The Details
It's that time of year again. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale begins tomorrow for Icon card holders. Between this and Prime Day, it's a busy week for sales and shopping! I spent all last week giving The Nordstrom Sale a really good once-over during the preview. Scroll down to see my picks.
The dates for the sale are:
July 11th: Icon (card holder)
July 12th: Ambassador (card holder)
July 13th: Influencer (card holder- according to my analytics from last year, this is the date when most of you shop!)
July 17th: Open to everyone
August 6th: Last day to shop the sale
You don't need a promo code. The prices are all as marked and will return to full price on August 7th.
This blog post will be my only one focusing exclusively on the Nordstrom sale. In this week's Thursday lately post, I will share my own personal wish list/what I'm ordering in the sale and also share things to Instagram and the LTK app.
My First Impression
I thought the sale was pretty dismal last year, so I had absolutely no hope for this year. Before I was able to preview the sale, I thought about skipping my coverage altogether. But after previewing the sale, I am truly impressed with it!
For starters, I felt the prices were not crazily inflated. The deals were good, and many of the things felt deeply discounted! For example, I love the Vince brand. The brand is expensive and has always been a splurge for me, but they have high-quality cashmere, cotton, and more, and I love their timeless sweaters that are included in the sale. In the past few years, the prices of the Vince sweaters have gotten up to the $600-$700ish range in some instances. I feel that is so inflated compared to pre-pandemic prices. Well, I am finally starting to see what I feel are better prices in the Nordstrom sale and actual deep discounts. For example, I love this cable cashmere sweater, and it's under $300! Outside of Vince, I saw a lot of classic pieces under $100! It's been hard to even find a cotton sundress under $300 these days, so I do feel this is a small win.
Last year it was mostly all Nordstrom in-house brands, but this year, I was glad to see some name brands. For example, I was excited to see these shoes included! I purchased them in beige at full price a few years ago, and I absolutely love them! Also happy about these sneakers and these sneakers. I have both pairs (in different colorways) and love them and would highly recommend both! Otherwise, overall, the shoe selection was not great.
I will say that I miss Patagonia, Vineyard Vines, J.Crew, and La Ligne just to name a few. While there are some great Barbour jackets, I also haven't seen a sale on any waxed cotton styles over the past many years, which is another thing that I miss.
Outside of brand names, I also noticed more classic pieces included in the sale (like this coat- gorgeous). I felt like last year's sale was a bunch of trendy stuff I had no interest in. Overall, I think finding classic, simple, elegant pieces over the last few years has been a true challenge. It seems we are moving away from the cutouts, gaudiness, weird hems, too much fabric, and overly puffy shoulders and toward more classic, refined, and tailored pieces. I really hope that is the case!
I like that the sale starts a week later than it did last year. Last year it was WAY too early.
There are a lot of repeats from years past, don't get me wrong, but I feel that the selection was good and offered enough outside of repeats to get me excited and engaged. I also feel like the repeats are actually things I love and buy each year, like this shower oil that I use to shave my legs. I buy it anyway, so I might as well get it on sale.
My best suggestion is to buy less and aim for higher quality. It's nice to snag a $100 dress if you love it, but I think the Nordstrom Sale is best for things like winter coats, cashmere sweaters, shoes, etc., that are typically at a higher price point. This is where you will save the most $$, and cute dresses come and go on sale at so many other brands, but you don't find a lot of winter coats on major sale early on in the season.
I went through every. single. thing. in the women, shoes, skincare, beauty, and home categories. I know some people requested men's, but my husband and I don't do much shopping for him at Nordstrom; the only brand he is excited about in the sale is Peter Millar. Otherwise, he does most of his shopping at J. McLaughlin, Rhoback, Holderness and Bourne, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, L.L. Bean, Patagonia, Orvis, Duck Head, Vineyard Vines, J.Crew, and Brooks Brothers. He'll occasionally find shoes at department stores like Saks, Bloomingdales, etc. He also prefers to shop when we travel- for example, they have some really great men's stores in Charleston, like Grady Ervin.
