Seventy Five dollars. That’s a lot of money. It’ll get you a couple pairs of Levi’s, a nice dinner out, or a couple months at your local gym. Seventy Five dollars. It is a lot of money, especially if you spend it right. Ten picks follow, all for $75 or under, and some of them are much, much less.
1. Radiolab Podcast: kg – Free
“Have you ever listened to radiolab?”
“No… what is it?”
“It’s great it’s… really hard to explain.”
What it is, is a constant companion on many a dog-walk, hike, long drive, house-cleaning, dish-washing, or just sitting on the back porch sipping a drink watching the sun set. Their new podcast, “kg” is sorta the essence of what Radiolab is, all wrapped up in under 25 minutes, and totally free.
2. GAP Lived-in Colorblock 10″ Shorts – $26.97 w/ THANKS
A former co-worker used to favor the phrase “Well I’ll be dipped in sh*t and rolled in breadcrumbs!” to express surprise and shock. These shorts obviously look dipped, but instead of in the defecational variety, it looks like they’re dipped in… SUMMER FUN! YEAH! BRIGHT COLORS! A SURPRISE RIGHT ABOVE THE KNEE (wait, that sounded dirty). No, really, they’re kinda fun. Super relaxed fabric. Nice & soft “lived in” twill instead of a stiff chino. Now, Hansel, hand over the breadcrumbs.
3. Stafford Logan Wingtip Lace ups – $59.99
A new arrival. Waitaminute… are they… could it be… might they be reverting back to the Camlin’s quality of leather, instead of the plastic-like stuff that’s on their Stafford Wingtip shoes (& boots) from this past season? Efforting an in person.
4. Everlane Suede Belt – $65.00
A warm weather appropriate belt that’ll do just fine in the colder months as well. Most O-ring or D-ring belts are flat out chunky. Not this one. 1.25″ wide. Made in San Francisco.
5. Maratac Silicone Watch Strap – $18.00
Perfect for putting on an old, somewhat forgotten in your collection sport watch. Flexible Silicone strap that you cut to the desired length, and connects with a satisfying snap thanks to its deployant clasp. Multiple colors available in 20mm, just black for 22mm.
6. H&M Suede Drivers – $69.95
Gotta love H&M when they use “PREMIUM QUALITY” in their item descriptions. Not sure you should really get your hopes way up for a $70 loafer, but as always, cheap suede is a safer bet than cheap leather. Liking the washed out navy color especially.
7. J. Crew Factory Slim Tee in Sea Stripe – $11.04 w/ BEACH
Now down to Target-Mossimo like levels. All cotton, a nicely trim fit, and a bit of color without going nuts. Extra 40% off most clearance with the code CLEANUP. Just large, XL, and XXL left at post time though. Size shown above is a medium.
8. Flowers for your Significant Other
Red roses on Valentines day are not only cliche, they’re cliche concentrate. Pretty much same goes for the anniversary. But a random dozen red roses for no particular reason? Even if you’re hitting the grocery store together, and you walk up and hand them to him/her and say “here, I’m getting these for you because (fill in specific detail that you really like about your S.O. here)”… that actually works. Don’t have a significant other? Go blow that flower money on a really expensive cut of meat for the grill. Treat. Yo. Self.
9. WORD Pocket Notebook leather cover – $45.00
If you’re a note taking, list making, it’s-all-jumbled-in-my-head type, then perhaps one of these is in order. Why? Well, if you’ve got a stack of notebooks working all at once, and you want to distinguish one as the primary, “this is the important one” notebook… then why not a leather cover? That and it looks pretty darn sweet. Made in the USA. Free monogramming too. Fits more than just the “WORD” brand of notebooks.
10. J. Crew Factory Oxford Cloth Jacket – $93.99 & Pant – $53.99 FINAL
So just the pants are well under the $75 threshold, but $147.98 for the JCF oxford cloth suit, and there are tons if not all sizes? Not bad. It’s lurking in the clearance section, so it’s pretty easy to miss, but it’s worth considering. Sixty bucks ($5 shipping) isn’t bad for a pair of oxford cloth pants, even if you just use those on their own. Fully lined jacket but at least it’s lined in acetate. A warning: the pants are final sale. Head here for ZCM’s pro/con review on threads. Unfortunately, the extra 40% off clearance code CLEANUP doesn’t apply to Thompson suiting.
