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So if you all haven’t notice I have a Nordstrom Rack Addiction. But to be real who doesn’t love the rack? A “Rack attack” is one of my favorite weekend hobbies. I can routinely be seen in my local rack spending wayyyyy to much money and saving a bundle . But even with all the savings, you still have to be smart about what your buying at the rack. Some items are created exclusively for the rack while other items come straight from Nordstrom. Below are my tips for navigating the Rack.

Being Aware of All the Great Brands Nordstrom Rack Carries

When most people think of discount stores like the Nordstrom Rack, Off 5th, and T.J. Maxx the often think of outdated merchandise that didn’t sell last season and no one wants. But if you are a fellow discount shopper you know this to be completely untrue. The Nordstrom Rack carries in-season clothing, designer merchandise and deals! For example I love brands that Revolve or ShopBop sells such as Mother Denim, Tularosa, and Flynn Skye.  Luckily for me Nordstrom Rack carries all three and at discounted prices. For example, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mother denim (I love them so much I am even willing to pay full price for them). I just recently purchase a pair of black “Looker” jeans at the rack for $24 dollars.

It is almost important to take note that not all of the brands the Rack carries are brands that were originally carried in Nordstrom. The Nordstrom Rack has exclusive brands such as Melrose and Market, Abound and Harlowe and Graham. This brands can often be a good way to get on trend pieces for cheaper but it means when they go on sale the savings are not so great.

Knowing What a Red Tag Means

Red tags are my holy grail. These tags indicate that these items are on clearance and have been discounted even further from their retail price. These are also the items that go on sale for 25% off during clear the rack time. (Or even further like now till May 14th all red tagged boots and coats are 50% off). The one thing that you have to remember with red tags if you see something you like buy it and do not wait for the next clear the Rack. Red tagged items have a tendency to disappear quickly so snatch up that item you were eyeing.

One of my best red tag finds was a pair of Rag & Bone jeans. Retail on the specific pair was $218. I paid literally just a penny. To this day it goes down as my best find ever.

Deciphering the Savings 

Almost all of the tags at the Nordstrom Rack will have the retail price listed on them. Most of the tags even have the % savings from retail to the marked down price. But do not always take that at face value. I found a leather jacket at the rack on clearance during clear the rack that said it retailed for $238 and it was now on sale for $80. While this is still a good deal I did a quick google search and found out the jacket retailed for $750 when it was at Nordstrom. Moral of the story is if you really like an item but are worried it is not discounted enough do a quick google search to confirm that retail price listed is actually the retail price.

Location, Location, Location

Each Rack receives different merchandise on different days of the week and at different times. Racks that are in more affluent areas (such as mine in Palo Alto) have a tendency to get higher end merchandise. I have especially noticed this when it comes to the shoes that a store carries. I have bought numerous pairs of Chloe flats, Rag & Bone Booties, Jimmy Choo heels and VINCE sneakers at my rack.

90 Day Return Policy 

While the Nordstrom Rack doesn’t have the Nordstrom return policy, it does have a pretty good one. You have 90 days from the day of purchase to return the item if it is not worn. You can even return it without a receipt as they can look it up by your credit card number. This is especially crucial if you see an item you are on the fence about. As I said before if you see something at the rack buy it because if you go back even an hour later it is likely to not be there and knowing you have the ability to return it makes the decision to purchase easier.

The Power of Hautelook 

Hautelook is basically the Nordstrom Rack online with timed events. (Also note that the Rack has a website but I often find better deals in store.) Hautelook has different events each day that are either centered around a brand or theme. They have events for women, men and children and for a variety of brands. Some of my favorite past events have been Levi, Sam Edelman, and Equipment. The key with Hautelook is to add the items you like to your cart immediately as it saves them for 15 minutes. Plus my tip is to always spend over $100 to get free shipping since it is easy to return the items via mail or to your local Nordstrom Rack. This is especially helpful for people who do not want to comb through the Rack or the Rack’s website for specific brands.

