Cheryl Shops

The icon on my Nordstrom app has changed to yellow, which means it's time to mentally prepare yourself for the inevitable letdown that is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I'm kidding—mostly. The best items are known to sell out in the first few days when only the highest-spending customers are able to shop, which has been a source of frustration for me (and many others) for several years now. BUT I have shifted my strategy and as a result, shopping the sale feels way more satisfying now. Instead of going after the most coveted items like it's a contact sport, I use it as an opportunity to restock a lot of my go-to beauty products and wardrobe essentials, like underwear and socks. True, it's not the sexiest approach, but it does scratch that sale itch. Here are some of my favorite items to stock up on. 

It's that time of year again: the time when influencers take a stand about not covering the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale...then a few days later, cave in and share their picks. I, on the other hand, will proudly cover it from the get-go, because, let's face it, I always end up shopping this sale—proudly. First, some key dates to know:

• Icon cardmembers can shop starting today, 7/9
• Ambassador cardmembers can shop starting tomorrow, 7/10
• Influencer cardmembers (that's me!) can shop starting Wednesday, 7/11
• Everyone else can shop starting Monday, 7/15 through Sunday, August 4th. 

Nordstrom seems to have fixed their pandemic-era stock issues, or at least they did last year—I ended up buying most of what I featured—so I'm following the same format this year. First up: my shortlist Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks for 2024. 

 

Ok, I really got burned last year with my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks—after hours of poring over everything on the website, making collages, and writing careful assessments, nearly everything I featured sold out on the first day, before I was even allowed to shop. (I guess that means I have good taste?)  I was so irritated that I vowed never to cover the sale again...until the catalogue arrived and I thought, Ok, I'm giving this one last shot, but doing things a little differently this time. Instead of diving deep into every category, I picked my top 8 items that I am actually hoping to buy. And since the NSale is usually a good time to stock up on tried-and-true wardrobe classics and beauty essentials, I'm sharing my top 10 items that I actually own and highly recommend. Icons, Ambassadors, and Influencers (e.g. Nordstrom cardholders) get to shop now through the 16th of July, and the sale opens up to the public on July 17th. Let's hope everything stays in stock until then!

Every year, I ask myself whether I should be covering the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. It feels like Groundhog Day in a way—many of the same items are included year after year, so much so that I always reference the previous year's post to make sure I'm not repeating the same recommendations. It also feels that every year, there are more of Nordstrom's private-label brands present and fewer designer brands. And now, this year, it looks like the discounts aren't as deep on certain items (thanks, inflation!). Can we catch a break? In a word, yes. As much as we all love to complain about how the sale isn't as good as it used to be, there are still some great deals to be had—I know because I went through literally every product that's included in this year's sale (except for kids and men's stuff, sorry). Here are my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks for 2022. 

Lots of people have been pooping on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year, and I can kind of see why. As blogger/influencers, we often feel a lot of pressure to cover it, although I do so because there are actually some amazing deals to be had, as I mentioned in my post last week. I do agree, however, that the sale selection has gotten "safer" over the last few years, with an emphasis on more classic, tried-and-true basics versus more adventurous, fashion-y pieces. But I'd argue that those are exactly what you should be buying during the sale—I've found it's a great time to stock up on wardrobe workhorses, specifically in three major categories: jeans, leggings, and sweaters. Here are 10 must-haves that are currently part of the Nordstrom sale (and still available). 

