BLACK FRIDAY 2021: FM’S GUIDE TO THE BEST DEALS

Few things get my heart pumping like Black Friday & Cyber Week sales. 

Normally, I’m a hatha yoga, lazy-strolls-through-the-park kind of girl. But this time of year - and I say this 100% guilt-free - I turn into a shopping lioness. 

I’m that woman you see pressing her nose against the display window in the early morning- when the floor workers are frantically running around stocking shelves. Like a kid in a candy store, I get a total sugar high going deal hunting with my girlfriends or camping in front of my computer all night in search of the perfect sale.

Years of experience (and one painful memory involving another woman strolling out of the store with my Chanel's tweed jacket) has taught me that the early bird gets the worm. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for impulse buys. But just to be on the safe side, here’s my How to Score the Best Black Friday Deals 2021 Guide, guaranteed to get you the best items at the lowest prices.

Start out with grace    

Scouting deals pre-Black Friday is best done in stealth mode. This is when you put on your Wildcat Sands, get your pack together and find a quiet time to visit your favorite stores.  

Find something you like? Stay cool and hide it somewhere out of sight. Chances of that vintage Yves Saint Laurent suit with its masculine-inflected tailoring and broad shoulder jacket being accidentally discovered in menswear are slim. Nothing like a touch of guile to make you feel seductive and sensual.

Mix it up later with lanky high-waisted jeans and a pair of Opera Slides - a more forgiving take on Christian Louboutin stilettos.

Get trippy with it

Shopping on Cyber Week is a complicated game of getting everything on your list without going over your budget. Luckily, we have the queen of rock and style here to guide us. 

Janis Joplin will forever be an icon of expressing your emotions through your ensembles. She also taught us that finding your personal style doesn’t mean spending your life savings with a click of a button. 

It’s all about finding multiple low-cost items and then having fun with combos. Whether it’s vibrant colors, wild prints, bohemian, boho, or psychedelic rock styles, anything goes. I, for one, have my eye on one floral barrette, a tie-dyed scarf, a pair of Zbra Acid slides, and Cherry bomb sunglasses, all just under $100. 

Shop like you were born to rule the world

Unless you were blessed with Queen Bey’s physique, a plunging neckline and cutouts is probably not the style for you. But the secret to feeling as powerful as Sasha Fierce is not to dress like her but to think like her. 

This Black Friday, plan one confident, thought-out purchase designed to make you feel like you were born to rule the world.

While a custom Balmain is above my budget, even at 50% off, I’ve learned that one large, glamorous, and utterly unmissable statement piece is enough to get the desired effect. My top choices are the exquisitely patterned Royal Choco or Cobra Toffee slides, combined with casual denim. 

Last-minute deals for night owls 

You probably won’t have time to visit all the stores you wanted. Luckily, online sales are likely to continue until the wee hours of the dawn. 

While it’s best to act fast when it comes to snagging products in limited supply, there are plenty of incredible deals reserved for night-owl shoppers. Some brands also update their sales page throughout the day, so a good rule of thumb is to revisit a website you like multiple times to keep track of new discounts.

As the day is nearing its end, make yourself a cup of tea and scan your favorite brands for those late night deals. Some of my all-time favorite items were found this way, including these True Romance and Terracotta Tie Dye slides.

Cool it down

Coming down from the Black Friday & Cyber Monday craze is just as important as having fun with it. Now that your closet is full and your wallet a little lighter, it’s time to take a deep breath, change into your new Stella McCartney sweatpants and get back to chilling.