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Style Stalking: The Sales

— by Alyson Walsh

Left to right: Blue shacket, now £107 / $99, Whistles. Bomber jacket, now £139 / $145, Marc Opolo. Trench coat,  £199 / $210, Whistles. Tweed cardigan, now £239 / $260, Claudie Pierlot. Chunky cardigan, now £189 / $205, Claudie Pierlot. All at Selfridges.

 

When it comes to purchasing something new, I am a bit of a tightwad. I will often Style Stalk an investment piece and then pick it up in the sales. So, when Selfridges got in touch to ask me to do a sponsored edit of their seasonal discounts, it got me thinking about my sales strategy. I wish I could share a brilliant, bargain-hunting system with you, but basically I’ve just explained it! As part of my job I do spend time online looking at what’s around, and if something catches my eye, I make a mental note to revisit when the seasonal reductions kick-in. Simple.

What I would advise is to have a budget in mind, and to avoid impulse buying. Before purchasing anything, sale bargain or not, I consider what I already own and think about any useful pieces that could unlock new, winning outfit combinations. I’m pretty casual most of the time and so a brilliant blazer, super shirt or pair of snazzy trainers will always get lots of wear. When the Style Stalked item is reduced, I then ask myself:  Do I really need this? Do I have something similar already? Do I love it? And will I wear it at least 30 times? If the answer to these questions is mostly ‘yes’, then into the shopping basket it goes. It’s easy to get carried away with drop-down discounting so plan a budget in advance to curb any impulse buys. Remember that a bargain is only a bargain if you actually wear it.

 

Left: Shirt, now £125 / $135, 3.1 Philip Lim. Check jacket, now £265 / $285, Claudie Pierlot. Red cardigan, now £65 / $68, Aligne. Navy wool trousers, now £237 / $255, Joseph. Trainers, now £169 / $, Kenzo. Bag, £129 / $139, Whistles. All at Selfridges.

 

Investment dressing doesn’t mean only buying expensive things. High-quality basics are available at high street prices. Look for premium fabrics, such as, leather, cashmere, wool and denim, that will serve you well and won’t look tired like other one-season wonders. There are plenty of good Whistles pieces in the Selfridges sale. The blue wool overshirt is a useful garment, right now, when it’s brilliant sunshine one minute, hailstones as big as golf balls the next. Over at Marc O’Polo, I’m into the cool bomber jackets and slightly grungy knitted jumpers. And I really like Parisian label Soeur, there are some lovely, grown-up summer dresses, now reduced in the sale. Check out 3.1 Phillip Lim for interesting shirting and offbeat workwear.

Tailoring is the area where I recommend spending the most you can afford because good fabric, a superb fit and quality construction are essential for garments to go the distance. It’s worth sifting through the sales for well-cut blazers, trousers and suiting from brands that might normally be out of reach. If items are discounted heavily and the fit is just a little off, consider whether it’s worth getting tiny tweaks done by a local tailor. Hardworking in many respects, this durable, dependable reefer from Claudie Pierlot is just my type of thing. Think how nicely it’ll pair with cargo pants, jumpsuits and off-duty denim…

 

Wool tank, now £140 / $151, dress, now £245 / $265, and scarf, now £70 / $76, all from Soeur. Khaki Sneakers, now £89 / $96, Whistles. Grey sunglasses and black sunglasses, now £140 / $146, Ray Ban. All at Selfridges.

 

It’s easy to overlook accessories when there are so many larger pieces on offer, but sunglasses are almost always reduced to make way for more trend-led colours and silhouettes. So keep your eyes peeled (sorry) for designer specs at a fraction of the original price. At Selfridges, check out the Ray-Ban reductions.

With over 300 brands currently available at Selfridges, sale shopping can be a bit of a treasure hunt. Thankfully, these days we can do it all from the comfort of our own homes, far away from sharpened elbows and scrum scenes. When websites are loaded with stock, I find it useful to use the filters to narrow down by brand, size and price. Selfridge’s wish-list feature also allows you to like items, which are then saved to your account so that you can review before you purchase.

 

 

 

 

Seasonal reductions: up to 50% off – Shop now at Selfridges

 

This is a sponsored post. 

 

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  When it comes to purchasing something new, I am a bit of a tightwad. I will often Style Stalk an investment piece and then pick it up in the sales.