Yes, folks. You heard that
right. It's finally time for the best holiday of the year. It's Christmas in
July. It's... the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!!!
Planning Ahead
For some of us, this means planning months in advance by making an
appointment with your favorite stylist, scouring the look book, hydrating and
carb loading the night before... you get the general idea. This sale is not for
the faint of heart. And the competitor in me LOVES every minute of it.
My approach to the annual sale is to first make an appointment
with my favorite stylist and friend, Garrett. If you happen to shop in
Bellevue, ask for Garrett in Designer Wear. He is THE best. He makes you feel
incredibly comfortable because he'll talk up what looks good on me and he'll
give me an honest opinion about what doesn't. He never pressures me into buying
anything. In fact, there have been several occasions where I've been on the
fence about an item that would yield him a big commission and he always says,
"I'm thinking we don't love it, right?" and then I realize he's
right. If I don't love it in the store, I won't love it at home. I've never
gone wrong when shopping with Garrett.
After booking a couple hours' long appointment, which evidently,
is actually never enough time, I spend the weeks leading up to the appointment
previewing the sale and sending Garrett pics and links to what I like. He then
pulls those items, and like items, and some items he thinks I might be willing
to try, and has everything ready to go for me in a reserved room day-of.
When I get to the sale, I strategically shop department by
department, handing over armloads of finds at each stop to Garrett who hustles
them into the dressing room for me. The key is to go in this order: 1) Shop the
WHOLE store, except cosmetics and accessories. 2) Try EVERYTHING on to sort
into likes and dislikes. 3) Try on all the likes again to pare down to the love
list. 4) Run your love list by your stylist. 5) Pay for your love list and have
those bags stowed. 6) Hit accessories and cosmetics. 7) Go back for your
bags... a Nordstrom employee will even help you out to your car with your loot!
The Loot
This year, I made out like a bandit. That's because I went in with
a solid plan and bought what I went for, with very few exceptions. Because I'm
shopping of-the-season fall clothes in the early part of July, I never go too
crazy on a trend. Think overalls, mirror finish kitten-heeled boots, prairie
dresses, and sock booties. Those may be all over social media and the pages of
Vogue now, but come October, I would regret purchasing those items. Stick to
the basics. That's what the sale is for. A chance to nab some splurge-worthy
items that will have a high cost-per-wear value in your closet... think heavy
rotation. The purchases I'm most excited about this year are coats, denim, and
shoes.
Coats
Thank goodness for second opinions or I would never have wound up
with this red Ashurst quilted Burberry jacket. I went into the sale thinking I
wanted the blue, but Garrett wisely pulled the blue and the red for me. After
consulting with him and a super savvy fashionista who happened to be in a
dressing room across the hall, I was swayed to purchase the red. And I'm so
very glad. It will be a nice pop of color against my dark hair, and the red
pairs well with browns, neutrals, black, and navy. I can already see it with a
crisp white blouse, Jodhpur leggings, and riding boots. The other coat is a
Mackage puffer that is so warm and cozy. Meant to be oversized, this puffer
will be my go-to winter coat. I can wear it with black leather pants and a cutout
top for an edgy look, or I can pair it over my Lulus to take me from barre to
brunch. The exposed zippers and sheen to the coat give it a dressier look than
your average Patagonia puffer.
Denim
Though the trends seem to be odd curved seams, lots of rips, and
colored denim, I stuck to fairly basic silhouettes with my high-end denim
finds. Featured here are a pair of slit-hemmed Frames, and two pairs of Rag and
Bone skinnies, one frayed-edge black and one pair of medium denim. This trio
will get me through the year. The versatile pieces can be worn with ballet
flats, ankle booties, or even worn tucked into knee high or OTK boots. The one
disappointment was the selection of Mother jeans. They are a go-to favorite
brand but the only pairs I could find were light denim and with the
soon-to-be-passe step hem. Not pictured is a pair of coated L'Agence jeans that
hugged in all the right places.
Shoes!!!
Okay, so I *might* have a slight shoe obsession. But all the more
reason why it's so astounding that I came away with only TWO styles this year.
I know! I went in thinking I needed to replace two of my knee-high styles. I
have a pair of well-loved mushroom gray boots that are more worn than wearable
now. And, I've had a pair of Stuart Weitzman suede black wedge boots resoled
more times than I can count. But, when it came down to it, I just wasn't in
love with any of the boots I found on the sale. There's that wise Garrett logic
again! What I DID find are two great styles, a super wearable supple leathermule in a neutral shade and a comfy go-to wedge sneaker with clean lines. In
fact, I love the sneaker so much (and even more at the $79.90 price point!)
that I bought two pair!
Miscellaneous Finds
In addition to the aforementioned basics, I also wound up with a
few tops, including a super soft cashmere Vince gray sweater, a much-coveted
Rails plaid top, and a fitted AG scoop neck tee in a great fall hue. Since I
set my sale-shopping day as a triple points day, I also picked up bras,
underwear, and cosmetics. If you haven't used the Clarins Double Serum, the
anniversary sale is a great time to pick it up, especially since you'll also
take home a special Clarins gift with purchase. Ryan even benefitted with a new
pair of Cole Haan shoes and a Lacoste polo for casual Fridays at the office.
A Day Well Spent
All in all, it was a successful year at the Nordstrom sale. Though
it was a nearly five-hour affair, if I hadn't been organized ahead of time, it
would have taken much longer. And I took home all of the items I went looking
for (well, some will be arriving in the mail as not everything is available
in-store). A special thanks to Garrett who always makes my Nordstrom shopping
experience amazing. There's a reason why he has the highest number of
appointments for his department!