The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has officially begun. After a week of early access to cardholders, it’s now open to all. Brand new merchandise for Fall and Winter 2019 will be discounted for two weeks only. Prices go back up on August 5. 

I spent a couple of weeks preparing and preselecting the sale with clients and it was AMAZING. We refreshed our wardrobes, had fun trying both predictable and wild card wardrobe items, took ourselves outside of our comfort zones, made discerning purchase decisions, and got a great start on the new colder weather dressing season. Summer in Seattle has been dismal, which meant that clients have been wearing some of their NAS items right away. That’s the silver lining for our currently grim weather.

Items ran out of stock faster than usual. Reduced inventory levels, an increase in the number of cardholders, and a more desirable assortment of merchandise are my guesses as to why that’s the case. The reduced inventory made navigating the sale and cherry picking even easier.

Don’t give up if an item is gone in your size or sold out because styles are restocked throughout the sale, and items are constantly returned. Keep checking back online or when you’re in stores because you’ll probably get what you want eventually.

I’ve noted the very best items that were slam dunk winners on clients. I’ve put together five top picks lists that might be helpful if you’re navigating the sale. The items will be available for purchase at 9:30 Pacific Time, according to Nordstrom. Until then, the items are only available to early access shoppers.

• Jackets and Coats
• Footwear
• Tops, Knitwear and Dresses
• Pants and Jeans
• Accessories

I’ve seen all of these items in person and on a range of body types and sizes, across petite, regular, plus and tall women. It’s a wide assortment of items, reflecting the range of lifestyles, style preferences and budgets of my clientele.

Nordstrom did a GREAT job of extending size ranges in both directions. US0 and XXS were included across a larger merchandise assortment, and regular collections sometimes went through to XXXL and US24. THANK YOU Nordstrom, for being more inclusive in your size specifications.

Be sure to also browse wardrobe basics like underwear, socks, loungewear, sleepwear, or workout wear if you like to use the sale to replenish those types of items in July. Also there is lots of fun stuff in homeware.

A few things to consider as you browse the lists:

• I’ve collected each item in a single colour, but be sure to browse through ALL the colour options.
• Check whether the items are available in petite and plus because I’ve only collected regular sizes. In some cases regular sizes can work on petites, and regular size ranges extend into larger sizes.
• My descriptions are detailed and specific for a reason. They suggest a match for a particular body type, comfort level, lifestyle, or style preference.
• At the end of each list there’s a link to the relevant collection page where you can see the items together with their descriptions.
• I haven’t included top picks for wardrobe basics like undies, socks, sleepwear and workout wear, which are well worth a look.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments sections about my picks or any other NAS items, and I’ll do my best to help you out. We’ve been discussing NAS items in the forum, which is particularly helpful because you can see the items across a range of body types. And please share your own winning purchases in the comments section below.