SoLow sport cami (made in the US) | $36 (I have two of these, tend to run small-ish)
Current Elliot boyfriend shorts | $112 (ugh. these really tempt me…does anyone have a pair of CE shorts?)
Vince espadrilles (made in Spain) | $156
In case you were wondering what to do Memorial Day weekend…there are a TON of sales starting now. Of course – it wouldn’t be a holiday in the United States without a sale. *rolls eyes* I love sales a lot less than I used to, because I know I shop them with sale goggles on. Even after doing all the work in the last years on getting my wardrobe down to where I want it, and shopping more consciously, I can still browse sales and think “wow, what a good price, it’s too good to pass up.” I’m still tempted, but know better, and quickly close out my browser.
I use sales now to buy things I’ve been looking at for a while, but just wasn’t ready to buy. If I still think I NEED it when it goes on sale, I buy it. But more often than not, I’m “over” a particular item once it goes on sale. Unless it’s denim. Or shoes. Or bags. LOL. Or not. I buy a lot less than I used to, because I am more deliberate about it, keeping in mind details that would make an item either a staple in my wardrobe, or not. I also take into consideration what I’ll realistically wear in the coming months (I’m not an out-of-season sale shopper!!).
For example, I tried on this pair of Rag & Bone/JEAN Dre jeans a while ago and really love them. The sale price is very good, and I’d love to add them to my denim collection, but I know I won’t wear them all summer, and by the time fall/winter rolls around, I may no longer want to wear them anyway, or my size would have changed, or whatever. And this Acne studios poncho I was LUSTING after since it came out. I still love it, and am pretty sure I’d wear it if I had it (not for a while though) this fall, but I’m not willing to spend that much money right now on something I may or may not want later this year.
But, if you prefer to shop on sale, no matter if you can wear the item “now” or not, then these sales are for you, as is the Nordstrom Anniversary sale coming up. Sales are a great time to buy denim, especially if there’s a style/wash/brand you love and know fits you like you want. And there are quite a few great pairs of shoes on sale right now at Shopbop worth checking out – good, classic pairs, some from Coclico and Freda Salvador, both small designers who produce ethically in Spain.
How do you shop sales? do you shop out of season? Are you a big Nordstrom anniversary sale shopper? Do you stock up on everything you’ll want for fall/winter? What do you typically wait to buy on sale? Do you ever pay full price for anything??
Some of my favorite sale pieces at Shopbop – if you’re a Rick Owens fan, all of the DRKSHDW and Lilies pieces are marked down!
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I’m saving this post to refer to on a regular basis! That’s exactly my issue with sales too and saving regular priced items to a wait list and referring it during sales would help immensely! Thank you also for being so *human* about your shopping challenges. Reading your posts have helped me shop more consciously but I still regularly have “shopping fails” and knowing you face the same problems is so so helpful.
Btw I finally signed up to Garmentory (thank you for the referral!) and spent a happy hour shopping the site – such great brands and selection, and the credit paid for my intl shipping, yay!
oh, what did you order from garmentory? i’m there ALL THE TIME – i just love it 🙂
This: “I use sales now to buy things I’ve been looking at for a while, but just wasn’t ready to buy. If I still think I NEED it when it goes on sale, I buy it.” That’s what I’m doing much more often now. It’s been a good lesson in discipline, and like you, sometimes I find that I’m “over it” later. I sometimes try and buy winter wear off-season, such as coats and boots, but most things I buy in-season.
And I have to say, those Rag and Bone jeans are damned near perfect! And Freda Salvador…YES!
I like that you mentioned sales goggles, because I’ve definitely succumbed to that phenomenon. However, I’ve gotten a lot better lately as I try to buy more sustainably and ethically. I still have some difficulty with Cyber Monday during the holiday season, but I wasn’t as strict with myself last holiday season as I am now, so I’m fairly confident that I can say “no” to myself next time around. I’ve only really had my eye on the AMO Babe high rise cropped jeans and a pair of the Vince babette slides, but neither item is included in the ShopBop sale, so I’m not really that excited for it now.
I don’t typically shop out of season because like you, I can’t say if I’ll like an item in 5 months from now when I’d actually consider wearing it. I do live in Chicago, where it can get very cold and snowy, so it probably would make sense to shop out of season for a new winter coat and warm boots (for example, last winter I was on the hunt for shearling lined leather biker boots but just couldn’t justify the prices I was seeing during peak season). I only shop the Nordstrom anniversary sale now for workout gear and my favorite Wacaol bras. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been so underwhelmed by the last few anniversary sales that I haven’t really had much temptation to buy much. I typically only buy during sales or if I can find promo codes, and never pay full price for anything anymore unless I see that the items that I’m tracking don’t seem to be included in sales on the sites I frequent like ShopBop, AllSaints, Nordstrom, Madewell, and Lord & Taylor and Macy’s for Eileen Fisher.
So I just had a baby bout 3 weeks ago and I’m very excited to start building a minimalist, more sustainable wardrobe now that I can ditch the maternity clothes! I was really excited about the Shopbop sale because I thought this would be a good place to start. The problem is, I am totally overwhelmed by Shopbop! There is so much to look at! I found Garmentory to be similarly intimidating. Any tips for someone new to this world of higher-quality clothing? Do you tend to sort by specific designers on these sites? I’m worried I’m going to become paralyzed by indecision and never buy anything.
yay! congratulations 🙂
and very very good question! i think this will be a good “open post” to get reader suggestions and ideas of how others shop both those sites, and others, but to start with, what sorts of styles do you like? any designers so far that speak to you? are you more “minimal” in terms of aesthetic – do you like tailored? slouchy? art-teacher chic? LOL