Our Edit: Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale
Sweater: Vince. Jeans: Frame. Shoes: Dolce Vita.
Over the years, whenever I’ve been looking for something special, I’ve turned to Nordstrom. (I got my prom dress there!) They have a huge selection of styles and incredible customer service, and shipping and returns are always free. Also, the bathrooms are really nice. Today in partnership with Nordstrom, we’re sharing our picks from their big anniversary sale…
1. I love how pearl earrings illuminate your face and make even a T-shirt and jean shorts look a little fancier.
2. Chambray shirts look good with everything, but sometimes they have a western style that’s not as easy to wear. This one looks simple, drapes well, and is made of 100% cotton.
3. I’m a sucker for denim dresses, and I especially like the oversized pockets and non-stretch denim of this one. How good would it look with sneakers in the summer, and tights and boots in the fall?
4. Last spring, I began spotting silver flats on women all over Brooklyn, and they’re now a classic look. This pair seems especially comfy with its cushy footbed.
5. For reading on the sofa or hanging at the playground, I’d slip on this retro-looking varsity tee. Bonus: It comes in three great colors.
6. In the past, I’ve scored jeans from Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale that I’ve worn hundreds of times. These mid-rise boyfriend jeans from Frame are a great easy staple and skim all the right spots. (Sold out; but many more Frame styles here.)
7. These striped cotton PJs would be perfect for vacations with friends and watching 30 Rock reruns.
8. Always on the search for comfy bras that look invisible under T-shirts.
9. The award-winning body wash smells like eucalyptus and leaves my skin feeling super soft. I also love their body lotion.
10. Lightweight track shorts for pool hangs and coffee walks. (I like wearing these under an oversized shirt, too.)
Thoughts? Are there any picks from the anniversary sale that you’re excited about? I’d love to hear. I also have these lipsticks in my cart.
(Photos by McGuire McManus for Cup of Jo. This post is sponsored by Nordstrom, a retailer we’ve shopped with for decades. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep Cup of Jo running.)
Comments
76 commentsThank you for featuring Nordstrom! As the shopping experience increasingly becomes digital, I am so immensely grateful for our legacy retailers with brick-and-mortar stores. Every time I walk into my local Nordstrom, past the sign that says “Founded in 1901,” I send a little prayer up to the retail gods and ask them to keep this store in business. Nordstrom is a dream of a store. Where else in the modern day can you buy mom jeans, a Theory suit, the latest Adidas, a well-fitting bra, a teen prom dress, and a baby shower gift all in one physical spot — plus try on makeup and get lunch or a coffee? We all need to buy new stuff sometimes, and this is the type of retailer I want to support. Long live IRL shopping!
What Dolce Vita sneakers are you wearing in the photo, Joanna? I could use a pair, and I love the gum sole…
Hi Sue! These are the shoes.
I had the most insane work opportunity this past winter — technically a multi-day job interview, but more like the coolest networking event imaginable. I was invited to attend at around 2 months postpartum, so I had *nothing* that fit, was professional, and was nursing-friendly. A few days before the trip, I had the absolute nicest time wandering Nordstrom Rack with my baby asleep on me in a carrier. I managed to get everything I needed there, down to a belt and a new wallet, and received tons of outfit compliments during the trip and any time I’ve shared photos of it since. My poor baby, I’m going to be telling him for the rest of his life about that one golden trip to Nordstrom.
The only thing I would probably buy at Nordstrom’s is a Tom Ford lipstick in shade Casablanca. I tried it on once and loved it, but it’s $$ so I opted out.
I love Nordstrom and their customer service has always been amazing. But this year the push to shop the anniversary sale is coming from all directions…on Substack, on social media, on blogs. I’m feeling overwhelmed by the message to shop and buy lots of stuff. I know the products you promote are ones you genuinely like, so absolutely no problem with sponsored posts here. But no matter where you turn, there’s a push to buy stuff.
Girllll come join me on the anticonsumerism Reddit page!
Anne-I can’t afford Nordstrom right now but I will say- I take my little boys there occasionally to ride the escalators + get a free balloon + grab a free sample of perfume. It’s clean and the bathrooms are clean and I do enjoy it for those reasons as a Mom.
