Dappered | The Best in Affordable Style from the Month that Was – March 2021

[Dappered | The Best in Affordable Style from the Month that Was – March 2021]() --------------------------------------------------------------- - [The Best in Affordable Style from the Month that Was – March 2021](#1) - [In Review: The Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial](#2) - [Steal Alert: J. Crew Extra 50% off Sale Items Blowout (but VERY limited stock)](#3) [The Best in Affordable Style from the Month that Was – March 2021](r/Dappered/~3/F7UJe7hGNCo/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email) Posted: 14 Apr 2021 03:00 AM PDT Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head [here]( to learn more. A wise man once asked: [“What the hell just happened?”](And for good reason. There is value in looking back. It gives us all a good gauge as to what is good, and more importantly, what is not good, going forward. Sure, the “[clip show](” is mostly a cheap (affordable?) device to create new content out of already published stuff. But it’s also a good way to catch up in case you missed something. So [cue the flashback music](. Here’s the very best from the month that was… [Best Sale: Banana Republic 50% off everything Friends & Family]( (expired) [Banana Republic menswear]( March = in-between seasons when it comes to the retail style industrial complex. So we had one foot in end of season clearance, and another in new spring arrivals that were just starting to show up. And while people are flocking to Old Navy and NOT BR these days, BR is still cranking out stuff like [their core temp chinos](, [luxe traveler jeans](, and [smart wool sweaters](. Baby Brother Brand Old Navy might be lapping big brother BR on the revenue front, and that’s fine… but boy BR looks better. [Best Steal Alert: Villanova’s Sideline Killshots for $65]( (expired) [Nike Killshot sneakers]( Was sitting on the couch working away on Dappered, and noticed Jay Wright and the rest of the Villanova men’s basketball coaching staff were wearing Nike’s hyper-popular with the #menswear crowd Nike Killshots. Checked the Nike site, AND? They were on sale. Navy swoosh and all. For sixty five bucks. Just in time for sneaker season. Madness indeed. [Best (or worst) new tool to alert everyone of a cheap pants sale: The “pants” signal]( [Holy pants!]( There were a couple of instances last month of popular pants (Old Navy slim ultimate built in flex, J. Crew Factory Tech) dropping into the $10 – $19 range. So “the pants signal” was born. Unfortunately, it’s freaking backwards. Because I’m a moron. It’s not supposed to be a cutout of pants. It’s supposed to be a cutout of everything BUT pants, [placed over the light](, therefor, rendering a solid, dark pair of pants. Like I said. [I’m a moron](. [Most Useful Post: Skimp or Spend? A buying guide for men’s suits, blazers, jeans, watches, and more]( Should you spend big on suits (not really) but skimp on shirts (depends)? What about shoes? Is it really the cheap man who spends the most? Or can one get suckered into spending big bucks on stuff you just don’t need to? This is an attempt to answer those questions. [Most Welcome New Arrival: The Allen Edmonds “Mahogany” color]( Yeeeeeeeeeeah. Dark brown with some hints of red. A little more visual interest than a flat brown, and not as showy as their chili or oxblood. Allen Edmonds just might have finally found their perfect shade of brown. [Most “marriable” Hoodie: Flint and Tinder Made in the USA 10-year Hoodies – $98 – $108]( [Flint and Tinder Made in the USA 10-year Hoodies]( The average marriage [lasts eight years](. Flint and Tinder will repair anything that breaks, rips, or wears out on their USA Made Hoodies for the next ten. I don’t know what that means, but there you have it. [Best suggestion: Only wear underwear you love]( Took me well into my 30s to realize that investing in underwear was worth it. No more “good pairs” and “bad pairs.” No more looking in the drawer in the wee hours of the morning and thinking “ah man, I only got the stuff I hate to wear left.” Just bite the bullet and wear only underwear that you love. Trash the stuff you don’t. Life is short. Best Motivation [to dress up again](: [Grant Stone Fairfield Oxfords]( [Grant Stone Fairfield Oxfords]( Life goal: wear my “good” underwear, a 10 year hoodie, and these Grant Stone oxfords all at once. With nothing else. I’m gonna slay so hard on [people of walmart](. [Best Weekend Project: Clean out your closet]( It’s time. It’s time to get in there, try stuff on, see what still fits and what doesn’t (it’s been a long year, some of us have lost a lot of weight, while some of us have put on some pounds). Clear out the winter stuff for storage, and move in the fresher, lighter stuff. Big thanks to our man Michael [for suggesting]( we (me too) finally get around to a spring cleaning