Preparing for sales : most wanted items (sorry, long post) ETA : what I have found!

Winter sales begin tomorrow here in France, and I need to focus. Finding inspiration on this forum (thank you all!) I decided to identify holes in my wardrobe and set a list of items that would fill them. And actually stick to these items instead of buying anything and everything that catches my eye.

To give you a little bit of context, I'm currently trying to build a professionnal wardrobe for a workplace with two very distinct sartorial worlds. I want to be casual enough to fit in with jeans-t-shirt-sneakers people, and dressy enough to fit in with suit-and-tie and military uniform people. At the same time (otherwise the challenge would be less fun).

As krishnidoux suggested in my 2018 Resolutions thread, I think that a good approach to this challenge would be to include some key professional pieces with more casual essentials. For example, I typically feel well in dark wash jeans, a nice tee or blouse and a classic blazer.

I love blazers and have 8 of them in different colors - it seems enough for now. What my wardrobe lacks is everything else : dressy jeans/slacks, nice tops, dresses...and shoes I actually wear.

My list of most wanted items would be the following:

Black business wide-leg slacks
White flared/bootcut jeans
A second pair of dark-wash flared/bootcut jeans (I already own one that I love, the Fleetwood Flare from Citizens of Humanity, but I can't find it anywhere in my size anymore)
Black everyday pumps, heel between 6cm (2,4in) and 8,5cm (3,3in), with ankle strap, confortable and sturdy enough for a 20mn walk in the park near my office (as of now I have only found booties that satisfies all these conditions)
Idem with nude pumps
Two or three classy tops, short-sleeved or sleeveless (Chris987's thread on classy tops is a treasure of advice and ideas)
A camel knee-length safari dress, slighly A-line (I've always dreamt of a safari dress, and I think it would be both fun and suitable for my wardrobe goals)

Does this list sound pertinent to you? Would you have any advice or style idea?

Thank you for having taken the time to read this and thank you in advance for your insight!

ETA : shopping in progress...I'm adding Finds for the items I have found.

Custom Find

by Aurore

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Esprit

Shirt aus fließendem Material-Mix

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Top Pick

Custom Find

by Aurore

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Yoox

IO IVANA OMAZIĆ Casual trouser

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Top Pick

6 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Making a list and sticking to it is wise. And the items you are looking for sound versatile and can probably be styled in many ways. Best wishes.

kkards

very well thought out and through....if you have the budget for it, I'd leave room for something unexpected...maybe a pair of pumps in an unexpected color, or a fab scarf...

Barbara Diane

A well thought out plan. Your hitting the mark. Do you have the accessories to go with it?

Christina F.

Ah, les soldes! Bonne chance!

Do you have a plan for which stores you want to visit? That's what I would do. I'd start with a few stores in mind and look on their websites to get a sense of what the sale offerings might be. This will help you focus rather than wander randomly from store to store. Since you have definitely goals, that's a good thing, though wandering is fun too.

Katerina

It sounds great, Aurore! Your shopping list seems to cover the items which will create the looks you want to achieve. These items would work well with all the blazers you already have in your wardrobe. Good luck with your shopping!

rachylou

Sounds like you know what you want! Love the idea of the safari dress!

Cardiff girl

Sigh ,I ve always fancied a safari dress too,let us know if you manage to find a suitable one.

anchie

I like yor list, it is great to know your needs. I am just not sure that you will be able to find everything, since many of the things from your list sounds more like spring items and difficult to find at the winter sales. Finger crossed, and keep us posted.

Aurore

Thank you all for your support!

kkards, thank you for the advice, allowing a part of the budget for something not planned sounds great! After all, while I may not find everything on my list, I may unexpectedly find something amazing I had not thought of!

Barbara Diane, thank you for the help! I think I have an acceptable set of accessories for now : 3 classic bags (black, white, taupe/white) and a fun but classy one (blush with a robot clasp!), enough jewelry for three persons (my husband's words) and a few scarves. I probably could use more scarves and belts, but for now I'm not too sure on how to style such items...

Christina F, I mostly shop online, but also I intend to go the the mall near where I live (rather high end and expensive, but only a 10mn walk...). I currently don't know exactly which shops to visits. I will definitely follow your advice and check their website first!

anchie, you're right, there are some items that may be hard to find in shops (sadly, especially the safari dress). I still hope to find them onling though, where older collections may be still available...Thank you for the good luck!

karen13

I love the black shoes with the gold heel. Those will elevate any outfit.

I have also been gravitating to trouser-width legged pants (have purchased all the ones in Finds in the past few months). And this may be the year I get some white pants - I tried some on yesterday but couldn't quite find the right ones. Good luck with les soldes!.

Nordstrom Rack

Big Star Sophia Curvy Bootcut Jeans

Loft

Petite Trousers in Sailor Stripe in Julie Fit

Trousers with Button Trim

Banana Republic

Logan-Fit Denim Pant

$98.00 $61.99

Sale

karen13, thank you for the trouser! The Loft trousers with the button trim, especially, are amazing! I'm looking forward to a WIW from yours with them...

jussie

I saw a beautiful safari dress at Tommy Bahama last year...
Good luck with your shopping.

Thank you jussie for this tip!! I love the look and feel of Tommy Bahama clothes, and since I'm planning to visit family in the US this year, I will definitely look for such a dress at their nearest store/outlet...

Apropos what kkards said about leaving room for something unexpected, I just came across this blog post of Angie's: https://youlookfab.com/2015/01.....nt-4153792
Great advice, especially in her last paragraph.

tanstaafl

Active Member

Did you find anything at the sales that you were looking for?

The Cat : thank you SO MUCH for the link to this article! I had not read it before and it's really inspiring and useful!

tanstaafl : thank you for checking! I have already found three items of my list (the classy tops), and tried but not bought or returned others (three wide-leg black trousers, and sadly the beautiful black pumps with gold heels). I ordered other black trousers and white jeans candidates, but I have not received them yet...And I have to confess I also bought a pair of floral sneakers that were not at all on my list (I made a thread on them here on YLF, because they had been waiting in my favourites for a very long time). For now I'm really pleased with what I have found, and I'm confident in finding at least one pair of trousers. I have more doubts concerning the pumps and the safari dress, but I can wait longer for them since I won't really need them before Spring comes.

Zappos

Ted Baker Cepap

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