There’s a $1500 wardrobe, and then there’s these. Three hundred dollars is a lot of money, but once you start adding shoes and layers like a blazer or piece of outerwear, three hundred bucks can be a reasonable number. Each outfit will be built for a specific overall look, but still be made of versatile items.
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GAP Admiral Blazer – $89.60
w/ GETSTARTED ($128)
Wasn’t impressed with this thing at first glance online, but don’t go completely to sleep on it. It’s pretty damn good in person, and it’s the perfect ultra-dressed down option for those of us who are hooked on blazers. It’s one of the few sportcoats that won’t generate ribbing from your dressed-down pals if you happen to wear it to your favorite bar to watch a game. It’s sort of a poor-man’s version of this from L.L. Bean Signature. Only the GAP admiral is dressed down even more, with a shorter drop in the jacket and a subtle gun-flap like stitch line on the upper right chest. 79% wool and 21% polymade. It’s a bit like a non-cotton version of the jacket Bond wears during the third act in Skyfall. A 2/3 sorta roll/fold that looks much better in person (at least it did with the blazer seen here) than it does on the GAP model. Size shown: Medium.
J. Crew Factory Washed Shirt in Payette Tartan – $24.15 w/ SCOREMORE ($59.50)
It’s a plaid with some red in there, but you’re not going full Borland. The lightness of the placket will be a nice center-anchor for the shirt, while the rest of the pattern that’ll show under the blazer will be the darker red and blue.
Timex Brass/Black ionic plated – $70.00
A new offering from Timex. Couldn’t dig this one up on Amazon (but that doesn’t mean it’s not there?). Full price at Nordstrom, but it ships and returns free. 38mm diameter. The grained leather strap gives it texture without the too-dressed up feel a croc embossed strap would have given it.
Johnston & Murphy Headley Suede Chukka – $88.00 w/ ALTHANKS2 ($165)
Death, taxes, and there being more than a few decent pairs of marked down J&M shoes on Sierra Trading Post. Perfect shape and deep brown shade for those who want to give suede boots a shot, but don’t want anything too weird. No, they don’t match the watch strap perfectly, but that’s more than fine. Suede is a different texture than standard leather, so you get a little more leeway there. If you’d prefer a more traditional, leather boot, STP now has the Timberland Earthkeeper’s 6″ City (non-zip) boots for $90.40 w/ the code.
jcp Slim Straight Denim in Rinse – $22.00 ($30.00)
Stunningly good for (now) just over twenty bucks. Color is dead on perfect, there’s no obnoxious back pocket stitching, and the fit is pretty close to a Levi’s 514 slim straight.
Military Surplus Web Belt – $6.04
(Amazon Prime Eligible too.)
Web belts are one of those things you should always head to your local Army/Navy surplus store for. It’s an easy & obvious match, stylistically speaking, for this outfit. Ships free if you have prime.
Total Cost: $299.79
A good outfit for those nights when you want to blend in, certainly not be overdressed, yet still look good. Plus, you can wear each piece pretty easily with other items in your closet.
I’d recommend against the watch. I recently purchased one almost identical (tan instead of brown). It is the loudest watch I’ve ever heard. When I come home at the end of the day, I wrap it in a sweater, because if you leave it laying somewhere it ticks louder than a clock. There’s much better ways to spend $70 than on a low quality Timex watch.
all of my timex watches are like that. if they are not in my watch box with the lid closed, they would probably keep me up at night
why does the belt not match the shoes and watch… it basically unleashes the color calamity that is in the bucket propped over the door.
i’m on board with “Plus, you can wear each piece pretty easily with other items in your closet.”
the timex is nice… how come timex watches are so great but cost nothing?
Second this. i sometimes feel like throwing away my weekender because at night, you can hear it tick from across the room!
See above.
The lapels on that blazer make me sad.
Joe, what size is the blazer you’re wearing?
Also, could you stop making the pic you take of yourself a link to the product? Sometimes I’d like to enlarge it to assess how something fits on a real person (you).
Joe, is that a 3-button or 2-button blazer? it looks like a 2-button on you.
Strong recommend for the Johnston Murphy Headley Chukka. Love my grey ones.
I must be the only person who likes the fact that it’s so loud. I’ve never found it to be annoyingly so. Then again, my hearing is a bit shot so my opinion might not be the best.
How true. I got a Timex and it really is loud. Glad to know I’m not the only one who noticed.
I keep my timexes in my sock drawer for now until I get a nice looking soundproof box. Can’t hear them at all.
