How To Shop The Black Friday Sales Like A Vogue Editor

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It’s impossible to avoid the barrage of Black Friday sale alerts at this time of year. If you’re loathe to succumb to over consumption or rash impulse buying, but still understandably interested in a potential fashion bargain, then team Vogue can help. Learn how a fashion expert navigates discount shopping with British Vogue’s global content lead and European deputy editor, Sarah Harris, who shares her dos and don’ts for shopping the sales below.

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Before you buy anything

Do a good wardrobe clear out before you shop. Not only does it make space for new purchases, it also highlights the pieces that you might be missing – and also, what you really don’t need more of.

Visit your favourite e-tail sites and fill your basket with potential buys. Come sale day, most if not all of them will have discounts applied, meaning you have a head start to the checkout.

Do

Buy a size too big. A good tailor can alter anything to fit – but get it tailored within a week of buying, or you’ll never do it.
Repeat buy things that you wear time and time again. I will forever stockpile men’s white T-shirts and cashmere sweaters in black, grey and navy, because I wear them all the time. (NB: Always store knits in zipped sweater bags to prevent a moth attack.)
Buy a classic, fabulous evening gown even if you don’t currently have an invitation to a black tie event. A wedding/party/cocktail will materialise, and you’ll be ready. This category of clothing is always massively reduced, and it is far better to buy now than to have to go out and panic-buy something at full price later.
Avoid shopping anything that smacks of a season. Ask yourself, “Will I love it next season, next year, in five years?”
If you’re shopping IRL, inspect garments before you purchase. These clothes have often been hanging around on the shop floor for a long time, make-up marks, tears and snags are all possible, and might allow room for a further reduction if you still want to purchase. (A good dry cleaner can get most stains out: make-up is easy; red pen marks on white, not so much.)
Do your research. Check that a different e-commerce site doesn’t have something listed for less. They have different markdowns at different stages, so it’s worth a two-minute scroll.

Read more: The Best Black Friday Beauty Deals

Don’t

Only think of yourself. Make a start on your Christmas shopping, and write out a list of potential presents for friends and family.
Forget to browse the men’s departments, which often benefit from bigger reductions and cheaper original prices.

Below, take a look at what Sarah is adding to her basket ahead of Black Friday 2021.