So I am sure you have by now seen the infamous Marc Fisher Adalyn wedges all over Instagram. And its also likely you have seen the Steve Madden Jaylen dupes as well. But what about the differences besides the price? Which shoe is actually the best for you? Well here is my opinion on the matter and why I, the ultimate bargain hunter, decided to keep the $160 Marc Fisher wedges. (I also included two other types of wedges.)

First and foremost of importance to me is quality. I love bargains but if something is not good quality and I am going to have to replace it soon I take it into consideration. I ordered three pairs (yes three pairs) to try to get a version of the Steve Madden wedge that did not have a flaw in it and every single one did. There were issues in the woven wedge part (numerous in every single pair) and weird discoloration in the suede on two of them. After reading reviews on DSW it seems that some other people have had these problems but not everyone. Granted I also ordered two pairs of the marc fisher and while they were slightly different colors of suede per pair the wedge was not flawed and the suede matched the right and the left shoe perfectly in each pair.

Secondly, the faux leather strap on the Steve Madden wedges was not nearly as comfortable as the real leather strap on the Marc Fisher wedges. To me this was important because I plan on wearing this to a high school graduation, a wedding and to easter so they need to be comfortable enough for all these events. Plus the real suede is more comfortable than the faux suede on the Steve Madden wedges.

Third, I did a little bit of fashion digging and these Marc Fisher wedges have been in for about three summers making them more of an investment piece for me. Even if they are not as popular as they once were in the upcoming years I know that I will still be wearing them come spring/ summer because they are such a classic.

And lastly, I would not be the bargain hunting blonde if I didn’t find a way to get the Marc Fisher wedges at a discount. I received an email from Zappos that I would be getting $25 off if I signed up for their rewards program. So I did that and promptly used the $25 off towards the price of the $160 wedges bringing them down to $135.

Its that time of year again when ShopBop has their Big Sale. The discounts apply to both regular priced AND sale item. That means your getting a discount on already discounted items! Plus to make things even better the discount applies to staple items that never go on sale. So why not get that item you have been eyeing when its on sale now? I snagged the Jeffery Campbell Cor bootie in taupe that is the perfect transitional piece from winter to spring. I can even see myself wearing it into summer!

I rounded up some of my favorite regular priced items I consider staples. Plus remember to use the discount code “GOBIG2017” so you get your discount. Sale ends March 4th!

Regular Priced Items

patagonia| mother denim | ecco leather slip-ons | celine trio

Want to replicate this look but not break the budget and buy new things? To recreate the look with what you have in your closet, I recommend wearing any type of 1/4 zip sweatshirt as it gives you a more of a put together look. Then pair the sweatshirt with a jean with character. That can be a raw hem, ripped knees, distressed areas or a cool fade. Make sure though that it is a tighter fitting pair of jeans as pairing a sweatshirt with baggy jeans does not achieve the same look. Pair this combo with a comfortable pair of sneakers or dress it up a little bit with booties. And lastly add a pop of color. It can be a fun colored bag (like I did) or a statement piece of jewelry.

Being 5’10” has its positives and its negatives. Positives- I never have trouble reaching high things on shelves, I can wear flats and still be tall enough in pictures and things are never too long for me. Negatives- I am often bumping into things, people remark often on how tall I am, and cropped jeans rarely rarely fit.

But low and behold I was in the Nordstrom Rack and these Calson Jeans were calling to me. I looked at the raw hem and the ripped knees and fell in love. I took them home even thought I was thinking they were going to be way to short for me- but seriously who can turn down $15 dollar jeans?!?! When I got home I was pleasantly surprised. Why of course they are slightly short they are not too short and are totally wearable. My only regret is buying the size that I normally wear (a 25) when really I should have scoured the racks for a size smaller. But nothing a belt cannot fix 🙂

Linked below is a bunch of cute cropped jeans for this spring from a couple of different retailers.