For other best bets under $75 from previous months, click here.
I sooo hope the Logans are the same/similar to the Camlin. Still kicking myself for not buying two pairs of the boots so that I had one original color and the other one the oxblood color I ended up making mine with the polish.
partially color blind here, is the everlane “sand” belt look grey-ish to anyone else?
Good call on the oxford Thompson. I’m actually wearing mine today as I type this. It gets the most play out of all in my closet and I’ll be sad when I eventually wear it out. I actually thought about buying a second one as a backup.
Too bad the JCF tees aren’t available in medium.
If you’ve misplaced your ruler marked in 1/25″ increments, fret not. The belt is actually 1 1/4″ wide.
Also partially color blind, but I don’t think it looks greyish.
Ahhh… the slash stayed. Shoulda been a “.” thanks though, and yes, glad you like the oxford thompson!
Still loving the Oxford Thompson. I haven’t worn it as a suit yet, but it has seen plenty of wear as separates. The lining isn’t bad at all either.
Anyone know what the deal is with the Thompson suiting and JCFs promos? Is it only online or in store too? Very disappointing especially considering the wool options seem to be stuck at a steep $356… I would like to meet the person that wouldn’t fork over the extra 43 bucks for a SS. I fear the worsted wool Thompson may have abdicated as best cheap suit. So now what Joe? The Stafford Slim 100s? Combat Gent? The Claibourne slims seem to be in the clearance section as well perhaps gone the ways of Wooster?
Add one more to the “JCF Oxford Suit is awesome” pile. I haven’t actually used the pants yet, but that jacket is my go-to.
Seriously, the fact that radiolab podcast is # 1 on this list is a reminder of why I check this blog daily
Of course it’s not the only reason…
Gotta use those pants brotha. They are great. I would love to pick up a second pair.
Joe, nice use of “Effort” as a verb. #notevenHemingwaycoulddothat
I’m not feeling the J. Crew tees anymore. The fit is great, yeah, but the fabric is so damned thin. I’ve never had a J. Crew tee last longer than a year without getting holes in it, and I’m not especially hard on them. The thin fabric also tends to get a bit saggy, so a few hours into the day the fit isn’t so great anymore, sagging around the middle from being stretched around as I sit down, and getting all loose on the biceps.
I can’t confirm the longevity of the Mossimo tees at Target, but I can confirm they *feel* more durable, and they certainly don’t suffer from the sagging.
Yeah I can see it…kind of like a pair of suede loafers I have in what they called ‘nut’ but looks grey to me unless I put it right next to something else that actually is grey. Still love that belt though…
I haven’t used the jacket, but the pants are fantastic in the Texas heat. Too baggy OTR, though, had to get them suckers tailored. One thing I noticed is that the fabric has a slight shine to it. Not a deal-breaker, but certainly something to consider.
I just picked up the Gap lived in shorts yesterday in a coral and sea form green. They had (still have?) a buy one get one free sale on regular priced items. So at $39.99 , I got them at $20 each. Slimmish fit through the thigh area and hits above the knee a bit higher than most shorts. I have recently started buying shorts that aren’t as close to the knee.
For $36, you can get an Italian rubber strap from Bonetto Cinturini in the same style as the Maratac but without the inevitable silicone lint issues. Yeah, it is twice the cost, but for me the upgrade is well worth it.
http://www.holbensfinewatchbands.com/bonetto-cinturini-300d-oris-style-rubber-deployment-black.html
(also available through Amazon)
Interesting. I can’t say I’ve had the saggy issues, but I’ve only got that striped tee above in the personal collection.
I’ve got a wedding to attend in 4 weeks. Been waiting for the JCF worsted wool option to drop in price. The Oxford Cloth option would be too casual right?
For a summer wedding? I would have no problem wearing it. That is why I picked it up personally. Its light weight, but not nearly as ‘loud’ as a lot of summer suits out there.
how does the Sizing of this suit compare to suitsupplys napoli sizing?
