Wow, I can hardly believe that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is here already! As one of the most popular sales of the year, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale offers exclusive discounts on Fall new arrivals for one month.
This year, the sale runs from August 4th through August 30th (just in time for my birthday!). Early access allows different levels of Nordstrom credit card holders to shop the sale before everyone else.
In this comprehensive guide, I am breaking down my picks from the sale and arranging them by category. I am LOVING all of the animal prints, tans, blacks, and even dark oranges and reds that are coming out for fall this year! The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale can get overwhelming to shop, so pace yourself if you are in need of a fall update and don’t love shopping. If your style is anything like mine, this guide should help you sort through the hundreds of items in the sale and make it much easier to snag your favorites!
Scroll through each category to view my picks. To make shopping and creating your wish list easier, each photo is a shop-able link that will take you directly to the product page.
Before we get into my picks from this year, here are some tips that I have came up with the last few years for shopping the sale:
Know your budget - with so many items and price points to choose from, the sale can be difficult for some to shop. Add to that the fact that you have to check out quickly before your favorites sell out, it can be very easy to get click happy and end up with a much higher credit card bill next month than you planned. Whether you are shopping with credit or debit, do yourself a favor and create a spending limit that works for your monthly budget and hold yourself accountable. I will never recommend applying for a Nordstrom credit card just to shop the sale early, but if you already have one make sure you pay attention to when your early access date is. It will be easier for you to score your favorites before they sell out and you will only need to shop the sale once, reducing the temptation to buy more because what you really wanted was sold out.
Save your favorites to your wish list - If you create a Nordstrom.com account, you are able to browse through the sale preview and save your favorite items to a wish list. This allows you to browse over the period of multiple days and have all of your favorites in one spot once you have access to shop the sale!
And lastly, look for high quality staple items - It can be tempting to buy a bunch of $10 tees. When we purchase more items for less money we get the false feeling that we have scored better deals. But how long will it take for those tees to fade, shrink, or just not be in style anymore? The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale offers amazing prices on high end clothing, shoes, and accessories that will last much longer than the bargain pieces, so I will always recommend going for these items first.
Shoes
Mules
I love wearing mules in the fall because they cover up my feet and don’t look silly like sandals on a cool day, but they are also open in the back making them less restricting and more of a transition shoe from summer to fall. The Nordstrom sale this year is offering both flat and heel versions that I am swooning over.
Sneakers
Now that I am working from home, I live in outfits that consist of leggings, joggers, or skinny denim, a basic tee or other simple top, and sneakers. This years Nordstrom is offering some of the cutest sneaker styles to kick my WFH outfits up a notch.
Boots & Booties
My fall uniform consists of skinny denim, a long cardi, and a good pair of boots or booties. Naturally, I am SO excited for the selection offered in the sale this year! The rich fall colors, animal prints, and textures are spot on to what I am searching for to update my wardrobe this fall.
Heels
If you are a someone who frequently wears heels, you know how important it is to find a comfortable pair. You also know that a comfortable pair is not cheap. Take advantage of all the cute options that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has to offer! In my experience from past years, the majority of heels offered during the sale are from great brands who produce quality footwear, and you definitely can’t beat the price!
Sandals & Slippers
I will use any excuse for a new pair of slippers and the sandal options this year cant be beat either. I live in my Ugg slippers lately, so I was super excited to see a couple styles included in the sale. If you have never owned a pair, they feel like you are walking on Heaven. Since I probably shouldn’t buy them all, I have found a couple more affordable slipper options that are included this year that I am definitely keeping my eye on!
Tops
Whether you are looking for a cute date night top or a basic tee, the Nordstrom sale has TONS of cute options this year. I am totally eyeing the leopard tee (big surprise) with the orange collar from J.Crew and the long sleeve waffle knit tunics from Free People!
Sweaters
I’ll admit it, I am addicted to sweaters. Big, long, cozy, open-front sweaters are my jam. You can catch me wearing one the majority of the time during fall, winter, and spring. I am really hoping to grab some of my top Barefoot Dreams picks this year since they sold out so fast last year! I will also be grabbing a few more affordable options in colors that I am liking right now, so that if I’m not really digging them next year I won’t feel so bad about only wearing them for one season.
Bottoms
I will also admit, I have way too many pairs of pants. Dress pants from my in office days, denim because its cute and what I choose to wear over shorts most days, and lounge pants, especially joggers, now that I am working from home every day. The Nordy sale doesn’t fall short on options this year. I am eyeing tons of denim pairs, both high and low price points. I find that Paige and Joe’s fit me the best but I try all different brands each year to find new options. I also love a cute affordable pair in an of the moment style, but I always make sure to grab a higher end staple pair of denim during this sale each year. I am loving a good pair of dark flares right now, so I will also be grabbing a pair of those!
Lounge
Working from home means that I have a really good excuse to purchase a new wardrobe. Working in IT means that I have very few video meetings and am able to wear comfy clothes a majority of the time. This year especially, I am shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale for joggers and lounge items as well as a new robe for chilly mornings with a good cup of coffee.
Jackets
The weather in Michigan is so unpredictable, you can never have enough jackets! Light jackets, heavy jackets, winter coats. Jackets stashed in closets, rooms, and vehicles.
Accessories
One of my favorite things to shop for each year during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is jewelry. Kendra Scott is serving up some adorable options this year and I found quite a few other affordable picks that I am hoping to get my hands on as well! I am also hoping to score some new designer sunglasses.
Handbags
If I had to pick one things to shop during the sale it would definitely be the handbags. I have always been a purse lover (Kyle still cant understand my obsession). I love picking up cute handbags at places like Target, but designer bags will always have my heart. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is the perfect time to get your hands on brands like Tory Burch for an affordable price. The downside to this is that they sell out unbelievably fast, so if you find one in stock grab it quick!
Beauty
I am totally excited that my favorite hair dryer and lip products from last years sale are included again this year so that I can share them with you at a great price! I discovered the Bobbi Brown Lip Tint during last years sale and loved it so much that I now have multiple in each color and keep them stored in the bathroom, car, and pretty much every purse I own. I am not a huge fan of lipstick, but this stuff goes on like a Chapstick to moisturize your lips and adds just the right amount of sheer color. My T3 hairdryer is also included, and I cant recommend it enough! I have thick, wavy hair and this dryer definitely helps me cut down on drying time. Make sure you check both of those out. I am also excited about my lip plumping gloss and favorite mascara offered as a set and tons of other beauty finds this year!
Home
The closer we get to our wedding date the more excited I am getting to be able to spend our money renovating and decorating our house! I may sneak in some home shopping during the sale so that I don’t miss any of the great deals. I am a hoarder of blankets and I am in love with the options this year!
Baby
It seems like everyone is having babies right now and I have serious baby fever. The baby gear, clothing, and accessories offered in the sale this year are so good!
Girls
I am obsessed with the girls clothes every year. This year, I am eyeing the shoes and this super cute orange and leopard hoodie. I definitely recommend buying girls denim during the sale if they like wearing designer because the prices are crazy good.
Boys
I don’t currently have any boys but I hope to someday so I love browsing through the options. The Nordstrom sale this year has plenty of options to keep your little dude in style.
I hope that this guide was helpful!
xo, Julia
*I earn commission on each purchase made through these links. If you decide to shop my favorite items just know that I greatly appreciate you! A lot of time went into making this guide, so knowing you love my picks makes me really happy! :)