Consider these to be power rankings. Whether you’re looking for gift ideas or a quick upgrade for yourself, expect these to come around about once a month. The potential best of the best, which you may or may not have seen already. Agreements, disagreements, and additions are more than welcome in the comments section below. Top Photo Credit: andrew_j_w .
5. Jack Erwin “Jake” Single Monk in Suede – $195.00
This new brand seems to be taking a very measured (read: slow & steady) approach to expansion. They debuted with just 5 styles, each in black and a varying shade of brown. Then they released driving loafers. Now, a very welcome new option has shown up, with all of their models now available in deep chocolate suede. Those single monks in suede would make a great pairing with a summer suit, or jeans & a navy blazer right now. Blake Stitched & Made in Portugal. Be careful with sizing. They suggest sizing down a full size, but a half size seemed to work for me.
4. Suitsupply Wool/Linen/Silk Havana Brown Check Blazer – $399
That’s a lot of cash for just a jacket, but give it a few months and they might bring back the online outlet. If they bring back the online outlet, a louder pattern like this (in their unconstructed Havana fit) might very well end up there. And if it ends up there, it could get marked way down. And then, pounce.
3. Kaweco Liliput Aluminum Fountain Pen – $55.00
Blame Bespoke Post. For those of us that got the Frontier Box (one of the best one’s they’ve ever produced) many are hooked on the Kaweco fountain pen that came inside. It’s a “daily carry” for a lot of us. While nice and lightweight thanks to the plastic, an upgrade in looks & feel might be in order. The “Liliput” comes in a super sleek, lightweight aluminum finish, and it’s plenty compact like the plastic Kaweco “Sport.”
2. Warby Parker Polarzied Griffin – $95.00
Despite the redhead’s promises, the sun, for many of us, did not come out tomorrow. It’s been all grey skies for what seems like quite a while. Winter will do that. But when the SUN does reappear, and you end up headed somewhere warm and bright, these McQueen-esque looking sunglasses should do just fine. Lighter brown tortoise than you’d expect. Keyhole bridge. Polarized lenses, and for an extra $55, you can have them made with prescription lenses.
1. UNIQLO Slim Fit OCBD – $29.90 (or 2 for $49.90)
These had been all but sold out for what seems like months, but it looks like they’ve got the basic colors back in stock. With the self-destruction of JC Penney’s “jcp” brand, these are well on their way to becoming the undisputed champ of affordable, yet truly slim fitting OCBDs. Trim through the sides and arms that won’t leave you looking like a flying squirrel, yet not so skinny that those with some strength on them will feel restricted. Perfect for layering. And the new light-grey shade is extra tempting for those who want to expand beyond blue and white.
BONUS: This J. Crew Cable Knit Sweater… if it weren’t $118
Wow, that’s a lot of money for an all cotton sweater. Fit is pretty good, the contrast cuffs, collar, and hem are a nice touch, and the super-thick cable knit gives it a real heritage feel. But almost $120? So… any 50% off new arrivals sales coming down the line in the near future? Didn’t think so. More on J. Crew’s prices later on today in an OWC.
Want more most wanted? Click here for the top 5 most wanted lists from previous months.
guess the 70s are back in style
Bought those exact WP Griffins last summer and I wear them damn near every day. They are great. Please don’t get them.
If you do, know this: you won’t look as good wearing them
nordstrom rack online has some great deals now
I have those sunglasses. Love em. Instant McQueen every time.
Well, not totally.
http://dappered.com/2014/01/steal-the-style-american-hustle/
Re: the Jack Erwin’s: The “down one size thing” is perhaps a bit misleading. When you select a size–a size 9, for instance–it will have the US size next to it in parenthesis, which is one size larger (so a US 10 for a JE 9). Go by the US size you normally would wear. I wear a 10 usually in dress shoes, so I ordered a JE 9 (US size 10) and it was perfect.
Any help on shirt sizing from Uniqlo? I’m alwasy between a M and a L on casual shirts. I’m 6’1″, 170lbs, and wear 15.5″ neck, 33″ sleeve, and a 42R jacket. M can be too snug in the chest, sleeves or length, while L can be long enough but billowing. Again, I’m interested, but not sure which option to shoot for.
touche
Does that Jcrew sweater come with pudding pops? #nailedit
i’m 6’1″, 190 with a 16 neck 35 sleeve and 40L/42R jacket size. I wear a large in these, but i always tuck and it’s a TAD loose. Go medium if you desire to leave it untucked and have it be quite snug.
