Even when it’s online and you can shop from the comfort of your own home, Black Friday still feels like a mad dash to find the best deals. Over at Put This On, we’re rounding up the best of Black Friday promotions. The list is massive, with the number of sales going into the hundreds, and we’ll be adding to the list over the weekend as we learn of new promotions. For those who want something more manageable, I’ve pulled together some of my favorites in these two posts. Combine those with the ten sales listed below and you have what I think are the twenty best Black Friday sections this year.
Unionmade: 20% Off Orders Over $250, Code BLACKFRIDAY
Unionmade is a great shop for workwear, heritage brands, and hard-to-find Japanese imports. They carry everything from the sort of slim-straight jeans a guy can wear with sport coats, to more experimental lines such as Kapital. And in the last year, they’ve branched out to more contemporary labels such as Studio Nicholson and Deveaux.
One of my favorite brands here is Chimala. They’re inspired by vintage workwear without being too literal. And like Studio Nicholson, they’re a great example of the cross pollination that’s happening right now between men’s and women’s designs. Chimala’s men’s clothing often carries a bit of the free spiritedness apparent in the brand’s womenswear collections. The silhouettes are playful without being avant-garde; the detailing makes these pieces feel like they’ve been dredged out of a vintage archive. And it all feels very natural since Chimala’s womenswear is inspired by men’s workwear anyway – chambray shirts, baggy jeans, loosely cut chore coats. I really like their washed denim trucker jacket this season.
Also not to be missed: a goofy pair of Moonstar high-tops built with rubberized bottoms, which will protect you not only from the gloom of a rainy day, but also the accidental misstep into a puddle (I own a pair and love ‘em). Harley of Scotland’s Shetlands are slim fitting and beautifully knitted from marled yarns. SNS Herning’s bubble knit fisherman sweaters, similarly, are a great way to add texture to an outfit. I particularly like them with topcoats and military field jackets. Just be sure to size up, as they fit very slim.
East Dane: Up to 30% Off, Code MORE18 Stackable
I’ll be honest: I haven’t been able to wear Chelseas since seeing this Tweet last year, but the boots are a genuine classic. They’re handsome, easy to slip on, and go with everything from tailored clothing to casualwear. In fact, I suspect that’s partly why they’re so common nowadays. (Well, that and Kanye West).
Of all Chelseas, I like RM Williams’ Craftsman the best. They have a soft, angular toe shape and single leather upper construction. Most Chelseas have three seams – two under the elastic, where the vamp meets the quarters, then another at the back. This allows the maker to cut smaller pieces of leather from the hide, allowing for more yield (and thus bigger profit margins). A wholecut Chelsea, on the other hand, is more expensive to make, but the seamless sides give the boots a nicer, smoother appearance.
Since LVMH acquired RM Williams five years ago, they’ve tried to enforce a global retail price of $500 for each pair of boots (which is how much you’ll find them for at Mr. Porter). At least when I wrote about them two years ago, however, they were still available at Nunger and Boots Online for about $330 shipped – with a ten week delivery time for special orders. At the moment, East Dane has them for about same price with the coupon code MORE18, and you can get the price a little lower if you order something else. The upside to ordering from East Dane is that you can return things if the sizing doesn’t work out, whereas buying from an overseas shop can be a bit of a dice roll.
If you’re looking for other things to add to your cart, check out the Howlin’ by Morrison, Our Legacy, Zespa, Master Piece, and Lemaire. Depending on how much you spend, you can get those boots down to $297. Note, Unmarked also has Chelseas boots for $280. They’re offering 30% off this weekend with the checkout code AMIGOS, which puts those just under $200.
Skoaktiebolaget: Discounts on Select Shoes
Skoaktiebolaget, a sponsor on this site, has become one of the leading online boutiques for high-end footwear. One of the things I like most about their operations is how there’s something for everyone – from the more affordably priced Lof & Tung to premium, handwelted shoes by Saint Crispin’s. For Black Friday, they’ve put an assortment of their shoes on sale. These brown Carlos Santos cap toe oxfords, built on a handsome almond toe last, have been discounted to $204. Lof & Tung suede jodphurs are $265; grained leather John Lobb split toes $992. Carlos Santos Chelsea boots are just a hair over $200 and likely better quality than Unmarked. My favorite of the selection are these Saint Crispin chukkas. It’s so easy for high-end chukkas to get lost in the mix since ankle boot designs look so similar, but Saint Crispin’s version has a ton of shaping through the waist, which gives the boots a distinctive silhouette that’s more like bespoke.
End: 20% off at Checkout
The thing to remember about End is that they’re located in the UK, which means that listed prices tend to be about ~20% lower than what you’ll find at most other shops (since they automatically deduct for VAT). Add to that their current 20% off promotion and things become pretty sweet.
Some of my favorite brands here include Nigel Cabourn, Engineered Garments, Blue Blue Japan, Battenwear, and Levi’s Vintage Clothing. Margiela’s German Army Trainers are also on sale, along with a ton of other shoes from Common Projects, Buttero, Spalwart, and Yuketen. For chunky, textured knitwear you can layer under casual coats, check out Howlin by Morrison and SNS Herning.
Your best bet with End, however, is to just filter for sizes in the sale section and comb through the inventory. The selection here is massive, comparable to Mr. Porter’s, which means it’s easy to stumble upon good deals. There are some Barbour Bedales in there, for example, selling for $300.
