Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

Nordstrom Rack Haul & My Shopping Tips for ‘Clear the Rack’ Sales

The first time I went to a Nordstrom Rack, I walked around for 5 minutes and then turned around and left.

It was overwhelming and I had NO idea where to start. There were literally thousands of items there, divided onto racks labeled with brands that I’ve never even heard of. When I did see a designer name I recognized, I’d look at the price tag and be shocked at how expensive it was, even at the discounted price.

It’s been a few years since then and now I get it.

I’ve figured out how to shop without getting overwhelmed and can now determine what is priced really well, versus what is still marked up too high. In fact, now I consider Nordstrom Rack one of my favorite stores… which is quite a change from that first time I wandered in.

To prove my point, I wanted to share a few items I picked up when they were having their most recent ‘Clear the Rack’ sale. For those of you new to the term, it is when everything that is on sale or clearance is an additional 25% off the lowest ticket price.

Here’s what I got:

Cole Haan Rosalin Weave Wedge Sandals
Original Price $228.00, My Purchase Price $42.75

I shared this steal on Instagram earlier this week, because a savings of 81% off the original price is pretty darn impressive. When I buy shoes that I would consider a ‘classic’ style that I can wear year after year, I prefer to go for real leather and a really good name brand that won’t fall apart.

Sure there was snow on the ground when I tried these wedges on my feet, but they will come in really handy on our vacation in April and all spring/summer long with my work clothes.

Nike Free 5.0 Shoes
Original Price $100.00, My Purchase Price $27.73

I never pay full price for running or workout shoes. One year I actually went to one of those places where they watch you run and take an imprint of your shoe to find your ‘perfect’ running shoes and then try to sell you super expensive inserts on top of the shoe. Not. Happy.

Instead, I took the knowledge of what I was looking for in a shoe and went to DSW to try on a bunch of options at a discounted price. I’ve been needing some new workout shoes, so when I saw this pair for less than $30 I knew I’d have to try them out. Hopefully they are comfortable! {fingers crossed}

Purple Stone Necklace
Original Price ?, My Purchase Price $9.73

I’ve been really loving long necklaces lately and have eyed the natural rock/druzy looking necklaces for a while. However, I get bored of necklaces pretty quickly, so I don’t want to waste a lot of money on them. Typically I’ve seen this type of necklace marked down to $30… so when I saw that this one was on clearance for less than $10 I knew I was getting a good deal and I snapped it up.

Okay, so now that you see it can be done… I have a few tips to help you navigate if you want to dip your toe into the whole Nordstrom Rack deals world.

Tip #1: Ignore the main clearance clothes racks
Yes, I’m sure there are a ton of deals in the clearance rack area but OHMYGOSH is it jam packed with a bunch of crap. Unless you are one of those people who is super comfortable just searching and searching through racks for that one diamond in the rough, just skip it.

Now, if you see the smaller clearance racks in a particular section, go for it. It’s a much more bite-sized way to see what’s on sale. For example, I’m not going to waste my time searching the rows of large tops but if I see a small round rack in the Athletic section, I’ll give it a look to see if there are any good deals on running clothes in my size.

Tip #2: Check out the jewelry
You’re going to need a lot of patience, but if you want that immediate gratification of getting a good deal… go straight to the jewelry racks. If you are a brand-name shopper, it’s easy to spot the expensive stuff because it usually has those anti-theft sensors attached to the item. So, do a little browse and I’m sure you will find plenty of Kate Spade brand jewelry, cute Dogeared necklaces in pretty boxes (these make great gifts) and even some Kendra Scott too.

If you don’t have the patience to sift through (sometimes) tangled necklaces, you can always do a quick search of the Nordstrom Rack website. You get the same deals online and orders over $100 ship for free (even if you order over $100 worth of stuff and then return what you don’t want back to the store).

I did a quick search and found this Dogeared star necklace (originally $62 and now $24.97) and this Kate Spade initial locket (originally $68, now $24.97).

