Hey gents.

I know it’s not been a big year for dressing up but as we’re nearing its close I thought it would be a good idea to offer you some holiday cheer and support a few of my dapper friends and their businesses this Black Friday weekend.

Is this nepotism? Perhaps.

Do I stand by all these products just the same cos I think they’re high quality, just like my friends who sell them?

Absolutely.

I hope you all enjoy a blessed holiday season and that you’ll find some ideas for yourself or your stylish friends and family.

Full disclosure: many of these sites use affiliate links, from which I may collect compensation to help support the channel. A lot of them don’t.

BONUS: I’ll be updating this from Black Friday till cyber Monday with your help! Any deals on gifts you like, DM me on Instagram or comment below with the details and I’ll include them here and give you a shout-out at the bottom. I’ll even include your IG handle if you send leads to me there.

Happy Holidays, gents!

Sharp& Dapper Accessories

You all know that shirt tucking is important to me. A friend of mine in London agrees, which is why he makes, in my opinion, the best shirt garters available on the market.

He also sells some really nice braces, neckties and other men’s accessories.

He’s a really classy guy and I’m proud to support him. Check out his site, Sharp and Dapper and enter KAVALIER at checkout for an awesome discount on your purchase!

Tomahawk Shades

Shortly before I moved at the end of September, the guys over at Tomahawk Shades, a startup sunglass company, reached out to me via Instagram (you do follow me there, don’t you?). I had just given a bunch of stuff away, in order to make my recent move easier, but they were kind enough to send a pair to my assistant, and he loved them.

He’s usually got good taste and I can see why he liked these shades so much. Tomahawk Shades offers a wide variety of slick-looking frame and lens styles and their prices are quite reasonable, especially given their small-batch approach to manufacturing. Click here to check them out!

They’ve also got an awesome deal going on for Black Friday: enter promo code KAV at checkout and you’ll get two pairs of eyewear for FREE with the purchase of one. Yes, you read that right. Not a bad deal at all.

Meat!

More specifically, meat delivered to your home courtesy of Butcher Box. As you may know, I’ve been a loyal subscriber to Butcher Box for several years.

They sell REALLY high-quality meat and they deliver it straight to your door. They offer top-shelf beef, pork, chicken and seafood, and they’re very flexible when it comes to what you want to include in your package and how often you want to receive it. On top of that, their products are ethically raised and keep for a long time if you’re like me and you like to buy groceries in bulk.

A subscription to Butcher Box makes a great gift for any carnivore you love.

A Watch

I know how heated watch debates get among watch aficionados, and I’ve talked about why they hate certain brands. Whether any of the men on your holiday shopping list are watch snobs or not, a new watch will serve them well. Just make sure you choose one that matches their everyday dress: avoid G-Shocks in the board room and don’t waste thousands on a silver Breitling if your intended works in the building trades.

I’m hesitant to mention specific brands so if you’re new to watches I’ll suggest this quick and well-researched guide written by a friend of mine.

I will, however, remind you of the same principles I’ve hammered home when talking about any other accessory or piece of clothing:

Think of it as an investment and budget accordingly.

Look for a versatile timepiece that you can dress up or down.

Show the world that your time matters.

Want a few brands by name? Fine.

I’ve talked before about my favorite watch, the Omega Seamaster.

My assistant loves his Egard.

For casual situations, Casio, Fossil or Seiko are always good choices.

New Underwear

You knew I’d touch on this. I talk about it extensively on my channel, including all of my favorite brands: Mack Weldon, Calvin Klein, Sheath, as well as many others.

Underwear is always a good gift cos men go through it so quickly. They should anyway (gentlemen I seriously hope you’re not hanging on to some tighty whities from 2008).

Tom Ford recommends replacing it every six months. His own line of underwear is slick and stylish, like everything else he designs, but it’s not cheap.

I would say that refreshing your underwear drawer once a year or so is quite safe, depending on how many pairs you own.

Regardless, it always makes a great gift cos it’s an essential we men really can’t have too much of.

Smart Wallet

I can’t say enough about these little beauties. The idea behind them is genius. Bells and whistles vary between brands but the basic idea is a wallet or card carrier with a built-in GPS. A great many well-known brands have jumped on this bandwagon the last few years but my personal favorite is Ekster. Their prices are quite reasonable, they use top-quality leather and the tracking device consists of a very clever chip, the location of which you can track via bluetooth and a free app that you download to your phone.

