Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks 2016

A little foreword: it's hard to believe how long it's been since my last post! Thanks to all who texted, emailed, or messaged me making sure all was well. Your concern is very much appreciated! Because of a very busy work schedule for the last few months after I returned from Japan plus some family issues, I have been on a blogging break. I've kept a low profile on social media, except for Snapchat (username is helloframboise), where I love posting tidbits from my travels and everyday life. I'm hoping to get back to regular blogging soon--I have so much to share with you all!

Onto what you came here to read! I've had a couple requests from readers for my picks from the 2016 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, which is open to the public today. I'm more than happy to oblige since this is my favorite sale of the whole year. It's a great opportunity to stock up on new arrivals for fall at reduced prices. The graphic above has some of my top picks from the sale, and all the item photos are clickable and will take you to their respective product pages on Nordstrom's site. More on my favorite pieces below!

Shoe Picks

• The rag + bone Margot Booties: I splurged on these during last year's Anniversary Sale, and they were one of my favorite purchases of 2015 (review and photos here). This year, they have a neutral pair that's similar to the camel-colored ones I have and a fun gray version with fringe on the side zippers. The gray color looks to be the same as my Newbury booties, which have held up nicely for several winters now (see them on me here). The Margots are so comfy, but make sure to order a full size up as they run quite small.
• The Frye Melissa Button Boots: I've been a fan of these for ages and own two pairs myself--see my review and how I style them here.
• The Tory Burch Dillan Sandals: I just received these and am loving how comfortable and well-made they are. They run a little small, but I didn't size up because the leather will stretch.
• The Cole Haan Marina Boots: these over-the-knee boots are on my wishlist, but I haven't sprung for them quite yet. They look fantastic on Jean of Extra Petite, so it seems they work well on a small frame.
• The Aquatalia Olita Boots: after eyeing them for most of last winter, I decided to add these weatherproof leather boots to my closet. They came in yesterday, and they are just beautiful! I braved the heat and tried them on for a little while, and so far so good. I'll post a real review once temperatures drop and I can actually put the weatherproofing to the test.

Cozy Cardi + Current Sale Picks

Cardigan: Leith via Nordstrom | Turtleneck: J.Crew in XXS | Denim: Topshop (same style in black)
Boots: rag + bone | Bag: Valentino | Necklace: Loren Hope | Earrings: Nadri
Bracelets: David Yurman | Watch: Michele

Hi, guys! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I started a little holiday shopping and worked on getting my guest room ready for family and friends coming to visit. Today I am sharing a cozy outfit from the weekend and a few of my picks from the various sales that are currently happening.

Nordstrom has been having a fall clearance sale for the last week or so, and a couple of my orders came in at the end of last week. After seeing how great it looked on Jean, I decided to try out this cute waterfall maxi cardigan. Although it's not petite-sized specifically, I thought the XS was a good (oversized) fit on me. I'm also loving this Bobeau wrap (I went with XXSP) I got in a couple colors; I'm planning to pick up a couple more to give as holiday gifts. I noticed my recently-purchased Cole Haan flats (so comfy!) are on a price-matching promotion right now, and this pretty Tory Burch bucket bag is also part of the sale and on my wishlist at the moment.

J.Crew is also having its share of sales in anticipation of the holiday weekend. Many newer arrivals are 30% off, and sale items are up to 50% off. I ordered the turtleneck tee I'm wearing in this post a while ago, and it finally arrived last week. After wearing it for a day, I already have a few more on my wishlist. It seems like it'll be a versatile layering piece that should be wearable all the way into spring. My other picks: the Cambridge Cable turtleneck sweater I wore last week, this hat I have been loving (coming to the blog soon), this cozy flannel button-down, and my favorite tee (all available in regular and petite sizing).

