There is no way around it, guys. Black Friday is slowly approaching.
I am not going to pretend I am not looking forward to it, because I am. I love a good sale like I love pasta carbonara — a lot, basically — and because our favourite brands have already started not-so-subtly whispering sweet nothings to us, it’s time to prepare our game plan.
I haven’t been shopping much this season (except for shoes, obviously), because living in Gran Canaria means every parcel takes anywhere from two weeks to an undetermined amount of time to arrive.
Because of that, I quite often end up shopping in the stores I actually have around me, which explains my ongoing relationship with Massimo Dutti. Or I wait until I am going to London and do a bit a lot of shopping there.
But I am in the mood now, and there are a few things sitting on my wishlist that I would happily buy if the right discount appears.
So I’ll show you mine, and you show me yours?
But because we are not barbarians here, we are going to approach this properly.
Think of Black Friday like a marathon. We have been training for this. We know what to do. We are not sprinting into the first 30% off email we see, we are better shoppers, we are professionals!
So, a little reminder before the madness begins:
CHECK YOUR WARDROBE FIRST
Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.
But please, open your wardrobe and actually look at what you already have.
If you have not switched over to the new season yet, maybe do that first. Or at least, take the autumn/winter clothes out of storage so you can see what you already own before buying something super similar because you completely forgot you bought that purple jumper at the end of last season.
Then look for patterns:
What do I already own and wear all the time?
What do I keep wishing I had when I am getting dressed?
What single piece would unlock more outfits from what I already own?
What am I constantly trying to replace because I have never quite found the right version?
What do I own enough of already, even if the internet is currently trying very hard to sell me another one?
That last question is probably the most important one during Black Friday.
What job is this new piece going to do?
I’ve talked about this before many times, and I still think it’s one of the most useful questions you can ask yourself when shopping in general, but especially during sales.
I believe different pieces play different roles in our wardrobes. I’ve made that article free again because I think it is genuinely useful for this time of the year.
The four categories are:
The Everyday Hero, The Seasonal Shift, The Statement Item and The Fixer.
Each one has a different job:
Some are the pieces you wear constantly: your go-tos.
Some make older clothes feel fresh again.
Some are bold, personality-filled pieces that do the heavy lifting.
And some are the quieter problem-solvers that make everything else work better.
This is sort of how I am going to organise my Black Friday finds on ShopMy. Rather than dumping hundreds of sale links on you and hoping for the best, I want the edits to actually be useful.
I am planning three collections:
The Everyday Hero — coats, knitwear, shoes and those wardrobe staples that are actually worth buying when the price drops.
The Outfit Makers — jewellery, belts, shoes and accessories that can make the clothes you already own feel different.
The Special Finds — the beautiful, unusual, slightly unnecessary things. Because we are trying to shop better, while also having fun.
Once the main sales start, I will send a newsletter with the discounts and pieces I genuinely think are worth your attention, and I will keep updating the ShopMy edits as I find things. I will be sharing my “do not miss this” finds in the chat as I spot them throughout Black Friday week — the genuinely good pieces, great discounts and things that are worth a closer look.
A little extra for paid subscribers
This year, paid subscribers can send me one specific thing they are looking for — size, budget, preferences and all — and I will help hunt down a few good options during Black Friday week.
And if you have been thinking about upgrading, annual subscriptions will be 33% off from today until the end of the month: €50 for the first year instead of €75.
What I think is worth buying
These are the categories I genuinely think are worth keeping an eye on during Black Friday:
Knitwear
I always like shopping for knitwear during sales because you can often get good cashmere and merino wool for less. This is also when I buy jumpers for my husband that I can conveniently wear myself too. I am such a good wife!
I know I keep raving about my new gifted Henley jumper from Rise & Fall, but I am genuinely obsessed with the quality. The merino is incredibly soft, and I love that they focus on really good materials while keeping prices lower than a lot of luxury brands.
They currently have 20% off the whole site, so definitely one to look at if you want to get some good knitwear.
Jackets and coats
If you have been waiting to invest in a classic coat or leather jacket, this can be a good time to do it. From experience, Massimo Dutti and COS usually put a selection into the sale, although I would not expect trending pieces to suddenly be discounted. The really obvious ones tend to remain full price.
Footwear
I am also going to be keeping an eye out for boots and shoes that can update our outfits this season. Margaux is offering 20% off from 18 November to 1 December, and these are very much on my wishlist.
I am also watching ALOHAS, a Spanish brand I really like and regularly recommend to my clients because their shoes manage to feel current without looking like they will become completely irrelevant in six months. The quality has always impressed me too. A lot of their footwear is made on demand, so it can take a little longer to reach you, but I actually like knowing they are producing more deliberately rather than sitting on huge amounts of stock.
They are doing their own “Better Than Black Friday” offer, with selected styles up to 30% off, so I will definitely be having a look there too.
Jewellery
A lot of my favourite jewellery brands have offered really good discounts in the past, including Monica Vinader and Missoma, so definitely keep an eye out for those for gifts to yourself and others.
I have been linking to At Present quite a bit lately because they carry lots of different jewellery brands in one place, and I always find something interesting there. They are offering 20% off from 22 November, so if you already have something saved, it is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Beauty
I am definitely not a beauty content creator, I am super lazy and my beauty routine is very straight to the point, but I have tried a few products that were kindly gifted to me and there are some I genuinely love. I will be adding those to my Black Friday selection too and keeping an eye out for any particularly good discounts.
I am quite blown away by how much my skin texture has changed since using red light consistently. I also like that I can multitask while wearing it. The Beauty Pie mask I had before never stayed on properly, so my CurrentBody one definitely feels like an upgrade.
I also have a 20% off code for CurrentBody: NOELIA, so if there is a device you have already been considering, this is a good one to check before buying elsewhere.
Past-season summer pieces
This is another category I always keep an eye on, especially somewhere like NET-A-PORTER, because they often bring last season pieces back into the sale.
So if there was a summer dress, sandal, bag or holiday piece you loved but never bought at the time, it is worth checking again. Sometimes the thing you thought you had missed completely quietly reappears months later at a much better price.
A couple of things to do now
Now it’s the time to get slightly organised. A few retailers like COS, &Other Stories and Massimo Dutti give subscribers early access or at least tell them about the sale before everybody else, so if there is something sitting on your wishlist, make sure you are actually signed up to their emails now, you can always unsubscribe after.
Massimo Dutti is one I always keep an eye on. But from experience, their Black Friday selection can be a little unpredictable — sometimes there are gems, sometimes there is a very good reason a particular trouser has survived untouched until late November — but I will be watching it for you.
And if you are shopping somewhere like Net-a-Porter, their private sale has started so it’s time to check if any of your favourites are on sale.
Questions before checkout
Sales have a very special talent for making something feel urgent when, five minutes earlier, you didn’t even know it existed.
So before you let the discount do all the talking, ask yourself:
Do I actually want this, or do I just want the deal?
Would I still be thinking about it if it were full price?
Can I picture at least three outfits with things I already own?
Is the quality actually good enough to deserve space in my wardrobe?
Does it suit my real life?
Is this filling a gap, or am I buying another version of something I already have?
If most of those answers are yes, brilliant. If not, it is probably not today.
Your turn
Now I want to know what’s on your wishlist? What have you been waiting for? What are you hoping goes on sale? And what are you already slightly suspicious you might be trying to talk yourself into?
Tell me in the comments. I want to see everything.
Love,
Noelia x
As much as I keep looking at shoes, I need to STOP until my foot is fully recovered from surgery.