I’ve been sale-ing since the end of November. That’s when they winter sales kick in.  On Black Friday, to be exact.

The past few years, we’ve been in Paris for Thanksgiving weekend and 2018 was the first year I noticed that Black Friday left the confines of the USA and took over in other countries. France being one of them.

But lets’ get back to the actual sales and what I’ve purchased and why I purchased.

The Black Friday Sales:  This past Black Friday had me perusing Galeries Lafayette for a camel coat.  This was on my list since I couldn’t find a decent one here in the States. Either I was completely outpriced or what was available was overpriced garbage.

In my mind, I knew what I wanted. A coat that could be worn to the office every day during the winter. One that would pair well with pants as well as with dresses and skirts.  I didn’t want a trendy style but rather a classic cut.  And camel because I’m tired of black coats—dirt shows up more readily and with dog hair being part of my life, camel was the more practical choice.

This coat turned out to be the greatest buy. I’ve worn it practically every single day since it was purchased!!!

I found the coat after about a half hour of searching.  The first coat I tried on, I loved but at a price tag of over $600, I wasn’t—or rather, the husband wasn’t quite ready. He suggested I look around a bit more. Which I did. And just as I was about to give up, I saw her hanging on a rack.

This camel coat goes with everything I have..

It even goes with my wigs!!!!

A straight cut that falls to the knees, it was just what I was looking for. And at a price of $250 euros, less ten percent discount, she was perfect!

Other than the coat, I hadn’t done any shopping until after the Holidays.  As you know, the Holiday Season was a difficult time for my family due to my brother’s passing.

Fast forward to January.  That’s when I saled.  And to be perfectly honest with you the majority of the items purchased were for the coming summer.

Lilly Pulitzer hosts a great “After Party Sale” in January and if you are a fan of her bright colors and timeless dresses, taking advantage of this event is well-worth it.

Three of the four items purchased at the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale!

What I purchased were four items. Three online and one in-store.

The in-store purchase was a pair of Darci Shorts in a stretch fabric.  Why these shorts?

And the length is great. The shorts are shorter than Bermuda shorts but not as short as short-shorts!

Well.  The stretch fabric stays close to the lets. If there’s one thing I cannot stand about shorts is the fabric’s uncanny ability to ride up the inside of the thighs. It looks sloppy and is annoying AF when you have to constantly tug the shorts down.  And although I don’t wear shorts all that often, for a casual Saturday afternoon or hanging on our deck during the warm weather, the shorts are a welcome change from a dress.

White shirt.  I love this long-sleeved stretchy shirt.  Again, the price was right and one can never have enough white shorts.  The fabric has give and, although unforgiving around the belly, it’ll look great with a skirt or high-waisted pants.  I will have to wear a push up bra with this but it really doesn’t matter because the moment I arrive home from where I was the bra, this shirt will come off and be replaced by a loose tee!

I love this shirt!  I’ll definitely need a push up bra to make the titties look more lively…and..

it brings back memories of one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes!!!

Shift Dress.  Bonaparte doesn’t like this one. At all. But he’s not wearing it. I am. And during the warmer months, I live in dresses. Be they sun dresses, a simple frock or a fitted shift. I love one-stop dressing.  This is the dress I can run errands in.  Can go to the movies or a casual dinner.  It’s comfortable and the length is actually more modest than the usual summer dress. I love the neckline and the front zipper.

This is the Larsen shift which I think is a great day dress

The arm holes aren’t cut so wide so as to show off your underwear…and not cut so small that they cut into your upper arm fat. They are the perfect cut!

Overall, this is a great summer dress.

Maxi Dress.  I did a video on the clothing I bought and as I stated in my video, this is the money dress!  It’s the Lilly Pulitzer Wynne Maxi dress.  At $64, this was a fantastic price.

This dress is the money! I wish the vibrancy of the print would show up better because this is just gorgeous!