Have a wonderful week!

x, Tam

Weekend Vibe + A Couple Reviews of my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks

Top: Urban Outfitters (on sale!) | Denim: ASOS | Shoes: Joie via the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (#NSale) | Bag: Mansur Gavriel (hint: these are notoriously hard to find, but you can pre-order one at Barney's right now!) | Bracelet: Vintage | Earrings: Nadri via the #NSale

Some of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks from my previous post have finally arrived! While not everything is summer-appropriate of course, I thought I'd show you a look with couple pieces that I was able put to work right away and will transition easily into fall, my Joie lace-up sandal-booties and the Nadri Ear Jackets. Remember, the Anniversary Sale is still going on this week, but prices go up on August 3.



I've been looking at earrings in this style (with a back jacket) for a while now, and these pretty Nadri ones really caught my eye while I was browsing the Anniversary Sale. I was delighted to find that they are even prettier in person, and they are light as air on my ears.

I find it difficult to wear heavy earrings for an entire day; these are so light I even forgot to take them out before bed and had no trouble sleeping in them. The jackets have a couple different holes where you can insert the earring, so you can control how low you want them to hang below your ear. The backs are nice and sturdy, so you don't have to worry about them loosening or falling out. I think I'll be wearing these a ton this summer and fall!



One of my other favorite pieces I ordered from the #NSale? These Joie sandals (booties? a hybrid?). Getting into them takes a little effort, but once they're on, I found them to be very comfortable as long as I left myself plenty of room in the laces. The heel on them is a very walkable stiletto, and the leather is buttery-soft, so no blister issues there. I'm excited to style these in a bunch of different ways--they have so much potential!



I wore the look in this post yesterday, which was a very busy Sunday. Because of our work schedules, Sean and I don't get to run many errands during the week, so we jam as many as we can into our weekends. When we stopped to quickly take these photos, we had a car full of groceries, so I decided to grab my bunch of supermarket roses and use it as a prop here.



This location is another great Denver spot. Behind me you can see the interesting architectural features of the Denver Art Museum, and I'm standing on the promenade between the museum and the Denver Public Library. There are some fascinating pieces of public art around this park--here's a little more info on some of the big pieces if you're interested.

Happy Monday!

x, Tam

Weekend Romp

Romper: Topshop (love this current version in regular and petite sizing or this strappy one) | Shoes: Splendid | Bag: Valentino | Sunglasses: Valentino | Belt: Madewell | Hat: F21 | Earrings: Gorjana via Rocksbox | Watch: Michael Kors

I love wearing rompers on hot summer days--they're so simple but still look put-together. I wore this breezy one out for a fun brunch at Snooze at Union Station. While we waited for a table, we got to explore the station a bit, sampling the coffee from the Pigtrain Coffee Co. and some cider at the charming Terminal Bar.

Every time I get to wander around Union Station, I get an urge to take a train trip somewhere. Planes are wonderful, but there's something a little romantic about travel by train. Sean and I have resolved that we'll do a train trip within the U.S. someday since we have enjoyed it so much in Europe.

They had such pretty bouquets at Bloom that it was hard to resist taking one home. I love a place that can deftly incorporate kale into a chic floral arrangement.

Earlier this weekend, I stopped by the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale at my local Nordie's to have a look around. After seeing some of the items I have on order in person, I am excited to receive them. Hope you are finding some gems there, too--my picks and favorites are in my last post. The sale is only through August 3, so make sure to check it out this week before prices on sale items go up for the fall.

Have a great week!

x, Tam

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2015 Picks

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is live and open to the public today! This is a great time to start stocking up on fall necessities before cooler temperatures hit. This sale is one of my favorite of the year because you can get discounted, new-season fall items that will be full-price come August 3. I'm sharing some of my favorite pieces from the sale--which is open to the public beginning today, July 17, 2015 at midnight Pacific Time. (All the photos above have clickable links!)

