The Best in Affordable Style from the Month that Was – August ’18

A wise man once asked: “What the hell just happened?” And for good reason. There is value in looking back. It gives us all a good gauge as to what is good, and more importantly, what is not good, going forward. Sure, the “clip show” is mostly a cheap (affordable?) device to create new content out of already published stuff. But it’s also a good way to catch up in case you missed something. So cue the flashback music. Here’s the very best from the month that was…

 

Best Sale: Banana Republic’s 50% off F&F Deal (expired)

Banana Republic has been on a roll lately. From soup to nuts, (or from shoes to shirts?) they’ve been making nice quality, well fitting & feeling goods that can be a bargain if you play the sales game right. This latest Friends and Family event also featured free 2-3 day shipping on orders of $100+, and as always, cardmembers got an ADDITIONAL 10% off the already as low-as-they-go 50% off.

 

Best Individual Item Deal: Any AE Brown Shoes that were an extra 20% – 40% off Clearance

Allen Edmonds is doing away with it’s Brown Burnished shade of leather (for something called “Coffee” I believe), and that put a bunch of wheelhouse styles in the clearance section. And then they ran an extra 20% off clearance. Then bumped it up to an extra 30% off clearance. And then to an extra 40% off clearance. That put Strands, McAllisters, and the above MacKenzie wholecuts down to $178. For first quality! And they weren’t final sale/there was no restocking fee for returns.

 

Worst Received Product on Social: Todd Synder’s New Timex

WOW you fellas on social media didn’t like this thing. Oh it’s a looker all right, but more than a few were happy to point out that they’ve purchased automatics or mechanicals for less (even though Quartz is more accurate), as well as that any Timex with the loud “tick” is a deal breaker. Anyway, full review is here if you’re interested.

 

Riskiest post for those who love chips & salsa: How To Wear White Pants

The salsa will always, ALWAYS fall off the chip when you’re wearing white pants. And do make sure you’ve picked the right picante sauce. Some people will apparently murder you if you don’t.

 

Best Week: Reader Appreciation Week!

Congrats again to all the winners. And thank you once again to all of the participating brands. Can’t wait to do this again next year.

 

Most Shameless Rationalization to buy new stuff: Back to School!

Not in school? Who cares! I know. Pretty shameless here. But why let the rugrats have all the fun with their new crayons and galoshes and what not?

 

Most Unlikely Brand to get picked up by Amazon: Combat Gent

FFS really? Even if they actually are under new management (I believe nothing and never have that comes out of that brand), what the hell are they doing not at least RENAMING the business? You’d think that well is beyond poisoned. But what do I know.

 

Most Overlooked Room in a Bachelor Pad when it comes to Style: The Bathroom

Bad bathrooms aren’t a given if you’re flyin’ solo. Don’t let bad bathrooms happen to you. Here’s one way to prevent your water closet from (unfairly) making you look like a goober. Take command of your abode commode people!

 

Coziest Photo: Saddleback Dopp Kit & Crackling Fire

Never has a toiletry kit looked more romantic. “Sex by the fire at night…”

 

Best Alternative to Mimosas at Brunch: Champgane Cocktails

From one of our weekend resets. The Champagne Cocktail. It is incredibly simple to make. It adds a little extra oomph to the bubbles, and it is dee-lish-us. This one serves up well and goes down easy. Just be careful. These suckers will knock you on your eggs Benedict hoovering arse. Especially if you add the cognac / brandy float that isn’t added in the above video.

 

Worst Attempted Comeback: Twitter Reply on Why Wear a Watch

Alex via Twitter: Reasons to not wear a watch: 1. You have a phone that tells time.

The “smartphones tell time” comeback was preemptively addressed not only in the excerpt (“Why bother when your smartphone can tell the time? Here’s why.”) It’s also addressed in the third sentence of the post. I understand the post as a whole is pretty ridiculous. But, I mean… we already…

God I hate the internet.

 

Classiest Reader: Chris

Chris won one of our contests (for a Saddleback no less), and sent a hand written thank you note in response. Seriously one of the coolest things we’ve ever received. Plus it was on Art of Manliness letterpress stationery. Now, that said, for all future (and past) winners, no need to send thank you notes. It’s not expected. Chris beat you to it. Save your stamps. We’re good now. Seriously, once was enough.

 

Best Upcoming Annual Autumn Feature: Best Fall Sportcoats!

Tweed. Flannel. Corduroy. It’s all happening. Or, gonna happen.

Feeling Nostalgic? Here’s the archive containing previous editions of Best of the Month that Was.

Joe

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