Brook Brothers: Four OCBDs for $199
Brooks Brothers’ Black Friday promotion seems a bit unremarkable at first – it’s just a four-shirt deal for $199 – but it surprisingly applies to their popular oxford-cloth button-downs. A couple of years ago, the company revamped their OCBDs to much fanfare. They returned to their original button-down design, taking out the floating interlinings they’ve been stuffing into their collars since the 1990s and going back to a softer, unlined model. It may seem like a small detail, but for purists, those lined collars have been a source of a lot contention. Unlined collars are a bit more carefree and relaxed, and they have a kind of roll that hasn’t been seen on a Brooks shirt in nearly two decades.
Unfortunately, along with removing their collar linings, they also hiked the prices, going from $90 per shirt to $140. That put them out of reach for many people, but with the current promotion, they come down to a much more reasonable $50 (so long as you can commit to four shirts). Brooks will even let you mix-and-match between solids, checks, and two different kinds of stripes. The only catch: Brooks’ new design doesn’t have a chest pocket, which leaves OCBD fans still arguing.
Drake’s: 30% Off Select Items, Code DRKVIP30
Drake’s low-key announced their Black Friday promotion this morning through an email. The selection is somewhat small – and it notably doesn’t include the terrific raglan-sleeved tweed topcoat pictured above – but there are still some Paraboot penny loafers, richly colored brushed cable knits, and the D-43 military jacket. With the checkout code DRKVIP30, these two handsome autumnal scarves come down to $87. A nice price for something so generously sized.
Self Edge: 15% off, Plus Free Shipping, Code BlackFriday2018
I suppose the mark of any good store is that you still enjoy your purchases many years later. That’s true of everything I’ve ever bought from Self Edge – jeans, boots, wallets, t-shirts, and jewelry. This weekend, they’re having a storewide sale, where you can take 15% off with the code BlackFriday2018 (the discount isn’t that deep, but Self Edge’s sales rarely break past the 17% mark). I love their selection of 3sixteen SL-100x jeans, Flat Head flannels, and Lady White t-shirts. Self Edge is also terrific for masculine jewelry. I wear this Neff Goldsmith ring and VanDever wire bracelet often.
The store recently picked up Fine Creek Leathers, a small brand that’s making top-shelf leather outerwear in Japan. For being Japanese-made outerwear, the jackets are surprisingly well priced. The double rider is just a hair over $1,500 with the promotion; the trucker just under. Both are made from beautifully tanned horsehides that have been purposefully selected to have slightly mismatched grains (I find the detail gives the jackets a more rugged feel).
The double rider also has this interesting detail where the epaulets and belt strap have been intentionally cut-off. Kiya tells me that the design is inspired by vintage motorcycle jackets. “Years ago bikers would cut them off because they would flap in the wind,” he says. “We like our DR jackets without the epaulets or belt so we had them make us the ‘cut off’ version.”
Canoe Club: 25% Off Sitewide, Code BLACKFRIDAY
Timothy Grindle was an employee at Independence in Chicago before he moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he opened a speciality store of his own called Canoe Club. In some ways, the store isn’t too different than some of the workwear boutiques you may find locally. They carry RRL, Engineered Garments, and Levi’s Vintage Clothing. There’s always a healthy stack of Shetland sweaters and sturdy cowichan zip-ups. Workboots are par for the course.
On the other hand, Canoe Club also sprinkles in some of the unexpected. They have niche labels such as Chimala, Needles, and Kapital. Instead of your standard Red Wings, they carry off-beat Yuketens and RFW “Swift boots” (the second of which look like something an elven ski-instructor would wear, but in the best sense). You wouldn’t think Italian sneaker company Feit and Japan’s Tomorrowland would be something you can find at a workwear shop, but it’s all pulled together nicely here.
Most of all, I appreciate that Timothy isn’t afraid to be more adventurous with his buys. Stores often tell me that, for every one Kapital Ring coat they sell, they have to move a hundred Gitman Vintage shirts in order to pay rent. Canoe Club still has your basics, but they have a higher ratio of interesting things in order to keep the seasoned menswear consumer coming back. I love this season’s Monitaly faux fur coat and these patchwork RRL pants. They’re dearly expensive, but made slightly more affordable with this weekend’s 25% coupon code.
LL Bean: 25% off Bean Boots, Code BOOT25
Of all the things that came with the prep revival during the noughties, LL Bean’s duck boots may be the best of them. Dozens of things have come and gone from that era — many first described as classic, but couldn’t last past the prep craze. But LL Bean’s duck boots have a kind of versatility that’s hard to beat. They go with jeans and cords, Barbour jackets and French chore coats, tweeds and casual overcoats. They work with almost any wardrobe that can be considered vaguely classic.
They’re also some of the best foul-weather boots you’ll find anywhere. Originally called Maine hunting shoes, they were designed for outdoorsman tramping around the countryside. They have a fully waterproof rubber construction, which wraps around the top of your foot, while the shaft is made from leather. And they have that better-with-age quality I love. I leave mine out on my back porch during the summer cause I think the leather looks better when it’s sunfaded.
LL Bean boots run about $150 shipped, but from now until Tuesday, the company is having a 25% off sale (just use the checkout code BOOT25). That puts these at about $100 to $110, depending on the model. And while the company’s return policy isn’t as good as it once was, they still guarantee product satisfaction for up to one year. Go a full-size down in the unlined version (or 1.5 sizes down if you wear half sizes), but take your regular size for lined models.