What To Shop From The Net-A-Porter Sale
(Hint hint: now is the best time to stock up on those investment pieces.)
If there’s one thing more thrilling than the arrival of the Net-A-Porter summer sale, it’s the arrival of the Net-A-Porter summer sale when you’re a salaried YNAP employee. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to commit the exact staff discount to print but let’s just say that it makes handing your entire post-tax salary back to the company dangerously easy. Sadly – or perhaps fortunately – this is not something I get to enjoy any more now that I’m no longer working there full-time. But that certainly doesn’t stop me perusing all the savings as soon as sale season begins – which are pretty tasty even without an added [redacted] per cent on top.
Net-A-Porter regulars will know that the smartest way to do the sale is to come prepared well beforehand. Ideally, you’d have a Wish List ready with all the items you’ve been eyeing up. Once that joyous email lands in your inbox, everything that’s marked down will be automatically highlighted in red. The low-stock items will shift to the top of the page and you’ll get an email alert when there’s just one left. Ultimately, what you choose to do with all that information is between you and your credit card provider.
In any case, if you’re a Net-A-Porter newbie or are simply looking for some advice on what’s worth your attention and hard-earned money, then I’m happy to say that I have trawled through pages upon pages of product and picked out what I think are the best bits for the office. To be clear, a second and possibly third markdown will come round eventually… but if the bits you want appear to be declining in stock by the minute, then there’s no time like the present.
Theory Trench Coat
RRP: £675 (on sale for £405)
I think of Theory as a sort of bougie Uniqlo: the brand to turn to for solid, dependable basics that don’t necessarily get your heart rate up but which you’ll actually wear day to day. If you’re ready to invest in a luxe trench coat – and you can almost always tell the expensive ones apart, in my view – then you can’t go wrong with this. (And when shopping for coats, I always say the longer the better. It just automatically looks more ‘elevated’.)
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Beare Park Tie-Neck Shirt
RRP: £325 (on sale for £195)
Pretty much everything on Beare Park’s page is on sale, which tells me that the brand probably won’t be stocked on NAP for much longer. That’s a shame because I’ve only just discovered them and there’s a handful of gems in there. It’s all the more reason to get your hands on this tie-neck shirt, which feels like a much cooler, more tomboyish version of a pussybow blouse (awful name) and makes for a nice change from a standard striped Oxford.
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Loeffler Randall
RRP: £215 (on sale for £129)
If you’d told me last summer that I’d be thinking about shelling out on some ballet flats, I’d have bet my money against it. But then again this new breed of ballet flat feels markedly more chic and less flimsy than the ones I remember wearing aged 14, mostly due to the Mary Jane-style strap. As an aside, I’m a big believer that shoes are one area of your wardrobe where you should always buy the very best you can afford – at least for the sake of comfort. Loeffler Randall is a name to know if you’re looking for gorgeous ‘designer’ pieces but don’t (yet) have Manolos money.
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Isabel Marant Beaded Necklace
RRP: £295 (on sale for £118)
I love the way a beaded necklace can instantly knock back a smart outfit. Then again, this one feels much more elevated than, say, something you’d find for a tenner at a market and would automatically read as very chic under a crisp work shirt. (I’d also layer it with a simple gold pendant for some added depth.)
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La Ligne Dress
RRP: £440 (on sale for £264)
This dress from La Ligne is so delicious that it’s making me wish I had a corporate job to wear it to. The plum shade is miles more interesting than something in grey or navy or black without being shouty. And I absolutely love the lace trim along the seams – to me, those are the sort of details that turn a relatively simple piece into something that says ‘I have a great eye’.