I've often referred to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale as Christmas in July; for years, it's been an ingenious way to stock up on fall clothes & shoes early, at a rare pre-season discount. In the last few years, influencers and bloggers have really hyped up the event, and yes, I am totally guilty of that, but in my case at least, it's coming from a genuine place. So while I'm being honest, last year's Nordstrom Anniversary Sale kind of sucked. Due to the pandemic, it happened a month later than normal; due to conservative planning on Nordstrom's part, they sold out of a lot of the best items on the first day, before most of its customers were able to shop. For my part, I bought one pair of slippers—I had to do curbside pickup because my local Nordstrom was still closed to customers—that I ended up returning because the sole was so flimsy. Major fail. But I am feeling much more optimistic about this year's sale. The highest tier of Nordy Club members began shopping on Monday and, as of the time I'm writing this post, all of the items I wanted to feature are still in stock, which is a good sign. No, there aren't as many designer pieces as in years past (this seems to be a year-over-year trend). But there are some great finds, plus Nordstrom has pumped up its home offerings so much that I had to create a new category this year—I guess I'm not the only one investing in my home lately! So without further ado, here are my Anniversary Sale clothing, shoes & accessories, beauty, and home picks for this year. 

Happy Friday, and happy first day of non-cardholder access to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale! I just went to the store tonight to pick up a cardigan I ordered (it's still in stock, and you'll be seeing it here shortly) and the racks already look super picked over, so clearly the cardholders went to town in the last week. I actually had to redo this post several times, because the items I wanted to feature kept selling out. That said, there's still a lot of great stuff left from some of my favorite brands (and restocks are bound to happen), so I've picked everything from a statement sweater to this season's version of my favorite coat from last year's sale, plus a can't-miss beauty score. Here's what's in my cart for the second round.

Like nearly every other fashion blogger on the planet, I always look forward to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in July. In spite of the fact that I'm a very good Nordstrom customer, I didn't get a sale catalog in the mail this year. But that's ok, because it's online and catalogs are bad for the environment anyway. (Nor did I get to shop the sale extra-early like a bunch of other bloggers, but that's ok too.) I will say, I am not super excited about what I've seen so far—like last year, the sale is a little heavy on Nordstrom private-label brands like Halogen—but I did manage to scope out some good finds. Nordstrom Cardmembers, you get to shop starting TODAY, Friday, July 12th; everyone else has to wait until the following Friday (which is kind of reason alone to sign up for a Nordstrom card). Here are my picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. (And yes, I know this is only six items—another another round of picks is coming soon!)

From their totally revamped (and more budget-friendly) Savvy department to the introduction of Topshop clothing, Nordstrom has had quite a few tricks up their sleeve in recent months! Now, they're appealing to every girl's appreciation for pretty, comfy things with their brand-new, in-house lingerie line, BP Undercover. BP is technically the department store's juniors department, but that hasn't stopped me from spending most of my shopping budget there, even well into my mid-20s (and I'm not exactly skinny-mini either). And now BP Undercover gives me more reason to take advantage of the department's lower price point. The collection includes everything from lacy thongs to cheeky boyshorts (and everything in between), as well as comfy loungewear like leggings and lightweight camis. Serving as an affordable alternative to Nordstrom's main lingerie department (which boasts a broader range of both affordable and luxe undergarments), BP Undercover is the perfect blend of sexy-meets-lazy-Sunday, and comfy-meets-cute. What do you think – are you a fan of BP's new lingerie line, or is it too cutesie for your taste? Let us know in the comments! - Alexandra Gambardella

Content provided by TheFind in partnership with Cheryl Shops.

MasstigeWatch! and a few other bits of information
In case you haven't been reading On the Runway lately, Eric Wilson has been filling in for Cathy Horyn, and the tone has devolved from an intellectual, if slightly dry, fashion discussion to a claws-out meowfest. Um, and that's a compliment! For a good chuckle, read this post on Roberto Cavalli's H&M collection, which hits stores Thursday. I will not be covering this occasion, as Cavalli is just not my style. However, if you are a fan of leopard, zebra, gold, and shiny things, get there early.

In other Masstige news, Erin Fetherston's line for Target hits November 18th, just in time for me to hit the local suburban Massachusetts Target over Thanksgiving.

And, as Racked reported last week, not only is Topshop finally opening a U.S. store (they're taking over the Yellow Rat Bastard space in Soho), but Nordstrom might actually open up an NYC store too, at 57th and Park. Pretty, pretty please!