Everything You Need From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale With Fashion Director Linda Cui Zhang

0:01Bobby Schuessler:This episode is sponsored by Nordstrom. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Nordstrom and there is no better way to celebrate than by shopping the anniversary sale. And this year's sale is bigger and better than ever with over 25 ,000 customer choices and the debut of over 50 brands we love like Reformation, Staud and one of my personal favorites, Flamingo Estate. What makes this sale particularly special, though, is that it's the one time of year customers can shop newly arrived fall styles on sale for a limited time. But don't wait. The best deals go fast and the sale ends on August 9th.

0:55Bobby Schuessler:Welcome to the Who What Wear podcast. I'm Bobby Shessler, the shopping director at Who What Wear. And today on the pod, I'm talking to Nordstrom's fashion director, Linda Kwe Zhang, to discuss their anniversary sale. It's Nordstrom's 125th anniversary this year, so they're pulling out all the stops and debuting 50 new brands. We chat about everything from the nine trends to know to the very best beauty brands on offer this year. Plus, if you only shop one item at the sale, Linda is giving her top recommendation. It's all coming up on Who What Wear.

1:36Bobby Schuessler:Linda, thank you so much for joining me again. You're one of my favorite guests and also the chicest guest. Thank you so much for having me. Honestly, Bobby, the feeling's mutual. I want to now color block your story. I saw you had a cast color blocked with your bag, so I'm now inspired to do that as well. Before we jump in, just so the audience can learn a little bit more about you, what does being the fashion director at Nordstrom entail? I essentially support product selection for the assortment that shows up in our stores and online, as well as the curation of trends and fashion stories. So the themes and trends you'll find in our anniversary catalog, part of my job is also brand discovery.

2:17So understanding the cultural shifts and how it impacts fashion, you'll see there's a lot of newness and new brands on our event. One of my favorite parts is meeting those brands and learning about their collections. It's really exciting and very privileged to preview collections and kind of dream up product that we have during the anniversary sale. So at the end of the day, my role is to guide the products and brands we're bringing to our customers and storytelling around them. So there's a cohesive point of view, whether that's through trend, through category, through color, and through great events like anniversary sale.

2:53Bobby Schuessler:Amazing. Yes. And I also heard slash saw, of course, that it's the 125th anniversary of Nordstrom this year, which is wild. That's what wears 20th anniversary this year, FYI. It's crazy. I have a few greys, but we're getting through it. And I think I like to think they're quite chic. Okay. So obviously we're jumping into anniversary sale. You've already kind of mentioned this. There are, from what I heard also, I think like 50 new brands to the sale this year from last year. And I know you helped curate all of this. Which brands should our listeners be looking out for in particular? You're right.

3:28We are debuting more than 50 brands this sale, including customer favorites. It's a robust list, but brands like Reformation, Stodd, Primary for Kids, Flamingo Estate, Claire V, Lola Blankets, Ana Luisa. I can keep going. Favorite Daughter, Madewell, Puma, The Great. It's a long list. And I know I just did a very dramatic read, but we're so excited about so many new brands to anniversary this year. And I think with the new brands, the beauty here is we really focused on those like well-known iconic items. So like for a Reformation example, we love them for their dresses. And we made sure that the great guest of wedding dress is on sale.

4:14With a brand like Flamingo State, they're obviously known for their beautiful home fragrances and we have um exclusive sets on sale bobby if you haven't tried the green goddess yet it makes your home home smell like a summer garden um it's so good i really recommend it but brands like puma as an example i mean we're obsessed with the sneak arena that cute little hybrid of like a sneaker and a ballet flat so we have this really adorable hot pink style on sale and then stod there's a bag that people know by name the tommy beaded bag and we have it on sale and a Zeiger print. So there's just a couple of examples, but really thinking about those new brands and bringing those iconic styles from the brands we're debuting.

4:54There's so many more to talk about, but I know we should move on.

