Deals and Steals for the Weekend - 1/9/2014

First, the spiel: "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!"

This week, we're going with high-end designer duds being offered at crazy low prices. This is the time of year for seasonal sales that drop some normally hugely expensive items down to a price range that doesn't make me regret memorizing my credit card. 

East Dane End-Of-Season Sale:
I had actually never heard of this e-commerce retailer before, but got turned on to them just in time to catch this huge sale. The site offers a lot of high-end designer goods, similar to MR PORTER, and most would normally be pretty far out of my price range, but this sale puts a lot of great items in reach. For instance, there's a large selection of Gant Rugger shirts hovering around the $40 mark (most originally $125). This madras plaid is one of my favorites:

Madras Plaid Shirt | Gant Rugger via East Dane

I'm really digging the spread collar, where most shirts in this style come with a button-down collar. The spread just ups the formality a bit, and I think this would look great under a summer suit.

Shift back to winter real quick, I also spotted these chinos (another offering from Gant), knocked down to just $50 from an original price of $165:

Winter Chinos | Gant Rugger via East Dane

I love navy chinos as an incredibly versatile alternative to khaki. Even better, these are made with a 'winter weight' cloth, and this polar vortex has me all about warmer duds for the next few months. Check out the rest of the sale for some other great designers at surprisingly affordable prices.


Up to 50% Off Fall Styles at Rag & Bone:
Rag & Bone is in the middle of their seasonal sale and have a ton of items at unusually low prices. I'm actually pretty blown away by the price of these selvage (selvedge?) jeans, which are going for a pretty unheard of price of $75 (originally $255):

RB15-Indigo Selvage Jeans | Rag & Bone

Selvage denim rarely goes for under $100, especially with a designer name like Rag & Bone attached. If they have your size, I highly recommend grabbing these.

I'm also so tempted by this mock-neck sweater, especially after seeing this similarly cut one in red, rocked incredibly well by Wes over at TSB:

Jeremy Army Pullover | Rag & Bone

The sweater is running $105, which is still a bit steep for my blood, but is a great deal when you look at the original $350 price tag. A late Christmas present for myself, maybe?


Up to 60% Off at Todd Snyder:
Like Rag & Bone, Todd Snyder is one of those designers I've always loved but could never afford. This sale changes things, though, and I'm ready to jump on a few items. First on my list is this incredibly comfortable looking pullover crewneck sweatshirt:

Off-White Pocket Sweatshirt | Todd Snyder

Lately, I've been on a drive to convert my college casual wardrobe to something more grown-up, and this would make a great replacement for those hoodies that I wore everywhere when I was younger. I love all the details, from the gusseting at the neck to the chest pocket. The regular price of $130 was way high for something I'd probably mostly wear around the house, but at $56, like I said, ready to jump.

Todd Snyder does a lot of great collaborations as well, like these Todd Snyder + Seavees Army Issue Sneakers. Originally $125, these are going for only $49, and look like a great casual shoe for when the weather starts to warm back up.

Olive Army Issue Low Sneaker | Todd Snyder + Seavees

The lightweight look isn't just weather-appropriate for the spring and summer, but it will also balance great with shorts (I hate the way a chunkier sneaker looks with a trim pair of fitted shorts). Also, military styling has really developed into a long-lasting trend over the past year or so.


Barneys Fall Designer Sale:
We'll close things out with a few picks from luxe department-store Barneys, whose Fall Designer Sale is running apparel, shoes and accessories at up to 75% off. One of my top picks is this great, very wintery tie, offered exclusively through Barneys at $39 (down from $70).

Exploded Houndstooth Donegal Tie | Barneys

I have a great tie collection, but I've stuck with bargain deals (lookin' at you, Tie Bar), and am trying to add some nice ties to the mix. This wool/silk mix looks fantastic and would certainly fit the bill.

I've probably made it clear that I love chunky sweaters, and I love tweed, so it shouldn't be a suprise that I'm closing out with this awesome Tweedy Cable-Knit Sweater by Saturdays Surf NYC:

Tweedy Cable-Knit Sweater | Saturdays Surf NYC via Barneys

What's not to love? It's incredible appropriate for this cold weather, and the style is spot on. Factor in the huge discount, from $160 down to $59, and it's a deal that's really hard to pass up...so don't!

Seasonal Neckwear

First, some exciting news: for those of you that didn't see the posts on Twitter or Facebook, Wide Eyes Tight Wallets hit a milestone this week as we broke 500 followers on Twitter! Every big step like that is exciting, so we definitely plan on celebrating, and what better way to celebrate that to reward the peeps that make it happen. That's right, YOU. Long story short, keep your eyes peeled for a **giveaway** sometime in the next week or so as a token of our appreciation for you guys following along.

