Update! Just because Black Friday has come and gone, doesn’t mean this cannot be used as future shopping attire. This is your go-to winter shopping outfit!
Black Friday. It’s right around the corner. So close in fact that it feels like it’s starting on Thursday. Oh wait. It is. Let me repeat. Black. Friday. Starts. On. Thanksgiving. So is it Black Thursday now too? Black Two-Days? You see what I did there? Probably not. I’m weird. Anyways, some people hate Black Friday so much that they avoid going out in public the entire day because “only the crazies go out in that mess to save 10 dollars.” Others, however, love the deals and the tradition of going shopping with family the day after Thanksgiving, or in this [year’s] case, right after dinner Thursday night. If you happen to be one of those that chooses to brave the retail jungle for some good finds, take note on the best way to dress to save yourself some time in the fitting rooms and maximize the potential for what you’re about to buy.
First things first! I know Black Friday is meant to be about buying the vast amount of gifts you’re planning on giving out for the Holidays, but not everyone goes hunting for the perfect present for mom, dad, and Aunt Susie, without taking a minute to shop for herself! After all, Black Friday is meant to be the day for deals, so why not treat yourself as well?
One key factor to your shopping outfit on Black Friday is mainly comfort. Who likes shopping when their feet hurt after walking around in those cute little heeled booties for 2 hours? Answer: no one. It makes you grumpy, no fun to be around, and leaves you vulnerable to buy a random pair of shoes you happen upon, that you otherwise wouldn’t purchase, just for the comfort of your feet for the next 6 hours of shopping with whomever it is that may be dragging you around the mall at 3 in the morning.
Is this cute? No way. It’s hard to tell if that shirt is going to look awesome with anything when you try it on with sweats! Silk shirt is from Nordstrom.
The other key factor to your outfit for Black Friday is that you are wearing a functional outfit. Functional?, you make ask, aren’t all clothes functional? Yes, yes they are. But do your sweatpants do that cute silk blouse justice when you try it on?? Probs not. Just sayin’.
So here is a list of what to wear and why for fast try-ons in the middle of the busiest retail season of the year.
DENIM
You definitely want to wear denim. This is a must!!! No dresses or skirts. Dresses seem like a good idea because it’s only one article of clothing you have to remove, however, if you want to try on a top, how do you know it will look good if you’re just standing there in your underwear?! Exactly. It’s also kind of annoying to have to take on and off tights or leggings when constantly trying on clothes. Just stick with denim!
Choosing dark denim is the way to go because it’s easy to dress up or down!
Pick a pair of darker wash denim. Darker washes are easier to dress up or down, so if you wear dark wash denim, you can try on simple t-shirts, as well as nicer button-downs or blouses and more easily comprehend how they will look with other pieces in your wardrobe.
Top: Madewell Legging Denim in Arctic Blue
Bottom: J. Brand Mid-Rise Rail in Dark Vintage
T-SHIRT- In Black or White (or Gray if you must)
Step 1: Wear a basic, solid, neutral-colored tee; it makes trying on bottoms easy. It is important to wear a solid tee because when trying on printed bottoms such as skirts, having a printed top can alter the look of the skirt, or clash with it, potentially making you not like it as much as you would otherwise. And you obviously liked it when you saw it on the hanger, so don’t let the print crazy tee you wore to the store distract you from that awesome skirt that also wants to live in your closet!
Stick to neutral solids! Black V-Neck: Madewell, White Scoop Neck: Ann Taylor Loft
Step 2: Have that solid colored tee be in a neutral color (very important!), preferably one that shows up in the majority of your current wardrobe. If you wear a lot of black, wear a solid black tee so when trying on, you can see how pieces will look with a color you wear frequently. Same goes with white. In the rare case that you wear gray more, or you don’t have any solid black or white t-shirts, you can wear gray, however, black and white are the more favored options here. Wearing these neutral colors allows the new piece of clothing you’re trying on to stand on it’s own, without the distraction of another color or print competing with it.
SHOES– Flats, or something similar that you would wear with any outfit!
Tory Burch Reva Ballerina Flats- Easy to wear with denim, skirts, and dresses.
For shoes, it is preferable that you wear something that can be easily slipped on and off. No one wants to spend time in the dressing room tying and untying shoes over and over again. It is also important to wear a pair of shoes that you could see yourself wearing with every outfit. You probably won’t wear your Nikes with the shimmer skirt you just bought for New Year’s Eve. Some sort of flats are the best choice, particularly a pair that you’ve already broken in, so there are no worries about painful feet while shopping! Flats work best because they can be worn with any outfit. If flats aren’t your style, other options include booties, Sperry’s, Minnetonka moccasins or Toms, however the latter three are not always recommended because they can be hard to pull off in dressier attire.
