Harris Tweed @ Walmart

After getting a heads up via StyleForum and Put This On (link here) regarding the Harris Tweed coats on sale at Walmart for about $75.00, I headed over to my friendly neighborhood store to see what I could find. I'd heard that there were anywhere from 3-6 tweeds available, depending on what the store had in stock. Several people reported back finding no coats at their local Walmart, but I was in luck at the Walmart store in Union, NJ.

Reader feedback at PTO sounds mixed, but I'm not sure what people are expecting for $75.00. Yes, the shoulders are heavily padded and the cut is boxy, but the tweed is fairly substantial and stiff, which I'm not sure lends itself to a slimmer silhouette.

That being said, I sized down from a 42R to a 40R and I'm pleased with the purchase. Of the three tweed option (Oatmeal, Grey, and Navy), I went with the Barva model in the tan oatmeal tweed. The jacket features a single-breasted, two button cut with double vents - I think it'll look great with flannels, khakis and perhaps even an odd pair of denim here and there. The shoulders are certainly less conspicuous, and while fit is less boxy, I found that there was still room for a lambswool v-neck sweater underneath.

So, is this W. Bill vintage Harris Tweed from Norton & Sons? No. Is it a fairly conservative example of  Harris Tweed manufactured in China at about 90% off the company's retail price (see here)? Seems like it to me. And unless I'm missing something, the buttons don't feel like plastic to me.

Looks like leather buttons to me . . .

And yes, the heavy wooden hanger with brass "Harris Tweed" plaque might be worth $35 all by itself!

Drake's Pop-Up Sale Pt. II - The Haul

There haven't been too many sales to get excited about in New York City recently, but the Drake's Pop-Up Sale at CHCM on Bond Street turned out to be something of a throwback to the golden days of the Paul Stuart or Asprey sample sales.

Drake's of London has long had a reputation as a purveyor of fine English silks. The company's recent acquisition by the crew at the Armoury in Hong Kong has only enhanced its reputation, as their silk ties, wool blend pocket squares, fair isle sweaters, and cashmere cardigans have developed quite a following. Surprisingly, some of the more popular men's accessories were available at the sale (you can see pictures of the available inventory here).

With so much inventory on sale at significantly reduced prices, this was a sale that you needed to make repeated visits to. Simply put, there were so many boxes that I found great looking stuff on Friday that hadn't even been unloaded and put out on display during my first visit on Wednesday.

That being said, I came away with two separate hauls that were impressive in their own right. On Wednesday, I came away with a lovely brown cashmere/silk sports jacket. The jacket featured the classic Italian 3 buttons rolling to 2 look, with double-vents and working buttonholes on the sleeves. This may end up costing me more to have the sleeves altered, but I can live with that. I believe the jacket was made by Caruso - needless to say, the tailoring on this piece is sublime. 

I also came away with 3 ties, including 2 classic silk prints. I've been looking for a solid blue dress shirt, so that was a no-brainer acquisition. The plaid lambswool throws were also a great value, and I managed to find a lovely dark blue/brown/grey/tan color combination that just looks warm.

Drake's unicorn pocket squares are all the rage, and luckily I managed to snag the only blue/red/gold color combination that I saw on display all week.

Returning on Friday out of curiosity, I splurged a bit more and came away with the cashmere fair isle vest in grey and brown, 2 more ties, and a cashmere scarf. Getting into the holiday spirit, I also picked up a creme/brown polka dot scarf for my mother and a tie for my father in law. 

I also came away with a small stack of brown unicorn and mughal motif pocket squares, which I was able to pass along to those less fortunate who were unable to attend the sale.

All in all, an amazing sale. Kudos to CHCM and Drake's for putting on a sale to remember!

Drake's Pop-Up Sale at CHCM (2 Bond Street NYC)

http://chcmshop.com/blog/2012/12/10/drakes-pop-up-at-chcm/

I was green with envy when Londoners were blogging about the Drake's/Edward Green pop-up sale back in July. We're still going without an EG pop-up on this side of the pond, but Drake's and CHCM have put together one heck of a sale at the latter's brick and mortar shop at 2 Bond Street here in New York City.

I was lucky enough to be let in ahead of the store's 11 am opening, which is a testament to just how cordial and gracious the folks at CHCM are. The owner is actually from Northampton, so in addition to all of the wonderful accessories surrounding us, we also chatted amiably about the various shoe factories located in that part of the UK. The gentleman from Drake's was equally engaging.

Sales like this are usually something a madhouse, so it was a completely different experience to be able to talk to the staff about different offerings, colors, fabrics, and textures. To try things on without being bumped and jostled for mirror time was absolutely sublime.

CHCM has some great brands on display which were forced to make way for the shipment of 28 boxes of Drake's product for the sale. The prices, in a word, are insane. I'll post my booty later this week, but I came away with a button down shirt, a cashmere/silk sports jacket in a lovely dark brown color, 3 ties, a pocket square, and a lambswool throw that might be criminally under priced at $65. In comparison, the scarves, which are really just a portion of the fabric used for the throw, were priced at $95.

In addition, pocket squares were $40, ties were $65, jackets/blazer were $295, I don't recall what the dress shorts were priced at but I want to say $65, and scullies and gloves were $30 each. There were these wonderful lightweight polka-dot scarves that were about $95 - apparently the Sartorialist asked about them (good choice, they looked amazing).

The shop itself looks like a great shop for menswear - I'm looking forward to popping back in sometime after the Drake's sale is over to get a closer look at the rest of the inventory.