I am extremely discerning when going through all of this stuff. I only include things I've either tried and loved or products I may purchase on my own or think are a really good deal. For example, I love Boll and Branch sheets, and they are included in the sale, but I did not include them because there are often promo codes and sales happening with that brand, so I didn't feel it was a special deal by any means!
See one more of my shopping tips at the bottom of this post and last year's Summer Wind Blog best sellers...
I have many of these items, so I wanted to highlight a few...
- Augustinus Bader Rich Cream duo price is basically the same savings as when the brand is 20% off when it goes on sale on other sites. The price per ounce comes out to be $136ish. So this is as good of a deal as usual, but it doesn't go on sale as often as a lot of other skincare brands, so that is why I included it! It's become one of my fave skincare products of all time, and I never want to pay full price since it's so darn expensive!
- This is one of the only Brow Growth Serum products that has not made the skin around my eyes darken! It works SO well, and I use it on my eyelashes, too.
- My husband has this Carry On Spinner Luggage. I got it for him for Christmas a year or two ago. I looked up my receipt and on sale for the holiday season, I paid $240. It's on sale for $197. I've never seen the price that low. Full price it is $275. It's a great quality carry-on suitcase.
- I got this Belt Bag when I did a collaboration with the brand back in April and have loved it ever since. The quality is incredible. When I did the collaboration, they gave me a code for 20% off (has since expired). The price in the Nordstrom sale is even better than an influencer code so if you have been wanting this, I'm betting this is deepest discount they offer.
- I have these Sneakers and these Sneakers. I love them both. I have repurchased the Adidas ones many times. They are SO cushioned and great to wear for long walks or whenever you are on your feet for long periods of time. I've even worked out in them at Orange Theory and they're perfect. I wear the New Balance pair more for fashion but I love how they make my outfits feel 'cool'.
- Anytime I style my hair, I use this Curling Iron and this Hair Dryer. I've been using them for years and absolutely love them both. You can sometimes get the t3 brand at the best prices at Costco but I haven't seen the brand at Costco in quite some time. I think the price on both of these is really good. My sister got the Dyson air wrap and I tried it and while it was fine, I did not become a fan. I can get the exact same look with these and both together cost a lot less than the Dyson. The hair dryer dries my hair quickly and isn't heavy.
Long Sleeve Tee $30
This was my #1 best seller last year in the sale. It's a wardrobe staple for me. It's an oversized long sleeve tee that's made of 100% cotton and it's no wonder you all love it, too. I put it on over my tank when I go to/from Orange Theory classes or just pairing it with other lounge/athleisure things. I have a few colors but wear black most. I found the white to be more see-through than I prefer so I would suggest skipping on that one. I got a size medium. It's really big at first but since it is 100% cotton, it shrinks a bit in the dryer so I am glad I sized up. I would suggest getting your true size if you want it to look a little less oversized!
Last Tips
Things in this sale sell out quickly, so if you missed out on something, you could always keep an eye on it, as things will often come back in stock as people return things. My biggest tip, though, is that if you love an item that is out of stock, check Nordstrom Rack. There are so many similar items for an even bigger markdown on the Rack site.
For example, the Vince brand I mentioned earlier in this post is included in the Nordstrom sale, but you can find some pieces on the Rack site and on sale at places like Net-A-Porter (this mock neck sweater is gorgeous and under $150).
Also, I feel like this probably goes without saying, but just because something is on sale, doesn't mean it is the best. I have and love these cz stud earrings. But, I have since found these cz stud earrings and like them better than the Nordstrom ones. I prefer the way that these sit flatter in my ears and are such nice quality. I like the 2ct tw. and the 1 ct tw. So I won't include the Nordstrom version in my roundup this year (I have in years past) only because I think I have found something better!
Also, remember this is just a sale like any other sale. People get so heated and worked up over this sale, and while it can be disappointing to miss out on something you love, remember these are just things, and there will always be sales and other things you love in the future!
I'm curious to know your thoughts on the sale!
Last Year's Best Sellers
Bra// Yellow Gold Bangle (not the exact same as last year's)
Sweatshirt (5 color options)
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