What are you going to wear? Sometimes there’s an easy answer. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and three scenarios will be tackled before then. This one is for the couples who are skipping the fine dining circus on Valentine’s Day, but still heading out. Maybe you’ve been together for awhile and want to share a pizza and beer. Maybe you’re a new couple and don’t want things to feel rushed or overly serious. The white shirt and blazer keeps it sharp, but the jeans and suede boots dress it down.
The Blazer: J. Crew Ludlow in Italian Tweed – $230 ($328). Nice ticket pocket. Just marked down with a surprisingly large array of sizes. If J. Crew lets loose with another extra 30% off code, be prepared for these to evaporate. Cheaper alternative would be the lighter in color and easier on the wallet jcp wool blazer from this past fall.
The Shirt: Nordstrom Trim Fit – $65.00. Meanwhile, this one is cheaper, but if memory serves, the finish is stiffer. If that’s too dressed up for your date, try a light purple OCBD from jcp. Check the clearance racks.
The Jeans: Levi’s 514 Slim Straight in Tumbled Rigid – $39.99
The Boots: Ciro Lendini Brown Suede – $98.10 w/ VALENTINE. Made in Italy via Yoox. Want to try Monks? The inexpensive, suede single monks from Florsheim are on sale at HauteLook for $64.00. More on those here.
The Gloves: Orvis Lambskin Drivers – $69.00. Skip the coat. These and a scarf. Save $10 thisaway.
The Belt: Gap Basic Leather Belt – $22.46 w/ GAP25
For Her: Embellished Brass Purse Mirror – $29.95. Via Red Envelope. Get it monogrammed for $6.95. And if your date is a fella, consider one of those button stud weekenders from Form Function Form. Update: You can save 20% w/ a click through via RetailMeNot. Hat tip to Sal in the comments.
The Watch: Orient Vintage Auto – $297.50 w/ WINTER2012. Full review here. (A cheaper alternative would be the… wait for it… FFF button stud weekender in “midday” and Chromexcel Natural)
The Pocket Square: TheTieBar Dark Plaid Hunter/Navy Cotton Pocket Square- $8.00
Last scenario will be for the staying-in crowd. Suggestions & alternatives? Leave those below. Top Photo: Liz West
loving the pocket square with this one – elevates it just a touch – perfect
I’d go with a light patterned shirt, the B/W seems too much like you changed your suit pants and that’s it.
I’m also pausing on the driving gloves without a coat. I think it’s a cool idea, but if its cold enough for driving gloves, it’s cold enough for a coat. To me, its in the same category as wearing a stocking hat and a t-shirt, rather than a practical, but stylish accessory.
Do I take the risk and wait for the 30% off, or get the blazer before it sells out for sure…. Decisions, decisions…
For anyone interested in picking up that purse mirror, you can get 20% off going through retailmenot here: http://www.retailmenot.com/view/redenvelope.com
Good through 2/9.
I’ve noticed a trend of Nordstrom & Merona shirts over Express. Is there something wrong with 1MXs? Fallen out of favor? Too paper-y? Price?
I like that you included the pocket square, but personally I would go with something lighter. Navy with black isn’t enough of a contrast.
I was actually thinking about that myself. I always go for a noticeable contrast when it comes to pocket squares, but maybe there’s something to this. It won’t be noticed from far away, but it will be noticed across a table. It’s more of a subtle attention to detail. I might have to try this…
You rock.
Thinking the same. Currently no active codes. I need a blazer as all of my old ones are from a passing time where I used to wear them and didn’t know proper fit.
I pulled the trigger. Guess I’ll just cross my fingers and hope that if a code does come out, it’ll still be available in my size and I’ll just return the more expensive one. If not…. well, I guess it’s only $75…
I think I may do the same. If a code does show up we may be able to get a bit of a refund within a time window. Going to scour their site and see if that’s possible.
Already checked – You can only get price matching if you purchase at full retail price, from what I can tell. Let me know if you see different?
I found a comment via Google search where this woman was able to get them to adjust it just by calling. She does mention that it’s only full-price items but like she says, worth a shot.
http://goldenmeans.wordpress.com/2009/04/25/sometimes-i-wonder-if-jcrew-is-trying-to-actively-lose-my-business/#comment-2187
I see what you’re saying on both cases, but disagree at the same time. The sportcoat is tweedy, and while I’d love to have a tweed suit this dark and in this shade, I don’t think most would mistake it for swapping out dress pants for jeans. Besides, the suede boots also break it up.
Doesn’t have to be driving gloves. I wear gloves and a scarf all the time without a jacket if it’s above 30 and I’m headed somewhere quick. Especially if I’m in a warmer sportcoat like the one above. One less coat to sit on when it comes to a barstool. Just my 2 cents.
Nice. Updated above!
Be warned, Red Envelope has a steep standard shipping rate.
Hahaha, I definitely choked on my coffee when I got to the checkout page. But, I liked the mirror enough to eat it.
… this time.
I like the gloves + scarf/ no jacket look, though the last time I did it, I was told it was my ‘murdering outfit’ by multiple people. Must be doing something wrong…
I’ve always thought the scarf-sportcoat-gloves combo was a great look (and very practical in mildly cold temps).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/theantiduck/dec15wiwt.jpg
I work at express and let me tell you, the 1mx was a great choice before at the price point of 49.50 for solids and 59.50 for patterned. Now at 59.90 solids and 65/69.90 for patterns i’d suggest looking elsewhere. Especially since they are always running a bogo 50% off deal which isn’t a great promotion. On top of that their free shipping starts at around…$150? i’m not too sure, but it’s up there. I know a lot of us like online shopping. In all honesty, I’ve worked for the company for six years now and I’ve come to the conclusion that express doesn’t sell fashion, we sell an image. At least thats true for men, not so much the women’s stuff. There may be a few good items worth checking out, the new chinos, a few ties (skip the ridiculous silk patterns and look at the more subtle cottons and wool options when available), dressy sweaters, and some of the jeans. But you can find almost all of that stuff at other retailers for either a more affordable price or better quality at the same price. so yah, I’d say try and skip express altogether. Unless you work there…then the discount makes up for all that crap I said before. haha.
I never understood why my two uncles, who are both 24, love Express so much. They’re the biggest fans of the store I know and they never believe me that its quality is just horrible for the price point. I’m not sure what the image is considering that you can get the same look at other places. Fit, maybe, but I’m sure they can find much better at J. Crew in terms of fit and quality.
Very classy watch. Usually I’d say I’m not a fan of steel bands but I love the black dial with the steel band’s photo. It just works so well to me. One of these days I intend to pick up an Orient, but it’s too bad that lately my love for watches have died down ever since I moved to Arizona. No fellow watch aficionados out there that I know.
You’ve (partially) convinced me. I think if you had a tweed, herringbone (or other cold weather pattern), you combination could work. As you’ve put it together above, I still can’t get behind it.
I hate J Crew dress shirts. I am a bona fide J Crew fan for casual stuff and their suiting is actually a pretty good buy – even the full price Ludlow stuff because the fabrics are really nice and the jackets are really canvassed. But their shirts are sized S, M, L and it’s impossible to get the right fit in the neck, which makes wearing a tie problematic, which defeats the purpose of a dress-shirt.
And the extra 30% off shows up making it $160.99 after. Shame the sizes got snatched up over the weekend. The extra $70 off would have been real nice.
Yup, just saw that this morning and rushed over to jcrew.com to see if my size was still left. Alas, no such luck. But still, it was a decent price anyways, can’t be too upset about it.
Just got mine in, was a little dissapointed it didn’t have a ticket pocket like in the picture. Oh well.