4:58Bobby Schuessler:Amazing. I do want to talk about trends because what I love about the anniversary sale is you can shop the fall items on sale. We're not talking like past season, like their new fall items on sale. Tell me about some of the key fall trends we can find during anniversary sale. and what the process was, you kind of mentioned this, about prioritizing which trends to go into the anniversary sale this year. Anniversary sale is that one time of year that we offer to discover the next season's trends, the best styles to wear now, to wear to work, to go to back to school with, to get really sharp under$100 price points in makeup and beauty.

5:38It's like a time to go stock up and save. We look at the categories. We know our customers love shopping on the sale. So categories like coats, jackets, cashmere, boots, and denim, buy now, wear now accessories. And then from there, we like to develop the trend, whether it's color or print or texture. This year, we're really, really excited about color, that like freedom to mix and match and color blocking. So and texture, of course, is really becoming that way to add interest to an outfit, whether it's like suede or fur, woven straw. and then really thinking about color in terms of like green as a new neutral.

6:16Zyger print is that kind of animal print that's as easy to wear as leopard print. As far as trends go on the event, we made it really easy to shop the trends we're most excited about. We put together a shopping list of the nine to know. It's at the front of our print catalog. We'll have it online as well. I'm going to go through them all because I'm excited about them. But I have brand picks and descriptions for everyone. So the first one, polished leather jacket. There's a great one from All Saints that's this beautiful blue sawn peplum waist. It has this really soft femininity. I think with Aaron Esch now at the design helm of the brand, I'm excited to see that kind of balance of rock and roll and sensuality.

6:58The essential crossbody number two, the suede loafer. I know you're a fan of the loafer, Bobby. Of course. I go with the brand Vince for the suede loafer. it's suede it has that beautiful texture and then also this like almost like pinch front that gives the perfect amount of like interest to a classic style i love that vince makes like great shoes always like top top sellers for us as well i know i i i'm not gatekeeping anymore i think vince is a great resource for shoes and i think that we have tons on on sale that like i invite everyone to discover on the event as well oh my gosh what number were we on number four um the high collar right?

7:40So the high collar, it's like that drama of a high collar jacket. It's a pop color that stays up at all times. There's a windbreaker style from Barber that has this high collar, cinch waist, light khaki. It feels very Bobby coated.

7:55Bobby Schuessler:Okay. I need that because I just was wearing a high collar jacket from a line that I got from Nordstrom and I get compliments and I, like literally anytime I wear it, it's just divine. And that high collar, it's like, Like it's easy to wear, but like on trend, it's forward. It's yeah, I'm just obsessed. And from a brand like Barber, you know that it's functional as well, right? Like it's like weatherproof. You can wear it in the cold. You can wear it in the rain. So that's like a great get of fashion and function. But really thinking about dark denim, like I think dark denim is fancy. I'm treating dark denim like tailoring this season.

8:30So in place of a blazer, in place of a trouser, you wear head to toe dark denim and it's like a workout fit solution depending on your office. The brand I look to for that is Sinka Set. They have this really beautiful set. It's a lady jacket with a wide leg pant. Number six, the Sneakerina. We're obsessed with versions of the Sneakerina. The brand pick here is Adidas. There's this very trend forward version. It's open weave, it's macrame, lace ups around the ankle. It's really chic with like a little skirt or denim. Active wears is this idea that we're seeing sports, obviously influence fashion so much right now.

9:07So really a brand highlight is free people movement, but really thinking about those like brilliant pops of color and active wear. Keeps you cool, great for a workout. Colorful knitwear, I can't stress enough how much, not a big surprise from either of us, I'm sure, but we love a sweater layer. And there's so much fun to be had with layering and color blocking sweaters this season. So we have bright pinks and greens and blues, really a rainbow to play with on sale. And it's a great opportunity to pick up a few on sale and experiment with color blocking. And then last, but certainly not least in terms of trends is this kind of idea of the high-vis accent.

9:44I'm really thinking about this through the lens of jewelry. I love this idea of wearing many strands of beads and necklaces at once. In our catalog, we styled layers of Nordstrom beads with a Lizzie Fortunato pendant necklace. That's really how we invite our customers to try experimenting with their jewelry as well. But that's the nine to know. That's my dramatic through.