of the ol’ closet space. Tackled that project myself this past weekend. Felt good. [Hungriest Cat: Pierre, the sandwich stealer]( Every office has a lunch thief. Even the Dappered WFH offices. Never even heard him approach. Turned around, and that’s what I saw. This is the kind of wheelhouse #menswear content [you’ll get on our instagram feed](. That cat loves to eat. Especially when we’re eating. Especially WHAT we’re eating, when we’re eating it. [Ain’t to proud to beg]( that one. [Best post for 20-somethings: How to up your style in college without looking like you’re trying too hard]( It is possible to try a bit without looking like you’re trying too hard. No one is saying wear a suit to class. But then again, no one is saying [you have to wear carpenter jeans either](. [Coldest Photo Shoot: Style Scenario: First Day it Sorta Feels Like Spring (Casual)]( Full credit to Ryan for getting out in his hammock, in shorts… when it was 40 degrees. It decidedly did not feel like the first day of spring when he took that shot. Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate when you’re trying to shoot some pics for your friendly neighborhood affordable men’s style website. [Nice book]( too. [Biggest Review Surprise: Adam really liked those Allen Edmonds sneakers]( Our shoe expert Adam makes no secret that he seems to favor the likes of [Alden]( and [Grant Stone]( over AE (while some of us would run through a brick wall for the Allen Edmonds classics like [the Park Avenue]( and [Strand](). So when he reviewed the new [Allen Edmonds courtside sneakers](, [and his review came in with high marks](… I was stunned. Hey, at least they actually look like sneakers, and not… [these](. [Strangest Collaberation: Levis x Target]( (discontinued) [Levi's x Target homegoods collaboration items]( I didn’t major in marketing. But, where were the jeans? There were no jeans. [Best Post for the Basic Bros: Henleypalooza 2021]( And there’s nothing wrong with that. In doses. [P-Nizzle in the house](. Best suggestion: Make a donation to your favorite non profit Things have been a swirling pile of sewage for a while now. So if you’ve been lucky enough to have kept your head above the turds, maybe investing in a little karma boost (instead of, say, [a new pair of pants]() is the way to go. If all of the options seem overwhelming, sites such as [Charity Navigator]( and [GiveWell]( can help figure out which organizations make best use of donations. Also, it’s tax season. So many states encourage donating via deductions. Big thanks to our guy Aaron K. for suggesting adding a donation to [March’s best bets](. Fastest moving month: April 2021 Wow April is flying by. It’s almost (traditional) tax day. Took me a bit to get the March look-back published. Time to stop signing stuff with the date 2020. Time to flip the wall calendar from February. Feeling Nostalgic? [Here’s the archive]( containing previous editions of Best of the Month that Was. ff/Dappered?a=F7UJe7hGNCo:hl5VaqfWzpI:yIl2AUoC8zA ff/Dappered?a=F7UJe7hGNCo:hl5VaqfWzpI:qj6IDK7rITs ff/Dappered?a=F7UJe7hGNCo:hl5VaqfWzpI:gIN9vFwOqvQ [In Review: The Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial](r/Dappered/~3/5_tYRwu9M6A/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email) Posted: 13 Apr 2021 12:00 PM PDT Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head [here]( to learn more. [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial – $186.75]( w/ SAVE25 ($249) Note: At post time, Timex is running a [25% off select watches sale]( and the Marlin California Dial happens to be one of the models up for the code. Code expires quick though, as in today… 4/13/21. Timex has been on a roll lately, churning out watch after watch that checks all the right boxes for a lot of folks. There are [dive watches](, an almost endless variety of [field watches](, and a fair number of [dress watches](. Many of those dress watches are in the Marlin line, which started as [a single manual-wind model](, but now includes a dozen watches with automatic mechanical movements as well. One of the more interesting offerings in this batch of automatic Marlins [is the watch we have, here]( with a California dial — I’ll just refer to it as the Marlin California. It’s certainly a looker, but is it worth your time & money? [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( Roman numerals up top, Arabic numerals down below. First things first, what the heck is a California dial? A California dial on a watch refers to the Frankenmongrel hour indices seen on this watch, which combine Roman numerals on the top half (I, II, X, and XI) and Arabic numerals on the bottom half (4, 5, 7, 8). Usually the cardinal indices use a triangular marker at 12 and non-numeric dashes at 3, 6, and 9. How did such a strange dial combination come to be? Well….