Mark your calendars if you live in the US, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts on Friday 18th July. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the event, it’s when Nordstrom previews their new season merchandise (Autumn 2008 collections) and offers it at insane prices for two weeks only. Prices are marked up again after the sale period. This event officially kicks off the American Autumn retail season (my favourite shopping time of the year).

You’ll score if you approach the sale with a plan. It’s an ideal time to purchase high ticket statement pieces for less. Make a beeline for the following:

• Premium denim: Get to the T.B.D. department and look for brands like Seven for all Mankind, Paige Premium, Hudson, Citizens of Humanity, Lucky and L.A.M.B.. You’ll find loads of styles at 40% off.
• Designer pieces: Look for unusual investment pieces in the Individualist, Savvy and Via C departments. I like to look at brands like Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Nanette Lepore, ISSA London, DVB, Chloe and Theory.
• Coats: The Narrative department stocks a fabulous assortment of coats, both casual and dressy. But coats are scattered throughout the store so be sure to look at all departments. Don’t come home with a black wool coat. The look is tired and impractical.
• Jackets: You’ll find a variety of sensational jackets in every department. They’re the perfect Autumn layering piece over Summer knitted tops and blouses.
• Shoes and Boots: Stuart Weitzman, Donald J Pliner, Frye, Cole Haan, Max Studio and Kate Spade suddenly became a little more affordable. Take a look at those brands first and then move onto the rest.
• Handbags: Most handbags at Nordstrom are designer. If you covet a particular brand, now is the time to get a good deal. Don’t ignore the cheaper in-house “Nordstrom” brand either. I’ve got a cracked cream patent flat tote by “Nordstrom” that’s a favourite.
• Scarves: I’ve learned to spend time in this accessory area. Airy, lightweight cashmere wraps that I use as scarves are usually quite expensive. There’s always a good assortment at Anniversary Sale time.

Each Nordstrom department will have a selection of sale items. From cosmetics and lingerie, to active wear, home wear, watches and petites. Basics and bridging pieces are on sale in each clothing department too, but you’ll find those everywhere throughout the season. It’s not a train smash if you bypass basics and stick to statement pieces.

The first few days of the sale are chaotic and Nordstrom stores will hold special Anniversary Sale hours on 18, 19 and 20 July. Doors open at 7am at the downtown Seattle flagship. You know where I’ll be tomorrow morning.

Can you imagine not buying a single new thing to add to your wardrobe for an entire year? This means no clothing, footwear, underwear, socks, jewelry or accessories. Nothing. I read an article in British Vogue (October 2007) about a woman who did just that. Her name is Anna Shepard and she likes fashion and clothing so this was indeed the ultimate wardrobe challenge.

Anna came to the realization that…

“I have enough clothing in my wardrobe to keep me clothed for a decade. And I only wear a fraction of what I own. If I spent time organizing my clothes and trying out different combinations, I rationalized, I’d be less tempted to make a beeline for the shops every time an invitation landed in the letterbox”.

Anna stayed clear of the shops for six months, but she was allowed to have clothes swapping parties and make trips to the seamstress to breathe life back into a tired wardrobe. On the odd occasion, Anna was also allowed to get items from charity shops because those clothes weren’t new but already in circulation. We don’t know how the story ends because Anna hasn’t completed the year yet, but she seems to be holding up.

“I’m not saying that I won’t be hitting the shops when my year is up, but I’d like to think that I’ll be a more discerning consumer” .

The shopping ban is less of a challenge if you start out with an organized, efficient and effective wardrobe. Flexing those creative muscles to come up with fresh ways of combining items and accessories becomes the new challenge. On the other hand, it’s difficult to ban shopping for a full year if your wardrobe is in desperate need of an update, or if your body changed to the extent that you can’t wear the clothes you have.

I have an effective wardrobe and my body has not changed, but I would find this challenge extremely hard. I thoroughly enjoy the excitement that new seasonal items bring to a landscape of monotonous clothing. I’ve been in the rag trade for 16 years and it’s my bread and butter. Fashion is a passion and I’m therefore always tempted. But it’s a very interesting challenge and I’d love to know what you think: could you do it?

The best thing about the American retail industry is its lenient and convenient return policies. The luxury of being refunded for unused items months after acquiring them is the height of customer service and quite unprecedented. This is not common practice in Europe or Asia, where full refunds are few and far between and returning items is generally tricky. Certain retailers in Hong Kong and Singapore won’t even let you try on an item of clothing before you’ve purchased it, let alone return it later.

But the ease with which we can return items has its drawbacks. I have met people who get into a cycle of continually buying and returning items without keeping anything. They don’t wear their purchases because they might need to return them. And the option of making the return sparks doubt and buyer’s remorse. More often than not, the item goes back because there might be something slightly better. This is what I call “the return rut” and it’s a frustrating shopping strategy. More trips to the store and fewer successful purchases are the result.

Returning items because they don’t fit or match is perfectly acceptable, but constant returns because we can’t commit to our purchases is quite another thing. Are you in the return rut? How often do you return items? Do you frequently experience buyer’s remorse?

There are frequently “hidden” items that we need, but that we don’t like to purchase because we’d rather spend money on items that get noticed right away. We neglect these items either because we have a limited budget, or because we’re not excited about them. Bras, undies, socks, lounge clothes, workout wear, sleepwear, bathrobes, slippers, perfume, make-up and socks often fall into this category.

For the love of your wardrobe, treat yourself (or be treated to) at least one of these everyday essentials. Treat someone else that you love to one of their hidden wardrobe needs. I am definitely treating myself to a sweet pair of pajamas for Valentine’s Day. My wardrobe deserves it.

