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The $1500 Wardrobe – The alternatives

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Alternative Options – The $1500 Wardrobe Part VI

This year’s $1500 wardrobe wrapped up on Friday, but as the week wore on it became increasingly apparent that some tweaks could have been made.  The budget remains the same, but here are a few other ways to spend that same pile of cash….
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Suits & Blazers: Skip Suitsupply. Go JCF: Thompson Jacket + Pant – $201.20*

Thompson alternative

You’re losing a lot of quality by switching to a fused suit, but if you don’t wear a suit a ton, you could easily get away with a nicely constructed yet still fused option like the Thompson from J. Crew Factory. The key is to not get it dry cleaned unless you ABSOLUTELY have to (sidenote: don’t get high quality suits dry cleaned a lot either… it ain’t a kind process). Over time, dry cleaning breaks down the glue that holds fused suits together, and you might end up with wrinkles and bubbles showing through the fabric of your suit if you dry clean it one too many times.

*Here’s how you get this price: You’ll need to buy the jacket, the pant, AND… a linen pocket square. They’re running a buy 2 items, take an additional 10% off, buy three items, take 20% off code right now: EARLYBIRD. By adding the relatively cheap pocket square (something some said should have been in the original lineup anyway), you actually save money. Full review of the Thompson over here. For $200, it’s as good as it gets. Much better than Alfani Red or Hilfiger Trim fit from Macy’s. Bar III is another Macy’s house brand that’s worth trying on if they happen to get down to $200.

Savings vs. original combination: $297.20 (We’re RICH!)

 

Shoes: Take a step down in quality.  Nordstrom – $175 | Johnston & Murphy – $111

shoe alts

The leather quality wouldn’t be as nice, but even at under $200 there are plenty of good shoes out there. The option from Nordstrom is almost certainly glued, but they’re made in Italy and the leather is decent. The cap-toe from J&M is known for being about as good as it gets when it comes to bang for the shoe construction buck. Conservative? Sure. But it’s got a goodyear welt and should treat most fine. Try the code 30SHOES1 for an extra 30% off. More on that code later today.

Savings vs. original combination: $106 (now $403.20 left to spend. Makin’ it RAIN.)

 

Blazers: Add a Grey, Sharp, Cotton Blazer. B.R. Tailored Fit – $157.50 @ 30% off

BR blazer altnerative

Sportcoats and jeans. That high/low thing really does look good in all kinds of situations. The key here is waiting for a Banana Republic sale where Sportcoats/Blazers aren’t excluded. They still seem to happen, but they don’t happen that often. Despite being fused, their cotton blazers are nice and durable, are a step up from a rumpled chino, and they’re easy to wear with almost anything. Keep your fingers crossed for this medium grey (with some marling/flecking) to hit the sale section, or, be up for a code in the not too distant future.

$245.70 left to spend.

 

Shirts:  Add a Gingham or Tattersall Dress shirt and a couple OCBDs.

Calibrate Gingham

A bit of pattern never hurt anyone, and these Nordstrom house brand shirts are outstanding. Yeah, sixty is steep, but they hold up great, the collars are substantial, and they ship and return free. Meanwhile, grab a striped OCBD from the jcp mark before it totally disappears, and also pick up a GAP modern OCBD in whatever color you so choose. Layer at will.

$138.74 left to spend

 

Pants: Add some Cords. Banana Republic Vintage Straight – $45.18 w/ BRMERRY

alt cords

If you’re in shape (or even if you have some extra poundage on you), but no one would ever call you “skinny”, then the BR Vintage Straight is outstanding. All apologies to those who can fit comfortably in Alpha Khakis (which, also a good buy in this spot) but those are just a bit tight on some of us. Anyway, lots of colors to pick from when it comes to the BR cord. That, and cords walk the line between dressed down and dressed… slightly up… despite being a 5-pocket. Wear em’ with a blazer.

$93.56 left to spend… boy, that Suitsupply suit was expensive, wasn’t it?

 

Belts: Orion Belt Co. Dress Belts in Brown & Black – $37.45 per

Alt Belts

“Where’s the belt?” A fair question in last week’s $1500 wardrobe. But most guys have a serviceable set of belts in their collection. For dress belts (and casual belts, like this well loved Gap option) you want good quality leather, a brushed/matte buckle, and as little flash as possible. The American Made Orion 1 1/4″ dress belt accomplishes all of these things for under $40 a pop. Thanks to all who sent in the style tips about these over the years. UPDATE: Take 10% off w/ THNXORION2013

$18.66 left to spend… 

 

One last tie: Olive wool w/ Faint Plum Stripes – $15.00

olive tie alt

Green just doesn’t get enough credit in men’s style. Got this from a pal for standing up in his wedding and… it’s stunningly versatile. Very faint plum colored pinstripes (so faint that they… don’t show up hardly at all on thetiebar’s site?) Looks especially good with a charcoal suit, white shirt, black shoes, and a dive watch. 007 for cheap.

NEW TOTAL WARDROBE COST: $1496.34
CASH REMAINING: $3.66

Thoughts on these alternatives? Is the higher quality suit from Suitsupply still worth the extra $300? Or does it depend on how often the wearer would use it? Leave it all in the comments below.
Head here to see how the original $1500 budget was spent.

Comments

  1. I have those J&M Oxfords and they have held up very well. The leather took a while to break in (but that is likely a good thing) but they are really versatile on days I wear a jacket. The only downside is that they don’t dress down well.

    Incidentally I got mine at a J&M outlet for roughly the price Joe quotes.

  2. I love these alternatives. The bang for your buck will serve beginners better than dropping $500 on the Suit Supply option. Sure, we would all prefer the nicer suit but for someone just getting started, getting a blazer, pants, three shirts, two belts and an extra tie is a better use of limited funds. Save the $500 suit for later, once you’ve got a better feel for your personal style. Either way, great series, Joe. This is always one of my favorite articles on Dappered.