Or perhaps depends
Joe – the BONUS makes you look like the villain in an 80s John Cusack movie. When you left the dressing room did you challenge anybody to a race down the deadliest ski slope in Utah? Was it to save the ski school or to settle who took the girl to the Winterpalooza Dance?
I mean that in the best possible way, of course.
http://billcosby.com/polls
My biggest problem with Uniqlo shirts so far has been that the shoulders seem narrower (for the size) than the waist. I most recently got a slim OCBD in a small, and had to get the waist taken in, but the shoulders are already snug if anything (extra-small felt like I could hulk-bust out of them). That said, I agree that they are the best bang-for-your-buck OCBD I’ve found yet…even with a small tailoring charge to bring them in a bit more, they are significantly cheaper than most other options, and the construction/fabric quality IMO is above anything else you’ll find in that price range. My only complaint (after tailoring) is that the collar seems a bit low…normally not a big deal at all, but sometimes it will disappear under a crew-neck sweater.
Thanks for the input from personal experience. I appreciate it. Also, keep up the good work on your blog – there’s some good information on it without it being too similar to primer or dappered, keeping it unique and well worth a read-through.
if you look at their site, when you click on an individual shirt, you can view a chart that provides the actual dimensions of their shirts. using this chart I ordered all of mine online and found the fit exactly as expected. much more useful than simply guessing my size using “S, M, L” to determine.
Thanks for the kind words, that’s a huge compliment! And more than happy to share my thoughts (hence the blog, haha). Hope the OCBD works out for you if you devide to grab one.
FYI, also, realized I didn’t give my measurements: I’m 5’9″, 14.5-15 neck, 32″ sleeve, 36R jacket, and like I said, I wear a small in Uniqlo’s OCBDs.
Did this make anyone else’s day?
A large would fit me fine but the sleeves would be too long. I’m wondering if its worth getting it and then sucking and paying for the sleaves to be tailored.
Everything would fit me in the uniqlo large but the sleeves. I’m debating if its worth it to get one and then try and get the sleeve length tailored.
Their size chart, like many others I come across, leave me guessing at what size I am… 42 chest = L, 15..5 neck = M, 33 sleeve=S. Since they’re currently sold out of all three sizes, I guess my problem is solved. Thank you all for your input though, as this may be something I look at again when they’re back in stock.
For those of you who want to test out the fountain pen thing but don’t want to drop $55, you can get a Pilot Metropolitan for ~$15 on Amazon. I also like Noodler’s pens, if you don’t mind some (simple) fiddling around to get them to write perfectly. They have great inks too!
Does the pen have a clip? I’d love to carry!
MIND = BLOWN
I agree it’s misleading. I emailed them to ask before ordering. That being said, I wear a 12 in most things. My AEs in size 12, for example, fit me perfectly. I ordered a JE 11 (US size 12) in the Adam model and they’re too tight in the toes. I wore them a few times, hoping to break them in, so it’s a bit late to return them. I can wear them for a few hours but they get quite uncomfortable if I wear them all day. If I had it to do all over again, I’d follow Joe’s recommendation and order a JE 11.5 (US 12.5).
I guess there’s some wiggle room here (or not–pun intended) on the sizing. As there is free shipping and returns, maybe order both possible sizes, see which fits, then return one (just don’t try them on anywhere but on your carpet or smooth floor). The shoes are on a bit more of the narrow side, so the problem may be width more than length for some (that’s what she said?).
Agreed. They are definitely sleeker than many shoes and it may very well be more width than length. I almost made a similar observation in my post. Unfortunately, JEs don’t come in multiple widths, so the only option is to size up a half-size.
outside of the glasses and ocbd…wtf
I have bought cotton sweaters like the J. Crew, in the past and they always seem to get longer as the day goes by. In one case the sweater nearly doubled in size. They weren’t exactly cheap ($70+ 6 years ago), so I swore off buying cotton cable knit sweaters. Was this something unique or are you supposed to buy cotton sweaters a size smaller?