NOW THAT THE SALE IS LIVE, SEE 6 OUTFITS YOU NEED FROM THE NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE HERE + I’m giving away 5 Nordstrom gift cards to shop the sale!

It’s that time of year again! The 2018 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale opens for card members THIS THURSDAY. Today I’m sharing the best strategy for shopping the sale so you can take full advantage of the best sale of the year (seriously). If you’re not familiar with the #NSALE it is a sale unlike any other in that it is BRAND NEW fall merchandise discounted for a limited time. It’s the perfect time to build that fall wardrobe that we love so much in the midwest. Who is with me? Honestly, sale shopping overwhelms me and I am not a huge fan of investing in old items – I want the new stuff! That’s why I dedicate so much time to curating what I believe are the best of the best items from this sale to make it easy for you to build your dream fall wardrobe. 

WHEN TO SHOP

If you’re a Nordstrom cardholder, the sale starts on Thursday, July 12th. This means you must have a Nordstrom credit or debit card to access the sale online or preview it in stores. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale opens to the public a week later on July 20th and runs through August 5th.

NOT A NORDSTROM CARD HOLDER? SIGNING UP IS EASY!

I’m not one to open a lot of credit cards. I like to know where my money is every month and we only personally use 2 credit cards (1 for personal, 1 for business). A few years ago I decided to open a Nordstrom card in preparation of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. The perks are pretty amazing (seen here) and the benefits of early access to the sale is enough to make it worth it. It’s honestly the only store card I have and use and Nordstrom always makes me feel like a very loyal customer. 

WHAT TO BUY

Like I mentioned above, the best thing about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is that the products sold are all new arrivals for fall. New items, new collections, never seen or released until now! It’s hard to even call it a sale because it feels like such a  steal (Christmas in July!). It’s a sale that I truly take advantage of (seen in last year’s posts here, here, here and here).  So what’s the best stuff to buy? It ranges from coats, handbags, shoes, boots, athletic wear, sweaters, designer denim…the list goes on and on. To get a real preview of the exact items that will be included you can browse the catalog here but I also wanted to detail a few things on my list…

SWEATERS

Living in the midwest where colder weather dominates our seasons means I have a lot of sweaters. What can I say, they get used the most! Last year some of my favorite purchases were sweaters and this year will most likely be the same. I gravitate towards brands like Caslon, Treasure & Bond, Vince, Topshop and Halogen. 

SHOES

I am always impressed by the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale shoe collection! Especially when it comes to booties/boots, loafers and sneakers for fall. The catalog previewed some seriously cute styles and I’ll be sharing a huge dedicated post about the best shoes from the sale. I’m already excited to see styles from Vince Camuto, Blondo, Stuart Weitzman, Vince, Sam Edelman, Steve Madden, Adidas and Nike.

COATS

I usually find 3 coats that I can’t live without during the Nordstrom Sale and they always end up being my favorites of the season. I can’t wait to see what they have in store this year! It looks like a lot of neutrals and soft hues going into fall (loving the yellows and soft pinks!). I’m already eyeing styles from Vince, Sam Edelman, J.Crew, Topshop, Rag & Bone and Halogen.

BASICS

To this day one of my favorite tees is this stripe tunic which was also a top seller last year! I always seek out the best basics for fall during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and I can’t wait to share that with all of you again this year!

DESIGNER DENIM

Over the years you’ll see that the designer jeans that are discounted during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale are goooood. This year looks to be no exception! I can’t wait to find new styles from my favorites like FRAME and Rag & Bone and deals from Madwell, Levi’s and BLANK NYC.

HANDBAGS AND ACCESSORIES

The perfect compliment to every outfit and one of my first stops in the sale department. It’s hard to tell what to expect this year from the catalog but there will for sure be styles from Kate Spade New York, Tory Burch, Rebecca Minkoff and so many more. 

BRANDS TO LOOK OUT FOR…

For on trend items: Chelsea 28, Hinge, Topshop, Rails, Treasure & Bond, Trouvé, Steve Madden, Two by Vince Camuto, Dolce Vita and Sam Edelman.

For investment pieces: Vince, Theory, Veronica Beard, Rebecca Taylor, FRAME, Rag & Bone, Stuart Weitzman and Equipment.

HOW TO PREPARE

I said this last year but…

It’s no surprise that this sale can get a little cut throat! Styles and sizes go quickly so if you want it you better act fast. I sort of go into it with the mindset that I can easily return what I don’t like (ha!). You can probably imagine what my cart looks like by the time I’m done shopping. 

To avoid getting stressed about browsing quickly and making sure I have time to see/get what I want, I like to prepare a little strategy cheat sheet. This usually starts by going through my closet and trying to decide what I actually need or what could be updated. Next, I browse the catalog to get a good sense of what’s to come. I like to write down the brands and styles so I can map out what departments to browse first. I create sort of a road map and separate each brand by department (if I’m shopping in store) or style (if I’m shopping online). That way I can navigate the sale easily! 

A little aggressive? For sure. But trust me when I say that items sell out in MINUTES. Plus, not to mention the things that you don’t get to see in the catalog – there are sure to be lots of new merchandise online/in stores, too!

But in the end, just remember to not feel like this is something you HAVE to shop because every one and their moms are talking about it. I’m going to share a few outfits that I think are worth the investment but I don’t want to spam you with content. Just because I share a bunch of things from different categories doesn’t mean you have to spend all of your money on 30+ things. I always go into it knowing I can return what may end up being too similar to items I already own once I get home and see it in my closet. But I definitely think showing you full outfits helps to visualize how they will work in your own closet or ways that you can mix and match the pieces that I am wearing. I’ll be sure to share stylings tips, sizing and more within Thursdays blog post. 

WHERE TO START?

Right here!! I get to preview the sale a little early and will be sharing my favorite styles bright and early on Thursday, July 12th.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments! You’ll notice I added my entire “Nordstrom Sale” tab to the navigation bar (black bar at the top of my site!) so you can easily browse of the NSale content coming up this year and from years past! xx

PS: It is crazy that I was pregnant with Jack when these photos were taken last year!