Good luck and all the stamina to you for this busy time, Angie! Good thing you just had a (hopefully!) relaxing vacation to unwind and eat gelato.
I'm not particularly pining for anything at the moment. I did a good bit of summer shopping a couple of months ago and have been in a non-shopping mode since. I am due for a new phone, and may pop into the Nordstrom sale when I go to the Apple store in the mall, to see if anything strikes me in person. In the catalog, I was of course most attracted to jackets, and that's probably the thing I need the LEAST!
I find it's helpful to look at what were successful purchases from sales past to keep myself on track. Looking back, I remember that last year I ended up with two NAS items that were actually purchased post-sale, at a deeper discount. The Paige angled hem jeans, and the Fuzzi dress. I also got two scarves/wraps, and a bag (which I just used yesterday). The mixed media duster ended up being a total workhorse. The embroidered jacket didn't get worn as much as I thought it would, but it's fun when I do wear it -- it turns out I only like wearing it with a very simple, minimal jeans and tee outfit underneath. I was a little put off by how many people ended up having the same jacket last fall/winter -- I really prefer to wear something that's a bit more outside of the norm.
Jewelry and accessories are usually good bets. I find that I don't get particularly great deals on basics -- I stock up on them as needed anyway. I'm usually better off with NAS on special and statement pieces, as long as they're carefully chosen.
But I am eyeing that color blocked sweater, a pair of hoop earrings, and those two jackets. My bar is really high for them, though. I'm not in the mood to buy now unless an item really excites me.