10:06Bobby Schuessler:That's amazing because also I am filming a show called Retail Therapy. It's presented by Nordstrom. If you haven't seen it, check it out. But our third episode features many of these trends. So I feel like we're just, we're totally vibing with this, which is great. Okay. I want to talk a little bit more about shoes. Like we mentioned sneak arenas. We mentioned the loafers. What other shoe trends should listeners consider going into fall that might be on sale during anniversary? Yeah, let's talk about it. I think one of the great shoe trends, it's a classic. And I think there's this resurgence of this like preppy Americana lean.

10:39So one of the big ideas that we have on sale is the loafer. It's part of our nine to know. We have great brands kind of supporting that. Brands like Vince, Veronica Beard, GH Bass is a heritage brand that's known for its loafer. And it's the first time that it's new on event. But we love the idea of a loafer as like kind of this brand, this kind of classic that's reimagined. really grounds a look. You have a whole preppy story that kind of is grounded by the loafer. And then the other, I think, shoe that we love, I know this is like middle of July we're talking about, but really getting into the like new modern novelty in boots.

11:19We have so many to choose from and they're all really cool and directional, like subtle Western leaning, really angled heels, as well as kind of like the tall kind of directional boots as well. So really, really love this idea of getting a boot on sale to kind of like ready your wardrobe that you can wear now with like a mini skirt or a cute mini dress and then like kind of transition your fall wardrobe and layer into it.

11:42Bobby Schuessler:Okay, so obviously we can shop fall pieces. If someone wants to purchase something right now for summer, what should they buy from anniversary sale? Oh my goodness. We have so many options. I think one of the beauties of this event and this landmark year for us is that we're making it bigger and better. So I think top of mind for me is like the layering idea and being able to bring in those kind of lightweight knits and tees. I love this idea of the layered striped tee. We have great options from there as to buy now, wear now, and then putting a sweater over it. And then when it gets colder at night, like putting the sweater on.

12:19In terms of accessories, I love this idea of like straw and wovens. So both like the topper of a hat or the handbag, but really excited to kind of bring in those like textures from summer and like kind of transition your wardrobe to fall. I'm also into this idea of like a seasonless woven. So bringing in that like straw bag, but then also wearing it kind of off season, if you will, into your fall transitional wardrobe. But a lot of great ideas. I think suede, it's very, very transitional as well. so getting into your suede jacket and your suede accessories now and then having that as like a buy now wear now and then kind of transitioning to fall as well okay can you talk to me about

13:02Bobby Schuessler:beauty a little bit more and what you know makeup items or fragrance or sets we can expect from the anniversary sale like what are some of your favorites that you've seen i always think of the anniversary sale as this time to restock. It's the middle of the year. So whatever you're running low on, whether that's, you know, bath and body items from Necessaire, Osea bath oils, and then some of your makeup grail items that you may like bring up time and time again, it's a wonderful time to kind of like stock up on those just because they are once a year offered on sale. So those items that, you know, you're going to keep using your lip gloss, your mascaras, your foundations.

13:45It's a great time to shop beauty during this time of year, especially discovering new fragrance. We have a lot of designer fragrances on as part of the sale and they're both full size and then in discovery sets. So you can either, you know, top up on the fragrance you love and maybe even find a new favorite on the sale as well.

14:03Bobby Schuessler:Do you have any tips or tricks for customers that might be new to the sale and just like how to navigate it? Like where should they go first? Any tips that you have? I really like touting this idea of a shopping list. It's the styles and ideas that we really are excited about for the season. So I would start with the nine to know and really go through that shopping list of things that you may be interested in. It's capturing a breadth of items as well. So when we think about dark denim, it's covering both the jacket and the denim and the pant. When we think about colorful knitwear, you know, there's colorful knitwear across a rainbow of color.

14:43So it's really giving the customer an idea of what to choose from. So the nine to know is kind of what we start with in terms of like grounding ourselves in, you know, the exciting, most trend forward ideas that we are excited about for the sale. The other piece of this is like creating a wishlist. So we've made a shopping list, but I also encourage our customer to kind of make a wishlist of things they discover as well. So that means like restocking on those favorite items, the stock up and save categories across home, across beauty, and really thinking about that as well. And then the sale starts July 18th.