Tip #3: Go for the shoes
I never used to be a shoe girl, but now they really are my weakness. If you are new to the world of Rack, shoes is a really great place to start because they usually have half a row of each shoe size dedicated to clearance items. Instead of being super overwhelmed by a ton of choices, you can just focus on the smaller section.

It also helps to keep an open mind on what you need… that way you can get some of the best off-season deals. Right now it’s 20 degrees and knee-boots weather, which means I typically wouldn’t be interested in strappy wedges, but by opening my mind I’m prepared for summer at a huge savings!

Tip #4: Look for brands you know
One of the cool things about Stitch Fix is that they have introduced me to brands like Kut from the Kloth, Daniel Rainn, Maggy London, Loveappella, DL1961, Laila Jayde, Kensie, Renee C, Collective Concepts, and more.

Well, ALL those brands are available at Nordstrom Rack. So, if you know you like a particular brand, you can look around for the rack that holds it (there are usually signs on top of the rack). Or, if you don’t get Stitch Fix but admire items on other people, take note of the brands and look around for them on your Rack treasure hunt.

Tip #5: If it’s on sale and you want it… BUY IT.
The stock changes over really, really quickly at Nordstrom Rack so if you see something on sale that you love, buy it or you may never see it again. Of course, there are some things that you will see visit after visit, but the good stuff really does get scooped up fast. If you have second thoughts, they have a really great return policy that gives you up to 90 days to change your mind (unworn, with receipt, with tags attached).

Additional tip, if you find something you love and want more than one of it… check the website. There is no guarantee that it will be there, but when I found my Democracy pants that fit perfectly I ordered a couple extra pairs online!

One Last Bonus Tip: Bring a friend
I tend to be a solo shopper, but if you are super overwhelmed it may help to bring a friend with you. They can help you navigate the racks and yell out when they see a brand they recognize for you to check out. Also, who doesn’t like a second opinion in the dressing room?!

So what do you think, did you find this helpful? Any questions that I can answer for you?

Disclaimer: This post contains ShopStyle affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Thrift Style: Men’s Dress Shirt

Last week in my Thrift Store Haul post I showed you a men’s dress shirt that I scooped up for less than $6. I’d been eyeing button up blouses, but not really sure if the look was too ‘preppy’ for me. I figured that by trying to style a thrifted shirt I could try the look out without too much commitment.

First things first though, it was a bit too big on me. Now, let me tell you, I am NOT a gifted seamstress at all. I have a sewing machine and I know how to sew a straight line. That’s about it. So, knowing that the arms were a bit too loose and the body could be a little more fitted, I put the shirt on inside-out and threw some pins in to make it a little smaller. Then, I put it on the machine and stitched four straight lines. That’s it. And the lines weren’t even that straight.

Here’s after I spent a few minutes sewing:

Not a huge change — you can mostly tell around the arms– but I’m no longer swimming in it.

So now that the shirt looks a little better on me, I decided to try styling it in a few different ways. Oh, and forgive me for the crappy pictures. It was too cold to go outside and I just set my camera up for some casual shots and didn’t even bother getting my whole body. What can I say, I’ve been busy!

Look #1: Paired with a Grandpa Sweater

For my first try at wearing the men’s shirt, I was inspired by the layering in this pin. I really liked the loose shirt, loose sweater, cute cuffs and skinny jeans, so I decided to try it for myself. I’ve had this sweater for a couple years, but hardly ever pull it out of my closet. By pairing it with the button up shirt, I feel like it makes it a little less stuffy and I’m kind of loving the mix!

Look #2: Office Chic

For my second look, I decided to try it with a more fitted three-quarter sleeve sweater. Instead of just folding the cuffs up once, I doubled the over on themselves again to match the sleeve length of the cardigan. The more fitted shape gives the whole look a more preppy look and I can see pairing this with a pair of trousers and wearing this to work.

Look #3: Masculine + Feminine

Janice from Mom Life & Style really rocks this look (you can see her version here) and this was one of the first outfits I wanted to try to recreate with my men’s shirt. I tried it both with a belt and without, but I still don’t think it’s quite a winner on me.