Boots & Booties

After falling hard for rag & bone's Harrow Booties last winter, I decided to order the Margot Booties, a Nordstrom exclusive, based on their similar shape and style. I've also been in the market for a more open lace-up bootie, so I am trying out the Joie 'Quinn' Sandals. I snagged a pair of Joie sandals on discount earlier this summer and have been very pleased with the style and quality of those, so I have my fingers crossed that these will fit what I'm looking for. If I had a little more money to burn, my next pick would be these classic Aquatalia by Marvin K 'Gianna' Boots, which are weatherproofed for those of us in northern climates this fall, winter, and (sadly much of) spring this year.

And since it's still going to be sunshine and warm temperatures for several months, these simple Tory Burch 'Melinda' Sandals will probably come in handy until October arrives. I'm hoping they might work for my upcoming beach trip.

Bags

I probably own too many Longchamp Le Pliage/Le Pliage Neo totes, but I use them for absolutely everything. I love this fantastic expandable one that's back in this year's sale after disappearing quickly last year during Early Access. It can be zipped from a medium tote back to a larger tote in a jif, and it folds up nice and neatly and can pack into your other handbag or purse.

This lovely Tory Burch Tote would be another great one for work. It looks very stylish and chic, and it looks like I could probably stuff my MacBook Air + a few legal-size files in there without too much trouble.

Jeans

I love rag & bone jeans, but they can be really difficult to find in a size 23, so I was happy to come across these dark-wash Skinny Saxby Jeans on sale in my size. I am dying to get my box and see how they fit on Monday. I'm sure they'll need some minimal alterations, but this brand generally fits my frame well.

Beauty

There is also a good crop of beauty items and exclusives that are part of the Anniversary Sale. This year, I knew the True NARS Lip Pencil Set had to come home with me. These chubby, velvety lip pencils have upped my lip game significantly. I usually wear the NARS pencil beneath as a base look, then add just a teeny bit of Fresh Sugar shine over top for a perfect pout that stays (almost) all day. I love that my favorite shade ('Yu') is part of this bunch. Best bright pink lipstick ever! I also love NARS' highly pigmented cheek and bronzer colors, and this pretty palette gives you a bunch of NARS signature shades for a great package price. I also came away very intrigued by the YSL Glossy Stain Trio, which looks to contain some bold and classic colors.

On the skin care side, the Clarisonic Mia 2 looks to be a reasonable price for this wonder brush for skin. I started using mine six years ago, and it still works perfectly, and I love how clean it leaves my skin. It's a great tool to have in your beauty arsenal, and snagging one on discount can be difficult, so act soon if you're interested.

Accessories

I always manage to find some interesting accessories I want to try. I've been seeing the Frends headphones everywhere when I've been travelling or commuting, so I decided to order this set with both in- and over-ear phones to test out how they sound. If I like them, Frends has all sorts of neat caps you can get to jazz up the earpieces.

I also have a bit of a thing with watches, which I know is kind of old-fashioned in my generation. I wear a watch every since day and feel naked without one. I have been eyeing the kate spade 'grammercy' style watches for a couple years now, and I might cave later on in the sale if they're still there. Since I have a rose gold/platium wedding set, I'm always on the lookout for other jewels with that same combination of metal colors.

If you've found any must-haves from the sale, please share! Once I receive the items (boo extended shipping timeline), I'll try to post some thoughts on what ended up working for me!

Happy Shopping!

x, Tam

Nordstrom 2014 Anniversary Sale--My Picks

Clockwise from top left: NARS "Schiap" Set | kate spade "Gramercy Grand" Watch | Vince "Bowen" Slip-Ons | rag & bone "Kensington" Jeans | Ted Baker "Crystal Bow" Wallet | Theory "Gabe B. 2" Jacket | Frye "Molly" Boot | Frye "Patty" Bootie

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a great time to start stocking up on fall necessities before cooler temperatures hit. I'm sharing some of my favorite pieces from the sale--which is open to the public beginning today, July 18, 2014. If you've found any must-haves from the sale, please share!