Boo! I’m early this week because the John Lewis Sale SS23 has just gone live and so I’m bringing you an early edit to help you pick your way through the many great offers. We’re also heading away for an extended weekend and I have lots of work to finish before we set off, hopefully we’ll be leaving the rain behind – I’d got used to living in endless days of warm weather. Anyway at least it makes it a bit easier to look through some of the best bargains which, as I said last week are often in the off season pieces. The good thing about styles changing much less than they used to is that it means the sales are great hunting grounds for pieces that you can be confident will last for years. As long as they suit you and your body shape, it’s unlikely that they’re going to feel unfashionable because that really is going to be so much less of an issue than it was before.
Shopping responsibly – recycling options at John Lewis
If you’re having a clearout before you shop, I should just remind you of the recycling options that John Lewis offer. If you’re a MyJohnLewis customer you can take in five or more pieces of clothing and you’ll receive £5 off your new purchase when you spend over £20. John Lewis will then make sure that your old clothes are resold for charity or recycled – you can see what kinds of things they’re able to repurpose with their FashionCycle programme here. They have a BeautyCycle service that works in the same way: take in five empty beauty containers (not aerosols or glass) and they’ll recycle the packaging plus you’ll get £5 off your purchase. You can recycle old electrical products and batteries in store too – more details here.
Ok, I won’t dally any longer because I want to talk you through some of the highlights of my ‘John Lewis Sale SS23 – the edit’ before they run out so let’s get going. As I type there are good stock levels on everything I’ve featured and a wide range of sizes. A lot of new offers will be going live through the course of today (Thursday) though so it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled as you shop.
John Lewis Sale SS23 – The Edit
Chic wardrobe cornerstones
I’m beginning with winter coats because there are some high quality classics on sale that could be the lynchpins you’ve been looking for. There’s always a place for a classic coat, it may not be something that you wear every day in winter but everyone has smarter occasions when they’ll need one. In fact forecasting is showing that there’s a shift in the wardrobe balance; as people continue to dress casually more often they’re taking dressing up far more seriously than ever before. Going forwards, ‘peacocking’ (where people dress to stand out from or at least look as good as their peers) will be the thing when it comes to weddings, parties, the races or any kind of special event. It was one of the outcomes of lockdown when everyone was so glad to have a reason to put their gladrags on again and it now it seems that it’s the way our wardrobes will rebalance – with extremes of dress down and dress up.
So, I’m starting with a classic city coat, I’ve pulled it out in black but it’s also available in cobalt blue, pine green and warm plum. I’ve lingered over these lots of times, they’re 100% wool with a beautiful finish and they’re true to size.
Classic city coats available in black, cobalt, pine green and warm plum
If you’re looking for more contemporary styling, this one is a great alternative to camel if you prefer something with a less yellowy tinge. It’s 90% wool and it’s a coat that works right through the three seasons of autumn, winter and spring because the colour is so soft that it lifts outfits when you’re steering away from dark colours. High quality wool content like this is going to be incredibly expensive to buy as we go forward so it really is worth thinking about now if you have a gap to fill. There are lots of other stylish winter coats in the sale and you’ll find the latest listings here.
Swinging towards the more casual end of the sale, this super-eco utility jacket much loved by fashion editors is a great price. It’s washable which makes white a workable option for summer chic.
Washable organic cotton utility jacket
And you have two jackets for the price of one from an iconic British brand here because this is reversible. On the inside you have a lovely warm coral colour which is a great tone for pale skins on cooler days. The onion quilting makes it more fashion forward than one of the classic jackets but there are plenty of others to choose from in the sale here.
Reversible quilted Barbour jacket
Lingerie & Accessories – John Lewis Sale SS23
John Lewis do my favourite lingerie for every day, I bought this set at the beginning of spring and I really love it. It fits perfectly, washes well and works nicely under summer’s lighter colours. It’s now in the sale along with other stunning sets from the same range that are reduced to clear so it’s a great time to refresh your lingerie drawer, you can find them all here.
Socks are one of those things that I’m always meaning to update but I often don’t get round to it. I’m sure you spotted the trend for lurex socks as a replacement for invisible socks last season. They’re certainly kinder to your ankles on chilly days and even if you wear them with boots they look and feel a little more luxe than ordinary ones. These are in the sale and there’s a black version here too
A good quality leather belt at a sensible price is getting harder to find. These are almost half price and there are some sizes in the tan colourway too.