  5. I’m usually a huge fan of the ‘bang for your buck’ but the suitsupply outlet just ruined everything for everyone else. Jackets for 150? There’s no excuse. $250 for a suit? With free shipping, come now my son – save for a week more and get that bad boy tailored.

    $201 = fused attractive suit
    $300 (after tailoring) = half canvassed bulletproof/cape/007 suit.

    Your choice.

  6. Assuming the outlet has your size and desired style. Can you wait indefinitely for the right size and style? Then yes, the Suit Supply outlet is a better option.

  8. Orion Leather 10% discount using THNXORION2013. Also what is the code to get JCF to offer the 20% off? I am still getting the 40% discount thing from the weekend and the suit is still around $240.

  9. Updated above with the Orion leather code. Thanks!

    Also updated with the JCF code. You’ll need EARLYBIRD to get 20% off, but you do need to buy three items to get it. So, pickup a pocket square and you’re good.

  10. Does anyone have experience with those Nordstrom captoes? Wondering if the extra cost is worth the difference from the DSW’s MF captoes.

  12. I’ve got a three Orion belts, two of which have seen heavy usage over the past year. The leather has held up and worn wonderfully on both. The only complaints I have is that the finish on one of the buckles has started to wear off and the dye/finish on one of them has discolored a couple light khaki pants (which isn’t a huge deal, because I always wear a belt). Neither are dealbreakers, especially at the price, but just things to keep in mind.

  13. I’m curious now, too. I wasn’t crazy about the DSWs, in person; but for the price it’s tough to be that picky. I *did* pass though.

  14. Good to see Orion finally getting some pub. All they do is put out a high quality product under $40 that’s the same as lots of #menswear sites try to push for north of $100.

  17. I know the Melton is very conservative in style but in the pictures it looks very shiny. Is this only in pictures or is it actually that shiny in person? I’m most likely going to wear black oxfords in more of a business casual setting and was looking at the Thompson black Oxford that was mentioned before on this site, I think it’s available on the lastcall website if anyone wants to give it a look and compare?

  19. J Crew Factory has 40% off everything until Nov 26. Plus, free shipping today (11am ET – 3pm ET) with code SNEAKY.

  20. It won’t work on blazers if that’s what you’re trying to do? It’s going to take some waiting around for a code that works on blazers/suit jackets.

  23. The Melton’s pretty shiny in-person. Not quite patent leather, but it’s definitely not matte. Not sure how they take polish yet.

  25. Good alternatives. In fact, I think this prescription might be a little better for a newbie, more versatility, and a blazer can go a long way.

  26. I picked up a Thompson today. My local Factory shop had one floor model of the navy suit and it happened to be exactly the right size top and bottom. It looks phenomenal. I’ll need to hem the pants and that’s it.

  27. I’d avoid it for business casual; they look *very* shiny, and I’d reserve them for more dressy occasions. For business casual, I’d wear something smoother. Maybe even brown suede?

    The Meltons are also a pain to break in, apparently, as the local second hand shoe store is chock full of them.

  28. Took a second look. That lone navy Napoli was linen….
    I stand corrected.

    Note: Black Friday deals might once again make a fused suit compromise unnecessary?

    Maybe I’m just such a hater because the armholes on those banana republic suits are an oversized joke…I swore I’d never compromise like that again.

  30. Anyone interested in the grey BR blazer should try it on before purchasing. The cut is pretty boxy for a tailored slim fit, especially in the shoulders. I tried it on and wasn’t happy with the fit, thought it was just me, then watched several other guys try on other sizes and all looked equally boxy. YMMV.

  31. I had the same experience this weekend with the BR “tailored fit” grey blazer. The armholes were so large that they seemed to attach somewhere near the bottom of my ribcage, resulting in a comically boxy fit.

    But the peacoat I got instead looks pretty damn nice…

  33. Hey, if you have the means and/or the patience, be choosy! It’s better to spend a bit more ad be happy than to compromise and settle for something that misses the mark for you. I’m really impressed with the Thompson suit versus my Napoli. It’s not he same quality, sure, but it doesn’t feel like a big step down. It actually fits quite similarly.

  34. Solid gray blazers are also notoriously difficult to wear effectively – there are usually better choices no matter what color you’re pairing it with

  36. I’d try them out to see if they’re as shiny in real life- Yoox may have just spiffed them up before taking the photos. I don’t know enough about Thompson to give a value judgement but the design is just fine for business casual, in my eyes. I’d even wear those with jeans.

  37. I took the Thompson to a tailor today. I needed to shorten the jacket sleeves about 1/4-1/2″ and hem the pants. The tailor identified a slight excess of fabric in the upper chest, most noticeable around my armpit with my arms held flat at my sides. It’s very subtle – the difference between 95% and 100% perfect.

    The charge to correct that: $100. Between that and the already high price for standard adjustments ($38 to adjust sleeve length, $14 to hem pants, $48 to taper the body and sleeves of a Merona Ultimate shirt [which I declined]), I’ll be shopping tailors again soon.

    Note: The JCF store offered free tailoring (at a standard J Crew store) if I signed up for their store credit card. After looking at the costs this tailor wanted to charge for everything, I wished that I’d signed up for the card.

  38. Joe I’ve been following these posts as a guide for my next purchases ever since it came out. I already had the Gap Chinos,the 511s, and the Corduroys, and after reading this I went out and bought the Stafford Prep Blazer, the Banana Republic Blazer, and the Calibrate shirt pictured and all I can say is thank you, I get compliments on the daily now just from these few changes. You’re the man