Announcing 'Dad Packs' from Tie Society in time for Father's Day

Hey fellas, Father's Day is just around the corner, have you gotten your dad a great gift yet? Sure, it's a little last minute, but if you're still shopping around, Tie Society has a hell of a nice package custom-built for the holiday. 

Hopefully you've all read my review of Tie Society from some time last year. If you haven't, it's right over here, but the short version is that Tie Society is a pretty awesome service. Their (unofficial?) tag line sums it up pretty perfectly - it's like Netflix for ties - for a very affordable monthly fee, you get to shop their 'closet' of sharp ties, pocket squares, tie clips, and other accessories. Just like Netflix, you 'borrow' an item (or three, or five, depending on your subscription), wear it as long as you want, and send it back when you're ready for something new. Not only is it a fantastic way to get a feel for you personal style, try new looks, and experiment without committing to a hefty purchase, but it's run by some great guys who are really there to help you look good. 

Anyway, I'm always happy to shout out their deals and promotions, and their Father's day offer is pretty spot-on. For the holiday, they've put together a pre-curated box, or 'Dad Pack' if you will. Each box comes complete with two ties, a pocket square, tie bar, and a cufflinks set, along with a custom, handwritten message (dictated by you), along with a few extra TS freebies:

Even better, they give you two options for gifting this pack: for $50, you rent the package, and along with all the goodies, your dad will get a three-month, three-item subscription to Tie Society, and the 'Dad Pack' serves as the first shipment, with a bonus of including all five items (plus the freebies and note) in his first package, instead of three. The second options is to straight-up purchase the box, which will run you an even $100. 

Either way it's a great deal - the three month subscription is regularly $19.95/month (so about $60 for three), and if you opt to purchase, the ties alone have a retail value of $75 or more. Frugal, stylish, and a solid company - sounds like a Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets winner to me.

Head over to Tie Society to rent or purchase your pack today, and tune back into the blog later tonight for the weekly Deals and Steals!

Off For the Weekend!

Sorry folks, no 'Deals and Steals' this week. I'm traveling to the West Coast (San Francisco, to be exact) to celebrate my birthday, my fourth anniversary with my girlfriend, and to visit some good friends. Unbelievably pumped, but I need to be at the airport in oooh, 7ish hours as I'm writing, so yep, no big post going up before I leave.

I'll be back in action next Wednesday, so check back in then. Meanwhile, check out the archives, shoot me an e-mail and say hi, follow us on all the social networks, or just, you know, go about your lives, ha.

If you really need your menswear fix, I'll leave you with this: This will be my first time in SF, and we won't have a ton of time, so I'm keeping my own menswear-related activities to a bit of a minimum. That said, I will be visiting:

Uniqlo, because we still don't have a damn store here in Chicago, and I hate paying for shipping. I'm 100% getting a MB x Uniqlo Polo, and my gal has promised me a new linen/cotton blazer (I've got my eye on this one).

I'm also planning a quick stop in at Unionmade, but probably will do my wallet a favor and just kinda window shop. I'll surely be drooling over their selection of impeccable Alden shoes.

I'm also very excited to be meeting/hanging out with some other industry insiders, including Barron Cuadro of Effortless Gent, who I've been working with for the past few months, and Jake Kuzceruk, CMO of Tie Society (one of our reviewed and endorsed menswear services) as well as one my first un-official mentors in the industry.

Have a great weekend, I know I will!!

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.

WIWT - 7/9/2013 - Doing A Lot With A Little

I know I've been leaning a bit heavily towards WIWT posts over more specific articles, but today's outfit offered me a great chance to show you all just what you can do with a very tight budget. This whole outfit cost me easily under $100, but looks good enough for any day at the office or even a job interview (although I'd add a blazer).

This shirt is actually a recent purchase from Target of all places. I usually only go to Target for basics...I'll take a $12.00 Target V-Neck tee over basically the same thing from J. Crew for $50.00 any day. That said, I tend to steer away from pants or dress shirts, or anything that I would prefer to order in a 'slim' size. However, I was browsing the other day and noticed that their Mossimo OCBD's were labeled 'Tailored Fit,' as opposed to 'Classic Fit,' like the rest of their dress shirts. On top of a cool price point of $23.00, I couldn't resist grabbing one. Considering it was just an impulse buy (I didn't even bother trying the shirt on in the store), I'm pretty happy with the purchase. 

You do make some sacrifices for the cheaper price, but if you're just looking for a little bit of a change in your rotation and aren't ready to drop the appropriate amount on a quality shirt, this is a refreshing option. The fit is spot on while standing straight, although the shoulders bunch and pull a bit if I raise my arms (slightly weird armhole dimensions, from the looks of it). 

Weird bunching at the shoulders...can't win them all.

I'm sure the shirt isn't going to last all that long, but it looks decent, is a soft comfortable material, and will hold me over great for now. 

