Upon finishing their MBAs at Stanford last spring, classmates Brian Spaly and Andy Dunn did something not exactly typical of their degrees. Displaying a fair amount of undergraduate juvenility, the B-school alums set out to sell pants under their new label Bonobos -- a not so-subtle reference to a promiscuous breed of primate.

"Bonobos have more sex than any other animal" reads the company mission statement. If you can get past the frat boy branding -- and that's a big if -- the trousers are lightweight, comfortable, come in good basic and a few acceptable preppy colors with snappy linings, and run about $100 to $150.

(Credit: Jeffrey Schad)

Spaly, athletic though not of stick-thin proportions, had never been able to find breeches that fit him properly, even after scouring stores from Banana Republic to expensive fringe makers. During a winter excursion to Bogota, the two friends ordered up custom suits, with Spaly directing the Colombian tailor to stitch in a trim waist, seat, and thighs, with a slightly flared leg. Buddies back home took notice, and the now business partners realized they had hit upon a need no one yet knew existed.

Eight months hence, they've set up production with a San Francisco tailor; a website, and a word-of-mouth selling strategy reminiscent of the Tupperware or Amway model. Spaly and Dunn are hoping to create a network of well-dressed guys on college campuses and in big cities who will give Bonobos, well, a leg up. Just don't call their peer-to-peer gatherings pants parties. That's a whole other bawdy subject. -- JOHN D. ERICKSON

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