Ahhh, a new year. The time where we all vow to eat healthy, exercise more, and have this be OUR year. Here at the Julep, our resolutions are about you. We vow to help you feel beautiful, no matter how well you are doing at your own resolutions.
It’s also sale time for most retailers, including us! And while we certainly hope you come in to check out our wintry sale things and our new arrivals that make us so excited for Spring, we want this year to be a thoughtful one. So today, we want to talk about owning your style and investing in yourself.
We’ve posted before about identifying your own personal style, and how to mix it up for whatever life throws at you. But even if you know your style, it can be hard to shop for it, especially with so many constantly changing choices and trends! We hear you. So how to navigate sale season? Read on, ladies.
1. Wear it Now: Winter sales are actually the best, because this is New England, and you’ll be wearing this stuff for many months to come. There’s nothing more disheartening than shopping sales just to store everything away until next season. So as you comb through the sales racks, ask yourself if you can see yourself wearing it out of the store. If you want to wear it right away, you’ve found a winner J
2. Forget the Price: When things go on sale, our minds trick us into thinking we HAVE to have these things that are suddenly so affordable! But the best way to make sure you are staying true to your style in the face of deep discounts is to ask yourself “Would I want this at full price?” Maybe you wouldn’t buy a piece at full price, but if you would still want it, it’s a good indication that it fits well with your style and you will get plenty of wear out of it.
3. Color Scheme: Most of us gravitate toward a few specific colors. You may read in magazines that you need to mix it up and experiment, but we don’t buy that. If you know what you like and what works on you, go with it! One of our managers has decided that it is the year of Mint and Navy, and she is buying key pieces to freshen her wardrobe that way. Maybe you love red, but want something new…try coral! Love brights? Citron is making a huge splash this season. If you shop sales with specific colors in mind, you’ll be less tempted to buy yet another black cardigan for 50% off.
4. Invest Wisely: Just as sale items can make us buy things we otherwise wouldn’t, sometimes a higher price tag can make us ignore the perfect piece. We certainly won’t tell you to blow your budget on anything, and you should always keep in mind what you can reasonably afford when you are shopping. But whether an item is on sale or not, try thinking about value-per-wear. Does that gorgeous, perfect-on-your-figure cashmere sweater seem expensive? Yes. But if you wear it 3x per week, you’ll be getting much more value than buying that much cheaper but itchier sweater that you never actually take out of your closet. Here at the Julep, we know that when things make us feel beautiful, we wear them more. And we think that’s worth the investment.
5. Transition: Very few things are truly seasonal. Bikinis, wool overcoats, and snow boots are pretty much it. But when it comes to everyday pieces, all it takes to wear something all year is strategic wardrobing. Love this silk cami from Amanda Uprichard’s spring collection? Wear it now with a sale cardigan from Wooden Ships and switch it out for a white blazer when the temps warm up. A lilac cashmere sweater can go past March by shedding the scarves and coats, and pairing it with white cropped skinny jeans. See? Pick what you like and there will be a way to wear it for multiple seasons.
6. The most important question: No matter how much something is, how much you love it on the hanger, how in-style it is, or how basic it is…there is ultimately one thing that matters more than anything else. Does this piece make me feel beautiful? We often tell ourselves that clothes are simply functional. A t-shirt, a cardigan, a pair of jeans. Everyone needs those, and they don’t have to be special, right? Wrong! There is no reason that the things you own and wear shouldn’t make you feel wonderful. After all, we think you’re beautiful, and your wardrobe should reflect your own unique beauty, whether it’s a Splendid T, or a Milly Dress.
These tips should help you shop sales smarter, and stay true to what makes you feel beautiful. Stop into the Julep while our sale is on, and we’ll help you on your way to being your best you in 2016!