I sent one of these wallets to my assistant after he lost his. He’s quite grateful.

Their various models all look really slick. My personal favorite is the parliament wallet (pictured above) since I don’t carry a lot of cash.

A good-quality leather wallet is a staple in any stylish man’s EDC. If you or the man you’re shopping for are prone to losing things, help him out a bit and buy him one with a location tracker.

Cashmere Sweater

I believe at least one good cashmere sweater is a staple in any stylish man’s wardrobe. It’s one of the most luxurious fabrics on the market, it’s remarkably strong and surprisingly versatile. You’ll see it in a variety of sweaters from casual half-zip mocks to elegant cable-knit turtlenecks and if you buy a good quality piece and take good care of it, it’ll last you for years.

Even in a warm climate, a cashmere sweater is still a good option. You can look for one that’s single ply (as opposed to double: here’s what that means) or instead opt for a cashmere blend (silk and cotton are your best options if you’re looking for something lighter).

Every major menswear retailer is selling cashmere sweaters right now, but this Falconeri Crewneck is my personal favorite. Quite a generous Black Friday deal, too!

cologne

Admittedly this one’s tough to surprise someone with. A signature scent is arguably the most subjective facet of men’s style, not only because each man’s preferences vary but because a single cologne will smell differently on each man who wears it. The chemistry behind this is complicated but the important conclusion is that every cologne will not smell good on every man.

Why am I including it in a gift guide then?

Fair question. I have an answer.

It’s cos there are a few scents that are specifically designed to smell good on everyone. The perfumers designed them that way and the designers market them as such.

If you have no idea where to start, my friends Antonio and Jeremy can certainly help you out. In the videos I’m linking to here, they both talk about a great many colognes that work on all men. You’ll find them at most department stores and while they’re not cheap, they won’t break the bank.

While a lot of men don’t wear cologne on a regular basis, it can still make a great gift for your intended. The message it sends, albeit indirectly, is that you want to be intimate with him. And every man appreciates that.

A New BelT

Along with watches and EDC, a good quality belt is an essential for every man. Unless his wardrobe consists entirely of bespoke trousers without belt loops, he’s going to wear one quite often. Like every other item in his wardrobe, his belt should be versatile and durable. Pretty standard rule of menswear.

But what if it was also adjustable beyond the five or six holes you find in most leather belts? You know which ones I’m talking about. They tear and fray after a few years and they’re pretty useless if you gain or lose a lot of weight.

Solution? My friends over at Anson.

No joke, these belts are AMAZING. They don’t look particularly traditional but they look equally sharp with a suit as with a polo and jeans and their design is one of the best innovations in menswear I’ve ever seen.

Their belts have no holes.

Yes, you read that right. They instead have a very cleverly designed and easily adjusted belt buckle that securely stays in place thanks to a line of quarter-inch notches on the belt’s underside, allowing you a whopping THIRTY adjustments in size. A quick pull of the lever on top of the buckle tightens or loosens the belt easily. And they’re all shipped extra long, allowing you to cut the unnotched end to your own perfect size whether you’re a linebacker or a bean pole.

They are famous in the menswear and influencer community for not offering discount codes but I’m including them on this list just the same because they fall in line with my philosophy of investing in expensive but good-quality pieces for the long term.

And the guys at Anson are serious about long term: they offer a lifetime warranty worth far more than any paltry discount code.

Their box sets allow you to mix and match your belts and buckles to suit any occasion, making their price points worth the effort and then some.

A SAmsung Airdresser

I’ve had my Airdresser for a few months and I just went live with my video review of it so I thought I’d add it here too.

If you’ve never heard of this contraption, a Samsung Airdresser is essentially an in-home clothing sanitation system but you can also use it on bedding, outerwear and even stuffed toys.

It deodorizes, sanitizes and relaxes wrinkles.

It’s safe on ALL your clothing. Even delicate accessories like ties and pocket squares.

It’s a great way to refresh your suits between dry cleanings and thus extend their life.

I absolutely love mine. I’ll tell you now that it’s not cheap but if you own a lot of suits it’ll quickly pay for itself in terms of how much time and money you save on dry cleaning.

Your wardrobe is an investment, yes? Treat it as such.