Sometimes I purchase two of the exact same item. I don’t mean purchasing the same item in a different colour; I mean the same item in the exact same style and colour. Every season there’s at least one item that I find indispensable, but is bottlenecking at the cleaners or getting worn out through frequent use and laundering.

This season I found a finely knitted fitted black Edwardian style turtleneck with a back zip in a soft wool blend that does not pill. It goes with absolutely everything in my wardrobe, from jeans to wool skirts and suits to slacks. It’s the perfect layering piece and bridging piece that can be dressed up or down. So I bought two and have been living in them all season. Instead of having loads of different tops to wear with a handful of bottoms; I’ve changed the ratio around and worn loads of different bottoms with the same top and mixed it up with plenty of accessories.

In the past, I’ve bought two of the exact same pairs of jeans, white button down shirts, cardigans, knitted tops and fashion sneakers. And when I’ve done this, I have both items in use simultaneously, which is precisely the point. I’ve also purchased the same item in different colours, but this strategy does not work as well for me – I always seem to wear one colour a lot more than the other (the exception is Converse sneakers). Do either of these purchasing strategies work for you?

The first few weeks of a New Year are the perfect time to remember the parts of your wardrobe that often fall by the wayside. Set aside time to think about the items below and add them to your shopping list if they need replacing or updating. The list pertains both to ladies and gents so have a squizz at your significant other’s wardrobe after you’ve gone through yours.

• Slippers or house shoes are an essential part of your wardrobe if you don’t like to wear shoes at home. Walking around in socks is fine, but if your feet hurt after a day of stomping around on hard wooden floors, then a super pair of slippers is the solution.
• Loungewear that looks and feels great is a must because lounging with style is important, and I can’t stress this point enough.
• Workout wear that’s flattering, comfortable and practical makes exercising a joy. Make sure that you work out in pukka workout wear because old sweats and T’s won’t do.
• Socks need to work with your wardrobe and be free of holes. Make sure that you have the right assortment of colours and thicknesses to suit your needs.
• Underwear is often neglected and it’s where your style quotient starts. Check that bras, undies, camisoles and boxer shorts are in good condition and in the right size and silhouette.
• Make-up drawers get overloaded with lipsticks, mascaras, eyeliners and shadows that are either dated or expired. Get rid of the junk and keep your make-up drawer clean and minimalist.

Closet editing was a popular New Year’s resolution so we’ll recap how to proceed with this process effectively in a few blog entries.

End-of-season sales are here for those of us that live in the US or some parts of Asia. In Europe the sales start in the first week of January. If shopping the sales is on your calendar in the near future, remember to and to shop with a strategy and to be sale savvy. The most important things to remember:

• Get to the sales as soon as possible because sizes run out quickly.
• Don’t allow yourself to be seduced by anything that does not absolutely work for you!
• Head out early in the day to avoid the chaos.

You might even like to bring along a printout of “this season’s must haves” for easy reference.

“Vanity sizing” is a term for the industry’s practice of inflating the dimensions associated with a particular size tag over time. What was considered an American size 8 a decade ago will pass for a size 4 today. Size inflation becomes more extreme the further back in time we go. Marilyn Monroe’s voluptuous size 12 body would probably fit into the equivalent of what we know as a size 6 today.

How this phenomenon started is anyone’s guess. It is thought that vanity sizing is “designed to satisfy the buyer’s wish to appear thin“. This boosts self esteem and thereby ensures the sale of a garment. Designers and manufacturers were quick to realize that there was money to be made by satisfying perceived insecurities.

The increasing dimensions of garments have subsequently caused retailers to introduce additional size designations at the low end of their size ranges (0, 00, or subzero sizes). This is hilarious! Next thing you know, a healthy size 8 will be wearing  a size 0 and a tiny size 0 will be in a size marked “negative 8″.  At the end of the day, there is no getting away from the fact that we live in a fashion world in which smaller clothing sizes are an obsession.

If you’d like to learn more about vanity sizing, Wikipedia is a good place to find related articles. What are your thoughts on downsizing size tags as a way of fooling us into a false sense of security?

Absolutely. Finding a fab pair of jeans can be challenging, so when you come across a pair that you love because they’re comfortable and fit well; it’s worth every penny. You will feel glorious in them and will wear them constantly, thereby whittling down the cost-per-wear to nothing.

I have an assortment of denim price points in my wardrobe (from $49 to $170). And while all my jeans fit well, my $170 AG “Angels” are definitely a cut above the rest. I’ve had them for years and they’ve retained their colour and shape a lot better than my cheaper versions. They also don’t seem to grow after I’ve worn them for a couple of days. My Abercrombie & Fitch jeans ($89) faded badly after a few months, while my Arden B denims ($118) look brand new after having them for a year.

I’m not brand conscious but enjoy good quality and expensive jeans generally seem to look newer for longer. Enjoy a pricier pair of jeans if that’s what works best for your body type. You are worth it.

If you are up for it, head straight to the Macy’s dress department this weekend. They’re having a crazy sale and many of their frocks are between 25% and 75% off. I know that this particular department store can be overwhelming, but if you focus on getting yourself to the dress floor (and the dress floor only), you might manage.

Look for brands like Maggy London, Donna Ricco, the Max, Shelli Segal, London Times, Westonwear, Jones NY, Donna Morgan and Max & Cleo. Generally, I’ve found Macy’s to have the best selection of affordable dresses for every age and body type. It’s a dress season ladies and bargains are bountiful. I had a spot of luck there myself yesterday.