29 Nordstrom Items I Chose Over My 401(K)—Sorry, Dad

@dawn.tan wearing white Dear Frances mesh flats.

(Image credit: @dawn.tan)

If my mom would've let him, my dad probably would've pushed for my first words to be 401(k). That's how insistent he is about me allocating a percentage of every paycheck toward retirement. I do—I swear. Sometimes, when my expenses suddenly go up and I'm in need of extra spending money, I have no choice but to reduce said percentage to a less-than-favorable allotment, at least by my dad's standards. When this is the case, the blame usually lies on Nordstrom. Be it an unexpected round of discounts or a fresh restock of a previously missed It item, I'm admittedly weak to the retailer's powers of persuasion. It's unfortunate, I know, but it's true.

After scrolling and scrolling through Nordstrom's new items for spring, it quickly became clear to me that February will be yet another month when the share of my paycheck that usually goes toward my 401(k) takes a dip. What can I say? When the canvas-and-leather version of Ferragamo's Hug bag, a rainbow array of satin Prada mules, and a bevy of wardrobe-building elevated basics all arrive on the site at the same time, there isn't really another solution. I'm sure my dad could come up with one. In fact, I know he would. That's why I'm not going to say anything, and you better not either.

Scroll down to shop the 29 Nordstrom items I happily, albeit secretly, chose over my 401(k) this month. Sorry, dad.

This story was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Senior Fashion Editor

Eliza Huber is a New York City–based fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and celebrity style. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion editorial team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza now lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring eBay for '90s Prada and '80s Yves Saint Laurent.