I also felt like the Nordstrom sale was advertised everywhere this year… but I wondered if they’re feeling the pinch of economics and online shopping. Their customer service is so good, the selection large, and yes, the bathrooms are from another era! I always feel like what I get from Nordstrom is going to be worth it, and if it isn’t, they’ll take it back. I understand the impulse to curb consumerism, but people do need new things and the stores need us to buy from them, or at some point, they won’t be there. Also, putting aside the issues of fast fashion for a second, Nordstrom is a rare business I have yet to hear anything bad about. All that to say… If one needs a store, Nordstrom is a good one!
The Nordstrom bathrooms ARE really nice!! I was on maternity leave over winter and I would take that baby and walk around the mall and then go nurse in the SITTING ROOM that is attached to the restrooms. It was amazing. And the stall doors go to the floor. Love it! My friends and I meet up at the Nordstrom restaurant for lunch and holiday shopping every year. It is a fun tradition.
I just had my makeup done at a Nordstrom beauty counter for an event and learned from my make up artist that Nordstrom has been supporting transgender employees since the last 90s! And their current diversity and inclusion policies are pretty amazing. (She also said it’s a lovely company to work for.) Just wanted to share, because I know so many of us feel better about giving people-first businesses our money.
I’ve had a trans person help me do my makeup several times at Nordstrom (the first in the late 90s, like you said!) and lemme tell you, they are Seriously Skilled and understandably so. I learned so much about doing eyebrows and techniques I couldn’t get quite right like night-time, smokey, dramatic eyes that didn’t look like I got two shiners.I still utilize their lessons today.
Ahhhh, those pearl earrings!! Love them and now I have to buy them as well;) Thank you for a very useful post.
Love the Nordstrom Anniversary sale! (And this is not an ad but the Nordstrom card is so worth it for the alterations and benefits. I don’t have “extra” credit cards but made an exception for this one and have not looked back)
When and why are bar carts so popular? My relationship with alcohol has certainly made me hyper aware of how society has normalized it to the extent that it is used as display in our main living areas. Just an observation as a photo choice. How you don’t mind the feedback.
It’s a dining room so it makes sense for a bar cart to be there if people want to make cocktails along with meals, if they drink alcohol. I don’t drink but think bar carts are pretty, especially antique ones such as this. I think it’s strange to expect people to consider your personal lifestyle choices in what they choose to display or not display in their own homes?
I think they became popular in the mid century hosting era. While I have the cabinet space to stash what alcohol I keep at home, I think most people who have a bar cart use it to free up space and to make supplies accessible to guests so that they can make their own drinks. My friends who have bar carts have people over frequently, my guess is it’s a similar situation for Joanna.
This comment struck me as a bit odd. Even assuming positive intent, it feels more like a personal projection about alcohol than constructive feedback—especially considering this is a sponsored content post. I’ve found Cup of Jo to have an evolving and thoughtful perspective on topics like sobriety and alcohol over the years, with many nuanced and insightful posts. If you haven’t already, you might find those pieces worth exploring. They offer a broader context that might shift how this photo or post is perceived.
i have one but have books stacked on it, its pretty.
Ok but that paint color on the shelves and that watermelon. I see you! ♥️🍉🙌🏽
also came here to comment on the beautiful watermelon on Joanna’s shelves!! <3 (and the cute pigeon sculpture!)
awww haha thank you! the paint color is farrow & ball in parma grey, and the watermelon is from here: https://www.fruitandflowershop.com/wax
i’m totally in support of the watermelon symbolism. i wish that we would also see yellow ribbons….
I’m a proud thrifter who never developed a taste for online shopping, but it’s fun to make a careful purchase from a “new shop” now and then. Nordstrom didn’t last long in Ottawa, but while they were here? I had the best experience in the lingerie section. They really do treat you like family! I’d go back if I’m ever near one of their physical locations again.
Same! And their little restaurant was great too. I miss it. Sigh.
I love Nordstrom’s! But in this economy, Nordstrom Rack has been crushing it.
hmm. ‘this economy’ is good for me and everyone i know.
Jen, everyone is know it’s shocked every time they get groceries. The elderly in my mom’s apartment building are not ok they are so worried about being able to afford food and rent. My husband could retire early, and should due to his health and level of exhaustion, but can’t because we’d never be able to afford the health insurance. Our property taxes more than doubled last year. Every where i turn i hear people worried – health care providers, builders, realtors, parents, the young people. Fascism, historically, has been terrible for the economy, and peace and human rights of course, and we are seeing that play out right in front of us. Ask a federal worker or a medical researcher or a head start teacher how ok they are. But I’m glad you’re doing so well. I have no idea what that must feel like.