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Malone Souliers Mules
RRP: £495 (on sale for £297)
I’m a huge fan of Malone Souliers’ Maisie mules – and I actually bought a pair of their black flats from the NAP sale back in 2020. Annoyingly, I didn’t spot the little proviso that advised you to ‘size up’ and had to sell them on Vestiaire after one wear. In any case, I picked these out because (1) I love a white / off-white shoe, (2) they’re more exciting to look at than a basic pump and (3) the heel isn’t so high that you’d have to swap in and out of trainers for the commute. Interestingly, NAP says these fit true to size – but I’d try on something similar in their shop before purchasing just to be extra sure.
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Comme des Garçons Girl Shirt
RRP: £285 (on sale for £171)
I’m not usually enthused by Peter Pan collars simply because I have an aversion to anything that makes me feel like a little girl (see also: floral dresses and headbands). But something about this one feels a bit different – sharper and more crisp and grown-up. I also love how the NAP team has styled it with a cropped trouser (in my dreams, this would be from High Sport) and a ballet flat. I’d throw in a colourful, textured bag and chunky gold jewellery just to finish it off.
Rohé Maxi Skirt
RRP: £350 (on sale for £210)
A straight maxi skirt can sometimes feel a bit Sixth Form to me. This one by Rohé, an exceedingly tasteful Dutch brand, is far from that, though – mostly due to the colour. I’ve said it before but if ever I want to make a boring outfit more visually interesting, I simply swap out black for a khaki or olive or pistachio – it’s far more eye-catching but still goes with pretty much everything you throw at it.
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Rohé Blazer
RRP: £530 (on sale for £371)
There’s an unwritten rule in fashion magazines that when you’re curating the shopping pages, you’re not really meant to feature the same brand twice. I personally won’t be subscribing to it in this newsletter simply because if something’s fabulous then it deserves shouting about, full stop. That brings me to this cinched-waist overlap blazer, also from Rohé, which is miles more stylish and summery than a classic black suit jacket (yawn). I’d personally be thrilled to trek in to the office every day if I got to do it in this.
Éliou Pearl Earrings
RRP: £225 (on sale for £158)
Not much to say here other than: if you were in any way swayed by my treatise last week on why pearls are actually very cool, then you’ll be pleased to learn that these cluster earrings from one of the brands I raved about, Éliou, are on sale for 30 per cent off.
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Admona Top
RRP: £433 (on sale for £260)
I like to think I know the NAP-stocked brands like the back of my hand, but Admona is new on my radar (and this top has leapfrogged straight onto my Wish List). Their clothes lean more beachy than workwear, admittedly, but I thought this would sit nicely alongside smarter pieces in a corporate setting while adding a splash of colour and texture. Then come the weekend, you could very easily dial it back down with the matching trousers (so chic as a set), shorts or jeans.
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A. Emery Loafers
RRP: £220 (on sale for £132)
Remember those gorgeous A. Emery loafers from the doctor feature a couple weeks ago that I said were giving The Row? It turns out they’re available in black on Net-A-Porter for 40 per cent off. Do I still think they’re better in cream? Yes, absolutely. But if you’re walking and Tube-ing into work most days, then these are admittedly far more commutable.
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And what’s on my NAP Wish List…
It’s pretty typical that what I want most from NAP right now is new season (i.e. not on sale) – namely this poplin shirt-and-trousers set from The Frankie Shop that I spotted on the site and then again (as if by fate) on a mannequin in Selfridges. In person, it’s super lightweight, so you won’t be sweating buckets if the sun does ever come out again, but it still feels crisp and well made. It also comes with matching shorts you could swap in - or wear with plenty of other stuff in your wardrobe. And if the weather were exceptionally nice, I’d be tempted to wear it unbuttoned and throw this knitted bandeau underneath.
As for the sale bits? For the sake of my bank balance, I won’t gatekeep. I’m eyeing up this cropped tank from Agolde, these cargo trousers from Adidas x Wales Bonner, this fuzzy jumper from Dries, this denim jacket from Ahluwahlia, these raffia sandals from Ancient Greek, this bikini from Cult Gaia and this square-neck top from Simkhai. Please be nice enough to send me photos if you get to them first.