Product Review: Gifts under $50.00 from Nordstrom Rack

Pictured: Two favorite Rack deals, Philosophy cashmere & Love on a Hanger Sequin Top.

Over the  Thanksgiving holidays, Nordstrom Rack sent me a press release about their affordable selection of holiday gifts.  Needless to say, I was skeptical about the quality of the offerings.  I haven’t shopped at The Rack in a while.  In this day of outsourced mass production fashions, it’s not news for retailers to say, we have inexpensive gifts for the holidays.  Every retailer is marketing their affordable gifts, the question is, are any of them going to last even as long as the ill fated 72 day marriage of Kim Kardashian?  Let’s face it, some things are going to fall apart quickly, especially after you wash them because they are cheaply made with poor quality materials.  So instead of just writing a post about the affordable gifts at Nordstrom Rack, I thought it would be valuable to review their offerings and let you know what I consider quality for price.  In order to do that, The Rack sent me a selection of the gifts and I have been evaluating them.  The picture above is of my top two picks of what I was sent, a Love on the Hanger Sequin Top in blue and a deep blue Philosophy cashmere crew neck by Dane Lewis.

Pictured: An up close look at the Love on a Hanger top from The Rack for $19.97 US.

With holiday party shopping in full swing, I know many of us are looking for affordable holiday tops with lots of sparkle. The Love on a Hanger tops at Nordstrom Rack are a good choice.   Love on a Hanger is a Juniors brand usually sold at Nordstroms’ stores for prices between $20.00 to $45.00 depending on the style. This particular sequined top sells for the retail price of $42.00, but The Rack is selling the top for about 50% less than that at $19.97.  Only the front of the top has sequins sewn on, the back is just plain fabric, which is actually more comfortable when you are sitting down. There is also less chance of the sequins catching on something and detaching, which is a real plus.  I have owned several sequined garments over the years and the more sequins on the back, arms, collar and front, the more chance they will snag on something. There is one particular celeb labeled line this holiday season with sequined tops that is so cheaply made, the sequins are falling off in the store while they are hanging on the rack.  Imagine what is going to happen when you wear that cheaply made garment out on the town? It’s going to fall apart.  For the $19.97 discount price at the Rack the Love on a Hanger sequined top is a better deal and better quality than many I have seen this season.  You can wear it for awhile, and it’s easy on the eyes and the wallet. Sizing is generous, so it’s quite a comfortable fit despite the Juniors sizing.  I fit into a size Medium quite easily.

Pictured: Philosophy by Dane Lewis cashmere crew sweater at The Rack for $49.97

If you are interested in a good deal on a luxurious cashmere sweater, I highly recommend the Philosophy by Dane Lewis cashmere sweaters at The Rack for women.  The sweater I tried (above in a deep blue, sized medium) was a gorgeous color and a great style, although very traditional a crew neck sweater will always be a wardrobe staple. The Rack price for the sweater was $49.97 the retail price was $218.00.  That is a substantial savings.

Pictured: Philosophy by Dane Lewis cashmere sweater at The Rack with tags, retail price was $218.00!!

In my opinion, the sweater makes a great gift or a nice fashion find for yourself to wear to work our out on the town.   Other good deals from The Rack that deliver quality for price include Collection XIIX  wraps available in a variety of  bright colors for $9.97 (some of these can be found at JC Penney, but they are about $11.00) and ITouch winter gloves at $15.59.  If you see the Minnetonka faux fur lined bedroom slippers for $29.90, snap those up quick.  They are extremely comfortable and great for padding around the house on cold mornings, and evenings too. The Rack has a other affordable gifts on offer like iPhone cases, Kids boots and FreeStyle watches. However, I don’t consider those very unique or priced any lower than similar products at other discount retailers.  For my money, the standout fashion deals are the Philosophy Dane Lewis cashmere and the sparkling sequined tops.  Let me know if you see them at your local Rack store.

Of course, if you’ve been to a Rack store then you know that the stock and trade of the stores is the clearance items from Nordstroms stores.  All the designers sold at Nordstrom can be found in varying degrees for reduced prices at  Nordstrom rack Rack.  You’ll see clothing by Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Trina Turk, Rebecca Taylor, Nanette Lepore, Haute Hippie, Free People, Sweet Pea and James Perse.  I spotted designer handbags by Betsey Johnson, Furla, Marc Jacobs and more. If you are in Southern California, the Nordstrom  Rack I have found is the one near South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.  They have a great discount designer section that I haven’t seen at any other store.  There are even a few Chanel pieces there.