15:18We know that it's mid-summer. So thinking about those like buy now, wear now pieces as well, that kind of easily transition to fall. So those are the three main buckets, nine to no, creating a wishlist and really thinking about those buy now, wear now that can also transition you to fall.

15:34Bobby Schuessler:I know we have the nine to know. If you only could tell a customer to buy one trend from nine to know, do you have a favorite? Oh my goodness, Bobby, you're challenging me. I'm, I'm so into color this season. I really love this idea. I know it's hard to see, but I'm, I'm wearing actually like a yellow top with a pair of red pants. So I'm, I'm very into color. and I think about like the ways to integrate color from the nine to no whether that's the high viz accent or the colorful knitwear it's about layering and like the possibilities of color blocking which I know you do so well as well so putting together your like pop colored cashmere with a beaded necklace laying another pendant necklace over and I know I'm cheating a bit you asked for one I'm giving you two but it is our birthday it is our birthday so hopefully you'll pardon me.

16:22Bobby Schuessler:I want to talk about bags a little bit because I like love bags. Any other bag trends to know? I love print in general, I think for bags this season. And one specific print I'll hone in on is Zyger. I don't think we can be credited for coming up with this, but it's this hybrid of zebra and tiger together. It's a little bit of a mix. But I really love being able to integrate that as the places you wear animal print or the places you wear leopard, you can substitute that with Zyger. So we have the print in bags. We have the Stod Tommy beaded bag, really going after like print through the lens of like this black and white emotional kind of Zyger print is, is something I'm excited about as well.

17:02I spoke a little bit to the straw woven bag and that kind of texture as well. I keep honing in on this, but I love this as like a buy now, wear now initiative, like being able to like have that as your last summer hurrah beach bag, but then also kind of continuing to wear it as a big work tote bag. So straw kind of on a vent and in these kind of wovens is like a really great way to add texture to your wardrobe as well.

17:26Bobby Schuessler:Okay, one final question. And you can give me more than one because I feel like that's our journey today. What's the one or a few items you are personally going to be adding to Linda's cart? I wait for this all year long, right? Like, so I've been saving, I've been thinking about it. I've been planning and plotting. One of them is designer eyewear. We have great designer eyewear brands on event. They are styles that rarely ever go on sale and the styles are exclusive to Nordstrom. So I would say designer eyewear is an option I'm going for. I also think sunglasses in general are like a buy now, wear now that you can kind of wear from July all year round.

18:08So that's a category that I'm looking at for the event.

18:11Bobby Schuessler:Designer eyewear is also like always my number one, especially for Nordstrom. We are so aligned, Bobbi. I love that. Okay. Well, thank you so much for joining me again. We are so excited to shop anniversary sale. Of course, I'm loving these nine trends and yeah, I'm going to go like start making a wishlist. Thanks, Bobby. Take care. Thank you.

18:35Bobby Schuessler:A huge thank you to Nordstrom's fashion director, Linda Kweizang. Make sure to subscribe to our show wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode. And while you're there, I'd be so grateful if you'd rate and review us. You can now watch all episodes of The Pod on our new Who What Wear podcast YouTube channel. So please subscribe and check us out there. If you have guest suggestions or any other feedback, find us on social at Who What Wear. See you next Wednesday on the Who What Wear podcast. This episode was produced by Hilary Kerr, Summer Hamaris, and Natalie Thurman. Our production assistant is Grace Ingram.

19:10Bobby Schuessler:Our audio engineers are Glen Canyon Audio, and our music is by Jonathan Leahy.

19:23Bobby Schuessler:Thank you again to Nordstrom for sponsoring today's episode. And don't miss your chance to shop Nordstrom's anniversary sale. It's the one time of year to save on newly arrived fall styles. Not only can you shop for pieces to wear now, but you can also plan for your whole year. Update your work wardrobe, grab back-to-school outfits for the kids, and stock up on beauty products at amazing pre-season savings. At Who But Where, we're always on the lookout for ways to shop smarter. And the anniversary sale definitely makes the cut. Make sure to shop the Nordstrom anniversary sale on the app, in-store, or online at Nordstrom.com.

20:01Bobby Schuessler:The sale ends on August 9th.