski suits that influenced the trend?

Bermuda eschewed pants entirely – opting instead for the soccer look (confused by the climate?).  We’ve decided to hand the proverbial Silver Medal to the Czech Republic (top right) and the Gold Medal to Azerbaijan (bottom).  Some even wondered via Twitter if Bonobos had made the Azerbaijan pants.  We can see why – those things are awesome…and probably really comfy.

Photos courtesy of NBC.com

With President’s Day this Monday, Bonobos HQ will be observing the Holiday and won’t be open this Saturday and Monday for in-person fittings.  We apologize for any inconvenience, but will be back in action on Tuesday, February 16th.

Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday!

However, what we really wanted to discuss were the Super Bowl commercials.  We loved this recap from the New York Times.

Specifically of interest were all of the ads featuring pantsless folks.  Did the No Pants Subway Ride provide everyone with inspiration?  As we know well, something is inherently funny about pants – something hysterical about not wearing any, as evidenced by our favorite ad from Career Builder.

What do you guys think about pantsless ad concepts?  Lots of angles they can take obviously.
If you have a particularly outrageous “being caught with your pants down” story, leave it in the comments or email us at blog@bonobos.com.  We’ll hook up the most outlandish with a complementary pair of Bonobos to heal those open pantsless wounds.  Maybe we’ll even build a concept around it and include you…who knows…

P.S. – Some of the nerds here at Bonobos (myself included) would love to take this concept to the next step going forward – variable pricing based on game lines…sounds interesting, right?  Until next time…