Now for the rest of the List

Now that I’ve talked about some of my favorite brands, and some specific categories, here are a few other sites with great deals to check out.

I’ve sorted them by category, for quick reference. I’ll be updating this all weekend until EOD on Cyber Monday, so DM me via Instagram if you catch any that I miss.

I’ll do my best to share accurate and up-to-date information here. I sincerely apologize if it changes.

Happy holidays, gents!

Shirts

Apposta: 20% off till Sunday with code NOV20.

Charles Tyrwhitt: Four shirts for $120 with code HAPPYBF.

Criquets: 25% to 30% percent off with code BLACKFRIDAY.

John Henric: 20% off with code jon2020 plus an extra 10% off when you sign up for their newsletter.

Kurt River: various site-wide deals.

Mizzen & Main: 25% off purchases over $200, 30% off purches over $300 with code OHWHATFUN

State & Liberty: performance fabric dress shirts: various sitewide sales. Free shipping on U.S. orders over $200.

Twillory: up to 65% off.

Subscription Boxes

Birchbox Grooming: Year-long subscription for $96 with code YEAR96.

Sprezza Box: 50% off first month with code TGIF50.

Stitch Fix: various sitewide deals

The Menlo Club: first box $29 through Cyber Monday

Trousers

Bonobos: 30% off with code FRIDAYWEEK.

Everlane performance trouser: 10% off with email newsletter signup.

Levi’s: 40% off site-wide plus free U.S. shipping with code CYBER.

Public Rec Everyday Jogger: 20% off site-wide.

Rhone Commuter Trouser: 30% off site-wide

Western Rise: Up to 25% off.

Accessories

Bows-n-Ties: Various site-wide sales.

Dapper Woodworks: Free lapel pin and free U.S. shipping on orders over $75.

The Dark Knot: 50% off orders over $200

Fort Belvedere: Various site-wide discounts

Sharp and Dapper: 30% off with code KAVALIER

Rampley & Company: 25% off all accessories with code BF25.

The Tie Bar: Up to 30% off site-wide with code BIGDEAL.

Suits

Gagliardi: 25% off purchase with code BF25.

Indochino: Suits from $249. 10% off orders over $399 with code BLK10.

Oliver Wicks: Up to $200 off your purchase with code BLACK.

Sene Studio: 50% off Site-Wide.

Spier & Mackay: 20% off site-wide with code BF 2020.

Suitsupply: Various Site-wide deals.

Shoes

Ace Marks: Up to 30% off plus free socks with code BFSALE

Allen Edmonds: 30% off site-wide.

Crown Northampton: free shoehorn with purchase before Dec. 6

Jay Butler: 20% off sitewide with code JBBF2020.

M. Gemi Loafers: various site-wide deals

The Noble Shoe: 20% off selected styles

Taft: 20%-40% off Site-wide

Socks

Boardroom Socks: various site-wide deals.

Bombas over-the-calf socks: 20% off storewide with code CHEER20

Dapper Classics: 30% off site-wide with code 30BLACK

Ministry of Supply: 25% off site-wide.

The Southern Scholar: various site-wide deals.

Vottasocks: 25% off site-wide with code BLK25.

Underwear and Athletic Apparel:

2UNDR: up to 40% off

Thompson Tee sweatproof undershirts: up to 50% off with code HOLIDAYS50.

Wama Hemp: 40% off site-wide.

Wolaco athletic apparel: 25% off site-wide plus additional 30% off all tops with code THANKS25

Bags & LUggaGe

Arlo Skye luggage: 20-30% off site-wide.

Carl Friedrik: 30% off site-wide.

Faire Leather: 30% off site-wide with code FAIREBF30.

Satchel & Page: 10-30% off site-wide.

Stuart & Lau bags & acessories: various site-wide deals with code BFCM-2020

Skincare

Dr. Squatch: 15% off with subscription

Duke Cannon: various sitewide gifts, based on how much you spend. Spend generously: I love this company’s soap AND deodorant.

Stryx: cosmetics and skincare designed for men: 25% off sitewide.

Tiege Hanley: various site-wide deals.

Vitaman: Up to 60% off.

Many thanks to Mayur B., Ward R., Dave T., Steve H., Steve J., Nathan H., Oliver P., Andrew G., Dapper Wood Works, Jordan H. Johan E., Joe C., Kostas M., Chris B. and Eric B. for their contributions!