Bonobos Championship Chinos – The Air Balls
Gabe Alonso In honor of the NCAA championship game tonight, I give you the Bonobos Championship Chinos. These breakaway chinos are a great way to transition from on the court to on the go in no time at all.
One of the things about going to the gym in the city is that you always have to be prepared for post-workout activities. During the week, it’s fairly easy because you’re already in your work clothes. On the weekends, however, this proves to be a more difficult task. There are times when you may head to the gym not anticipating being invited to an impromptu brunch. Or perhaps your friend wants to grab a couple drinks or a small bite early in the afternoon. You get all these messages after you finish your workout and obviously you want to join. But there’s a problem. You’re not dressed to be out in public. The ratty t-shirt, paint-stained shorts, and nylon breakaway pants aren’t exactly the definition of acceptable casual wear. Well, now Bonobos has a solution to that problem – at least for your lower half.
The Championship Chino ($98) is the only chino of its kind that I know of. I’ve never seen (or worn) a chino breakaway pant before. The pants are 100% cotton and look/feel just like a regular pair of washed grey chinos (they also come in navy). They’re cut slim for a more flattering fit than your normal sportswear breakaways. Which because of that, you may want to size up in the waist in order to comfortably wear shorts underneath the pants. Not to mention, if you have a larger lower half (i.e. stockier lower body), you’ll want to size up to allow for more room in the seat and thighs. There’s some nice details in the plaid pocket liners and vintage button slide on the waist. The pants themselves are lightweight, but have a little heft to them for year-round wear.
The pants are certainly more refined than your usual pair of Nike or Adidas breakaways. Will people know you’re wearing breakaway pants if you go to brunch in them? Of course. You wearing pants that are being kept together by buttons. But will you feel better put-together and more appropriate wearing these pants post-workout than actual sportswear? Most definitely. My only qualm about the pants is their length. I can’t really justify hemming breakaway pants, but they do come a bit too long. The inseam is 34″, so for you taller dudes it shouldn’t be a huge issue. Coming in at around 5’7″, the length is a bit overwhelming. It causes a too much bunching for me up and down the side of my leg. I wish there was an option for a 30″ or 32″ inseam. It would lessen the bunching and create a cleaner line, thus not emphasizing the side placket of buttons. In the end, it’s still a great transitional workout-to-drinks option to have this summer when you’re hitting up the gym in an effort to keep up that summer beach body swag.
As an aside, Bonobos has teamed up with former Duke Basketball Player and current NBA-er Shane Battier’s The Battier Take Charge Foundation. Dedicated to to providing resources for the development and education of underserved youth and teens, Bonobos will donate 20% of all proceeds of the Championship Chino to the foundation.
And in case you were wondering – Yes. Shane Battier owns a pair of Championship Chinos.
We were given a pair of the Championship Chinos in order to conduct the review of this product. We were not compensated by the company or any of its subsidiaries for this article.
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