Best Bets for Under $75.00 – May 2011
Seventy Five dollars. That’s a lot of money. It’ll get you a couple pairs of Levi’s, a nice dinner out, or a couple months at your local gym. Seventy Five dollars. It is a lot of money, especially if you spend it right. Ten picks follow, all under $75, and some of them are much, much less.
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1. Sebago Brattle Casual Wingtip – $74.95 SHIPPED
w/code AVPMAY1
Sebagos are ridiculously comfortable. With the weather heating up, a lot of us are looking for shoes to wear with super light casual blazers that aren’t quite dress shoes, but aren’t quite Jack Purcells either. These easily fill that void with the pair in black (nice contrast sole) excelling at night.
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2. Brooks Brothers Knot Cufflinks – 4 for $20.00
Now that the sun is shining, you’re best not to blind anyone with your cufflinks. So keep em’ toned down. Or, keep them colorful and cheap with knots from Brooks Brothers.
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3. Banana Republic Slim Fit Five-Pocket Cotton Pant – $34.99 (reg. $79.50)
And I thought I did pretty good snagging a pair of straight fits (reviewed over here for the Palooza) for around $40 in-store. These don’t have the “Canvas” moniker, so they could be even lighter. That’s perfect for summer. Incredibly versatile, might be a little slim for the fellas with big upper legs.
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4. Old Navy Linen Blend Ultra Light Blazers – $35.00 (reg. $44.00)
Like the Old Navy Chino blazer, but ultra light thanks to a half lining and the 55% linen blend. Closer to the INC ultra light in feel, but certainly not fit. This is Old Navy after all. It’ll need a trip to the tailor.
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5. Peugeot 12″ Pepper Mill – $58.00
Yes a $60 pepper mill and yes it’s worth it. There’s something incredibly satisfying about picking up this extremely well made tool and destroying peppercorns with a few smooth twists. A lot of us are throwing a good amount of meat on the grill this time of year. Salads are getting made every night too. Really nice to have on hand.
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6. Bulova 96A120 Canvas Watch – $78.71
(reg. $150)
Look what Amazon has back in stock. Not QUITE under $75, but if you consider how many different watches it can look like if you swap out the strap for a striped one (try black & grey), then it’s fair to fudge a bit on the $75 limit.
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7. Maker’s 46 – about $35 – $40
Makes one heck of a Mint Julep. “As Maker’s 46 mingles with the wood, it takes on stronger hints of caramel, spice and vanilla” (from here). Yep, sounds about right.
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8. Original Penguin “The Earl” polo – $39.00 w/ code SHIRTPOLO20 (reg. $59)
Even at the reduced price, $40 is a lot when you consider that’ll get you four of the terrific Mossimo polos. But those Mossimo polos don’t come with the not over the top retro details of the OP Earl. Code SHIRTPOLO20 gets you $20 off Original Penguin Polos and shirts. Expires (today) Monday 5/16. Free shipping over $50.
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9. J. Crew Factory Open Tattersall Shirt – $34.50
Gingham doesn’t always look good on everybody. Tattersall does pretty much always look good on everybody. You can just do way too much with a slimmer fit button down washed tattersall shirt.
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10. Bonobos 5″ Khaki Swim Trunks – $65.00
There are so many awful swim trunks out there. These on the other hand get everything right. The price is steep, but you get just enough color, none of the extra baggy legs, the control giving mesh liner, and no scrunchy elastic diaper looking waistband. Watch for a full feature on swim trunks in the coming weeks.
For other best bets under $75 from previous months, click here.
A $58 pepper mill? Really, a pepper mill at any price? WTF?
To quote above: “Yes a $60 pepper mill and yes it’s worth it.” A splurge, but damn it’s nice. Bought it for my wife for Christmas. I love using it as stupid as it sounds.
I couldn’t agree with you more on this. I checked this one out at Sur La Table and instantly felt a bit more manly than using the one I had at home. It feels closer to something you would have in your garage than in your kitchen. Strong, sturdy and destroys peppercorns.
Joe – this is very similar to the J. Crew tattersall you recommend. Given, it is from Old Navy, but you can get it pretty cheap using one of Old Navy’s “secret promotion” going on. Buy it with a linen blazer and get free shipping (over $50).
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=67266&vid=1&pid=776134&scid=776134152
Word. My wife loves to cook and takes it pretty seriously, so stuff like this is a must. Getting nice kitchen gear for her also lets me bank some Good Husband points, which doesn’t hurt. And on the few occasions when I cook, I prefer to use some actual cooking utensils instead of a plastic shaker from Wal-Mart.
Those swim trunks look great. I have long legs. They are well built but I do not know how short I can go. Looking forward to the swim trunk specific article.
I ordered a pair of the Sebago Wingtips a few weeks back after their mention in a previous article here on Dappered. They’re great. Very comfortable and have received several compliments.
Looking forward to the swim trunks feature. Been in my pool the last two weekends here in TX. Switched to better fitting trunks about two years back and my only regret is not doing it sooner!
The Maker’s Mark 46 is very good. It was my favorite bourbon, until I tried Jack Daniel’s Honey. Mmmmmm. Honey.
I have to recommend the OXO Salt/Pepper Mill combo set. I just got it about a year ago and it’s already far and away the best kitchen decision I ever made. 5 settings for grind size, good grips, good price for what you’re getting. A++ in my book. As with just about everything from OXO
http://www.oxo.com/p-497-salt-pepper-grinder-set.aspx
Jcrew blue tattersall just arrived via ups today. Freaking solid win. Tattersall might now be my fav pattern.
I too am wondering about the 5″ swim trunks. Are shorter trunks the trend?
once you go pepper mill, those pre-ground pepperish things just don’t do the trick. plus, pepper is pretty much the perfect seasoning. well, except for texas pete.
Makers 46 is 52 bucks in Washington. Thats single malt prices. Hope its good…
That’s pretty expensive: http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?N=4294965016&area=home&ProductID=33658 Might want to pay for shipping if you can find a place to legally ship it to you.
I’m debating trying the tatersall shirt, but I have never bought something from J. Crew. I am usually between a medium and small. Mediums from old navy and banana republic are generally too big for me. Their smalls are a bit baggy in the waist but slightly too tight in the chest/shoulders. What size would I be looking at for J. Crew stuff?
I’ve found that it’s perfectly simple to crush whole peppercorns with the flat of a knife. Best if you prefer coarsely-ground pepper, obviously.
I’d like to reiterate Joe’s warning on the Old Navy blazers. I’m normally a 36R and the small fits like a burlap sack. The sleeves were too long and the shoulders slightly too large, as well. In my case, it didn’t seem worth the expense for all the alterations that would have been necessary. For reference, size small INC jackets fit me almost perfectly off-the-rack.
BUT – I ordered their linen pants at the same time (the ones without the drawstring). I mistakenly thought they were matched suit separates (they aren’t – the colors are slightly off). Although I wound up returning the jacket, I kept the pants. I preempted Old Navy’s sizing problems by ordering a waist size smaller and length size longer than I normally get. The fit is shockingly slim, in a good way, and they are now my favorite summer pants. I’ve already worn them to one summer wedding. A bargain for $12. I got them with a 30% coupon on an already marked-down sale price.
I thought to get a second pair at the brick-and-mortar when I was returning the jacket. The only pair in my size had a totally different fit. It just goes to show that you really pay through the nose in quality control from a store like Old Navy. But if you’re heading to the store anyway, you might try on a pair to see if you can luck out like I did.
The only J.Crew shirt I own fits smaller than my Banana Republic shirts, even though the BR ones are supposedly “slim fit.” I would say try a medium in J.Crew.