Black Friday. A mess in person, but thanks to the explosion of e-commerce, you can hunker down at home while avoiding the crush of humanity at all the brick & mortar stores. Cyber Monday? Still also worth paying attention to, but many brands and retailers have outstanding discounts going on online today. And that means you can avoid swapping sweat (or automobile paint) with those willing to sell their first born for an off-brand flat screen. Here’s some of the best style-centric deals for men running today. Picks are scattered about when something was too good not to specifically mention.
This is the first time Nordstrom has ever done any kind of Black Friday deals online, and when it comes to the guys… they’re just barely dipping their toes in the Black Friday waters. 185 “select items” at post time. That’s not a lot compared to the 2,633 Black Friday items for the ladies.
As good as it seems to get. Under $200 for the all-wool Thompson suit separates (the solid options at least), under a hundred bucks for their outstanding, nice and trim off the rack sportcoats, and $32 for a slim merino V. Buy two of those sweaters and they ship free with the code. Stinks that the navy tweed sportcoat w/ elbow patches is sold out. More on the outstanding herringbone blazer over here. Thompson suiting review, once again, this way.
Boy… with the uptick in prices ($400+ blazers are showing up more and more), you have to wonder if J. Crew is going to struggle, mightily, to repeat in Store Wars this year. 30% off site wide (with exclusions, Ludlow, lots of 3rd party, etc…) is solid though. UPDATE: Check that, some Ludlow Suiting does get the cut. But even with the 30% off, you’re looking at mid $400s. But there seems to be less and less in the price range for most of us these days. Yet their sportcoats are still top notch quality, their slim sweaters are desired by plenty, and their accessories can be awfully tempting. Haven’t seen that Italian Herringbone blazer in person, but it’s just a tick more than $200, is cut from a hopefully less bulky fabric (compared to their English wool + tweed blazers), and it’s in a versatile neutral grey and pattern. Seems like it could become a favorite for many. Also, those exploring the option of an actual set of adult pajamas… these don’t look half bad at all.
Even Zara’s Big Brother is getting in on the Black Friday thing. These guys don’t usually run site-wide sales, so 20% off just about everything is awfully nice. They might not include shoes, so the suede double monks are a hope, not a sure thing. That cotton blazer could be a real winner though. With a pique-like up-close look + elbow patches, it just might be the perfect casual blazer to wear with jeans. Looks like they’re still offering free shipping & returns on everything. (Meanwhile, Zara is running an “up to 50% off select items” sale… it’s sorta hit and miss. Heavy on the miss)
40% off… but those darn usual exclusions (blazers, suit jackets, BR Picks…) still apply. Fer cryin’ out loud Banana Republic. If not on Black Friday, then when?
Now that JCP is seemingly distancing itself from everything Ron Johnson (and therefor, Wooster) did, the JCP OCBD is potentially not long for this world. That leaves us with the UNIQLO slim fit option, or, the “modern oxford” from GAP. Plenty of guys already favor this one. And at $25, with free shipping if you buy two, now might be the time to take them for a spin if you’re in need of a basic like one of these. Code expires today, 11/29.
Plenty love the Express Merion Wool V-necks with their mid-weight, smooth merino wool. Meanwhile, since when did it get tough to find a decent, under $100 cord blazer? Would have liked to see a navy option as well, but the Express cord jacket in black or brown could look awfully smart at any upcoming office holiday parties. The shawl collar on the tux looks a little too trim for most, but it might be a steal at that price. Free shipping doesn’t kick in until $125, so know that you’re on the hook for that. No code necessary here. Prices are marked.
Levi’s has been spoiling their fans with a bunch of hefty % off codes + free shipping no minimum sales as of late, and here’s another one. They have to have some kind of sweetheart deal with their shipping contractor, because putting something in a box and getting it from point A to point B isn’t cheap these days (prepare for sticker shock when you ship holiday gifts this year). Code expires today, 11/29.
If this holds up… then the style gods have blessed it. Big hat tip to William R. for sending in the tip on this one, and they’ve got this posted on their Facebook page. Lots of high end brands on this site, but one third off is awfully nice. We’ll see though… this is starting to trip the “Too good to be true” trigger. (UPDATE: as of 12:01 ET… it’s working…) (Update II: Looks like the Filson Original Brief is now sold out, but lots of other stuff to ogle)
As Lands’ End seems to curb back on the L.E.C. offerings, it seems like their main brand should be picking up the flag for those of us who prefer younger + slimmer cuts. It might take a bit for that change to happen, because right now? Things look a little.. normal. Don’t expect those Hikers to get you from one end of the Appalachian trail to the other, but they should perform hopefully decent for light hiking. Free shipping kicks in at $50 post code too.
