Five malls across three cities; that pretty much sums up my Black Friday weekend. When it comes to shopping, especially for others, I do not play. I take Christmas shopping on a budget seriously and I am always searching for fabulous items at low prices. Due to frigid temperatures and an ice storm, I was not able to hit up the outlets, but nonetheless, I did find some nice pieces to add to my wardrobe. Disclaimer: I won’t be featuring what I got for presents, since I’m all about a surprise. But, I’m stoked to show you guys what I was able to cop for 30% to 50% off! Here’s my 2019 Black Friday Haul:
The first store I hit up was Abercrombie & Fitch. Ever since I was a kid, the brand just screams Christmas. They make nice plaids and heavy sweaters that encapsulates the vibe of a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. A&F’s promotion was 40% off regular priced items, which is pretty standard for the brand. They also had buy one get-one-half-off for fragrances which I found nice considering that their fragrances barely go on sale. Here’s what I got:
The Patterned Crew Neck Sweater: It was time to retire my famous moose cardigan. I swear that cardigan had some bad energy. Although it was nice, I always found myself getting in trouble whenever I donned it. This year, I opted for a red crewneck with holiday print, which perfect for the season. I did find the sizing really true to fit, meaning that once you eat a heavy lunch, you’ll be bulging out of the sweater, so I recommend purchasing the size up. Grabbing a larger size makes for a relaxed, slouchy fit that’ll allow for more layering as well.
The Sneaker Pants: Ever since the dressed down dress pant look became the rage in the menswear community, I have been scouting malls for the perfect dress pant. Since I am so short, I could barely find a trouser that complemented my body’s proportions. As the name suggests, the dress pants, are cropped to expose your ankle. But since, I’m short, they’re just perfectly tailored regular dress pants that have the comfort of sweat pants. I recommend sizing down because I found the waist of mine a bit too large upon first try.
I hit up Lululemon next. Personally, I think the brand can be more generous when it comes to sales, but I guess the quality and styles make up for it. Because the brand does athleisure really well, I wanted to get some new pants that I could wear running errands, to the library and to the gym. When purchasing gifts, especially on sale, ensure you know the person real well. Items marked down are final sale and cannot be returned or exchanged even with a gift receipt. Here’s what came home with me:
The Switch Up Pant 29”: I wanna give a big thank you to the person that marked these down incorrectly. I have been eyeing these trousers for the longest time so when I saw they were marked down from $140 to $80, I practically screamed. Unfortunately, the manager informed me they weren’t supposed to be on sale, but since they were wrongfully marked down, they honoured the sale price. That leads me to an important shopping tip: If a retailer marks down a price wrong, do not pay for regular price. Pay for the price that you saw. At the end of the day, the customer is always right.
The Festival Shoulder Strap: This was probably my favourite purchase. Because the leather strap of my digital camera is suffering from typical wear and tear, I was in the market to find a replacement strap that wasn’t too thin, yet still contained durable hardware. I found this navy/purple one at Lulu that fit my criteria. For $9 it was practically a steal.
After Lululemon, my mom wanted to visit Massimo Dutti, Zara’s upscale brand for a more mature demographic. Let me tell you, this is no fast fashion brand. The quality and styles of the clothes are timeless and the prices reflect that. The brand has become my go-to for good quality and stylish pieces for work. I must say, the brand is a hit or miss. They have seasons were their collection is fire and times when you question who would wear certain items. Here’s what I got:
The Wool Overshirt with Pockets: My mom has good taste. She spotted this button down as soon as we entered the store and she was very adamant I tried it on. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but once I put it on, I immediately envisioned me styling it with a hoodie, some slim fitting joggers and sleek sneakers. The wool was thick, the shade of navy was perfect and the fit was extremely flattering. Being the last one in store and at 30% off, this was a no brainer. After the discount, this came up to roughly $85. Thankfully, my mom did the damage for this purchase.
After spending all that money, I had to dial back. Enter the Gap family of brands, including Old Navy and Banana Republic. I have to admit, I haven’t entered an Old Navy or Banana Republic in years, but I am highly impressed. Old Navy has come a long way from producing vintage Canada Day t-shirts and Banana Republic isn’t for your dad any longer.. At 40% to 50% off I was bound to cop some closet staples at affordable prices. Here’s what I purchased:
The Skinny Built-In Flex Textured Ultimate Pants: I have been eyeing these pants for the longest time. I spotted a blogger wearing these pants on Instagram, but I found $45 a bit pricey for Old Navy. Thankfully, they were reduced to $30 on Black Friday. The fit was surprisingly flattering and the gingham check just elevates an entire look. I’m planning on wearing it with a simple black tee and some white sneakers. The pants are a statement and deserve some attention.
The Thick Knit Jersey Rugby: Once a prep, always a prep. Growing up my parents dressed me like an Ivy League douchebag. I donned polo shirts, stripped button downs and herringbone blazers up until university. However, in the world of street style, I wanted to bring back some classic Americana styles back into the menswear scene. I purchased this yellow/navy striped rugby shirt that is very reminiscent to the early seasons of Gossip Girl and now defunct brand Rugby Ralph Lauren. At only $14, I could not pass on a classic staple that could easily pass for a Ralph Lauren piece.
The Graphic Crewneck Sweatshirt: I honestly don’t need another sweatshirt, but this one was an exception. Growing up, I was a swimmer. I took lessons, I collected all my badges, I knew all the strokes and dives and even trained to be a lifeguard. This crewneck made me very reminiscent of my childhood because it reminded me of my recreational swimming days. Plus the light blue hue made it the perfect transitional piece for spring. I copped it half off for only $25.
The Graphic Tee: Apparently, Banana Republic makes cute graphic tees now. I found the Knock Out tee on clearance with an additional 40% off so it was a definitely a knock out, especially for $12. You can’t go wrong with a classic grey tee. It is a neutral colour for easy layering under plaids and hoodies. Also, the small graphic on the chest is a nice detail as well. It is sold out online, but I did link other graphics BR currently carries.
The final store I visited was J. Crew. I have always loved the brand. It’s very unfortunate that they’ve shuttered more than half their stores from the Canadian market. J.Crew has the best collaborations with international brands and has the best assortment of colours and fits. I often find myself in my dad’s closet taking some of his J.Crew items he’s bought over 10 years ago and styling them today. Here’s what I got:
The Slim Broken-In Striped Pocket Tee: It’s a simple red striped tee. But hear me out! It reminded me of the iconic Play Commes Des Garçons tees. I love a striped tee and you can’t go wrong with J.Crew’s quality. You can rock it for a holiday shoot or pair with with dark denim and be Waldo for Halloween. The possibilities are endless. The store offered an additional 70% off clearance making the tee only $8. Steal. No Brainer. It is no longer offered online, but I did link a similar style.
Well, I guess you can say I had a pretty eventful Black Friday weekend. By no means am I boasting, I just wanted to share some steals I got this holiday season. Often, people ask me where I get my clothes so I thought sharing my purchases, you guys can cop them as well! I’m definitely looking forward to style these items in some fire holiday looks! Happy shopping!
Candidly,
Jonah
