Deals and Steals for the Weekend - Black Friday Edition

I almost wasn't going to post at all since I'm home with the family, but it is Black Friday so I slapped together the following list of great holiday sales and some of my own picks. I'm sure I'll be shopping myself throughout the day, and I'll add any other finds I come across, so keep checking back for updates! (SEE UPDATES AT END OF POST)

Tie Society Annual Sale (no code needed):
For a limited time, Tie Society is offering a free month when you purchase a gift subscription or sign up for a new membership. On top of that, the first ten customers each day will receive a custom Tie Society flask.

You can check out our review of Tie Society here, but I'll tell you right now it's a helluva service. At its simplest, it's the Netflix of ties, but it's so much more. Head over and check it out, the offer stands through 12/2/13.


25% off at Beckett Simonon (code TURKEY):
Dub-monks are still all the rage in the menswear world, but it can be tough to find a decent pair without handing over your firstborn child. Enter Beckett Simonon, who offers Goodyear-welted shoes at a relatively-unheard of price of just $140, and their 25% Black Friday discount drops them down to a hella-affordable $105.

Hoyt Double Monk Straps | Beckett Simonon

The Beckett Simonon Hoyt Double-Monk features a rounded toe box with a cap-toe and semi-brogue detailing for a perfect balance of style and subtlety. Grab a pair, or check out their other, equally dashing options.


50% Off Sitewide at Express (through 12:00 PM 12/29):
Express is offering an awesome half-off sale on absolutely everything in their inventory. I don't shop at Express all that often, but they remain one of the few stores that offers truly fitted shirts that even super-scrawny folks like myself won't need to take to the tailor. I'm a big fan of this Tartan Plaid shirt, which is perfect for the holiday season.

Fitted Tartan Plaid Shirt | Express

Dress it down with jeans, or throw on a wool tie for some cozy biz-casual. At this point, the deal ends at noon on Black Friday, but I'm sure it will be replaced by something new. If I have the time and presence of mind, I'll check it out and keep you posted.


Five Days of Style - Frank & Oak's Black Friday Event (no code needed):
Frank & Oak only has sale items intermittently, and they usually have some great deals when they do, so I'm always sure to at least give them a look. This holiday, they have a lot of great shirts, many in seasonable flannel or chambray fabrics. I always tout their shirts, though, but this year my eye has really been drawn to their bags, and a few of those landed in this sale as well.

Hyde Mountaineering Backpack | Frank & Oak

I'm especially digging this 'mountaineering' pack. It's made of durable canvas with a drawstring closure and leather straps. I have a great brief-case-type bag for days in the office, but I'd love one of these when I'm lugging junk around on a weekend or a trip home to see the folks.


40% Off and Free Shipping (no minimum) at Levi's (code SAVE40):
Unless your a denim-head on the hunt for some crazy $200+ selvedge jeans, it's hard to argue with a pair of Levi's to meet all of your denim needs. On top of that, they have the quintessential denim trucker and a pretty solid line-up of non-denim duds as well.

513 Slim Straight Jeans in Bastion | Levi's

The Black Friday sale drops this pair of dark rinse jeans down to only $32, and free shipping is always a huge plus in my book. I actually just bought this same pair at a Nordstrom Rack sale and this price is even better than the steal that I found (and FYI, the jeans look and feel fantastic).


And on that note, my folks are calling my name for pie and to light the Menorah (in my wonderful multi-cultural home we are loving our Thankschristmukkah celebration while we are together) and dig into some pumpkin pie now that I've started to digest the T-day feast. Good luck shopping tomorrow, be sure to share any deals you find in the comments below!


UPDATES AS PROMISED:
A few more sales I've come across through the day:

Jack Spade: Up to 75% Off - These guys make some of the best outerwear and bags in the game.
Club Monaco: Extra 30% Off Sale Items + Free Shipping (code THANKS30) - Tons of good finds here, but I've especially had my eye on their sweaters.
Esquire: $5 Subscription Special - Always some good reading material.
Gap: 50% Off Sitewide (code BLKFRIDAY) - Again, lots to choose from, but I usually go for their slim Chinos.
J.Crew: 30% Off Sitewide (code HOLIDAY) - Can't go wrong with the Crew.
J.Crew Factory: 50% Off Sitewide (prices as marked) - if J.Crew itself is a bit rich for your blood.
Original Penguin: 40% Off + Free Shipping (code OPTHANKS40) - OP can be a little hit or miss, style-wise, but when they are on, boy are they on.
Florsheim: 20% Off Sitewide - Some solid shoes, I'm a big fan of their wingtip brogues, and the Gaffney boots look like they'd look great with some dark jeans and a blazer.
Pact: 30% Off Sitewide, up to 60% Off Sale Items, + Free Shipping (prices as marked) -  I love these socks, and my girlfriend does too. I'll definitely be gifting a few pairs of these this year.

Origins (and more) - The Brogue Shoe

I can’t remember where I first read about the history of the brogue shoe, but I think it was one of the first sartorial history tidbits I picked up that really got me interested in the background behind the classics we see everyday. The brogue shoe, like many other aspects of style, originated for a purely functional purpose. The shoe was worn by farmers in the United Kingdom who would spent their days working in boggy and swampy fields inherent to the region. Wearing traditional shoes, these farmers would find themselves constantly pulling off their shoes to empty out the water from the swamps. The brogue was a simple solution to this squelchy problem. Shoemakers began to punch holes through the leather uppers of the shoes, usually following seams and running along the bottom of the shoe. These holes would allow the water to drain throughout the day. While feet still got wet, they weren’t soaking all day and provided a new level of functionality. These days, as the style has become more of a fashionable design rather than an operational advantage, the perforations no longer are punched the whole way through the shoe, so they wouldn’t help you much in a swamp, but they look damn good. I love a design that takes a standard, minimal design and adds a bit of flair without taking away from the class and grace of the item, and most of my favorite shoes have brogue detailing.

Some additional info:

There are actually a few standard ‘levels’ of brogue-ing (if that’s a word).

• The ‘quarter-brogue’ shoe refers to a cap-toe shoe (usually an oxford) with brogue details running only along the seam of the cap. 

• A half brogue is also a cap-toe shoe, but adds brogue details on the toe as well as the cap seam, and usually along the other seams inherent to an oxford style shoe as well. 

• A wingtip or full brogue incorporates the extra seaming of a wingtip shoe, and lines those seams with brogue detailing for a much more intricate design. 

• Less often, you will plain-toe shoes (no cap) with decorative brogue details. 

These pictures are all borrowed from the Mantorii Custom Footwear website. If you have the dough, I highly recommend checking them out. I myself haven’t had the influx of cash needed to snag a pair, but damn do those shoes look nice. They are also fully customizable, from leather type and color to general style of shoe or boot to brogue details, and are based off a personalized outline of your foot to ensure the highest level of fit and comfort. They aren’t cheap, but they are pretty comparable to a new pair of Allen Edmond’s. If any of you do make a Mantorii purchase, be sure to let me know how it turns out! I personally have my eyes set on the custom double-monk designed by Sabir M. Peele (author of Men’s Style Pro), which features half-brogue detailing: