Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it’s the unofficial start of summer. From now until the end of tomorrow, stores everywhere are holding promotions. Here are five notable sales, ranging from tailored trousers and over-the-calf socks to military workwear and vintage-inspired casualwear.
Corridor: 20% Off With Code MEMORIALDAY2021
Dan Snyder started Corridor in 2013, shortly after working for the FBI. In fact, his office was in the brutalist Hoover building in Washington, DC. At the time, he had a side project at home, where he was learning how to sew using his aunt’s 1970s sewing machine, perhaps motivated by the fact that he couldn’t find well-fitting shirts for himself. Over time, he developed a greater interest in clothes and eventually moved to the East Village in New York City. It was there that he started Corridor, a menswear brand that’s now carried at leading boutiques such as Oi Polloi and Canoe Club.
I’ve been paying attention to the company for the last few years, partly because so many of their clothes look like things I’ve admired in friends’ wardrobes. Whenever I ask where they’ve bought something, I’m met with the usual frustrating answer: “I found it at a thrift store” or “I bought it at a flea market.” To be sure, that’s the coolest answer, but it’s not particularly useful to someone looking to buy the same thing.
Well, one solution is to check Corridor. Their shirt department is full of vintage-inspired shirtings, such as waffle madras, waffle indigo, Italian moleskin stripes, slubby black cotton (seemingly a staple of every moody artist and musician), and something Dan calls “acid plaid.” The exploded “acid plaid” is similar to the Brad Pitt flannel everyone swooned over last winter. I also like their flecked brown alpaca sweater, hippie crochet cardigan, and retro-styled sneakers. Aaron Levine wears one of Corridor’s crochet cardigans with vintage shorts, a t-shirt, and some Sperry Cloud CVO sneakers. The cardigan also vaguely reminds me of the throw on the back of Roseanne’s couch, so that’s a plus.
Dapper Classics: 20% Off Everything, Including Sale Items; No Code Needed
There are many reasons to buy American — supporting domestic jobs, preserving manufacturing in the United States, or getting something with provenance (such as you would with hand-sewn moccasins from Maine). But there’s a reason you might find surprising. Buying American means getting something relatively affordable. Not necessarily when compared to things from low-cost countries, but things made in Western Europe or Japan.
A good example is Dapper Classics, a sponsor on this site. Their trousers are cut and sewn at the Hertling factory in Massachusetts. The neckties are from New York, belts constructed in Arizona, and socks knitted at a third-generation, family-owned mill in North Carolina. Since Dapper Classics doesn’t import these things from abroad, they can offer customers a better value, as they don’t have to pass on the burden of paying for international shipping or import taxes. Dapper Classics’ trousers retail for about $225, much less than Rota’s $400. Their socks are also $25, rather than Bresciani’s $35. The products are also just as well-made as their Western European counterparts.
I recommend picking up a pair or two of their solid navy socks — cotton for spring/summer, wool for fall/winter — and then supplementing with conservative patterns such as dots, herringbone, houndstooth, and grenadine. Their cotton socks are a wonder of summer — breathable, durable, silky, and comfortable. Having worn these for so many years now, I can’t imagine relying on just wool. Get navy if you want something versatile. Otherwise, choose socks in a color that matches your pants.
Additionally, check out Dapper Classics’ trousers. They’re made from high-quality materials such as VBC wools and Minnis Fresco, have a split-rear waistband, and come unfinished so you can get them hemmed however you need. I was surprised to find that the promotion even applies to things in their sale section, including wardrobe staples such as grey flannel trousers in three different shades. With the promotion, those trousers are just $150/ pair. An impressive deal.
Imogene + Willie: 20% Off with Code TAKE20
In the last year, while lounging at home in raw denim jeans and RRL flannel shirts, I’ve become enamored with Imogene + Willie’s t-shirts. The shirts are inspired by the kind of soft, broken-in vintage tees you dredge out of thrift stores. They come in two weights: a 6oz lightweight and a 7oz midweight. The difference of one ounce between the two makes a surprising impact. The lightweight tees feel thin and stretchy, while the midweight ones have a slubby, stout hand. I like both but lean towards the midweight because I find the collar holds up better in the wash. If you prefer the sort of uber-heavy weight tees you might find from 3sixteen, these will disappoint. But if you like vintage tees, these will feel like the best ones without requiring you to do any digging.
Imogene + Willie’s graphics are designed in-house by the company’s co-founder Matt Eddmenson, who has a background as a visual artist. The designs often reference punk, cowboy, and motorsport culture, and some tees have been put through a special wash so they have a “dingey” look (don’t worry, the tees aren’t actually dirty or dingey, just made to look like something you’d find in an old car garage). I like how they pair with my vintage Lee 101-J trucker jacket, black Schott double rider, blue Chimala chore coat, and tan RRL ranch jacket. Imogene + Willie recommends taking your regular size, but I think these look better a size up.
My only complaint is that these retail for $68. That’s a fair price for what you get, but it’s one dollar short of $69, which would have allowed me to say “niceee.” With the 20% discount this weekend, that puts many of these graphic tees at $54 — even further from $69, which is nice for my wallet, but not so nice for the self-satisfaction I would have derived from spotting “69” in the wild.
Nigel Cabourn: Up to 50% Off; No Code Needed
A couple of months ago, when Nigel Cabourn reached out to me to ask if he can advertise at Put This On, I was over the moon. Both Jesse and I have been enamored with his work for years. Cabourn tweaks military and expedition clothes in just-right ways, which allows his designs to sit somewhere between classic workwear and contemporary designer. I love the brand because the clothes are made to last, not just in terms of construction, but also design. The shirts and parkas I bought from him eight years ago are still things I rely on today, and some are pieces that are still in his collection, showing the promise of slow fashion. A couple of years ago, I also wrote about his womenswear designer, Emilie Casiez.
At the moment, the company has some spring/summer pieces on sale, including their warm-weather, highly textured Frankie’s shirt (available in red, yellow, and blue). They also have lightweight layering pieces, such as the racing jacket in washed army and black blue. The US4 jacket combines the details of a US Air Force flight jacket with a pair of pilot’s coveralls (again, a nice lightweight layering piece, maybe to even wear with the pleated shorts). For something supremely easy to wear with chinos, fatigues, or raw denim jeans, consider Nigel Cabourn’s version of the iconic chore coat. I like the design best in olive, but it also comes in off-white and indigo.
Lastly, Nigel’s personal Instagram account is an absolute joy. Worth browsing if you want to get some inspiration on how to wear workwear.
Namu Shop: 20% off with code SALE20
Namu Shop in Chicago has some of the best clothes from Japan and South Korea. They carry hard-to-find labels such as Document, Eastlogue, ts(s), Phlannel, and my favorite, Kaptain Sunshine. You could roll me blindly through a Kaptain Sunshine warehouse, and I would be happy with whatever clothes clung to my body. Many of these designs are rooted in militaria, workwear, and utilitarian clothing, but Namu Shop does an excellent job of showing how such pieces can be worn in contemporary, almost minimalist ways.
This season, I like their collection of shorts and the types of things you’d wear with shorts. These shorts from Fujito, Kaptain Sunshine, ts(s), and Niche can be paired with a boxy Kaptain Sunshine safari shirt or a long-sleeved tee from PAA (shorts with a thin, long-sleeved knit is a solid look). I also like the cargo fatigues from Kaptain Sunshine, technical hiking pants from Cayl (a removable pouch!), and earthtone bucket hat (the most elegant bucket hat you’ve seen). Lastly, Namu has jeans in two different shades that are both hard to find and get right — ice blue and mid-blue. Both can be an excellent addition to an already raw-denim-heavy wardrobe when you want something more cheerful and relaxed looking for summer.
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