Madewell Charley Boot- leather and suede bootie
If booties are your shoe of choice, be sure to wear ones that cut at the ankle, because anything higher can make dresses and skirts look to be a weird length, when they’re really not, depending on your height. Fun fact: for shorter women, wearing booties that completely cover the ankle with knee length (give or take a few inches) dresses or skirts can cause a stumpy effect, and as a short female myself, I can say that no short woman wants to look even shorter!
ACCESSORIES- Keep it simple!
Watch: Michael Kors
Rings and Earrings: Madewell
Now is not the time to break out all your flashy jewelry, so you can leave that chunky bauble necklace you just ordered from Amazon at home. Just wear simple accessories, such as pieces you would wear everyday. Examples include stud earrings, a watch, and a ring or two. Too much jewelry and you risk catching them on those super comfortable cable knit sweaters you want to try on. If you can avoid wearing a necklace, do so; they seem to cause more problems than they are worth when throwing things on over your head about 10 times in a row in a span of 15 minutes.
STAY WARM– Bring a heavy jacket.
Vineyard Vines Down Jacket
Black Friday involves shopping in the middle of the night/early hours in the morning, so be sure to stay warm by wearing a heavy jacket or whatever is needed to keep warm, especially if you will be shopping at an outdoor mall. I recommend wearing one substantial jacket, such as a down coat, as opposed to a few lighter layers. It’s easier to take off one heavy jacket rather than peeling off your light jacket to only then have to remove your sweater, which than reveals yet another layer, and so on.
PURSE- Preferably as small as you can possibly go, cross-body bag recommended!
Dooney and Bourke Crossbody Bag
Holiday season is also theft season…well not really, but theft does increase during the holidays, so you definitely want to keep your valuables close when shopping in big crowds! This is why I recommend cross-body bags! If someone wants to swipe it from you, that’s too bad, because they will be taking you along too. I also recommend traveling to the retail jungle as light as you can (I know it’s hard after you just ate 10 pounds worth of turkey and stuffing not even 6 hours earlier)! But just remember, you’ll probably be carrying bags and bags of goodies for your family and friends and a heavy purse will just add to that- yet another reason for a cross-body-it keeps your hands free!
COUPONS, SANITIZER, AND SOCKS
Don’t forget the ever important coupons that you can top on Black Friday Deals! And stay germ-free with sanitizer!
Socks: Happy Socks These are important for trying on boots and sneakers!
Coupons: If a store is offering additional discounts with a provided coupon, don’t forget them! Once you make it to the mall and fight all the animals off in the parking decks for a parking space, you definitely don’t want to have to make the trek back home, only to come right back! Also, do your research, as some places offer price matching.
Sanitizer: More crowds means more bathroom use means less soap means potential for no soap, which equals icky! Especially during flu season! And that iPhone 5 case you just touched…yeah… about 75 other fingers were touching that before you did in the last 5 hours. So carry some hand sanitizer! This should be a purse essential in general, but especially when you’re coming into contact with many more people than usual.
Socks: Carry socks in your purse if you plan on trying on boots! It’s no fun trying to guess if the boots will fit when you have socks on. And let’s face it, those footies the stores give you, which I know are also for sanitation purposes…they just don’t cut it. It would take about 15 of them to equal the thickness of even the thinnest sock, so just save yourself the trouble and bring your own socks! What’s worse is having to return the boots because they didn’t fit the way you wanted them to after the holidays with all the other shoppers returning their plethora of unwanted goods. This is also why you should bite the bullet and just try on if you’re out on Black Friday!! It will save you a trip back to the store, where all the after holiday grumpies will be standing in line impatiently waiting to return their not-so-awesome presents.
Wearing: Vineyard Vines Jacket, Madewell Black V-Neck Tee, J. Brand Jeans, and Tory Burch Flats
Wearing: Madewell Black V-Neck Tee, J. Brand Jeans, Dooney and Bourke Cross-body Bag, Michael Kors Watch, and Tory Burch Flats
Hopefully this what-to-wear guide was helpful and eases the stress of your Black Friday shopping! Good luck out there in the retail jungle!
Bows and Arrows, Lynda
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