Review of the Logan on the JCP website has got me feeling optimistic!: “True-to-size, comfortable insole, looks exactly as it does on the site, which is to say fantastic. Color is that much-sought-after perfect cognac. Leather quality and finish don’t announce that you’re wearing cheap shoes. Much better than the plasticky, Stafford Logan boots. Much, much better. Outsole feels substantial when walking, but not heavy. Very happy with this purchase.”
Not sure about those H&M drivers when you can get the Jack Erwin’s for $25 more.
Sometimes, after looking at a sentence, I will rearchitect it (hat tip to any TK littles in the audience)
Wow, J. Crew Factory actually has a jacket in stock that’s a 40S. Guess i have to pull the trigger.
That oxford Thompson is probably my favorite purchase I have made this year. That thing fit perfectly off the rack and is just superb.
So, I jumped over to Radiolab for a minute and poked around. Based on just a quick look, it almost appears to be TED Talks in podcast form. Am I in the ballpark?
I don’t listen to TED much myself (seems too motivational-y for me… could have just gotten the wrong impression from the 2 or 3 I’ve heard), but Radiolab seems more tell-a-story focused than make-a-point focused.
Again, I could be totally off here on TED.
$12 off with code TXTJUN
TED and Radiolab are pretty different – both thought provoking in their own way. Radiolab essentially poses a question and uses the following hour (or whatever length is set) to delve into trying to answer that question using personal narratives, scientist/researcher perspectives, religious figures, and anything else they can think of to discuss said theme. Also the conversations held between the two hosts are thoroughly engaging. Pretty awesome.
The leather is really nice for $50 (on sale in store). Soft too. I was tempted to buy a pair but didn’t. I’ll probably end up with a pair anyway.
Just an idea. I bought a leather passport cover to use as a notebook cover. Works great, and can often be found quite a bit less expensive. Not that $45 is insane or anything.
Great call on Radiolab. It is about as well produced, informative and thought provoking as there is. It really is fantastic. I don’t recommend you listen to the show, I implore you.
So after reading about the Stafford Logans I stopped by my local store
and picked up a pair. They are much better than other models that were
basically made out of plastic. I never owned a pair of the older version
so I can’t compare them with those.
Sorry about the duplicate pictures. I attempted to remove them but all it did was make it a guest post.
I have some black denim jeans coming and I was kinda hoping for a neutral gray belt to wear with them and non brown shoes.
I used to highly recommend Radiolab to podcast newbies but I think it’s gone downhill a bit in the past few years. It was once a little more grounded in logic and science and it has gotten a bit more woo lately. I still listen to it but it has lost a little bit of its quality.
The gold standard that I always recommend for entertainment via audio is This American Life. If that can’t get someone to listen to podcasts, nothing will.
I wonder if we could just sand down one of Tandy’s full grain leather belt kits?
I’ve never failed to be complemented on any outfit I wear that includes that jcf jacket. Never. People stop me on the street.
So I bought them after first seeing them here, then about 2 hours later getting a 25% off coupon from JCP. Very much as advertised. More brown than reddish cognac though. Ridiculously comfortable, something I was worried about. Runs a big bigger (I flux between 9 1/2-10; got a 9 1/2 and it’s a bit loose). Get them in store as Joshua said, they’re cheaper.
Yeah, sometimes I suspect the Disqus team is comprised of mentally handicapped prairie dogs. Thanks for the pictures. I liked the Camlin’s Oxford/Balmoral style better than the Derby/Blucher style of these, but they’re still nice looking.
What do you guys think about wearing darker blue jeans with Stafford Logans? Good or bad idea?
They hit all the high points from the review ( I was literally about to edit my post; I incorrectly called them Camlin oxfords below, but according to Dappered, I’m not wrong!) First pair of dressy shoes I’ve worn that I didn’t feel a real break in period for. Hell, my leather Jack Purcell Converse took longer to break in than these-wore for two days and they felt amazing.
Replace “blue jeans” with “navy chinos” and that sums up this outfit right here. I love them with navy pants in the office, and if the Deacons are any good they’ll be getting a lot of wear on date nights with dark denim.
erm, THIS photo
Try this
Alrighty, I don’t know where my photos went. I’ll check in later to see if they uploaded three times or something