I’m with you AMK. Soo many people in my life are struggling to buy groceries, manage bills, pay for prescriptions.. Just our basic needs. My dad is a teacher and one of his coworkers last month said “I just want to be able to walk into the grocery store and buy anything I want.” It’s out of reach.
I buy all my shoes from Nordstrom Rack. Pretty good selection from a wide variety of retailers.
Lucky you, Jen!
What a weird, aggressive comment, Jen. I wonder if it’s even true. I don’t think you’re scoring the point(??) you thought.
👀 Jen… How to say you lead a life of privilege without saying you lead a life of privilege. Be thankful you’re not choosing what medication you can afford, what other food makes it in your grocery cart when it already includes bags of dry beans and rice, and still picking up items to put in a little free food pantry box at the corner. We live in a low socioeconomic area, and see the challenges our community faces daily. Thanks, Sasha, for your comment.
Unrelated to Nordstroms, but is that snake plant in the photo real? I have one about 1/4 that size. It’s doing “okay,” but yours is huge! Wow.
Joanna, thank you.
Hi Joanna! I’d love to know where you got the beautiful shirt you’re wearing in the first photo in this post. Thanks!
Hi Megan! Joanna got it from the Nordstrom anniversary sale! It’s from Vince, here’s the link :) https://go.shopmy.us/p-21047507
Where is that cool blue U shaped sculpture/ Vase at the top of your bookshelf from? !
it was a gift! it’s a classic Finnish design: https://reallywellmade.com/products/kink-vase
Nabbed the stripped two pc pj – thanks for the heads up! Screams adorably comfy.
Looked at these and thought “yep, that totally tracks for what Jo would be wearing!” You’ve definitely got a style!
I agree! I can pick a dress Jo would like from a mile away (eg if it’s just a link to “this dress would be great for summer post-swims I know it will be short and boxy. And potentially have pockets!)
So random but… I’m getting married this fall at a casual-ish venue in a city. I don’t usually wear makeup but somehow thought I could learn and do it myself on my wedding day… Which now feels insane because of how much money I’ve wasted on “practice” makeup and it still doesn’t ever really look good! Anyway I just mention it because part of me wants a bold red lip and another part feels so self-conscious about it, but that first image of Joanna looks so incredible that it might be pushing me to just go for it…?? Anyway any makeup tips welcome please! (One thing is that the whole process has made me SO AWARE of how square my jaw is and how lopsided my eyes are, and I feel like makeup keeps making those things seem more pronounced??) ((Also I don’t really want to get a MUA day of because (1) we’re three months out so it seems too late, (2) they seem super expensive and I have a tight budget, and (3) part of my issue is sensory and I’m afraid they’d cake on so much makeup that I’d have a meltdown during the ceremony))
I would definitely do your makeup yourself — that way, you’ll feel like yourself! it’s so surreal to feel like a different person under layers of makeup. you know what lipstick I love — and it’s the lipstick I’m wearing here, in the color Blooming Red — is this one: https://cupofjo.com/2023/10/31/my-friend-gemmas-amazing-lipstick-find/ it goes on kind of powdery and lasts HOURS, truly. and it doesn’t look too strong or defined IRL, it just looks like a lovely soft touch on your lips. xoxo hope this helps! so excited for you!
Heather! I can relate to this. I am fairly clueless about makeup, and had a couple of makeup-y events to attend last year. What I did was enlist a cool 21 year old that I know (that I know enjoys using makeup) to help me through this process. We went to the store together and she helped me choose out what I needed. And then we sat down and she did my makeup for me and took a video of the process. I didn’t go for a super “glam” look because that didn’t feel like me, and I don’t think I could have figured all that out anyway! Congratulations!!! I’m sure you will look beautiful on your wedding day.
Congrats Heather! Regarding the bold red lip, I’d recommend going out with a bold red lip starting now (out to dinner, drinks, etc). When you first wear a bold lipstick color it can feel almost clownish and not like yourself (don’t worry, it doesn’t look that way to others, just to you because you’re not used to it). Getting used to it before your wedding will help you get used to it so that you feel more like yourself and not be self conscious about it on the big day–the last thing you want to be thinking about it if your lipstick looks weird!