[nobody knows for sure](. Rolex filed a patent for the design in the 1940s, but it’s possible the layout had been in use by other brands in the 1930s. The ‘California’ moniker likely originated due to the popularity of a Californian watch refurbisher which used the dial design a few decades later. Regardless, the name has stuck and can now be found on watches from a variety of manufacturers — even the Apple Watch has a California dial option. [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( Blue sky and palm trees reflected in the domed acrylic crystal. Timex is the latest to [take California]( with this Marlin, which to be fair, is a slightly casual dress watch. I don’t imagine many would consider a California dial appropriate in full dress watch territory, but with the “rose gold-tone” stainless steel case, handset, and indices, along with the deep black dial and dark strap, Timex has done as much as they can to dress this watch up. The end result is [definitely a looker](. The watch is extremely attractive in person, with the rose gold-tone color and black providing a lovely contrast, and the minimal dial text letting the mixed numerals do all the talking. Capping off the 40mm diameter, all-polished case is a domed acrylic crystal, which looks perfectly at home, here, given the vibe of the rest of the watch. Thin lugs, with a 20mm width, support the acceptable leather strap, which is fine — while not great, it’ll do the job, and does feature quick-release spring bars. [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( Miyota automatic movement. Exhibition caseback. Powering the Marlin California is an automatic movement from Miyota. While neither a peek through the transparent casebook nor Timex’s own website specify the exact movement, the internets report that it’s a [Miyota 8215](. The movement doesn’t hack but can be hand-wound and provides a 40-hour power reserve, per Timex’s description. Despite no visible date complication on the dial, there is a phantom date position for the crown, which would make sense for an 8215, which has a date complication. By most accounts, this is a low cost, workhorse movement found in watches from a variety of manufacturers. While the Miyota obviously doesn’t play the Timex quartz “TICK TICK” soundtrack, the winding rotor can be a bit loud (which I’ve experienced with other Miyota movements, and even some Orients). (Note: while the seconds hand motion isn’t buttery smooth, likely due to the lower frequency of the movement, this particular watch didn’t have a [stuttering seconds hand](, which can be seen in some indirect drive watch movements, like the Miyota 8215.) Taken in isolation, we’ve established that this watch looks pretty great, but how does it hold up in the value department? The Marlin California sells for $249, and while that’s not an unreasonable price, it’s a decent amount of money, and there are a lot of other watches in the $150-$350 range which would make fine alternatives. [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( The CA’s competition. The Bambino. Which is [noticeably cheaper](. As a point of reference, let’s compare this Marlin to a mainstay in The Dapperedhood: [the Orient Bambino (and all its various design iterations)](. On paper, the watches are rather similar and likely competing for a lot of the same wrists given their prices. But there are some differences which affect how the watches wear. The Bambino’s diameter is only 0.5mm more than the Marlin, but because the Bambino’s bezel is nearly nonexistent, more of that already-larger diameter is filled with the watch dial, which makes the watch appear even bigger. From the side, the Marlin is over 1mm thicker, and it shows. With a dress watch, thin is in, and while the Bambino’s nearly 12mm thickness isn’t particularly svelte, it does best the Marlin’s, particularly since the Bambino hides some of its thickness in its caseback. On the wrist, this makes the Marlin California look much taller. I’d like the best of both worlds, really — I quite prefer how much smaller the Marlin California’s diameter appears to be, but that thickness increase is noticeable. [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( Thickness ain’t always “the business.” The Timex is beefy when compared to the Bambino. For some, a date window can make or break a watch. The Bambino hacks and has a date complication, whereas the Marlin does not. For a dress watch, I think the clean, no-date look is best. But what about the overall appearance? While the Bambino [does have some Roman numeral variants](, there isn’t a Bambino that quite captures the uniqueness of a California dial. Finally, the Bambino has been available for under $200 for a long time ([$150-$175 from Orient Watch USA]( at the time of writing this review, and [as low as $110 on Amazon]( if you want to go that route), while the Marlin California is $249. All told, I’m a bit torn with