Lord & Taylor has been my steady go-to since opening my style consulting business 16 years ago. In the early days, I really only shopped there with clients of a "certain age" or with those who had very specific needs, like shoes or dresses, coats or swimsuits. The store wasn't necessarily known for being fashion-forward, but certain departments consistently hit it out of the park. Then, over the years, things began to change. I started to notice that the buyers got better, the labels they brought in were fresh and, oh my God, their sales were so good. In a matter of years, I was bringing every client to Lord & Taylor for something. I became such a regular that I carried a VIP discount card, given only to a handful of select customers, and the sales staff in personal shopping became my friends.
So to know that this 104 year old institution is going away by the end of this year not only saddens me it also royally inconveniences me. And in what seems perfect for the times we're living in, a WeWork location will be taking its place.
The upside to Lord & Taylor's 5th Avenue flagship closing is the sales going on as the store begins to wind down. Needing to shop for myself (for once), I stopped in there last week and came home with a shopping bag full of clothing for the price of what one piece and the two pairs of shoes I bought would have cost at full price. If you live in or near NYC, are willing to shop like a buzzard picking over the bones of roadkill, run, don't walk, to Lord & Taylor. Below is everything I bought for the grand total of just over $600.
My Lord & Taylor sale purchases
Below is everything I purchased. I tried my best to find links on the L&T website and when I couldn't I tried to find links at other retailers. The best way to get these sales is to actually visit the stores, but there are still some good deals to be had.
#1- MICHAEL Michael Kors striped top
It takes a lot for me not to get swayed into buying a navy and white striped top. This one from MICHAEL Michael Kors caught my eye and I was convinced it was going to look blobby on me. To my surprise, it didn't. It was on sale for $51 and I got it for even less. While it is lightweight, it can stay pretty warm in New York until at least November. I envision wearing it with jeans, under my navy blazer, with navy pants, and so on. Once summer hits next year it will look great with white jeans.
#2- Lord & Taylor Skinny Utility Trousers
I wish I could say, as a stylist, I lead a glamorous life, but I don't. My job is physical, making jeans and pants key. I'm also a jeans girl, through and through. These pants seemed like a nice alternative. They were on sale for $59 and the site has an additional 20% off when you use your store card. I know I got money off in the store without even using my card. I bought both colors.
#3- Cole Haan red flats
The next three pairs of shoes have quite a story. If you travel up to the final sale section on Lord & Taylor's 10th floor be prepared to dig. I found this pair of Cole Haan shoes for $59, even better, they were having a buy one pair get a pair free sale. So, essentially I got these Cole Haan shoes (originally $150) and the next pair (originally $150) for $59 total...for both pairs!! I wore them to fly home from my Colorado trip this past weekend (the photo above is from my Instastory) and they looked super chic with a pair of ankle length jeans and the Nic + Zoe top I will show you below.
#4- Cole Haan loafer mules
Yes, I will admit, I balked at loafer mules making a comeback. I am now eating my words because I found this pair from Cole Haan and they look amazing. They're really sleek and streamlined which makes them look pretty chic. I wore them on my flight to Colorado which you can see in my Instastory photo above (yes, I have a name for my suitcase. Doesn't everyone?) with a grey short sleeve sweater (shown below) and a navy blazer. I paid zero dollars for these shoes. I don't think you can beat that price. One key note about Cole Haan shoes: I always size up a half size.
#5- Steven booties
I used to wear Steven shoes (Steve Madden higher level line) all the time. They fit me like a glove. I stopped wearing them not because I didn't like them but because I was never near the retail location like I used to be. Needing a pair of nice booties that I could work in, I fell in love with these. Even better, the original price of these boots was $149, the clearance price was $39 and I got them for free because of all the buy one get one free deals that were to be had.
#6- Eileen Fisher Jumpsuit
This jumpsuit from Eileen Fisher and I have a history. Every client I put it on this summer bought it, from missy to plus size. It's shockingly flattering. The original price point isn't cheap for everyone at $289, including me who typically has slow months in the summer and not a lot of extra money to spend on anything. So I watched the price of the jumpsuit and waited for it to finally drop. At the Lord & Taylor sale the price dropped to $160 and with the additional buy one get one free part of the sale, I got this jumpsuit for $99! I may not get a ton of wear from it this season but it will be ready for next year. I couldn't find it on L&T's website but I did find it at a pretty good sale price on the Eileen Fisher site.
#7- Vince blouse
Free items aside, this was probably the biggest jaw-dropping deal. Vince stopped selling their clothes in most department stores recently and seeing how long it had been since Lord & Taylor carried the label, this blouse was sitting on the final sale clearance rack for $39! How nobody picked it up before me is a mystery. This 100% silk blouse retails for nearly $300. Unfortunately, I could only find it on the Vince site for full price, but if you really want it you can find it here.
#8- Nic + Zoe Tunic
This Nic + Zoe top is another piece I found on the final sale clearance rack. It originally retailed for around $150. I couldn't find it on the L&T site, but I did find it at a great price on Amazon. It looks great with skinny jeans. I was actually wearing it with my red shoes in that photo above. It's so hard to find shaped tunics with sleeves, especially ones that don't look boxy.
#9- Theory wool short sleeve sweater
This purchase of this sweater from Theory is a bit funny and embarrassing. I found in on a women's sale rack for $97, originally $150. I tried it on and loved how it fit. It wasn't too shaped but also had a nice line. I wore it to Colorado with a navy blazer and my new Cole Haan navy mule loafers. Nothing about this sweater struck me as odd until I went searching for a link to it for this post. It was then that I came to find out I bought a men's sweater!!! Seriously, I had NO idea (insert face palm emoji here). Keep in mind, the photo of me wearing the sweater with my sister above was after both of us traveled quite extensively, so please ignore how bedraggled we look. You tell me, does it look like I am wearing a men's sweater? Even weirder, the sweater is a men's large. How small does a man have to be to wear this sweater in a size large? I went searching for a link to the sweater and couldn't find it. If you do some searching on your own it is called The Veloy SS sweater.
#10- Context sleeveless tunic blouse
This last piece from Context I searched high and low for online but couldn't find, so no link to it. So I took a quick snap of it (ignore my junky rent stabilized apartment front door). Prior to this purchase, I never even considered anything from Context. Most of the stuff they do is just okay. However, when I tried this olive sleeveless tunic blouse on I loved it and decided not to care who made it. It works so well with skinny pants and jeans. I can't remember how much I paid for this blouse, probably around $40, if that.
If you are willing to dig, checking out the Lord & Taylor's closing sale is well worth it. Normally I am a really bad clearance and sale shopper, not because I am a rich snob but because I am an HSP and I get overwhelmed easily. That said, the second I started finding some gems I couldn't stop and walking out of the store with so many deals made it all worth it.
