Deals and Steals for the Weekend - 4/4/2014

"Every weekend, check in on the blog for a collection of the best (read: my favorite) deals and steals on the interweb for some quality shopping over the weekend. Have any to add? Share them in the comments or shoot me an e-mail. Also, if you're biting on any of these hooks, I'd love to hear about it!"

Ok, so I was browsing around for deals, and got entirely immersed in the J.Crew sale selection. So much good stuff, such great prices, I couldn't resist picking out way more than the standard two pieces. We'll call it the J.Crew spotlight, plus some extra goodies at the end. Enjoy:

Extra 50% Off Final Sale Items at J.Crew:
Allllrighty so we'll start things off with one foot still in cold weather. I've had my eye on this quilted shirt-jacket since I included it in a course I wrote for Cladright (check it out, I got another course coming up this spring). I might have even had it in a 'Deals and Steals' post already. Normally $170, this is pretty expensive at full retail price, but every so often it ends up at a crazy discount, and I always kick myself for not grabbing one. Maybe this time will be the clincher, as the extra % off has it down to only $60. 

Quilted Shirt-Jacket | J.Crew

Especially at such a steal, this is a ton of bang for the buck. It's light enough to wear into spring, and slim enough to wear under a few layers when it gets all frigid again next winter. Also available in an olive color that hits the military trend spot-on.

Next on the long J.Crew list is this Ludlow dress shirt in a plaid Thomas Mason fabric. Thomas Mason fabrics are widely renowned and usually hella expensive (take a look at the starting price of $170). Already pretty heavily discounted, the extra markdown has this at a pretty unheard of price of just $50:

Ludlow Shirt in 1903 Tartan | Thomas Mason Archive for J.Crew

The pattern is fantastic too...there's a lot of visual interest in the plaid, but the colors are muted enough to make this easy to pair. Spread collar, slim fit, all sizes available, it's a knockout winner, and you won't see a deal like this very often, for sure. 

There are actually a bunch of nice shirts in the sale section, but we just picked out one more. This floral patterned shirt is about as good as it will get for a guy looking to try out the trend, but hesitant to end up with anything too bold or, well, flowery:

Slim Indigo Shirt in Floral Print | J.Crew

First, it's plenty affordable, down to $30 after the discount (originally $88), which means it's not a huge risk either way. On top of that, the colors are all just a bit faded...the blue isn't super saturated, and the flowers are almost barely there, rather than a bright contrasting white. It's the kind of pattern that's almost hard to notice from a distance, but has all the interesting ingredients once you get up close. It's a great buy as we head into spring weather.

And to wrap up the J.Crew list this week, we've got our eyes on summer and hot days by the pool (or at the beach). I'm long overdue for a new pair of swim shorts, and these board shorts are definitely a contender.

7" Board Short in Oxford Cloth | J.Crew

I've never heard of an oxford cloth swim short before, and I'm not 100% sure how that would turn out, but I'm very tempted. Oxford shirts are one of my favorite things, so it would make sense that this would end up a winner in my book as well. The color is a just-right pale blue (have you notice that I like blue a lot?) that won't make you look too pasty while you're still working on your first tan, and the low price of $17.50 (down from $70), is - yup - a steal.

Check out the rest of the sale, there are ton of great finds in the 50% off section, and even more (not on final sale) at a 30% discount. Great chance to stock up as the seasons change.


Everyday Low Prices from Vans:
So, admittedly no discount here, but with the already low prices of Vans shoes, it's still a great chance to grab some canvas kicks in time for summer. Two pairs in particular stood out to me. First are these in a faded green for $55:

Brushed Twill Authentic in Granite Green | Vans

I love the color (it fits in very well with the seasonal color-scheme I laid out last week)...just unusual enough to be unique, but subtle enough that they won't be hard to match. For me, though, the real winning element is the leather laces. I wish you could opt for these as an option on all Vans, except I guess I'd have an even harder time narrowing down my choices.

For those of you looking for more of a classic, look no further than a pair of off-white Vans Authentic Originals:

Canvas Authentic in Off White | Vans

There are a few options very similar to this (brighter whites, contrast soles, etc.), but in the general white canvas category, these are my favorite. I think the off-white will wear in really well, and the blue trim breaks things up just enough that it's not one solid white blob (although I think some leather laces would look fantastic here too). At just $45, these are a very affordable option for a summer sneaker.


Grayers via Huckberry:
Last but not least, we have a few selections from Grayers available on Huckberry. Huckberry is a flash sale site similar to Gilt or MYHABIT, but with more of an outdoorsy focus, a more tightly curated selection, and an emphasis on quality (although slightly leaner discounts). Use my link (here) for $5 credit when you sign up.

I don't have personal experience with Grayers, but they have a solid rep, and I've been seeing them pop up in some very nice Instagram shots lately, so I was already interested when I saw them on Huckberry. The selection isn't too wide, but I found a few pieces I really dig. First is this selvedge chambray shirt, marked down to $70 from $95.

Selvedge Chambray Shirt | Grayers via Huckberry

It's not exactly cheap, but it's probably one of the lowest prices you'll see for a selvedge chambray shirt. It's got a great balance of rugged and refined, fantastic for casual gear, but definitely polished enough to work into a more dressy look. And yeah, chambray just rocks.

Last, this sweatshirt really caught my eye. It's got an awesome, throwback 70's surfer vibe that just screams summer. The description lists it as super lightweight, which will make it a great layering piece for cool summer nights.

Onlan Crew Neck Pullover | Grayers via Huckberry

This one has a pretty nice discount, too, knocked down to under $60 from a starting price of around $80. And damn, it just looks so comfortable.

And there you have it, another week down!