Not sure if you should wear that Tommy Bahama shirt out tonight? The magnificent bastard is here to help. Go ahead. Ask away.
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 Q: What can you advise for those seeking magnificence without a great deal of financial means? I'm talking below the poverty line here: I'm a graduate student, and after rent, transportation, and tax, I have less than $120 to spend a month for food, drink, laundry, and so forth. So in what ways can a guy get the most bang for bastard buck?
—Evan
A: Have you ever thought about learning to play the guitar or building a time machine? The only way we know to live on $4 a day and still attain a degree of magnificence involve imminent rockstardom (and the helpful female benefactors that come with that) or inhabiting the 18th century.
Our best advice for you circa 2011 if you don't think you have it in you to be the next Axl Rose? Spend $15 a week on food. (That should get you a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, a jar of peanut butter, a giant sack of rice, and maybe some butter.)
Devote $10 a week toward your entertainment fund, by which we mean a monthly 1.75L bottle of Bulleit. Also, get a library card. We sound like a public service announcement here, but reading is one of those rare pleasures that can be enjoyed as much by a pauper as a king.
Devote $5 a week toward your wardrobe and pay close attention to the "Classifieds" sales that Landsendcanvas.com has fairly regularly. (A new sale just started this weekend.) If you're lucky, you can pick up a polo shirt for as little as a $1.50.
It won't be as nice as a $150 polo shirt, but you will have at least one advantage on your side: The flattering silhouette of a man surviving on 2 bucks worth of food every day.
If you find that extreme hunger is making you dizzier than the bourbon is, adjust your budget accordingly — i.e., forgo the wardrobe budget for a month or two and spend more money on food. Don't ever compromise on the bourbon — that's your recreation, your health plan, and your heating bill all combined into one convenient package.  posted:8.15.11 filed under: Late last summer we crowned TST our all-time favorite sneakers, and the intervening 9 months have done nothing to curb our enthusiasm for these hand-sketched, hand-finished shoes by designer Seishi Tanaka (pictured). We now own two pairs of the sneakers, two pairs of the boots, and are putting our Chucks on injured reserve.
These are the best Japanese export since the Walkman.
YOOX has a bunch of models on sale now, and while the discount on most pairs isn't super-deep at the moment, shipping is free. posted:6.10.11 filed under: via makr.com. $68.00.Most skateboards look like they were designed by graffiti artists who ran out of buildings to deface or flunkies from the local art school. Or both.
In stark contrast is the MAKR ox blood deck, custom shaped of white walnut, hand stained, with individually numbered leather risers. Normally $80, it's 15% off — like everything else at makr.com — while owner/designer Jason Gregory is vacationing in Europe*. At just $68 for something that looks like it should cost at least a couple of hundred bucks, this is one of the best values on the whole internet.
* He left March 22, so this sale will likely be ending soon. (An MB correspondent tells us that while Mr. Gregory is on vacation, orders still ship quickly. His key chain arrived just a few days after the order was placed.)
posted:4.5.11 filed under:YOOX is having a semi-annual sample sale.
Check out this awesome Trussardi bag at almost 70% off.
--AA
We agree, anytime you can get a Trussardi 1911 bag for $255, then get it. Meanwhile, we picked up a Number Five (very underrated/unknown Italian brand) blazer for $69 and a Jil Sander jacket for $145. NB: Buy wisely; there are no returns.
posted:10.14.10 filed under: Not quite there, J. Crew
Q: I have a couple of polo shirts that have gotten lines in the collars from lots of wear. I iron them, but it doesn't seem to remove the whole line. Is there any way remove/prevent this from happening?
--Tom
A: Tom, do you realize J. Crew has an entire division of fabric engineers dedicated to creating ersatz collar lines, and they still have not duplicated what you've achieved naturally via hundreds of wash cycles? Accept and embrace these lines, and most importantly, like tax returns, leave all ironing to professionals.
(Take an extra 20% off Final Sale with code Extra20) posted:7.13.10 filed under:Ideeli.com is a Gilt wannabe primarily geared towards women and women shopping for their kids, but on Friday, July 2 at 11AM ET they're having a men's (and women's) Mandarina Duck sale. This is really good stuff worth your money. If you'd like an invitation to ideeli.com, here you go:
www.ideeli.com/invite/magbas posted:7.1.10 filed under:The fall-winter sale at YOOX has started. We don't know of any other place on the internet where there are 12,000 items from the world's best designers, on sale at up to 70% off. (If you do, let us know.) posted:1.13.10 filed under: via Bottega Veneta. $149.00.If you've ever worn anything from Bottega Veneta then you know. There are very few things on the market quite like BV, and that includes this tweed cashmere hat available in three colors. We guarantee you will be both warm and thrilled with any of them. posted:12.1.09 filed under:I know you guys are fans of Yoox. I just thought you'd like to know they are having a great sale rignt now, and I was able to find a coupon (green@yoox) for an extra 5% off. Got these Prada loafers for $185! Thanks for making me aware of the site.
--Matthew
You're welcome. That sale is pretty damn good (though everything is final sale). All hail the recession! posted:6.19.09 filed under: via Urban Outfitters. $199.99.Urban Outfitters' sale page has been the pits for over a year now, however there is a gem hidden amongst the graphic tees and cheap cardigans: a J. Fold weekend bag. We're huge fans of their wallets and their bags are (almost) as cool. posted:3.18.09 filed under:Q: What's a guy to do when his taste runs to magnificence (Barney's, etc.) but his wallet is keyed more to the Gap?
—Andrew
A: Simple one, Andrew: Get a bigger wallet.
But seriously, the less bread you gots, the harder you gots to work to discover magnificence. Use the "sale" links on the right-hand side of our home page, and regularly. Every season great values are to be had, and it's actually fun as shit to find that great-looking deal. It's the thrill of the hunt, like you're big-game hunting on the African cape. posted:11.29.07 filed under: via Barney's. $299.00. via hickey. $328.50.It's that time of year, when you can go deep into a retailer's sale rack and unearth hidden treasures. Like this hickey black glen plaid suit. Was $1,095, now $328.50.
A live gerbera (as pictured) is definitely a strong move worth consideration. posted:9.21.07 filed under:Ben Sherman speaks for fall 2007:
"My Manor" is all about the British gentry meeting the small time gangster attitude. Key men's pieces include the thin lapel blazer, retro sports tops, city worker inspired tops and slim leg trousers.
Sounds somewhat interesting. What we're most excited about, though, is his take on women:
Womenswear interprets the theme by placing herself into this mans world. She is ruthless, respected and admired and this is her "Manor."
Sounds delish. Ain't nothin' better than a ruthless woman. Think Catherine Keener in almost everything she's done.
Also: Bloody hell! 60% off sale items with code EXTENDEDSALE. posted:8.24.07 filed under: via Urban Outfitters. $9.99.A URL for any MB is the UO sale page, sorted by "new additions." They do not fuck around with their discounts, and we like that. Take, for instance, these stylin' Stock cutoff shorts, once $39.99, now just $9.99. posted:7.30.07 filed under: via Bergdorf Goodman. $103.00.Bergdorf Goodman is having their "Final Sale of the Season", and there's free shipping with code BGJULY7.
While there's some good stuff, be sure to avoid these Etro Linen Trousers. Sure, they might look nice on the model now, but literally seconds after that picture was taken they looked like shit. Don't believe us? Check out the time-lapse photography from a new MB feature: Linen. It sucks. posted:7.10.07 filed under:
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