Orient got pretty cleaned out earlier in the week with their pre-Black Friday 40% off code, (UPDATE: Thanks to all in the comments who pointed out that there appears, for now, to be some of the new vintage-look Bambinos back in stock with the cream dial and blue hands) but it’s still worth a spin if you’re in the market for a new timepiece. The Explorer is often asked about both online (in some unrelated Dappered photos) and in person. Complicated looking thanks to a slide-rule on the inner bezel. Power reserve w/ a second time zone indicator. Pretty darn slick on either a brown or black band.
Disappointing. The online “doorbusters” aren’t much to get excited about. The Clairborne Cord Blazer, Cashmere Cable Sweater, and Stafford Camel Hair Sportcoat are all certainly worthwhile… but they’ve all gone for less in recent memory. Sitting this one out. At least shipping is free at $50, and that Clairborne Seed Stich Cotton Sweater is nicely priced at $24.
Launched a few days back and now pretty darn picked over. Pants above have a nice + solid utility look to em’. Sizes are awfully limited though. Might be worth taking a spin through the women’s sale section if you’re on the hunt for a gift for a lady.
The Picks: C3 Malvern MKII Qurartz Chronograph – $250.75 ($295)
Yes it’s a quartz, but there’s hardly a sexier dress chronograph on the market. The styling is going to be dead-on-perfect for most. From the Stark dial, to the clean Aston-Martin dash inspired font of the numerals and subdials, and that circular date window at 4’oclock. Nails it on all fronts. 39mm in diameter, which is rare for a chrono. Code expires Midnight on Monday.
Pretty standard stuff from Brooks Brothers. Nothing to toss your Turkey sandwich across the room over.
A pretty high must-spend threshold, but if memory serves, Bonobos (being the web-savvy brand that they are) usually hangs their hat on Cyber Monday. Looking forward to what they have this year for that. For the topcoat… it was just $209 during their Turducken Hunt (noted on the facebook page), but $243 is still fantastic for this thing. More on the coat over here. Hat tip to “guest” in the comments for the heads up on the coat being in the 30% off threshold here.
Been awhile since some of us took a spin through Florsheim’s site. They’ve got some interesting new arrivals. Had no idea they were knocking out a relatively affordable Double Monk Strap, and their new made in Italy Suede cap toe looks really good. Code expires at midnight central, today, 11/29/13.
Anyone still have Inodchino as their #1 go-to for suits? The last straw for many seemed to be when they raised their prices on the essential collection. So unless you’ve got an awfully hard to fit body type, there were just lest-risky options out there.
Billy Reid stuff isn’t cheap. But the award winning American Designer knows how to inject high quality construction, as well as timeless good looks in his goods.
You may have to hand over your email address (and zip) to gain access to this thing, so… that’s a bit of a bummer if that’s the case for you (not quite sure why some do and some don’t). Be careful of final sale items lurking about in this one. They’re in there, and final sale means no returns.
Many thanks to Eric H. for the tip on this one. Straps are made in the USA from Horween leathers. Thankfully, they’re all sold out of the Model 1 Horween in Crimson… otherwise, the ol’ personal checking account would have suffered a nice dent (damn mincing of garlic putting another watch strap in the grave far before its time).
That’s actually a pretty big discount for Ledbury, and their shirts are pricey. This is the company with the lowered second button. Fantastic quality, great collars, but know that sleeves can run a little long (and they ding you for a fee to shorten them). Also, selection right now for the slim-fits is… not good.
I… where do you even start with Macy’s on Black Friday? It’s too much and unfocused. At post time, there were 4,254 “Black Friday Specials”… in the MEN’S DEPARTMENT. That’s too much. If you’re in the market for an affordable + workable by a tailor tux, the Hilfiger option is down to $260 total… although it has gone lower during One Day Sales in the past.
That’s a mighty nice sized discount at FFF, but what’s even better, 20% of every sale until December 11 goes to the Orlando Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree” program. You save, they do some good. Good on everything but the Button-Stud Premiums (which, y’know… totally understandable. The numbers get a lot tighter when Rolex + Omega are involved).
A solid, site wide 25% off code that runs through the weekend. They also have their Schiphol Utility Bag marked down to $200, so you can double up with the code there for an extra discount (hat tip to Marshall for the heads up on the sale). Everything is tough as nails and made in the USA. All styles come in multiple color options, so click around.
Black Friday. It knows no bounds. More on Vermouth, in general, over here.
Expect updates throughout the day. What else? Hit the comments section if you’ve got leads on other Dappered-related Black Friday deals. Are you heading out to shop with the masses today? Sticking it to “the man” and embracing Small Business Saturday? Leave it all below.
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