Ok, on to the meat of the post:

I hope I'm not the only one who has been scoring some awesome deals from the various summer sales going on about now. I featured Bonobos last week, but J. Crew Factory had some killer discounts recently as well. This week, I received my order in the mail, and my favorite pick has to be this new madras cotton tie, which brings me to a great point as we are really getting into these hot summer months.

Ok, to be entirely fair, I have to admit I had this post planned for earlier in the season, but unavoidable delays kept pushing it back, but there's still plenty of summer left. When the temperature rises, we all adjust the cloth and style of our clothing to keep us cool and comfortable. Heavy wools get stuck in the closet, while lighter cloths like cotton and linen hit the rotation full-swing. What a lot of people don't realize is that you can (and should) take the same steps when picking out your neckwear.

Now, it's fair enough to mention that wearing a cotton or linen tie isn't really going to keep you any cooler. However, there are still two good reasons to do this. The first is that the clothing that you will be matching your tie is now in a different cloth and therefore a different texture. Where a wool suit or a thicker dress shirt has a certain sheen to it that pairs well with silk ties, or where tweed is thick and hearty and goes great with a wool tie, these clothes would look kind of out of place with a breezy lightweight tie. The same goes for the opposite. Linen suits, cotton blazers, lightweight dress shirts, all have a unique weight and texture that lends to a little 'rough-around-the-edges,' while not necessarily casual, style that just looks out of place with a shiny silk tie. You can really notice this in the shots with the blazer, which is a summer-weight cotton/linen blend that plays nicely off the texture of the tie.

Secondly, silk and linen ties just lend to a more summery feel all around, and those summer styles you're looking for will be hard to find in a silk or wool option. You're much more likely to find madras plaids in cotton, and, as far as I know, you'll never find a seersucker tie made out of silk (I'm not sure that would even be possible). When designers and brands put out their cotton and silk tie lines, they are designing these specifically for the summer months, and you'll find a plethora of bright summer colors and patterns to choose from. Long story short, as your rolling up you sleeves, embracing the season, your neckwear should reflect the same attitude.

This tie from J. Crew is 100 percent cotton and came in a great madras pattern, which I discussed before as one of my favorite summer patterns. This pattern in particular is a perfect blend of bold and subtle. It features the brighter madras reds and blues, but the plaid isn't too busy and the colors are slightly faded, keeping it from being 'in-your-face' while remaining plenty summery. You'll also notice I went with a solid pocket square in a similar fabric (chambray) that brings out the red in the tie without being to matchy-matchy. 

The J. Crew Factory sale has unfortunately passed, but there are still plenty of great options for summer neckwear. The Tie Bar is my go-to for affordable ties, and they have entire sections dedicated to cotton and linen options. I actually just grabbed a great blue-striped cotton tie (shown below) from their pop-up stand at the Daley Center last week (always love avoiding paying shipping). If I'd gotten this post up earlier, like I had planned, Uniqlo had some great madras options as well, but it looks like they are already moving on to their fall line. 

My favorite fan.

On a final note, as the following here continues to grow, I'd love to hear more from the readers! If you have any summer tie suggestions, or selections you want to brag about, or any other input, have your say in the comments section or e-mail me at wideeyestightwallets@gmail.com and I'll share your stuff with the community! As always, thanks for reading!

Origins - Madras Cloth

I've mentioned madras as a description of a few pieces in recent posts, and I'm sure you've seen the fabric everywhere, especially in these summer months, used for everything from shirts to blazers to ties. But where does the term come from and what exactly does it mean? 

Madras Cloth

Madras cloth is named for the city in India where it originated (the city is now called Chennai). As you can imagine, India is a pretty damn hot country, so their prowess in cool, breathable cloths shouldn't really come as a surprise. This particular cloth is crafted from a lightweight cotton fabric, but what really sets it apart is the traditional pattern. Nine times out of ten, a piece described as madras is going to involve a bold plaid pattern, usually emphasizing strong reds and greens with undertones of blue and yellow. This is my favorite kind of madras, and will be featured in an upcoming post on seasonal ties.

Traditional Madras Shirt by Bonobos

Madras Tie by J. Press

The other type of madras that you will see is called patchwork madras, and is really just that, a patchwork collection of smaller madras squares. This creates a bold look that has really been embraced in prep styling. Once again, this fabric is used for a wide variety of garments, but I've seen it most often in shorts and blazers.

Patchwork Madras Shorts by Brooks Brothers

Patchwork Madras Blazer by Just Madras c/o Country Club Prep

Personally, I love madras as a slightly more rugged summer cloth, allowing you to stay cool and embrace some bright summer colors. Where seersucker and linen tend to project an image of southern gentility or maybe even British colonialism, madras is more a 'cloth of the people,' and is a great transition for lovers of plaid flannel into a more warm-weather appropriate fabric.

So there you have it, and expect to see more madras in upcoming posts. It's hot out there, y'all. Try to stay cool.