There are seasonal clearance sales, and then there are seasonal clearance sales. This is the latter. This is one that you probably don’t want to brush aside. It’s not just any other clearance. It’s Nordstrom, and for whatever reason, they continue to do just about everything right, while the rest of the department store retail world seems to get it wrong.
Great in-house brands. Terrific 3rd party stuff. Deep cuts, usually reasonable size selections, and as always, everything ships and returns for free. Their sale section is easy to browse too… it’s just… enormous. So if you don’t feel like scrolling through the 100+ pages of goods, you’ll find a selection of what we’ve deemed to be the best of the best. But if we’ve missed something in this massive half-yearly sale that deserves a mention? Shoot an email to joe@dappered.com. Okay. Off we go.
So yeah. Just a few friggin’ options here. All of em’ are made in Canada, come cut in a trim but not skinny fit, have all wool exteriors, and are fully lined on the inside.
That dog’ll hunt. Made in Italy for their upper scale house brand John W. Nordstrom. Simple, sleek toe with lots of good looking burgundy/bordeaux leather. Clean, single monk strap buckle up top.
Hard to get more simple and classic than that. Not from a higher end house line, like the John W. Nordstrom stuff, but even the regular “Nordstrom Men’s Shop” stuff usually is solid quality for the cost. 59% wool, 31% polyester, 7% rayon, 3% other makes up the shell.
Already a deal at $125, now they’re on sale for just shy of a Benjamin. Full review here.
Their in-house brand, top of the line dress shirt, now at a much more accessible price point. White or light blue. And frankly, you could get away with a closet full of white and light blue dress shirts and not feel the need to stray into other colors or patterns.
Not gonna have quite the quality as the JWN options, but they’re thirty bucks less. One thing to keep an eye on though, looks like these Calibrate shirts have more of a true spread collar? Might make going tieless difficult.
Both claim to be cut in Barbour’s “regular” fit. So, not the slimmest/tightest outerwear you’ll find out there. Big fan of that green “sage” option on the Duke.
Can’t say enough good things about Polo’s annual sporty but still dressy enough glove offering. Quilted, lined for warmth, but still slim enough that they look good with a suit and topcoat. Now, very much on sale.
Their “tailored” fit is slimmer than slim. So know that. But their straight fit is actually more accommodating to those with thunderous thighs and larger rear ends. Must be that curved waist band. Sizes are scattered depending on what color you’re shooting for.
42mm in diameter. Sporty. 100m water resistance. Lug width is 22mm, so if you’re not keen on the blue on blue thing, finding another nato strap (or heck, even a leather strap) should be no trouble at all.
The well loved “Cusano” from Nordy’s house brand, Calibrate, only this time in a deep dark chocolate suede. No, it’s not the most conservative shoe ever made. But at least the style risk is mitigated, a little bit, by the nicely low price.
Gah! In a burgundy shade of leather too? Nice.
Mid rise, partially lined, and comes unfinished at the cuff so your tailor can hem them to your specific length and break preference. Not a bad price for all wool dress trousers.
Wool… chinos? Thought Chinos were by definition cotton. Who knows. Anyway, looks to be another option in terms of wool dress pants. 16″ leg opening, and perhaps the differentiation here is that these come finished at the hem. So, no trip to the tailor needed.
About as good of a price as you’ll find on a decent pair of driving gloves. No insulation here. Plus, there’s the ventilation holes. So, better for transitioning seasons than the dead of winter.
A lot of suit for just shy of three bills. Made in Canada, and the stretch wool really does have quite a bit of stretch to it. But it looks just like regular suiting fabric wool, not technical fabric. Here’s how a 40R fits on 5’10″/185. Looks like charcoal is the only color with a decent size selection at post time.
Big, bold stripes on a plenty long enough (72″) scarf. Ships and returns for free if it shows up and the texture or look just isn’t your thing.
Nordstrom’s in-house, reasonably priced chinos. No stretch here. All cotton. Tons of colors. Size selection is scattered depending on which shade you’re shooting for.
Versatile shades of either dark charcoal or navy. Patch pockets help keep it from looking like an orphaned suit jacket. Just half lined. Hard to ask for more than that, especially when it’s wool and under two hundred bucks.
Made in Italy. Not quite as bullet-proof as a pair of Allen Edmonds, but still a high quality shoe all the same. Perfect toe shape. Also available in black, albeit with fewer sizes at post time.
And now a couple of single monk options for those who still favor buckles over laces, yet like a little less flash than what a double monk brings. Still made in Italy. Slightly different buckle shapes on these two models. Really digging the bordeaux shade on the Emmett.
Spendy, but they’re 100% cashmere. Oddly enough it’s the V-necks that are getting less of a discount, yet cost less full retail ($145 vs $179 for the shawl). So the shawl collars cost more, but are now going for less. Sure. YAHTZEE.
A pretty basic looking boot. Not sleek, but the chukka lacing helps keep it from looking too clunky or work-boot like. Quite well reviewed too.
Appears to be more of the traditional, slightly shorter in length peacoats that most brands seem to churn out come fall and winter. 57% wool on the Nordstrom option, 60% wool on the Michael Kors option. Only navy for Nordstrom, but more than a few shades to pick from when it comes to the MK.
A super fine wale 5-pocket that feels more like a canvas pant than a smushy fat corduroy trouser. Be warned that these are a true slim fit. Just 14″ at the leg opening.
Half a grand is a crap-ton of cash, but when it comes to leather jackets, skimping isn’t usually the best idea. And Schott is a heritage company that knows a hell of a lot when it comes to creating leather jackets. Made in the USA. Timeless, simple, moto style. Slim fit.
Made in Italy, believe it or not. Leather uppers here, with a crepe-like sole on the bottom. Just like these, only made from smooth leather instead of suede. But if you do want suede, they’re making them in a dark brown suede now too.
Italian wool with a little bit of stretch. Just partially lined on these things. The light grey is a sharkskin fabric, while the charcoal has a herringbone pattern to it.
Not a bad price for an all leather work bag. And it appears, unlike most Fossil stuff, that the branding on this one is less obvious than normal?
WOW those are spendy. Yet… L.B.M. 1911 is a brand that some guys drool over. So, here they be. Made in Italy. Side vents. Unlined.
A beast of a sweater from Bonobos. Slim fit, but a heavy duty lambswool with that eye catching texture. Zip and button front. Somewhere between a sweater and outerwear.
100% cashmere, and since Nordstrom has slapped their name on it, you can almost certainly assume they’ll be of decent quality. Plenty of scarf weather left.
Nordstrom’s well loved, been around for a few years, in-house double monk strap. Currently on sale in the “luggage” shade shown above, and black… but that’s it. Full review here.
The Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale is set to expire on January 2nd. What happens then? Not sure. Some items might get further cuts, some might return to full price, who knows. Stock does move quickly during these events though, so, know that.
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