I got these Chinos from J. Crew Factory, and they are a great example of how well you can just by patiently waiting for sales. J. Crew Factory prices are already significantly lower than J. Crew's normal goods, but they put up sale codes all the time. Earlier this summer they had a helluva combination of deals going on and I managed to get a few of these broken-in slim fit Chinos for just around $20.00. They are a tad bit loose around the thigh, but I like the width through the knee and the amount of taper in the lower leg, and the extra room up top is barely noticeable. This khaki pair is just about the most versatile thing in my closet, and I wear them all the time.

I may have talked about these shoes before, but they were a great eBay find. Brooks Brothers shoes tend to run over $300.00 new, and I got these for about $40.00 (if I remember correctly). The soles will need replacing soon, but I've had them for about 8 months, they look spectacular, and fit like a dream. For that price, I couldn't ask for any more. Threw on some bright blue socks from Gap (rang in at around $6.00). Along with the tie, I think they add a colorful dimension to the outfit that makes it seasonally appropriate and breaks away from the khaki/blue-white-OCBD uniform of the masses.

Lastly, the tie is my latest pick from Tie Society, part of my $11.00/month subscription. I've touted Tie Society plenty of times here, but I'll just reiterate that it's a great way to keep your tie rotation fresh and new without actually having to buy tie after tie. I do wish this wasn't a polyester tie (personal aversion to poly neckwear), but the colors and patterns are very madras-esque, which has recently become one of my favorite summer looks.

So, adding up all the prices:

Shirt - $23.00

Pants - $20.00

Shoes - $40.00

Socks - $6.00

Tie - $11.00

With a grand total of exactly $100.00 (give or take a few depending on the accuracy of my memory as I write this on a Tuesday morning). Just goes to show, you don't need to shell out hundreds for a solid outfit. As I mentioned, if I was to wear this for an interview, I might add a blazer, which does jump the price up a bit, but with the availability for affordable yet stylish blazers from brands like Uniqlo, H&M and Zara, this shouldn't be too much of a stretch either. Just remember, it's all about fit. A well-fitting outfit like this one, for $100.00, will look way better than a $1,000.00 ensemble that drapes and droops like a pillowcase, and will leave you with some $$ to actually do something while wearing it.

Just schemin' bout savin' all that dough...

Now, to be perfectly honest, I did add some of my own accessories when I wore this to work (tie clip, watch, bag), which you can see below. I left them out in the rest of the post to illustrate the 'budget' look, but here's the final product:

 

 

The Details:

OCBD Shirt by Target

Tie via Tie Society

Belt by Levis

Watch by FormFunctionForm

Chinos by J. Crew Factory

Bag by J. Crew Factory

Socks by Gap

Shoes by Brooks Brothers (via eBay)

 

Tie Society Reviewed

Welp, we are back with a brand new review! Today’s subject is Tie Society, and is coordinated with Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets’ first ever promotional giveaway! 

Brand Background: Have you heard of Netflix? I hope so, or you’ve been living under a rock. Well, Tie Society offers a very similar service adapted to provide neckties for the well-dressed gentleman instead of DVD’s. Founded by Zac Gittens and Otis Collins, the idea started as a simple tie-swap among friends and has developed into the next big thing in menswear subscription services. With three pricing tiers, you can opt to ‘borrow’ one, three, five, or ten items at a time, with subscriptions starting at a very affordable $10.95/month. After you build your ‘Closet’ (very similar to a Netflix ‘queue’) from their extensive collection featuring a variety of designers, widths, patterns, and materials, Tie Society will ship your first selection off to you. Whenever you have had enough of your current selection, you just ship it on back in their pre-paid packaging and they send you the next item on your list. I believe they started out just offering ties, but they’ve been diligently developing their service and now offer a variety of other accessories such as pocket squares, tie bars and cuff links. Their newest service allows you to sell your quality ties back to them to be entered into their ever-expanding rotation (and I’ve heard lots of rumors that they have big plans for the future).

What I’ve Bought: Obviously, I haven’t actually bought anything (although you do have the option of purchasing the ties for something like 40%-60$ off MSRP), but I have borrowed a wide variety of ties. As far as I know, there isn’t a list of your borrowing history, so I’m writing this completely off of memory, but some of my favorites have included the Bloom Minidot by Bear vs. Bull, which I actually just (very reluctantly) sent back this weekend. I also really liked the Raven Stripe by Laurant Bennet, and the Mosaic plaid ties are all awesome, although they run a bit long for my body type. My only disappointment really was one tie that was a silk/polyester blend. I hate polyester in ties, but honestly I just missed the inclusion of polyester in the description when I was ordering, so that one’s on me. Here are some of my past choices:

 

Quality: Every tie I’ve gotten has been of solid quality. While you can tell that some of them have been used and washed, nothing that I’ve recieved has looked ‘old’ or worn out to the point where I wouldn’t be proud wearing it. Like I mentioned before, I wasn’t real impressed with the one polyester blend tie I borrowed, but they had noted that in the description so I could really only blame myself. Additionally, these ties are made by very reputable designers and manufacturers. Most of these would run in the $75 range if bought new and are all very well made. When I buy ties, I usually spring for the $15 ties from TheTieBar.com, which I love, but you can really tell the difference in quality when you hold one of those ties up next to a Charles Tyrwhitt or Bruno Piatelli that dimples just right and hangs like a dream. So yep, I’m a fan of the quality.

