It’s that time of the year for the hugely popular Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. The Anniversary Sale always tests my resolve to cut back on shopping because, well, sale! And it’s a decent sale too, with things usually marked down to a third off. I’m trying to wear the things that I already have more and shop less. And if I do buy something, I try to make sure it’s something I’ll get a lot of wear out of. So far this year, I’m doing pretty good (for me). I’ve only bought 16 articles of clothing, not counting undergarments and socks. But I love a good sale. So I went to look. Uh, it can’t hurt to look, right?

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How to Shop the Sale

In case you are not familiar, the way the sale works is that Nordstrom cardholders get first dibs, starting July 12. Then the sale begins for everyone else on July 20. Prices revert to their normal amounts on August 6. Things go fast, so if there’s something on your must-have list and you’re not a cardholder, you can apply for a card to shop first. (Do note that every time you open up a card it affects your credit score, though.) Since sizes can sell out, my personal policy is to just go ahead and buy something if I’m remotely interested, think it over, and then return later if I decide not to keep it.

Shoes

I’m not a super trendy shoes kind of person, so I looked for classic styles that seemed comfortable and cute.

I have come to appreciate Eileen Fisher’s stacked heels on many of the brand’s shoes. Maybe it’s a sign of my getting old. I want a stable heel. Oh well, so be it. But I also like them because they’re an ethical brand with a fair trade policy.

I don’t personally own any Blondo shoes, but they make waterproof boots at a reasonable price. My feet are slightly wide, and the Blondos I tried on last year were a tad too narrow for me. (I ended up going with La Canadienne last year. This year, there’s a La Canadienne short boot and a tall riding boot in the sale.) There are six different Blondo short boots, one knee-high boot, and one over-the-knee boot on sale. All are waterproof.

Other shoes that caught my eye:

Coats & Jackets

Did you know that Nordstrom now carries J.Crew items? They’ve been doing that with Madewell for a while, so I guess it was only a matter of time before they added their sister brand, especially since J.Crew has been struggling. I’m a fan of their coats — and the fact that they come in petite sizing, like this topcoat. Classic and definitely a wardrobe staple.

Sorry for the blurry-ass photo. If I were a better blogger, I wouldn’t post such a crappy photo, but to retake it means going to Nordstrom over the weekend during the Anniversary Sale and that’s just madness. This cotton field jacket is one of my favorite picks from the whole sale. If you don’t have something like this in your wardrobe, I would snag this. I find myself wearing this style of jacket all the time. The light weight makes it great for layering. This is regular sizing and it fit petite me petty well. The sleeves aren’t too long. (Wow, a rarity.) For reference, I’m a dress size 4 and I’m wearing XS here.

Pssst: If you are in want of a faux fur leopard print jacket, I turn your attention to this and this.

More!

Moto Jackets

Per usual, the Anniversary Sale is full of moto jackets. If you are looking for one, now is the time to strike! Since I bought one at last year’s sale, I refrained, but here’s a few that caught my eye.

I am into this light gray color. However, Halogen jackets tend to run wide in my experience. There was also this interesting boiled wool moto jacket, also by Halogen, a Nordstrom house brand.

The leather on this one’s so soft. Seemed well made and it usually goes for $700! So it’s a splurge, but hey, a splurge at 33 percent off, and a piece that you will probably wear forever. While the collar is big, it’s not too big and was cute on. It runs a bit small, though. I tried on an XS (my usual size) and the sleeves were tight. I’d go up a size.

I tried this leather jacket on because the color was different and it’s the same brand as the jacket I bought last year. The leather is soft. It also comes in black and gray. But I think the collar is too big on me. I could see this looking cute on someone else. (Big collars seem to be a thing this year, huh?)

Here’s a vegan leather version that fit well. The faux leather felt OK and didn’t seem too stiff.

Sweaters

As this is a sale for the fall season, there are sweaters galore.

This oversized Vince cashmere sweater is soooooo fluffy soft. It also comes in a camel color, but I love this purple berry color.

This caught my attention for its bright color. I also like the wide neckline and texture.

I’m digging the more subtle colorway for this animal print sweater. It’s of medium thickness and seemed well made, but the materials are mostly synthetic (viscose, nylon, and acrylic).

Like last year, there’s a scallop edge sweater ($39.90) by Halogen. It’s a cotton and synthetic mix and comes in six colors. One sweater that I was looking for, but seems to be online only (or at least nowhere near me) is this Halogen Puff Sleeve Sweater ($45.90), which comes in regular and petite sizing and in nine colors. It’s half wool and acrylic. I ordered it online.

I’m telling you about the fiber content because I’m trying to pay closer attention to it. Synthetic fibers are toxic to make and generate plastic bits in our oceans. But it seems to be everywhere. So many clothing items I picked up were entirely synthetic. I figure the partly synthetic items aren’t as bad, but maybe they’re just as bad. OK, they’re probably just as bad and I should return these sweaters when they arrive. Sigh. I guess I also shouldn’t be posting about leopard print faux fur coats as faux fur is always made out of synthetics. But damn it, I really love faux fur.

Other Things

OMG, is this post over? I feel like I’ve been writing forever (or at least most of my morning). This section will be quick though. Avoiding synthetic fabrics actually cuts out a lot of stuff. There were cute shirts and jumpsuits and pants, but they were all made from synthetic materials like polyester and rayon (and the many other names rayon goes by like viscose.)

For example, I liked the cut of this top. (Y’all know I love a boatneck as I shared in this post about an Everlane sweater.) It was made out of this interesting sweatshirt-like material but it’s partly polyester. Doh. When I got home, I learned that there’s a thinner all cotton version ($24.90), so I ordered a few of those to try.

(An aside: On this visit, I noticed that Nordstrom is now carrying ethical brand The Reformation. None of it was on sale though.)

I don’t need anymore bags. I don’t need anymore bags. Sigh, I love the looks of these three bags. But I DON’T NEED ANY MORE BAGS! Gotta say, the Madewell one is really light, which is nice. I was very tempted by it.

After my walk about the store yesterday, here’s the one thing I ended up walking out with. (OK, two things. I also got a Stila eyeliner and lip color set, which is one of my beauty staples; the eyeliner alone is usually $22 so the whole set for $20 is a great deal). Deborah Lippmann is a cruelty-free brand that makes high-quality nail polish. I also love the fact that these bottles are small as it takes me forever to finish a regular sized bottle. I know my spouse is going to laugh at me because these colors are all so similar. But I love a gray-purple, and can’t you see they’re all different? If these were sold separately, I probably wouldn’t have picked them all up, but hey, it was a set.

After I got home, I ordered the sweaters and tops I mentioned above, plus this leather fanny pack (oh, excuse me, I mean belt bag). I’ll report back when they arrive. What are some of your favorite items from the sale?