Deals and Steals for the Weekend - 7/5/2014

How was everyone's 4th of July? I hope it was filled with good friends, good food, good drinks, and great fireworks (as mine was). I also hope you'll forgive me for celebrating instead of blogging, and therefore being a day late on this round of Deals and Steals. Regardless, here we go:

"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!"

Now, to be perfectly honest, I'm still in full-blown weekend relaxation mode, and a friend is waiting at a patio bar with beer and burgers, so I'm keeping my picks short and sweet. In order to leave you folks with plenty of shopping options, you'll find a nice long list of sales (minus my wonderful picks) at the bottom. 

First, two sets of picks I did want to point out:


Extra 50% Off Select Sale Items at J.Crew:
It looks like they are really trying to burn through their clearance stock over at J.Crew, with 50% off select items, and anything else in the sale section running an extra 40% off. We've featured this sale (or similar) enough times to have covered all the staples (casual shirts, chinos, etc.), so this time we're going with picks that you just won't be able to find anywhere else with this kind of discount. First up, perfect example, this Ludlow sportcoat in glen-plain silk linen:

Ludlow Sportcoat in Glen Plaid Silk Linen | J.Crew

Wooh. Silk Linen. Enough said? Ok, I'll say more. The linen will keep this breezy and light, while the silk will add a touch of sheen, structure, and hand similar to wool, but better. Check out our article on glen plaid for all the reasons to love the pattern, and you should already be pretty sold here. What's really crazy is the $135 price-tag. The jacket retails at a whopping $388, silk fabric tends to be way pricey, and Ludlow suiting tends to be hard to find on sale, so this is a fantastic steal for anyone in the market for a stylish blazer.

With more luxurious fabrics, check out this Ludlow Shirt in a tartan patterned Thomas Mason fabric:

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

Thomas Mason fabrics are pretty widely known as one of the higher-end, accessible shirting fabrics. By accessible, I mean that stores like J.Crew sell ready-to-wear garments in their fabrics (as opposed to only being available bespoke), but not that they are necessarily affordable. Here's a rare chance to pick up a Thomas Mason shirt for under $100 (actually, for just $50). The pattern is a tartan plaid, which can sound bold, but I think the more neutral blue and grey tones keep this very versatile.

We'll close out the J.Crew sale with these chambray shorts:

7"Stanton Short in Pindot Chambray | J.Crew

Sure, you can probably find something similar elsewhere, chambray is everywhere this time of year, but first, these are crazy cheap (especially for J.Crew quality) at only $25. Second, there's something about these that comes off just right - the pindots, the rumpled/casual fabric, the perfect inseam - that makes them a sure-fire winner.

Of course, check out the rest of the sale, as sizes and stock seems to be dwindling pretty rapidly (but at the same time, the prices keep getting lower and lower). 


Footwear at Nordstrom Rack:
Stopped into my local NordRack the other day to do my usual perusing of the $20 ties, cheap socks, and cluster-fuck jeans pile that occasionally yields a nice grab. After striking out in all my go-tos, I wandered over to the shoe isles while waiting for my girlfriend to finish shopping, and was pleasantly reminded that there are some great footwear steals to be had at the Rack. They were out of my sizes in the kicks I was liking, but thanks to their newer e-commerce site, I may be able to grab a pair online. Anyway, I just wanted to point out a few gems I found, like these Clarks Bushacres:

Bushacre Chukka | Clarks via Nordstrom Rack

OK, so Fall is still a few months off, but it never hurts to be prepared, and a pair of Clarks chukkas is about as foolproof as you can get for some good 3-season footwear. Admittedly, the pair I saw in the store (one size too small) was in a darker leather that I really liked, but this beeswax is pretty damn sharp as well. Regularly $100, NR has these marked down 30% to just $70. If you're looking for something a bit sharper/dressier, these chukkas by Walkover are almost half-off.