Nightwear – John Lewis Sale SS23
I’m often asked for nightdress recommendations from people who find pyjamas uncomfortable after menopause. One of the reasons they’re hard to find is that they’re often listed as chemises now so try that in your search terms if you’re looking for one. This one comes in soft, comfortable modal and it’s also available in black. There are more sale nightdresses and chemises here.
And for pyjama fans these cotton ones are reduced to clear and a fraction of the price of similar looking designer pairs.
Cashmere – John Lewis Sale SS23
The sales, as you know, are a great time to buy cashmere. This was a big hit with the press last season causing it to be restocked and it’s now in the sale, it’s a particularly good piece as it’s machine washable. You can find other cashmere sale investment pieces here.
Tops – John Lewis Sale SS23
As I type, the range of long sleeved tops in the sale is quite limited. I suspect that’s a sign of the late summer we’ve had, we’ve all needed to cover up for longer than usual. This navy and white spotted blouse is a no brainer though – you’d be able to dress it up or down with jeans at the weekend and wear it for work too. Unbutton the neckline for a more relaxed look. Browse through all of the tops in the sale here.
The lovely Soeur t-shirt that you saw me wearing a while ago is in the sale, it’s a cotton and linen blend with a chic gold graphic, true to size. If you’re a fan of Soeur’s French chic, there are some real clearance bargains here. The jeans I’m wearing are in the JL sale as well.
Dresses & Skirts – John Lewis Sale SS23
I know quite a few of you are leopard lovers so here are two great sale buys in leopard print, one with a fuller skirt here…
… and one that’s a little straighter. They strike me as particularly good dresses for working from home, they’re comfortable, you feel as if you’ve made an effort and they’re easy to wash too.
If you prefer skirts you can actually have the best of both worlds with this one because it comes with a matching blouse that’s also in the sale so you can have the look of a dress or pair it with a t-shirt like this as separates. You could pick out any of the colours and change things up every time. Dresses and skirts are being added to the sale all of the time and you can find the latest listings via these links:
Beauty – John Lewis Sale SS23
The sale offers hub for beauty and fragrance is here but I wanted to draw these straighteners to your attention. I have them and they’re great because being able to use them without a cord makes them so much easier – I can pop them in the car or a bag if I’m travelling overnight and sort my hair out on the go. I have the pink but they’re also on offer in a rather lovely copper here.
Menswear – John Lewis Sale SS23
Menswear isn’t something I usually cover because all of our men have different styles but for the younger ones in your family I just wanted to point out that these classic, pale stonewashed 501s are half price. If they were in Urban Outfitters they’d have sold out overnight. There are other great Levi jeans bargains for men here.
And this jersey shirt caught my eye, I love the revere collar, it’s very Cary Grant and it’s also available in green. The menswear sale will continue to be fully uploaded today (Thursday) and you can see the full menswear hub here.
Home & Garden – John Lewis Sale SS23
The sale’s been on in Home and Garden for a week now so lots of things have already gone. I keep looking at this swing chair though – I have the perfect spot for it on the canal bank so my finger is hovering over it… maybe if the sun returns and it’s still there… If you need new garden furniture it’s a good time to buy because there’s 20% off all Kettler ranges at the moment too. You can see them all here.
And of course there are still lovely bits and pieces to browse through, lots of cushions are half price if you’re in the mood for a refresh (full sale edit here)
And all of the Mini-Moderns towels are reduced to clear. Patterned towels can really lift your bathroom because everything else in there is usually so plain – there are William Morris patterns in the sale along with Matthew Williamson and Margo Selby – you’ll find the full sale selection here.
I have a few little lamps like this dotted around and they make a real difference on gloomy days.
And I realise you may be losing the will to live now so I’ll just finish by saying there are surprising finds in the stationery department, including what seems to be a clearance of Derwent drawing equipment – a lovely Lake District brand.
Ok, with that I’m going to leave you to browse, I hope my edit’s helped with some shortcuts though because there’s a lot to see. As I mentioned at the beginning we’re going away for a few days and I’m going to try to take a break so there won’t be a post next Friday. I’ll be popping up on Instagram though if you’d like to see which city we’ve landed in – another one of our destination experiments as we work out how we want to live and travel in the future. So have a great weekend, thank you for reading and I’ll see you in two weeks.
Disclosure: ‘John Lewis Summer Sale SS23 – The Edit’ was commissioned by John Lewis but all product selections and thoughts are my own
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