Customer Service: I think this is where Tie Society really shows it’s worth. Their customer service is incredible. I’ve never not once gotten the wrong tie, and all my orders are processed quickly. Over the Christmas holiday, I had picked out a green knit tie to wear Christmas day and there was a shipping delay returning my previous tie. I was worried I wouldn’t get the green tie before we left for vacation, so I got ahold of the customer service team and they not only hustled the tie into the mail for me, they sent it to my vacation address just to make sure I’d have it for Christmas day. Even better is their ‘advice’ feature. They have dedicated an e-mail account to giving tie-related advice, and in this aspect they truly excel. The first time I wrote, I had just gotten a dark blue plaid shirt from Ben Sherman and was new to the tie game and unsure how to match with it, so I shot them an e-mail. I was expecting a quick “try grey, maybe something in wool” type of response, but Jake sent a fully personalized, page long e-mail. Not only did he give color and material pointers, he picked out a few example from their website and sent me links, telling me why he liked each one and how he would wear it. Even more surprising and appreciated was the fact that he also recommended a few ties that Tie Society didn’t even offer as kind of ‘templates’ for what to look for if I was out shopping for myself. Since then I’ve written to Jake countless times, he’s a great guy and gives solid (and friendly) advice every single time. Definitely take advantage of this feature, I think it’s part of what sets Tie Society apart.

What’s To Love: Personally, I think if you read ‘Netflix for Ties’ and don’t see what’s to love, you’ve got some issues. Really though, this is an incredible service for the young gent trying to expand and develop his personal style. It’s a great opportunity to be a little bolder with your tie selection than you might be comfortable with when making permanent purchases. Order something exciting! If it’s too much, your worst case scenario is to send it back and move on to the next one. Combine this with their ‘advice’ service and you have an incredibly stress-free method to stepping outside your personal fashion boundaries and exploring textures, colors and patterns that will help you stand out amongst your peers as a truly dapper dude. I also am a big fan of the fact that they call your selection your ‘Closet’ because ‘queue’ is an obnoxious word that always takes me ten tries before I get the spelling right.

What’s Not To Love: Honestly, not a lot to put here. It can be a pain to build an extensive closet only to have ties go out of availability before they reach the top of your queue, but if you’re patient it’s not too much of an issue. I’ve also just gotten in the habit of only having 5 or 6 things in my closet instead of picking out every single thing that I like. Every time I return a tie, I just add one more thing to the list, and that’s kept me pretty happy so far. My only other beef is really more of a beef with USPS, as sometimes it seems like the shipping takes forever. Really though, I notice this way more when I’m sending stuff back, and don’t think there’s anything Tie Society could do to make it any better, as they seem to be pretty on top of processing orders and getting the shipments out. I’m sure they could use a faster shipping service, but the price would probably come back to the customer and as of now they offer free shipping both ways, so I really can’t complain about their methods.

So that wraps it up! If you are interested in Tie Society, be sure to check out our giveaway to win a free one-month subscription!

WIWT - 3/13/2013

Ladies and gents, proud to present the first ‘WIWT’ post from Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets. For those of you new to the lingo, WIWT = What I Wore Today, and is, well, if you don’t get it I’m not sure I can help you. Anyway, I figured I may as well put the new camera to use, so these should become a regular feature (and the photo quality will get better as I figure out all the tricks on this camera and set up some better shooting locations).

I also really wanted to show off this tie, which very well may be my favorite that I’ve gotten from Tie Society (Tie Society review forthcoming). I’ve been really digging the dots lately and love the shiny-light blue/raised white dot combo, plus the tie is just darn well made, you can tell from the way it knots and hangs….just look at that dimple. Golden. Also notice the tie length (previously addressed in this ‘Fashion Faux Pas’ article)- hits right at the belt - muy bueno.

I will say that I need to have the shirtsleeves taken in a bit as they are a bit long and loose, but it hasn’t bugged me enough to actually take them to a tailor yet. So get off my back already.



Todays ensemble:

Pants: Frank and Oak
Shirt: J. Crew
Tie: Bear vs. Bull (courtesy of Tie Society)
Socks: H&M
Shoes: Allen Edmonds