“So great but cost nothing” is extremely relative. Timex is a cheap quartz movement, an inexpensive band, and a couple pieces of metal and glass. They’re mass produced and a lot of the work is done in China. I’m no watch snob and own a few of them, but you’re not getting high quality with a timex like you are with other watches that may last generations. They don’t have expensive materials and they charge $70…timex certainly isn’t losing any money on the deal.
How’s the sizing on them? Run smaller? Larger?
I’ll have to double check when I get home, but I’m 99% sure they’re true to size. Picked up my dark brown ones from marshalls for $80 a month ago. Incredibly comfortable.
I’m also interested in the fit. I have a coupon that would bring them to less than $80 and am interested in the taupe suede; I got the Brennan plain toe in charcoal and think the dark grey would be too similar. Really looking for a light grey option.
Could this be pulled off with Clark’s beeswax chukkas
Could this work with Clark’s beeswax chukkas?
Same here… I love the loudness of it when I’m out and about since it reminds me to check the time A LOT! But at night its awful and has to go into my sock drawer.
It’s much better looking in person than on the GAP model. The blazer I tried on was pressed to a 2/3 roll.
It’s a 2/3 fold sorta roll sorta whatever. The blazer I picked up in-store naturally went to a 2 button look despite being 3. So that’s pretty traditional for the hunting style/more rugged blazer.
Bottom line: It’s a 3 button, but it wears like a 2. At least the one I tried on. But yes, that shot on GAP.com looks awful. That’s why I wrote it off until seeing it in person.
Medium per the norm: http://dappered.com/2011/07/joes-measurements/ But, I don’t reset my normal sizes enough. Updated above
Here’s a bigger pic, but it’s a particularly poor fitting room-lighting shot. I usually try to include the bigger shots when I think they’ll give you a better perspective, but I doubt this one will. Here it be: http://dappered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Gap-Admiral-Big.jpg
Can’t say the loudness of a Timex has ever been a concern of mine. But I have noticed that they’re louder than most. Meanwhile, I sleep with a fan on. And a BAC of .15 or thereabouts.
(Kidding about that last part. Well, mostly. Eesh.)
Belt is a web cotton, so the “rules” are relaxed a bit more since the “leathers have to match” theory doesn’t apply.
Meanwhile… I wouldn’t think too hard about it. It’s close, and you’re wearing a blazer that’ll cover the belt most of the time. Even if you weren’t… is it that big of a deal?
I actually keep my watches in the kitchen, with my wallet and other stuff. Three Timex watches in there,
is this a specific coupon or a general one? trying to see if I can waive shipping somehow
i agree, i’m just shocked that the colors and styles seldom appear in better quality. I like them and i have two thanks to Joe and groupon
no beef
True to size. I wear a size 10 in 90% of chukkas and the 10 is money in these.
Definitely true to size. Good option for wide feet as well. It’s not really light grey (at least the grey of I have of the Headleys).
How was the sleeve length? The sleeves look too long on the product shot. I dismissed the jacket for that reason.
Their FB page generally has better deals listed than the one at the top of their mainpage. This one is for 30% off.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151343834510625&set=a.483602270624.263339.81701055624&type=1&relevant_count=1
A little long, but for such a casual blazer, I was more than fine with letting that bit slide.
Thanks!
How does the J Crew shirt fit compared to Merona OCBD?
This ^^^^^^^^
I can’t get on board with the jcp jeans. In my experience, jeans are one of the things you don’t skimp on. The fit doesn’t look that good in the pictures either.
posts like these are for the terminator or a naked man. most of us should have a few of these items in our wardrobe already. like em still.
I have a Timex (Expedition) and I’ve found that the apparent loudness seems to depend on what surface it’s set on- in other words, it’s more of an ‘echo’ or resonance effect than pure loudness (though it is a fairly loud ticker). It also depends on the angle that the face is at. If it’s too loud for you at night, set in on top of anything soft (a handkerchief, the cover of your iPad, a leather valet, etc.), face down, and you’re unlikely to hear it. If you’re setting it face up on a hard wooden surface, you’ll hear it anywhere int the room.
Lightweight. *pukes*
http://i.qkme.me/3pzblz.jpg
Something about the back just looks unflattering. It may be the way they have an angled v-like seam that requires the pockets to be lowered… I’m not sure what that’s all about, but it looks odd to me.
That said, I’ll still be trying these on asap. The note that they are similar to the 514s and the price tag are too much to ignore.
The normal nomenclature is “3 roll 2.”
Pretty good point. Like…I’m reasonably certain everyone who reads this blog owns at least one pair of jeans.
Hey Joe is that Gap medium blazer slim-fit?