We sorted through the sales and pulled only the menswear and warm-weather gear we’d spend our own money on. Here’s what’s actually worth it.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and brings the year’s first real run of sales, and this one took some digging. Plenty of what’s marked down is the usual filler, the same items that seem to be discounted year-round. But sort through it long enough and a few real buys surface: warm-weather shorts and swim trunks worth stocking up on, a couple of boots at prices that don’t come around often, and some backyard gear at its lowest of the year that will set you up for a great season.
Picks from J.Crew, Abercrombie, Nordstrom Rack, and Amazon: Everything below is here because we’d spend our own money on it, not because it had a red tag attached.
Featured
J.Crew 6″ swim trunk in cotton-nylon blend oxford, $44.50 $89.50
Save $45.00 (50% off)
A classic handsome 6-inch trunk cut from a cotton-nylon oxford, which gives it more texture and a bit more structure than the slick fabric most swim shorts use, so it reads almost like a regular short once you’re out of the water.
J.Crew 5.5” Pier short in cotton-linen blend, $47.50 $79.50
Save $32.00 (40% off)
The Pier is J.Crew’s shorter, lighter short at a 5.5-inch inseam, and the cotton-linen blend gives it the dry, breathable hand that makes sense once the weather turns properly warm.
Levi’s Men’s 555 Relaxed Straight Fit Jean, $47.38 $69.50
Save $22.12 (32% off)
The 555 gives you a roomy thigh and a straight leg, an easy, unfussy cut for summer, and this is the white pair I styled in a recent outfit if you want to see it worn.
→ Outfit: Warm Tones for Spring with a Linen Coat and Two Shades of Denim · Primer
Red Wing 8836 Moc Toe boot, $192.00 $320.00
Save $128.00 (40% off)
Red Wing’s moc toe rarely sees a markdown anywhere near this size, so if you’ve wanted them, $192 for an American-made boot you resole rather than replace is about as well as this tends to go.
Traeger Grills Pro Electric Pellet Smoker Grill Combo, $389.00 $549.95
Save $160.95 (29% off)
Lowest price of the year
A pellet grill takes most of the guesswork out of low-and-slow cooking, and the Pro is Traeger’s straightforward way in, now at its best price of the year.
Igloo Hard Cooler with removable wheels, $208.99 $279.99
Save $71.00 (25% off)
Lowest price of the year
A hard cooler is a buy-it-once piece of backyard gear, and this Igloo sitting at its lowest price of the year is a sensible time to handle it. Unlike most coolers, this one looks less like a tailgate and more like deck decor.
Amazon
Levi’s Men’s 505 Regular Fit Jeans, $31.27 $74.95
Save $43.68 (58% off)
Lowest price of the year
The 505 is the plain regular-fit straight leg with nothing clever going on, and at just over $30 it is hard to argue with as an extra pair or first foray into a straight cut.
Dockers Men’s Classic Fit Workday Khaki Smart 360 FLEX Pants (Standard and Big & Tall), $39.99 $80
Lowest price of the year
I picked these up recently, looking for budget-friendly classic fit pants to wear a la modern J.Crew or Buck Mason. So far so good.
Levi’s 501, $47.70 $79.50
Save $31.80 (40% off)
The 501 is the original, button fly and a straight, relaxed leg, and if you have somehow gone this long without a pair, this is a fair moment to fix that.
Eddie Bauer Men’s Rainier Pants, $31.52 $70.00
Save $38.48 (55% off)
Lowest price of the year
The Rainier is EB’s do-most-things outdoor pant, light and quick to dry for hikes and travel days, and at $31 it is cheap insurance to have in the closet.
Columbia Men’s Glennaker Lake II Rain Jacket, $31.76 $70.00
Save $38.24 (55% off)
Lowest price of the year
A basic packable rain shell, not the most breathable layer you’ll find, but at $32 it is the sort of jacket you stash in the car and stop thinking about.
Nordstrom Rack
Brooks Brothers Cotton Blend Shirt Jacket, $51.17 $228.00
Save $176.83 (78% off)
A heritage brand at the cost of J.Crew Factory.
Vince Marin Boat Shoe, $59.98 $275.00
Save $215.02 (78% off)
A classic boat shoe in night blue suede, and since boat shoes tend to be a love-them-or-leave-them thing, $60 is low enough to test the water if you’ve been curious or get a pair in something other than Sperry-brown.
Allen Edmonds Grady Chukka Boot, $112.48 $550.00
Save $437.52 (80% off)
Allen Edmonds builds these in the U.S. on a recraftable sole, so a chukka from them at $112 is the rare Rack find that is genuinely a lot of shoe for the money.
Vince Rafael Loafer, $62.98 $350.00
Save $287.02 (82% off)
An easy slip-on loafer in a warm vicuna brown for $63, though as always with the Rack, the catch is whether your size and color are still there.
J.Crew
Short-sleeve cotton waffle-knit johnny-collar sweater-polo, $58.50 $98.00
Save $39.50 (40% off)
A loose, chunky knit in a vintage off-white that can be dressed up or worn casually.
Abercrombie
Linen-Blend Relaxed Straight Trouser, $68.00 $85.00
Save $17.00 (20% off)
Breathable and a little slouchy in the way summer calls for, though at 20% off this one is more a nudge than a real price cut.
A&F Resort Shirt, $36.00 $60.00
Save $24.00 (40% off)
The Resort shirt is Abercrombie’s camp-collar short-sleeve, an easy thing to pull on for warm evenings, and this muted orange has a throwback feel that doesn’t read like a costume.
Cotton Space-Dye Button-Through Sweater Polo, $60.00 $75.00
Save $15.00 (20% off)
The space-dye yarn gives it some interesting depth and texture up close, and it turned up in our most recent summer outfit feature if you want to see it styled.