Ah, tis the season for every blogger to ignore the fact that it’s 90 degrees and talk about must have sweaters and fall favorites. I am of course talking about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Unlike most sales which are at the end of the season, the Nordstrom Sale presents shoppers the opportunity to purchase fall merchandise on sale at the start of the season. Over the years I have changed my approach to the sale, in the beginning I used to focus on items I thought would be big trends for fall. While I still think the Nordstrom Sale is a great way to get a pulse on fall trends I like to use it as an opportunity to shop staple pieces with a trendy item or two thrown in.
In this post I’m going to share my five sale favorites and five things to avoid in the sale. I’ll also share everything I purchased and what the sale has said to me about fall trends.
Nordstrom Sale Must Haves
1. Cashmere
I love a nice cashmere sweater, it’s soft, comfortable and if you treat it right, will last for years. It’s also incredibly hard to find on sale – especially in staple colors like black, cream and tan. I typically add one or two cashmere items to my closet each season but I have yet to get a plain black cashmere sweater – until now. This year’s sale featured several poncho / ruana styles but also a classic crew neck in six colors and a pretty peplum.
Shop Cashmere
2. Halogen
Halogen is a Nordstrom in-house brand and one of the few brands to offer the same items in straight and plus sizes. Halogen items are going to lean more towards trendy pieces but I have found their quality to be good and pieces reasonable. I already have faux leather pants and a black pleated skirt from this brand so this year I picked up the plaid skirt.
Shop Halogen
3. Jeans
While silhouettes may change over the years, a good pair of jeans is always a good idea. I really love Good American jeans but I do not love that they are over $100 a pair. I currently have the Good Flare and Good legs styles, both of which are included in the sale along with four other silhouettes. If you have been wanting to try this brand now is a good time to do so.
Shop Good American Jeans
4. Moonlight Eco Pajamas
I sleep in pajamas every night so I am always on the prowl for a good set. While the Moonlight Eco pajamas may look just like the pajamas you can get from other retailers for a better price they are not. Their material is stretchier, has a better weight to prevent wrinkling and has kind of a cooling effect making them super comfortable to sleep in. I already have black and navy, this year I grabbed the pink.
Shop Moonlight Eco
5. Shoes
The Nordstrom sale always offers plenty of pretty accessories but I seem to gravitate towards shoes each year. This year I’m all about the mule – I grabbed both the tweed loafer and blue pointed toe.
Shop Accessories
Shop my Cart
In addition to the favorites I mentioned above, I also took the sale as an opportunity to try the popular Free People sweater. Although it does not come in plus most people say it’s very oversized. It’s also the best price I’ve ever seen on this style.
Nordstrom Sale Things to Skip
As much as I enjoy the Nordstrom sale I don’t think just because items are in the sale they are a “must buy”. Here are items I skip.
1. Barefoot Dreams
While I very much enjoyed my barefoot dreams cardigan (until a dog destroyed it) I just don’t think the price is worth it for the blanket and accessories. I have a blanket that is identical to the barefoot dreams one both in looks and weight, and it’s only $20!
Shop Cozy for Less
2. Coats
While there will be some beautiful options for coats in the sale I have found that these will go on sale again for the same or better price in November / December and it just doesn’t get cold enough for me to wear a coat until then
3. Beauty Gadgets
Personally I just think these are over-hyped unnecessary devices. I don’t have a huge budget for the sale so I prefer to focus on things I know I will actually use.
4. Home
If there’s a favorite brand of yours included in the sale by all means stock up but I personally haven’t ever seen anything that excites me. I find the deals on these items to be better during cyber week in November.
5. The things everyone else is buying
It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype and buy things because it’s selling out quickly or 10 different people you follow on IG bought the same thing. For example- the Steve Madden mule is much more popular in white vs the tweed I bought. I think it’s important to stay true to your style and while the sale presents a great opportunity to try new brands if you get something for the hype and not because you are legitimately drawn to it you’ll probably find it in the back of your closet a year from now with the tags still on it.
I hope you have found this post helpful in planning your sale strategy and you are able to score a deal on somethings you will truly love!