Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you are well aware that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is upon us. For the next two weeks, every influencer you follow will be trying to shove Vince Camuto booties, Leith Cardigans, and $150 Barefoot Dreams blankets down your throat. In the past, I fell for the hype. I splurged on a closet’s worth of pricey leggings, Tory Burch totes, and marbled home goods… all in the name of a good sale. Evidence of my consumerism HERE and HERE.
But something changed this year. I’m not sure if it was seeing my entire feed consist of Icon-level shoppers (meaning that they spent over $15,000 at Nordstrom over the last year) cart out endless bags of Fall clothes. Many of which FLEW to larger Nordstrom locations with empty suitcases so that they could purchase more! And not only that, they’re likely to shoot these looks in the blazing sun and return them the next day.
Or maybe it was watching too many episodes of Marie Kondo and wanting to only surround myself with pieces that I truly love. It could honestly be because I’m PMSing! Regardless, the rampant overconsumption that this sale season lends itself to has definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I honestly felt my anxiety start to build over the last month because I felt an exorbitant amount of pressure to push products that I don’t feel particularly passionate about… all in the name of making a buck. And I can’t blame anyone for capitalizing on this sale the same way stores and influencers alike capitalize on Black Friday – make that money, girl – but it’s seriously starting to get out of hand.
Sure, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is great if you are wanting to invest in quality pieces for Fall at a discounted price. For example, this Patagonia Puffer Jacket literally never goes on sale. But that’s not the advice you’re going to see in your feed; it’ll be try-on hauls, dressing room diaries, and spend-spend-spend. I worry about the people who are being influenced. Peoples’ budgets vary dramatically and I would feel terrible contributing to someone’s overspending.
So please keep in mind that this sale isn’t the end-all be-all of Fall fashion. By the time that you can actually wear any of these clothes, bloggers will be on to shilling the next greatest thing and many of these pieces will be back on sale. It happens every year. Because of this, I wanted to share some popular pieces from the sale and where you can buy them for even cheaper than NSale prices.
Click the image below to shop! NSale prices are in yellow, dupe prices are in pink!
ZELLA LEGGINGS: The hype is real on these y’all – they’re great! But after purchasing both the classic Zella Live-In Leggings and the Z by Zella Leggings from Nordstrom Rack, I have to say that I much prefer the cheaper option. I hardly reach for my pricier pair anymore!
BAREFOOT DREAMS COZY CARDIGAN: If you have had your eye on this super cozy sweater, make sure to go ahead and pull the trigger on STAT. The warm gray version just happens to be on major markdown, far exceeding what it is in the NSale.
RAINBOW BAGUETTE RING: Ya girl loves a colorful piece of jewelry and while the BaubleBar ring is certainly stunning, I picked up the $7 version from Francesca’s (they’re offering 40% off everything in stores) the other day and am in love.
LEOPARD PLATFORM TENNIS SHOES: Throughout the Fall, I am genuinely constantly reaching for a pair of chic leopard sneakers to round out an outfit. While I personally found my favorites at H&M (and sadly that pair is sold out), I found this cute pair from Steve Madden for under $35.
SAM EDELMAN BOOTS: Another Fall staple is a nice pair of tan boots. Keep in mind that if you are investing in a Sam Edelman pair, they are tricky to get over larger calves – I know from experience. I linked a similar pair for over half off if you’re wanting to save some coin, but I do have to mention that these OTK boots from Goodnight Macaroon are easily my most-worn throughout the Fall and Winter. Just be sure to size up a half size.
WUBBY FLEECE PULLOVER: If you wait until it cools down, you will undoubtedly find these pullovers literally everywhere. But if you must pull the trigger on one in the dead of Summer, I would opt for the half-priced version.
LONGLINE LEOPARD CARDIGAN: For me personally as a registered shortie, the longline cardigan silhouette swallows me whole. But since I still want to try out the trend for Fall, I grabbed the $27 version instead. It comes in a large variety of patterns too!
SNAKE-PRINT LOAFERS: Snake print is BIG for Fall, but I am just not quite sure how board I am for this trend. So if you’re like me and wanting to dabble without having to invest, I suggest trying the cheaper version. That way you won’t feel as guilty if they wind up collecting dust in your closet.
TAN SUEDE BOOTIES: Tan booties are such a staple piece for Fall and I would encourage y’all to grab a pair that’s comfortable and can be worn with a ton of outfits. While the Vince Camuto booties offered in this year’s sale are fab, I found this nearly identical Dolce Vita pair on Amazon.
LEOPARD LACE CAMI: Now this is all personal preference because we all know that all leopard prints aren’t created equal, but this Socialite version is $6 less than the sale cami which looks on track to sell out. Plus, I prefer the deeper v as well!
Despite the title of this post, I am not anti-#NSale. I’m going to make the pilgrimage to my local store this afternoon and hope that I do in fact score a few deals. If I find some can’t-live-without pieces, I will definitely be sharing them later today over on my Instagram. I’m certainly not trying to attack any other influencers… heck, I’m one myself and certainly farrrr from perfect! But just know that my blog and social media will be a safe space over the next few weeks. So if you need a break from the Anniversary Sale, be sure to stop by! And if you are curious about a few things that have caught my eye, I’ll link them below. Almost everything I am linking are things that I already own and reach for constantly.
SHOP MY NSALE PICKS:
Love you guys and thanks for always hearing out my little rants and being so understanding 🙂