the Marlin California. There’s a lot to like about what Timex has done here, but a few things still bug me. I really wish Timex could have kept the thickness down. I think the price is a bit too high, particularly when a stiff competitor, the Bambino, can be had for a lot less. At $200, I’d be very tempted to pick up a Marlin California, perhaps even the plain stainless steel variant with the salmon-color dial ([seen on the Timex site]( which leans more casual. But at $249, I don’t know if it’s for me. For around the same money, I’d be tempted by [Seiko’s more versatile ‘DressKX’ SRPE57]( (Seiko’s dressed-up version of their SKX replacement). Or, to stay with a dressier watch, I might spend more and get [Seiko’s gorgeous ‘Cocktail Time’ SRPB43]( (despite the changes Seiko made to this latest model). [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( To each their own, however, so while the Marlin California might not make it into my watch box just yet, there are plenty of compelling reasons to consider adding a bit of California dial magic to your own. I know that I’ll be keeping an eye out for any Timex sales or coupon codes that drive the Marlin California’s price into gotta-have-it territory. It’s certainly another compelling release from the American watch company that [keeps on ticking](_It_takes_a_licking_and_keeps_on_ticking). About the author: Aaron K. was first brought to Dappered by his love of watches, but has found it to be a great resource for so much more. When not reading Dappered, he’s usually relishing being a dad, spending time with his family & friends, learning about most anything that can fly, or taking photographs. [Timex Marlin Automatic California Dial]( ff/Dappered?a=5_tYRwu9M6A:knvQhjKfDAU:yIl2AUoC8zA ff/Dappered?a=5_tYRwu9M6A:knvQhjKfDAU:qj6IDK7rITs ff/Dappered?a=5_tYRwu9M6A:knvQhjKfDAU:gIN9vFwOqvQ [Steal Alert: J. Crew Extra 50% off Sale Items Blowout (but VERY limited stock)](r/Dappered/~3/8Rc7fa_vSdE/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email) Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:39 AM PDT Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head [here]( to learn more. [SALEONSALE = Extra 50% off select sale items](//www.jcrew.com/r/sale/men) Did J. Crew have a lease at a warehouse expire or something? This is a weird one. Weird enough that I hesitate to post it, because their site seems to be having issues and I don’t want you guys to be disappointed. So, prepare to be disappointed. [J Crew Steal Alert 41321] - [Ludlow Slim-fit unstructured “suit jacket” in American wool – $34.99](//www.jcrew.com/p/mens_category/last_chance/clothing/ludlow-slimfit-unstructured-suit-jacket-in-american-wool/AO679?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=charcoal) FINAL ($425) sure looks like a sportcoat to me? a gray version of their American wool legacy blazer perhaps? - [Slim cotton-linen twill shirt in blue ivory gingham – $15.99](//www.jcrew.com/m/mens_category/shirts/seasonal_fabrics/slim-cottonlinen-twill-shirt/MP576?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=frankie-blue-ivory) FINAL ($79.50) - [French terry button mock-neck pullover sweatshirt – $29.99](//www.jcrew.com/m/mens_category/sweatshirts_sweatpants/pullovers/french-terry-button-mockneck-pullover-sweatshirt/MP573?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=nimes-stripe) FINAL ($98) - [Tech fleece track jacket – $29.99](//www.jcrew.com/p/mens_category/sweatshirts_sweatpants/thirdpieces/tech-fleece-track-jacket/AU883?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=marled-navy) FINAL ($98) - [Slim stretch Secret Wash cotton poplin shirt – $14.49](//www.jcrew.com/p/mens_category/shirts/slim-stretch-secret-wash-cotton-poplin-shirt/AT985?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=white-purple) FINAL ($69.50) - [Slub cotton henley in stripe – $14.99](//www.jcrew.com/p/mens_category/tshirts/slub-cotton-henley-in-stripe/AQ003?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=navy-bartlett-stripe) FINAL ($45) It’s all final sale. And there’s not much of it. These “we just want to get rid of this stuff” prices are limited to about half(?) the sale section. And what is there, there’s not a ton of sizes. And they’re moving quick. Star of the show is [that gray sportcoat](//www.jcrew.com/p/mens_category/last_chance/clothing/ludlow-slimfit-unstructured-suit-jacket-in-american-wool/AO679?sale=true&isFromSale=true&color_name=charcoal). Code SALEONSALE expires tomorrow, 4/14. That’s all. Carry on. ff/Dappered?a=8Rc7fa_vSdE:7HOiP8iLZdU:yIl2AUoC8zA ff/Dappered?a=8Rc7fa_vSdE:7HOiP8iLZdU:qj6IDK7rITs ff/Dappered?a=8Rc7fa_vSdE:7HOiP8iLZdU:gIN9vFwOqvQ You are subscribed to email updates from [Dappered Style Mail](). To stop receiving these emails, you may [unsubscribe now](. Email delivery powered by Google Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States