Just re-read my comment and realized I said “get used to it” like 5x in a row lol
The Lisa Eldridge makeup tutorials on YouTube are amazing! She has some tips on making a red lip work (shape and toning down other redness)…
hey heather, another non-makeup person who wanted to do a lil something on my wedding day. i did the same thing meghan did, but i didn’t know any cool 21 year olds s — i went to nordstrom IRL and scoped out who was working the floor – i liked the vibe of a woman who was working at laura mercier — i talked to her and told her what i wanted to do — essentailly, buy makeup to wear on my wedding day and learn to put it on myself, and she was totally on board. she was totally i think she did my makeup that day and i bought some stuff and then made an appointment to come back and she’d do it again butttttt it was covid so she reached out and was said the store was closed so she had to cancel our appointment but she wanted to make sure i felt confident so she offered to facetime me and give me another lesson! which worked and then i did my own makeup on facetime with my mom on my wedding day :) congratulations! logan
You can do it yourself! I was also not much of a make-up wearer. I made an appointment at Sephora and had a staffer there walk me through a good routine. I was able to buy the products I wanted and to practice ahead of time. Wishing you a wonderful day!
Consider booking a make up lesson before the wedding, then practice a bit before? A make up artist can be hired to teach you how to apply make up, you could tell them the look you are seeking and things you want to emphasize, maybe even using some of the products you already own?
If you have a friend who’s good at makeup, they can help you out too! That’s what I did for my wedding. Congratulations and hope you have a wonderful wedding day.
Congratulations! If you live near some department stores, the makeup counter salespeople will do your face complimentary and explain it as they go along. You can test out different colors in the moment, buy what you like and practice at home before the big event. Have a great wedding
I had planned to do my own makeup for my.wedding and did what some others here did- went to makeup counter, got a tutorial and the right product. I am not “bad” at makeup but I’ve always liked a no makeup look (it’s the Taurus in me!) But then at my wedding , which was very low production and involved a lot of friends hanging around as I got ready and we set up, a friend who loves makeup and is good at it offered to help. She used my makeup mostly and followed my style because she knew me but added a little me-appropriate glam. Im always grateful when I see my.pics. If you have such a friend I’m certain she’d be honored to be asked.
Congrats, Heather! I did my own makeup, and booked an appointment at my local MAC Cosmetics counter. There was a fee but they credited the full amount to my makeup purchase. One thing I’d recommend is to not go with the bold red lip if you don’t feel like yourself. Instead, go with a few shades deeper/brighter than your normal lipstick so it looks and feels “you”, just enhanced.
I have learnt SO MUCH and completely changed the way I apply make up thanks to NY-based English make up artist Katie Jane Hughes. Have a look through her Instagram, you’ll see she has loads of tips and tricks to help you (and I think her YouTube channel would be really good too). She also has some excellent lip and cheek sticks that might meet your need for a red lip – I love her Soft Tomato colour. Anyway! She makes make-up fun and not scary and I just love her from afar! She also tours with Dua Lipa doing her make up so, you know! Talent! Congratulations and all the very best for your wedding day and the rest of your life!
As someone who started late with makeup, I feel you. My advice: 1) Experiment a lot with inexpensive lip pencils to figure out whether you need a warm red or a cool one, brighter or deeper tones. OR–don’t fail to call upon the artists at department store counters or makeup stores! It is literally their job to try a zillion lipsticks on you to find one that’s perfect–and if you tell them it’s for your wedding, I bet they’ll actually love it. 2) Don’t try to turn yourself into a heavy-makeup person for one day. There are a lot of high-quality subtler options out there these days. You might be happier with a tinted moisturizer or tinted serum than with actual foundation. Add a little powder and maybe some concealer, and you will appear radiant and polished rather than cakey. Look into multi-use sticks or tinted balms from Ogee, Benetint, Jones Road and others–they let you apply soft washes of color that are not super-showy, but definitely take your appearance up a notch. (And if you’re going for a bold red lip, you’ll want most of the rest of your makeup to be low-key anyway.) 3) As a person who flailed horribly with eyeliner for a literal decade without ever getting it right, I have settled on this hack: I take an eyeshadow stick (Sephora or Julep), use the smudgy to give me a soft wash of color over the lid–then use the stick itself as a subtle liner on top of that. This plus mascara looks (and is) super easy but put-together. 4) Do not assume you’ll have to pay a mint for great cosmetics! Some luxury brands are worth paying for, but I have found that Maybelline FIT foundation and powder, Cover Girl Professional 3-in-1 mascara, and the aforementioned Sephora eyeshadow sticks work as well or better for me than stuff that costs three times as much. 5) With the lipstick–you’ve seen this online, but it is so true, I can’t not mentioned it–apply, blot with a tissue, then put a single ply of tissue over your lips and use powder. Remove the tissue and reapply. That lipstick is going nowhere for a good long time.