Look #4: Paired with Sassy Pants

I love these coral colored skinny jeans that I got from Stitch Fix, but I find them really hard to style. I mean, they basically scream LOOK AT ME, so I want to tone them down a bit to leave the house. Mouthy pants. I kind of like the mix of topping the bright pants with the men’s button up and a peek of my black tank top. What do you think?

I have to say, I definitely got more than $6 worth of fun out of this shirt and it hasn’t even left the house yet. While I’m still not sure if I’m really a ‘button up’ type girl, I can see myself wearing it in so many different ways that it has earned a space in my closet.

Oh and I didn’t forget about Susan’s comment on the Thrift Haul post suggesting I try styling it like Audrey Hepburn, it just didn’t work. I think once I tailored it a bit smaller it didn’t have enough extra fabric to make the wrap work well. Or, my boobs where the problem.

Now I want to know… which look do you like best?

Thrift Store Haul

I love shopping at thrift stores. Back in high school, finding super cool ‘vintage’ t-shirts at the local Goodwill was the BEST. When I bought my first townhouse in my early 20’s, most of my decorations came from thrift stores or yard sales. There is just something about the thrill of the hunt… and the fact that everything is so inexpensive you don’t have to worry about regretting a purchase.

I’ve gotten out of the habit of regularly visiting thrift stores, but still keep them in rotation when looking for gently-worn kids clothes. For the past few years, I ended up getting Jack’s snowsuits AND swimsuits at thrift stores and many even still had the tags on them!

Over the weekend, after fighting a stomach bug and winning, I was dying to get out of the house for a bit. Jack and I went to the grocery store, and then before returning home I decided to swing by the local Goodwill to see what treasures we’d uncover. With groceries in the truck, we didn’t have a ton of time… but all it took was about 15 minutes and we found some awesome stuff!

I’d been eyeing a button up blouse on the J.Crew website for a while but I’m still not sure I’m really a ‘button up’ kinda girl, so when I saw this men’s version for $5.89 I snapped it up:

It’s a bit large on me, but I’m thinking some quick sewing will nip it in exactly where I need it. I’m imagining it under a cardigan with the rolled sleeves showing and some skinny jeans. Or maybe tucked into a high-waisted skirt. Would you be interested in seeing some style options?

Next, we breezed by the kid’s section and I checked both the 4T’s and 5T’s for anything that still had tags on it. I ended up finding two pairs of Car’s swim trunks that didn’t have tags, but look brand-new. Jack is a big fan of Car’s, so I had to check them out:

I always need extra swim suits for Jack since over the summer I have to send one to his school and one to my parent’s house, so for $2.50 a piece, these will definitely come in handy.

As we neared the checkout, we eyed our final bargain… a stack of 6 Hess Trucks, still in their original boxes were sitting by the register. Jack LOVES his trucks, especially the Hess trucks handed down from my brother, so I let him pick his favorite and he chose the 2010 Truck & Jet set for $15.00.

A photo posted by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Feb 7, 2016 at 9:36am PST

Buying toys is always a risk since you don’t know if they will work when they get home. But even after I explained to Jack that they might not make noises he was ecstatic to bring them home. In fact, he kept yelling “Thank you! Thank you!” in the checkout line and kissing the box…

Luckily when we got home we found that not only were they still bound in their original packaging inside the box, the batteries still worked too! Oh, and for anyone who thinks that these are expensive collector’s items, I checked eBay and they pretty much go for $10 – 20.

Our entire trip cost less than $30 and I’m super happy with everything that came home with us. Jack has been playing with his new truck and jet every day since we brought them home, which in itself is totally worth it.

Every time I have an awesome thrifting experience like this, I tell myself that we need to do it more often. Of course, many times we walk away empty handed, but that’s just how thrift magic works.

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)? Have you ever gotten in a fight over an item? What do you like to look for while thrifting?