There's also a nice selection of higher-end shoes, which aren't cheap, even at the Rack prices, but are still hugely discounted from their original retail price. I was sorely tempted by these brogues from Allen Edmonds:

6th Ave Cap Toe Oxford | Allen Edmonds via Nordstrom Rack

I've been on the hunt for a pair of 5th Avenues, and never even really realized that the 6th Avenues existed. I gotta say, I'm a fan - I dig the 5ths for keeping the brogue detailing, but not being quite as in-your-face about it as the Strands. The 6th Avenue seems to do the same, but with just a touch more flair. Still, they remain respectable and sharp, and versatile enough to wear with chinos or a suit, and maybe even jeans. Regularly priced at the pretty-standard-for-AE $335, NR has them marked down 40% to an even $200. Not too shabby, if you're ready to pick up some quality shoes.


OK, for the rest of these, you'll have to find your own pieces, but there are plenty of great finds to be had:

Summer Sale at Frank & Oak - Continuing discounts, they restock this one every so often. Plus, for a limited time STARSNBARS10 gets an extra 10% off. Also, use our referral link for $25 credit when you sign up.

20% Off Summer Sale at Bonobos - Lots of selection, hopefully (as tends to be the pattern), prices will continue to drop as this one goes on. Our referral will get you $25 off your first $75+ purchase.

40% Off Clearance at Dockers with EXTRA40SALE - Check out the Alphas, which are my go-to from Dockers. I think this is the end of this sale, and is the deepest discount they've offered yet.

Brooks Brothers Summer Sale - Up to 50% off, Brooks Brothers sales can be hard to come by, and their regularly priced duds hard to afford, so this is definitely worth a look.

40% Off Two Regularly Priced Items at Lands End - Admittedly not a big Lands End shopper, but their LEC line is pretty sharp and I've been eyeing their knit ties for a while. Might have to hit it up now.

Up to 60% Off at Gap - Lots of sale items, but even better is the 40% off clearance that they have going on in stores (not seeing this online, might be worth checking out a B&M) - I picked up some white denim for $25ish when I stopped in a day or two ago.

And there's even more out there, with all the holiday sales, etc., but there's a beer calling my name. Have a great weekend!!

WIWT - 7/4/2013 - HAPPY AMERICA!

I've mentioned how excited I get about dressing for holidays before, and I'll say it again now. These special occasions are where my sartorial nerd really lets loose, and I've been planning my 4th of July ensemble for days.

First off, of course I have to wear red white and blue. It would just be unpatriotic to do otherwise (I'm just kidding, kind of, but it was a good place to start). When I wrote about my St. Patrick's Day outfit, I stressed the importance of being festive without looking clownish. Once again, your safest bet is to make sure you aren't wearing something you would be embarrassed to wear any other day of the year (weather aside).

My strategy was to keep most of my get-up classic and simple, and to add the festive touches in the accessories, and I stuck with the everlasting classic prep combo of khaki chinos, white shirt, and navy blazer.

Here are those festive touches I was talking about. I actually bought these shoes way back in high school, wore them once and shoved them in closet in favor of skate shoes as I grew out of my indoor soccer era. Let this serve as a great reminder to shop your own closet every so often. Since I've reinstated these bad boys back into my footwear rotation they've become one of my favorite pairs of casual shoes, and were pretty damn perfect for the holiday.

 

I paired them with a similar blue and red tie, which was actually a big hit around Christmas as well. That's one of the things I love about knit ties; they are ridiculously versatile. This one looked just as good under a chunky shawl-neck sweater as it does here with a cotton blazer and lightweight white shirt.

Other small notes: Kept it 'sockless' as it's finally warm again here in Chicago (the weather this summer has been bizarre, it was only 60 degrees on Tuesday). Also, I was hoping to be able to incorporate a belt with a bit more color and pizzazz, but once again, time constraints kept me to my current wardrobe. I actually really like this belt, which is a recent purchase from Levi's. Levi's are always a go-to for jeans, but they make some great accessories too and have awesome sales on the reg.

Happy America everyone!

The Details:
Cotton/Linen Blazer by Uniqlo
Silk Knit Tie by The Tie Bar
Linen Pocket Square via eBay
Custom MTM Shirt by Modern Tailor
Belt by Levis
Chinos by J. Crew Factory
Shoes by Adidas
Watch by FormFunctionForm