Updated: The Dappered Essentials Shop
A harsh but true lesson in economics via Fat Joe.
Correlation is not causation. Yet there have been some serious and obvious price increases across lots of brands and retailers. We recently updated our Dappered Essentials shop, and below you’ll find some of what stood out in terms of notable price increases. Consider this post as a pre-emptive answer to the “hey didn’t this used to cost…” question. You can see the full essentials shop over here.
Suitsupply “Perennial” Suit Line (their base)
- Was $499
- Now $599
(also shown very top of post)
Allen Edmonds Park Avenue
- Was $425
- Now $450
- Q: “But aren’t they crafted in the USA?”
- A: Yes. But they use “imported materials” like European leathers, which get hit with tariffs at the border.
Nordstrom Trim Fit Non Iron Dress Shirt
- Was $69.50
- Now $79.50
Baltic HMS 002
- Was $375ish
- Now $420ish + whatever tariffs DHL has to charge you upon entry
- (Current baseline tariff is 10% until 8/1. Threatened to rise to 30% after.)
J Crew Factory Wool Blend Navy Blazer
- Was $200ish
- Now $240 – $280
Beckett Simonon Morgen Trainers
- Was $169
- Now $179
Timex Deepwater Reef
- Was $219
- Now $259
J. Crew Chinos
- Was $89.50
- Now $98
J. Crew Secret Wash Shirts
- Was $89.50
- Now $98
Hamilton Murph 38
- Was $895
- Now $945
J.Crew MacAlister Leather Desert Boots
- Was $168
- Now $198
BONUS Carfia Polarized Men’s Sunglasses (Amazon)
- Was $25.99
- Now $35
- *Not actually in the Essentials Shop, but a basic that gets mentioned a lot, and has also been a good reference point for observing base-price movements on Amazon. And yes, even Amazon is starting to raise prices on lots of stuff.
And that’s some of them. “But don’t most of these things go on sale all the time?” Yes, but usually those on-sale prices are calculated off the full MSRP. So if the full price goes up, so does the resulting on-sale price, assuming they stick to similar discount percentages (which seems to be the general case). If it was 30% off X a few months ago, and now it’s 30% off X+1, it still costs more in the here and now.
To be fair, lots of items in the essentials shop haven’t recently jumped in price. And no we’re not afraid to swap stuff out for an alternative. We do that all the time. But the words “affordable” and “cheap” are not one and the same. Yes plenty of cheap stuff can be high value. But sometimes something gets suggested in spite of a recent price increase because it’s still a relative winner. We will do our best to keep things updated, but as we’re all aware, the landscape is changing fast these days.