Put This On

It’s On Sale: Barneys New York

The luxury retailer has dropped prices to its sale items to 40% off today. While that still makes the majority of designer-labeled clothing still really expensive, a few good deals can be found. 

• Gant Rugger and Gant by Michael Bastian items are included, with a few sportcoats, shirts and sweaters. 
• Gitman Vintage shirts are $139 (down from $215). 
• Shoes from Church’s and Crockett & Jones have dropped to prices that Allen Edmonds and Alden retail for ordinarily. 
• Drake’s of London neckties are $89 and pocket squares are $49. 

Keep in mind that prices will continue to drop as the clearance sale goes on longer, but so will selection. 

Madras Shirts for Summer

I love madras - the colorful, airy fabric named after the Indian city from which it originally came. The stuff is lightweight and very breathable, which means it makes for the perfect summer shirt. Madras shirts are a wonderful accompaniment to trousers or suits made from cotton or linen, and of course should be worn with summer appropriate footwear, such as loafers or suede bucks. Unfortunately, good madras shirts are hard to find these days, and not because all the new stuff is colorfast, instead of bleeding and fading easily like the ones from yesteryear (for that truly dégagé look). Rather, it’s because most don’t fit me well or they lack the design details I want. 

My solution has been to get ones custom made. You can buy madras fabrics online through Atlantis Fabrics. They have two web pages - here and here - dedicated to them, and many are just $6 a yard. Given that the average sized man only needs about two yards per shirt, that’s just $12 for materials.

You can also check fabric stores to see if they have anything suitable. Above are some swatches from Rosen & Chadick, a fabric shop in Manhattan. Though they’re in New York City, they’re more than happy to send out fabric swatches for free. After you’ve figured out what you want, you can call them and pay for your order with a credit card. Most selections are $15 a yard. 

Once you have your fabrics, you’ll need to find a shirtmaker who is willing to take them from you. If you don’t have someone local you can go to, I recommend Cottonwork. They can custom make something to your body measurements or, if you’re hesitant about the process, they can copy any existing shirt you have. Just send them your best fitting shirt along with any notes about things you’d like tweaked (if any). They charge about $45 per shirt if you’re supplying the fabrics. 

If you’re reluctant to go the custom route, there are a bunch of ready-to-wear companies you can consider, such as O’Connell’s, J Press, Brooks Brothers, and Dann Online. Some of these will fit quite full, such as the ones at Dann Online, while others can be very slim, such as Brooks’ Extra Slim Fits. 

You can also check out Gant Rugger and Ralph Lauren. Gant Rugger’s shirts are very slim and mostly meant to be worn untucked, while Ralph Lauren has the fuller ”Classic Fit” and slimmer “Custom Fit.” Finally, for something cheaper, try J Crew. In the past, they offered disappointingly drab designs, but this season’s are pleasantly colorful (as madras should be). If you wait till the end of the season, you can easily find their madras shirts discounted by 40-50%. 

(Cottonwork will be a Put This On advertiser next month, but our advertising and editorial processes are separate. - Jesse)

Gant Rugger and Gant by Michael Bastian are going to be on sale at Gilt tomorrow. The two lines are a big favorite among menswear enthusiasts, so they’re probably going to sell out quickly. 

It’s hard to know what stock will be available, and like with all Gilt sales, you want to be careful with impulsive purchases. Gilt has thankfully made buyer’s regret mostly a non-issue through some new policy changes. Shipping charges are now just $6, and you can return things for free and get a full refund on your original payment (no more “Gilt credits”). Still, I recommend browsing the Gant site to get an idea of what you might want, so that you can quickly grab things when tomorrow’s sale hits. 

If you’re not already a member of Gilt, you can use our invite link (on which we get a kickback, by the way).

Gant is having a 30% off sale and it includes both the Rugger and Bastian lines. If you don’t see something in your size, try calling one of their stores in New York City and they may have something they can ship out to you. Note, however, that sale items can only be exchanged, not fully returned. 

Use the code NYLONSUMMER at checkout. 

Update: Actually, I think the checkout code gives you another 30% off? I bought the pullover above for $50 and it retails for $115. Some seriously big discounts here. 

Update to my update: Looks like the NYLONSUMMER summer code doesn’t work anymore. Gant may have forgotten to turn off the code before they threw everything on sale, which meant customers could get a double discount. There are still some good deals in there though.

Here’s to praying that I’ll still get my pullover for $50! 

(hat tip to Mister Crew for all the updates on this sale)

It appears that Gant Rugger used a time machine of some kind to bite my steez.