Winter Sales
My yard is buried in snow, and there isn’t a flower bud in sight, but in the world of fashion, spring is on its way. Spring 2018 merchandise has already arrived online, and has started trickling into stores. For those who live in warmer climates, or are taking a tropical vacation, there will soon be plenty of options. For the rest of us, January and February are the perfect time to take advantage of winter sales. The stores are eager to unload their winter merchandise to make room for new arrivals. I hope you saved some money from the holidays. There are some items that you’ll want to buy now.
Neutrals and Staples
Neutral colors like black, navy, gray and brown tend to be in stores year round. In the winter, you’ll find wool, suede, and leather styles. In the spring you’ll see more cotton, linen, and rayon ones. However, most designers also offer neutrals in mid-weight fabrics, such as polyester blends, ponte knits, and broadcloth (your basic button down shirt). Take advantage of these items on sale. For example, Banana Republic has a bi-stretch pencil skirt on sale, that is light enough for spring. In their newer full price version, they’ve added a waistband, but otherwise, this skirt is made in the same fabric, in a similar navy color. (Styling hint: if you wear a regular but like your skirts to be a little longer, try the tall. This won’t work with pants, but in a simple skirt tall often gives you the same fit, with extra length).
Buy other staples, like a gray tee, tan cardigan, white blouse, and black pants. Shopping hint: buy these staples from winter sales at higher-end stores as they will be a better fit , and better quality. Go to the fast fashion stores for the items that you will only wear a few times, such as the straw hat for your beach vacation.
Sweaters
The highest markdowns are for the chunky, fuzzy sweaters, but there are plenty of mid-weight ones in the winter sales section that you can also wear this spring. You can buy neutrals, but even at this time of year, you can find brighter, spring appropriate colors. Last October, I found a light weight wool, crew neck sweater that I plan to wear again in the spring with different pants and skirts. I had several color options, but chose the lavender because it is predicted to be one of the prominent colors of Spring 2018.
These cashmere crew neck cardigans from Bloomingdales are 50% off, and come in many colors.
These classic crew neck sweaters also come in both tropical and neutral colors.
Free People has a fun asymmetrical sweater in a cheerful coral.
Tees and Sweatshirts
I tend to stain or stretch out my tees, so I like to replace them often. Ever find little holes at the bottom of your tees, where your belly button would be? That often happens as your tee rubs against the button of your jeans or pants. Whereas some fashionistas would spend $320 on a basic tee, I prefer to keep my budget under $50, so that I don’t want to cry when I see those little holes. At this time of year, you can find great bargains on tees in both basic and fashion forward colors.
This stripe scoop neck tee is in a spring color but is currently 40% off.
At Banana Republic, this short sleeve stripe tee comes in a bright coral, and now $20.99.
This pale pink ruffle sweatshirt is a bargain at 65% off! Even though fashion editors have declared millennial pink to be out of style, there are plenty of designers who are still including it in their collections.
Jeans
The spring denim trends include solid dark denim, painted accents, and super baggy styles, but most of us will be wearing styles that flatter our bodies rather than the runways. I tend to buy a few pairs of stretch skinny jeans to wear with tunics, and bootcut jeans to wear with shorter tops. Cropped styles make me look shorter, lighter colors aren’t practical for my lifestyle, and baggy styles overwhelm my petite stature. You may have a more versatile figure, but even then I would guess that there are certain characteristics that you look for in jeans.
These Lucky Brand bootcut jeans are dark, stretchy and abut 50% off.
Paige jeans have a fantastic recovery (they stretch, but don’t stretch out). These gray ones are on sale.
The only jeans that I have ever worn enough to rip at the knees, are from Level 99. Similar ones are on sale at their website.
Other Great Buys From the Winter Sales…
There’s one more category, evening dresses, that you’ll see at the winter sales, but I have so much to say about them, that I’ll save it for an upcoming post.
What’s your favorite bargain item? Comment below, don’t forget to check the boxes for updates on my posts, and comment replies.
