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!

Investment Pieces

I'm really happy to finally be at the point in my life where I can start thinking about investment pieces. These are pieces where it is 100% worth it to not bargain hunt your way into a product, to find the cheapest bang for your buck, or go for quantity over quality. Rather, these are pieces where you want to splurge, because you buy ONE, and that one item will never go out of style and never wear down on you.

Now, when I say I'm at the point in my life where I can start thinking about these things, I mean two things. First, I don't necessarily have the money to go out and buy and investment jacket and investment boots and investment yadda yadda yadda right now (this is still Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets), but I do have a little padding with each paycheck that I can put towards saving up for those really worthwhile purchases.

Perhaps even more important, I am confident enough in my personal style as well as my own sartorial education to be able to pick out pieces that I know I will want to wear forever, and will look good forever. After all, it's pretty pointless to shell out for an expensive, durable jacket, only to have it go out of style and out of favor in a year.

I also have to include a small caveat. These are all items that are worth investing in if you have the money to invest in them. For example, later I'll discuss denim as an investment piece, but if you need a pair of dark blue jeans and only have $40 in your budget to cover them, don't freak out, open a line of credit, and go into debt to get that awesome pair of $100 (or $200) jeans. Shop within your means.

OK! All that out of the way, here is the list of investment pieces going onto my wish/save list:

Boots - This is probably first on my list, but largely because I have an almost fetishistic obsession with these Allen Edmond's Dalton boots. They are just so perfect that I can't bring myself to settle for even a temporary inexpensive alternative. Nope, I'm holding out for the real deal, and baby, this is it.

Dalton by Allen Edmonds | $395.00 at Nordstrom

Coat - A good winter coat is an easy choice for the 'investment piece' list. First, the truly classic styles have never gone out of favor. Your pea coats and chesterfields will be as safe as a purchase now as they were ten years ago and will be ten years from now. On top of that, a winter coat is an item where style and functionality are equally important and equally hard to find at lower price points. If you want to stay warm (especially in a city like Chicago), and not look like you're wearing a glorified garbage bag, you're going to have to shell out a few bucks.

Grafton Coat by Rag & Bone | $895

Shoes - Another easy addition to the list. I've done great for a while grabbing some fantastic used shoes off of eBay, but at some point I'd really like to purchase at least two pairs of brand new, high quality dress shoes. Why is brand new important? There is a layer of cork between the insole and actual sole of every shoe (well, to my understanding), and this layer forms to your foot over time, like memory foam, but more permanent. If you buy used, no matter how nice of condition the shoe is, that cork layer is going to be formed to someone else's foot. Why is high quality important? Much like a good coat, a solid pair of shoes from a renowned brand like Allen Edmonds or Alden will never go out of style and will last you a decade.

Limited Edition Alden Cadet Cordovan Bluchers | $657.00 at J. Crew

Jeans - One of the biggest eye openers for me as I learned about menswear was the realization that holy hell people pay $200 for a pair of jeans! Even more importantly, I realized that there's actually a difference between a $200 pair of jeans and one that only costs $50. Again, this comes down to two things: the right $200 pair of jeans will 1) never go out of style; and 2) last forever - are you noticing a theme here?

A.P.C. Petit Standard Slim-Fit Dry Selvedge Denim Jeans | $205 at Mr. Porter

Watch - I've never been a watch guy myself, but even I can tell the difference between a cheap Timex and something of more esteemed quality. Don't get me wrong, a Timex will serve my purposes nine times out of ten, but one day I want to own one nice timepiece that I can bust out on special occasions when I really want to look and feel like a boss.

Burberry Silver Ceramic and Stainless Steel Watch, 42mm | $795.00 at Bloomingdale's

A Bespoke Suit - Notice how I said 'A.' That means one. Sure, someday it'd be killer if I could afford to have all of my suits made custom, but even if I never reach that sort of baller status, I'd like to own at least one fully bespoke suit before I die. As a menswear enthusiast, I can't tell you how many articles I've read reveling in the pure joy, comfort, and confidence that comes from having a suit of the finest fabrics cut and sewn for you alone, and that's a feeling I want. Now, due to the nature of 'bespoke,' I obviously can't pick out an online example for you, but you can imagine it...I'm thinking a warm brown, in a wool-cashmere blend, peak lapels, brown nut buttons...ah I could go on and on...

I'm sure there's more to this list, and hopefully I continue to improve my socio-economic status throughout my life and in turn get to add more items to this list, but right now, these are the things I'm ready to save and splurge on.

What's on your list? Any overlaps with my list? Anything you'd add or remove? Share in the comments!

For Those Of Us Who Aren't Denim-Heads...

Over the past few years there has been a growing craze for high-quality denim in the menswear world. Gone are the days of the 90's dad-jeans, and jeans are no longer relegated to casual-only settings. These days, denim works just as well with a blazer as it does a ratty T-shirt, and it's not out of the norm to be dropping up to $200 a pair.

Now, for those of us who aren't denim-heads (see how I used the title there?), there are a lot of terms thrown around that you're probably very used to hearing but don't know exactly what they mean, the most common of these being 'selvage' or 'selvedge' denim. Personally, this is one of those terms that I looked up a few times way back when I started to develop my own style, but when my girlfriend asked me the other day what it meant, I realized I had a really hard time explaining it, so this post is as much for my own good as it is any of yours.

Selvage (or selvedge in the UK) is actually short for 'self-edge,' and can refer to really any type of fabric, but most often you will hear it in reference to denim. It describes a specific method of finishing the edges of a woven fabric. In an earlier post on chambray fabric, I explained the difference between 'warp' and 'weft' threads. With selvage denim, the 'self-edge' runs vertically (parallel to the warp), and is created by the weft threads being looped back at the end of each row. The result is an edge that, unlike a cut and hemmed edge, won't fray or unravel. My understanding is that this method tends to be more expensive because the size of each piece of denim is determined during the weaving process, as the edges are woven in, where standard edges are merely cut and hemmed and can therefore really be implemented anywhere on the cloth.

Gustin's #48 Selvage Denim

Ok, quick disclaimer: nobody chew my head off if I'm a little off-base here. I'm not a seamster (yep, drawing a blank on the masculine term for seamstress, so I'm making up my own word), and like I said before, I'm not a denim-head, so this is all based off some quick research and my own rudimentary understanding. That said, this information goes quite a ways in explaining both the appeal of selvage denim and the more costly nature of the fabric.

As I mentioned, these days selvage denim of a decent quality (we recommend staying away from most low-end options like JCP selvage, based off relatively unfavorable feedback across the boards), but some lower-cost options are out there that are worth your hard-earned dollars but won't leave you penniless at the end of the day. The one brand that we've been hearing great things about is the up-and-coming Gustin denim out of San Francisco. Launched via a very successful Kickstarter campaign and still run based off a crowd-sourcing model, Gustin is yet another brand kicking out all those middle-men and designing, manufacturing, and retailing all of their own apparel. This allows them to offer high quality denim in a constantly-changing variety of weights and washes for a low standard price of only $81. I personally haven't gotten to try a pair yet, mainly because I have a pair of dark blue jeans that I love and another pair isn't top priority on my summer shopping-list, but the general reaction has been only positive and the price can't be beat. I definitely plan on snagging a pair when my budget is better aligned to do so, and will for-sure give you folks a detailed review when I do.

On that note, sorry to not be giving you a 'memorial day cook-out' post or something along those lines, but it was only 45 degrees in Chicago when I left my apartment this morning, so I'm really not in the mood. Deal with it.