50% off?! That doesn’t even sound real anymore! Nowadays, the best we can hope for is a buy one get one 60% off or MAYBE, just maybe if we’re lucky, there’s a 40% off sale happening- but even that’s pushing it a little bit. It’s safe to say that I spent a little more money shopping this year’s sales than I really wanted to, but I DID save a little over $200 on clothing this year, which is a record for me compared to my shopping years prior. Here’s a little guide detailing not only where I shopped and what I bought/how I styled the pieces, but also the best discounts and where shipping was FREE!
Zara
As one of my favorite places to shop considering my style is a little more European-focused, Zara is not only a great store with a ton of different fashion options, but it’s also a pretty slept-on store during Black Friday. Although they only do 40% off select items, the items they have chosen are still ones that I had my eye on throughout the season debating on whether or not to make the purchase. Here’s what I bought:
Original Price: $25.90
Sale Price: 40% off! – $15.54
Why? I thought this would be a nice layering piece under a black leather jacket, paired with a mini skirt. My hair would be down with a headband, a mini bag on my shoulder, and a pair of knee high boots (black or brown) on my feet.
#2. Polka Dot High Neck Backless Top
Original Price: $39.90
Sale Price: there was no sale on this top, so $39.90
Why? I’m obsessed with the polka dot trend as seen in my previous “Polka Dots or Polka Nots” article. I felt as though it would be nice to own a loose fitting, relatively backless, going out top before I left for college. Especially now that Hailey Bieber officially brought these Y2K inspired tops back for going out, I felt as though it would be nice to own a piece of this trend. I envisioned wearing this with a pair of black jeans, my hair up in a messy ponytail, and a pair of short, black suede boots underneath the jeans.
It’s safe to say, I didn’t end up saving much at Zara and they could’ve done better, but with what I was looking to buy from them, I wasn’t going to get a great price. I also had a gift card for $64, so with my total spent being $63.84 with shipping and tax, and the original total with shipping and tax being $74.09, I’d say it was a strong start to my Black Friday adventure by spending $0.00 and saving a total of $10.25!
Subdued
Arguably also one of my favorite shopping brands, Subdued is very reliable and relatively affordable too, but NEVER again for Black Friday! Their sales were ridiculous. Now, they do have a bit of a pass because they aren’t a North American-based brand, BUT 20% off select items might as well be relatively nothing. And get this! The thing I bought wasn’t even part of that 20% off discount, AND shipping was $12.00. This was more of an impulse purchase and an excuse to shop because it was Black Friday more than anything. Here’s what I bought:
#1. Low Waist Dark Grey Flare Jeans
Original Price: $69.00 (with shipping and tax: $85.63)
Sale Price: 10% off – $62.10 (with shipping and tax: $77.83)
Why? I don’t own any black jeans and hardly any flare jeans, so I made an impulse purchase and decided to go for it. I imagined styling these with a baby pink wrap sweater that I coincidentally also bought from Subdued with a white lace top underneath and a pair of black boots or black slingback heels for a nice day-to-day outfit. I would wear my hair half-up-half-down and throw on a bigger slouchy bag to do work in a coffee shop.
It’s safe to say that Subdued will not be on my rotation for Black Friday shopping, but it will be on my list for shopping in general. Just make sure you do a bigger order so that you can justify the outrageous $12.00 shipping! Though that won’t be hard because everything on their website is adorable (in my opinion).
Princess Polly
If I’m being so honest with you all (which, when am I ever not honest?) Princess Polly was THE BEST for Black Friday shopping this year! It had that rare 40% off the ENTIRE website deal which was amazing. Some of my favorite pieces I ended up buying came from here including:
Original Price: $85.00
Sale Price: 40% off! – $51.00
Why? I’ve been loving the studs trend and usually I think they are too much on a pair of jeans (especially the ones running all the way down the pant legs), but I felt as though these were the perfect pair of jeans that weren’t too baggy (as the straight-leg jeans have started to come back). I also felt that they had a cute little extra detail that would make them the perfect pair with any outfit. I would style them with honestly anything in my closet, but I envisioned them paired with a fitted light grey sweater with a messy ponytail or messy bun, a pair of white sneakers, a slouchy black bag, and an iced coffee in my hand.
#2. Cabernet Asymmetrical Polka Dot Set
Original Price: $78.00
Sale Price: 40% off! – $46.80
Why? Okay, I think I’m a little too obsessed with polka dots, but I HAD to do it! I have had my eye on this set for a couple months now and I wanted to buy it, but I was waiting for a better sale to come along, and it finally came! This is the perfect summery set that can be worn together, or even separately. Since it comes with the skirt and the top, I had two different ideas for outfits with these pieces. The first was courtesy of Caroline Flynn who suggested that I pair the polka dot skirt with a white sweater for chillier days (which I’m obsessed with!) and the second was to pair the top with a pair of black jeans for going out and a pair of black slingback heels, wearing my hair down.
It’s safe to say that I saved the most money buying from Princess Polly considering that the original total for my items was $168.87 with shipping and tax and my total after the sale was $103.67! I also had a $73.14 gift card so I really only ended up spending $30.58 with shipping and tax. That’s honestly amazing all things considered so I was pretty proud of myself.
Regarding Black Friday
Okay, lowkey this was a bad year for shopping. There was a lot for me to consider as this year I have tried to elevate my personal style a lot more than in my previous years of shopping. I needed to make sure I wasn’t spending too much with Christmas rolling around the corner, but that I was also buying pieces that I could take with me to college because I will be downsizing relatively soon. Overall, my total before any sales or gift cards with tax and shipping was $328.59 and after sales it was $245.34. This means that my sales savings were $83.25 (which in the grand scheme of things really wasn’t that much). With my gift cards, I only ended up spending $108.20, meaning that I ended up saving a total of $220.39! My conclusion on Black Friday is that, unless you have a bunch of gift cards you want or need to get rid of, stick to buying one or two things for yourself, get your Christmas gift shopping done, and make sure what you buy is on sale! I hope Black Friday was successful for you this year and that you bought some cute pieces you will wear/use for a lifetime! And as always, I hope you liked this article and share with me what you bought this year!
xxxx
Maddie