I purchased a Wynne maxi last year to wear for Oona’s Bridal Brunch and paid $178—full price, which I rarely do. The one I bought last year was one of the most-worn dresses I wore during the late spring throughout the summer. The Boho vibe is spot on and the slits on the side give some air conditioning and extra comfort to the dress. And let me tell you I’m so happy I purchased this because it is now discontinued.

My Wynne maxi from last year. Did you know my maiden name is Wynne?

Yet, another great item that corporate fashion decides will hit the dust.

Are you familiar with Gretchen Scott Designs?  The mail-order brand has become a favorite of mine. Especially when I can find sale items that haven’t been grabbed yet.

The Gripeless Cotton Spandex jeans are a mature-woman body’s best friend. I’m not kidding.  I purchased a pair a few months back. I took a chance because no stores in my area sell the brand and there were no reviews to be found. This is a very elusive and secretive brand if you ask me!

These pants were purchased a while ago but I love the fun print! I wore these to work yesterday because I was too lazy to shave my legs.

Anyway, I really loved the pants I bought because of the fit.  The waist is a higher cut and really hides a plethora of belly sins.  And because of the higher waist, the allusion of longer legs is given.  But the great thing about the pants are the whimsical prints.

Are these pants stinkin’ adorable or what????!!!

I purchased a pair on sale for $39 that reminded me of a cross between Marimekko and Pucci. Kind of 1960’s psychedelic.  And very-much fun!  I couldn’t resist. And I found good use for a bright pink Tippi Sweater that I haven’t worn too much!

Dear God. I’m such a class act. Check out the hanger and Chippy’s ball on the floor. I swear I didn’t even realize this was on the floor until I saw the pic.  I was making a video.  Real class! But–I’ll be wearing these pants a lot!!!

The shoes I bought.  No work shoes this season.  No boots either. I made do with what I have.  But all was not for naught.  Mine eyes hath seen the glory of a cute pair of pom-pom flats that Talbots was selling.  I was watching these babies like a bird-dawg searching for a duck.  There was no way that the full price of $130 was going to come from my pocket—and I’m not a Talbot’s fan.  But these shoes…

I love these shoes so much….the memories they bring back to me..

And in January, the price came down. I got them for $53.00 –less than half price.  These shoes bring back memories of the Pappagallo and Capezio flats I wore in high school and loved so much.  As usual, they were wide, but inner soles took care of that issue.

Come on ladies!  I KNOW you remember these shoes!!  Do you miss them as much as I do?

Another pair of flats I was dreaming about came from J. Crew and at $178, there was no way I would swing the purchase. In the first place, the shoes are covered in fabric.  It’s not very practical. But—the shoes are plaid!!  Plaid. Pointy-toed.  Embellished with a bow. The perfect party shoe when you know you’ll be standing for hours and don’t want to bear the brunt of heels.

Plaid shoes.  With bows.  They are adorable but worth $178?  No.

How these shoes were marked down to $34.99, I’ll never know—or better yet, if I got them for $34.99 were they ever worth $178???

They are worth the $34.99 purchase price though!

On a J. Crew-ish roll, a pair of Gold flats were purchased at J. Crew Factory for a grand total of $11.97.  They’re cute. They’re comfortable and will be worn for those casual times.

These have the pricey Chloe vibe but for $11.97 the price is better than Walmart!

Lastly, a dress for the remaining days of winter.  Purchased at J. Crew Factory for $15.97.  A cotton-flannel, funnel-neck shift.  I love this dress because it feels like a nighty. I kid you not. It’s a great work dress and off the bat, I can tell you this will have a heavy rotation between now and spring.

I wore this dress today. And I can guarantee this’ll be carrying me into the late spring!  Who can beat the $15.97 price?

January is a great time to make purchases on end-of-season items. But chose wisely. Stick to more classic cuts that you know will be around for a while.  Trendy clothing isn’t necessarily a pragmatic choice because you never know what’ll be “it” next year.

Now that I’ve made the purchases, I’ll add a link below to my little video of how some of the clothing looks in real life!

Happy sale-ing!!!!