10 Best Bets for $75 or Less – September 2012

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 for $75 or under, and some of them are much, much less.
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1. Lands’ End Harris Tweed – $23.99 ($79) | Tweed Smartphone Gloves – $53.40 ($89)

For those that like the more traditional/less color look, both of these have potential.  The gloves on the left are on sale and appear to be last year’s model.  This year’s edition comes with slits for your fingers to operate your smartphone.  Both are up for the extra 40% off one item code COUNTRY and pin 1840.

 

2. Bonobos “Ging Arthur” Sport Shirt – $34.97 ($88)

Bonobos ran an extra 30% off sale code this weekend, so their markdowns have been decimated.  Meanwhile, this is over in Nordstrom’s sale section.  Small, Large, and XL available at post time (no mediums… dammit.) Ships and returns free from Nordstrom, so it’s almost like you’ve got those Bonobos Ninjas working their magic. Button down collar, super-wearable. Nordstrom’s site has it labeled as a “regular fit”… which doesn’t match up with the way Bonobos shirts fit. They really are an in-between. Not too tight and not billowy on most frames.

 

3. Monarch Playing Cards by Theory11 – $11 for 2 decks

Whoa.  If your poker nights lean less in the direction of the typical belch/scratch/sausage fests, and instead someone might show up with a decent pair of shoes on, then consider these.  Sold through Huckberry in packs of two or four, these cards look amazing compared to an average tired deck.  More importantly they feel fantastic.  Also available in silver.  And then there’s the art-deco sci-fi “Steampunk” sets that looks like something Nikola Tesla, The Rocketeer and Robby the Robot would use to play Hold Em.

 

4.  Old Navy Quilted Jacket – $49.94 | Timberland Sweatshirt Jacket – $70.80 w/ BFF12 ($118)

The very, very affordable & less urbanized versions of this.  For the Old Navy, which should always be on sale: Corduroy collar, matte gunmetal snaps, canvas trim, and side vents at the bottom.  75% cotton, 25% nylon.  Buy some socks to trip the free shipping.  Might have to size down, so there’s always the buy-two-sizes return the one that doesn’t fit to the store strategy (that is, if they aren’t carrying these in your local brick & mortar).  For the Timberland: the code BFF12 takes 40% off.  More of a squishy sweatshirt cotton material, and sizes are going fast.

 

5. Transcript Randal Suede Driver – $39.90 ($79)

A wildly cheap way to dive (slip?) into the drivers shoe market.  Sold through Nordstrom, so they ship and return free too.  Has some boat shoe type lacing along the edges.  And for the guys who hate the traditional heel traction almost all drivers have?  These don’t have that.  The one review was a 5-star, BUT… he did say it’s best to size down.

 

6. Hugo Boss Sale Cufflinks – $37.99 – $67.99

A step up from silk cufflinks for sure, but still not full-bore wild & crazy. The Mother of Pearl Marcelli (upper left) are the cleanest and most subtle, but they run the most expensive at $68. The plaid center Noak are $46 and have either a red, grey (hooray), or blue center. The solid center “Simony” cufflinks are the cheapest, but only a few of the colors are on sale. Most likely going to be made in China, but if they hold true to other Boss Cufflinks of the past, they won’t look or feel flimsy.

 

7.  Lands’ End Canvas Rugby – $50.88 w/ COUNTRY and 1840 ($80)

Yep, this was a best bet last month too.  And yes, Lands’ End already got a mention with the gloves.  But the current Lands’ End / Canvas 40% off one item sale with pin COUNTRY and pin 1840 seems like it was built specifically to sell a few of these rugby shirts.  You get free shipping at $50, and once the code is applied and tax is added on, one of these shirts just barely nudges over the $50 line.  Anyone get one yet?  Should have an in-person for you guys in the next week or so (still on the road, apologies…) Contrast corduroy collar and cuffs,  reinforced underarms,  quilt stitched shoulder yoke.  Cuffs have single buttons too.  Lots of trimmings on this one.

 

8. Get Squared “Tickled Pink” pocket square – $6.50

Brand new from Get Squared.  Pink with blue stitching.  Dark denim, navy cotton blazer, white OCBD, and one of these.  Stupid simple, sharp, and the pink gives it all the personality an outfit needs.  Ships free and made in the USA.

 

9.  Brooks Brothers Cotton Rugby Stripe Scarf – $29.00 ($58)

A lot of us are seeing weather that’s not quite cold enough for a coat when you start out, but at the end of the night you might want something to keep you warm.  The answer is the sportcoat / scarf combo.  And a cotton scarf is smart this time of year, because you’re not going to be cold enough for an itchy wool at this point.  On clearance and seems to be some of last year’s leftovers.  Oh, and, not meant to be worn with those tweed gloves from Lands’ End.

 

10. Driving Inertia Keep Calm and Carry All Tote – $17.00

Tech and travel correspondent Paul has been on the road for a year.  He and his wife Lisa started Driving Inertia to catalog their travels.  Every so often they need to buy some gas, or in the event that they’re overseas (now) an Oyster Card for extra tube travel.  He fully admits that this is “way too expensive”, but I gotta say… clever as hell.  Each sale nets them a gallon of gas ($4).  Yes, CafePress has to take their chunk too.

For other best bets under $75 from previous months, click here.