Las Vegas, Tailoring, & More – The Mailbag

If you’ve got a style tip, question, or anything else you’d like to pass along, you can send those in here. If you’d rather your question not be featured in a future mailbag, just go ahead and say so in your email. Want more than one average Joe’s (HA!) opinion? Threads. Threads is where you might wanna head.

 

Q: Packing for a Cold, Damp Trip

I need to pack for a week in northern California this Feb (still cold, almost NY weather) and can’t figure out how to pack. No weddings, but we are doing some family stuff where a blazer and slacks will be fine. Some outdoor activities are planned so jeans and what not, but after that I’m at a loss. I don’t want to over pack. – Andy

Sounds like you’ve got it figured out. Stick to a color palate of browns, blues and greys. That’ll cut down on bulk since you can easily rotate those items among each other. Bring a couple of favorite wool sweaters that you can wear multiple times without washing. Assuming it’ll be more cold & damp than frigid & snowy, you’ll also want a versatile rain coat that’ll look good dressed up as well as casual. Say, the new navy Mac from B.R. If you are going to overpack something, take Lt. Dan’s advice from Forrest Gump: You can never have enough clean socks. Specifically, wool socks. Calf high for dressed up, and merino wool hikers for dressed down.

 

Q: Dive Watch Shoppin’

Thoughts on the Orient Ray? What are the alternatives? – Dalton D.

Tough to get better than the Ray. In terms of dive watches, it’s just right in many ways. At $135 through Amazon, it’s attainable for almost all, yet doesn’t feel cheap. At 41mm it’s got some size, but isn’t oversized for this style of watch. The links are mostly matte. That’s good for those who don’t like chromed-out fashion watches. You get a dependable automatic movement, 200m of water resistance, a rotating bezel, and a nicely symmetrical layout to the dial (better than the Mako). Alternatives? The Invicta Pro Diver is cheaper, but also feels cheaper. The Sekio 007 is a bit more expensive, & loved by many, but not everyone likes the center row of smaller shined up links. That’s getting picky, but overall the Ray is probably as good as it gets for $135.

 

Q: Need a Vegas suit… w/ Wynn looks on a Treasure Island budget.

I’m going to Las Vegas for a guys weekend at the end of January. I DESPERATELY need a good looking & well fitting suit. But there’s a catch. I have $200 to spend. If you had to start all over again, and someone came and ate all of your suits and left you with $200, you don’t need a tie, you don’t need shoes, you don’t need a shirt, you just need a jacket and pants, what would YOU buy? – Max

Either the J. C. F. worsted wool suit separates in navy (codes have been working on them as of late), or, the Claiborne suit separates from JC Penney in Charcoal (as pictured above). Both have wool shells, and if memory serves, both are lined in acetate instead of polyester (a plus). I personally prefer grey over navy for a night out in Las Vegas, but you do whatever you think looks best. Head in store for the JC Penney option, since their website is notorious for labeling things as slim fit when they aren’t, or having identical pictures for different suits/fits/fabrics. Best of luck!

 

Q. What should I get tailored, and how much will it cost?

I recently took the initiative to start dressing better, but it seems like I need to get a lot of things tailored (I’m 5’6″). I’ve just started college, and my budget is pretty tight. So, two questions: 1. Can I skip taking some items to the tailor, and 2. How much does it cost to get something tailored? – Kris

You can absolutely skip getting some things tailored. Yet at 5’6″, you don’t want to skip tailoring your shirt sleeves or pant legs. Drowning in those won’t do you any favors. As a freshman, you want the stuff you wear the most (your casual stuff) to fit well, yet don’t want to be unprepared if you need to look good dressed up for an interview or something. TheModestMan is a terrific resource for shorter guys, and they have a great alterations guide. As far as how much it’ll cost, that depends on where you live, who’s doing the work, and what kind of work is going to be done. Develop a good, working relationship with a tailor. Don’t get work done by someone who’s bossing you around. It happens.

 

Q: I got your daily email, but a code had already expired. What gives?

I missed a sale. I’m an email subscriber, but the article ran late in the day. By the time I got the email the next day, I missed it. What can I do to not miss out on codes in the future? – A (Few) Reader(s)

Ah. Dang. That does happen. There are a few things that can be done:

1. Follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook. Twitter’s better than Facebook for this because Facebook just doesn’t show you everything. Facebook messes with you. Twitter plays nicer.

2. Look at the site. I know, I know, but the email blasts can be tough to schedule with all these surprise one day sales and, well… there’s also:

3. Use a subscription service like Blogtrottr or FeedMyInbox. There might be others. Use our RSS URL, enter your email address, select “realtime,” and you should be set — realtime email delivery whenever an article is published! Now, “realtime” isn’t exactly real (also, does anyone really know what time it is?), you’ll be a few minutes behind. So if you’re waiting on a sale for something in a specific and rare size, well then, see Option 2.

Got a question or a style tip? Send them to joe@dappered.com.