Oh my gosh, thank you all for these lovely tips and encouragement!
I had my makeup done at a Sephora for my courthouse ceremony and it looked HORRIFIC. Seriously, like a horror movie with overly done figure skaters at a competition. I’m sure there are many talented people at Sephora’s across the country but this was so bad. I was so stunned that my sister stepped in when they asked if we wanted to purchase anything and said “No just makeup wipes and an oil cleanser” LOL. I had go back and wash my face and redo my makeup.
My wedding solution — as a very non-makeup-savvy person — was to ask my favorite aunt to do my makeup. (Her makeup always looked nice and not overdone.) She gave me some ideas ahead of time about what to buy, which was hugely helpful in preventing spending on random, non-useful stuff, and did a great job. So I am upvoting the suggestion to ask for help from someone you know whose makeup skills are up to the task. :)
Funny, I was just thinking about times I’ve had my makeup done. For your wedding, if you have it done professionally, definitely have a dress rehearsal before the ev. Professionals have always asked me what are you looking for: natural, glam, etc and if they don’t, speak up. I always ask them to talk me through what they’re doing. I’ve learned from that to start the eyebrow treatment in the center and not at the narrowest point, blend foundation/concealer from the center/nose and out…
If you have a Nordstrom credit card, you get to shop the sale early :-) It’s an annual event. We would go to Seattle every August to visit my grandparents, and back-to-school shopping at the sale with my grandmother was a must! (We wouldn’t be able to wear these fall clothes back home in Oklahoma until about November….). My grandmother had a falling-apart “Nordstrom Best” credit card with no magnetic strip that she refused to relinqish for a new card… I now carry that old card with me in my wallet… Also, I make a mean Nordy bar!
We don’t have Nordstrom where I live so I’d never heard of Nordy bars. I looked up a recipe, these look so yummy!! https://abountifulkitchen.com/nordy-bars/#recipe
I love Nordy bars. Years ago, they handed that out along with the recipe if you were an early Black Friday shopper. I made them for my family and it’s become a go to hostess gift. So yummy!
Now we need to see the prom dress!
omg I wish I had a pic! I’ll ask my mom if she does :)
100%
I’m hoping she has one too! Throwback photos are peak entertainment to me. :)
I got my prom dress at Nordstrom, too. It was from the junior section, the Brass Plum?! Oh the memories! I’m a longtime Nordy shopper. Love their customer service and the variety of lines/brands they carry. And fun fact: the family just bought the company back from a private equity firm so it’s once again a family owned business.
Wouldn’t a post about actual prom dresses, complete with old photos, be so fun? And maybe then what dress we’d pick now, hypothetically??? Or wedding dresses? I love seeing old pics of formal wear, they are just so fun and scream whatever era they are from (for good and very very bad lol). I had a metallic royal blue ball gown. Huge skirt, shirred strapless top that didn’t want to stay up! It screams 1989, loudly. And I still love it. All my gfs wore short pouf dresses, or mermaid. But I was too insecure about my body to show legs or tight dress on my butt. But if I could choose again, I’d go super sexy and all skin, slit up to here and bare back and hope people stare lol.
Nordstrom is often a bit out of my price range, but a Nordstrom rack opened near my house recently, and oh my gosh… wardrobe game changer. Love that store!
You know what always made me feel weirdly fancy? When the Nordstrom staff would walk around the counter to hand you your bag. Like, suddenly I’m not buying socks — I’m a fancy lady of leisure. It’s such a small thing, but it lives rent-free in my mind as peak classy behavior.
hahaha oh my gosh, I know EXACTLY what you mean! and i totally agree.
my first experience there: the salesperson carefully wrapped my purchase in tissue paper, gave me a perfume sample and then walked around to give me the bag. my purchase was a bathsuit on sale for 75% off!
Haha so true! I grew up pretty blue collar and when I went to Nordstrom for the first time as an adult and experienced the walk around bag delivery, I was like woah, I am fannccyyyy!
It’s such a classy touch that makes every customer feel VIP.