The Only Menswear Sales Worth Shopping Before Black Friday

This year is a breath of fresh air. Normally, the Black Friday deals are released on websites well in advance. I’m talking weeks. Last year, I remember seeing everyone’s favorite Flint and Tinder waxed trucker on sale well before Black Friday. But now? It’s slim pickings. It appears consumers have spoken: We don’t want the never-ending sales. If it’s a Black Friday sale, make it happen on Black Friday… Thanksgiving evening at the earliest.

That said, I’ve been tasked with finding the best early deals. There are a few that I think are worth shopping, and they’re mostly around staple products that this magazine has recommended for a long time. There’s my favorite Lacoste polo, which is actually on an outrageous sale going up near 50 percent off. There’s Filson’s Short Lined Cruiser for a cool 25 percent off. Wrangler, which I’m a huge fan of, is doing a buy-one, get-one-50-percent-off. And REI is doing its classic “We hate Black Friday, so here’s a pre-Black Friday Winter Sale,” thing. Actually, maybe the best deal at REI is that members get 20 percent off one full priced item before Thanksgiving; it’s a great time to snag a new Arc’teryx rain shell.

All-in-all, I’m in a bit of a deals watch Cold War, a Cuban Missile Crisis of sales, if you will. I’m not pressing the big red button or sending our boys to die just yet… But the threat is looming. Give it a few more days, and we’ll be in the midst of a menswear price war per usual. Until that time comes, if you prefer to use Black Friday to nurse a hangover and smoke cigars with your family instead of online shopping, I suggest you grab one of these early deals while you can.

Amazon

I’m going to start this lists with my three favorites; then I’ll just list deals alphabetically by brand. First, Amazon. Yeah, yeah everything is Amazon now. But when Bezos is offering big discounts on Lacoste polos and Levi’s 505s, I listen.

Filson

Nothing is ever going to beat the cool of a beat-to-hell Filson jacket. If you’ve been holding off on buying one, I can’t recommend it enough. Plus, Black Friday is the perfect time to get one.

Huckberry

I tell regular—meaning normal guys, not fashion-y dorks like me—that Huckberry is really the answer to 90 percent of what they want. All of a man’s casual wardrobe can be bought here; the only thing it doesn’t stock well is suits and tailoring. I’m seeing up to 40 percent off on the site pre-Black Friday; that’s as good as it gets, folks.

J.Press

There’s nowhere better for well-made classics of American menswear. Right now, J.Press has up to 25 percent site-wide.

Mr. Porter

If you’re not a regular Huckberry guy but a man who considers himself “into fashion” or at least “stylish,” you ought to be hitting the Mr. Porter sale. The sale is absolutely massive—over 8,000 items are up to 50 percent off—so I’d go in with a plan. Have one item, or even one brand, you want to check out; do that and that only. My hunt is for a really good jacket—sports coat, blazer, suit separate, or whatever you want to call it. That’s what I’m showing, but you need to do some of your own hunting on this one.

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The Rest of My Favorite Black Friday Menswear Deals

Alright, the rest of these I’m presenting brand-by-brand in alphabetical order. I’ll spare you a spiel on each one, but if you need some guidance, let me call out a few heavy hitters.

Del Toro, which has for a long time just been a really good rich guy made-in-Italy shoe brand, has started putting out some really lovely elevated casual clothing—all vintage Italian-inspired stuff—and a good deal of it is over 25 percent off. REI is doing its classic “we-hate-Black-Friday” Winter Sale, and there are a ton of gems if you lean outdoorsy. And J.Crew has its usual little sale going on.

Del Toro

J.Crew

Nordstrom

REI

Wrangler