I was pre-preparing for my fall wardrobe this weekend.  I was invited to “get first dibs on the exceptional designer merchandise” during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  It was one of THE MOST FANTASTIC days of the year.

“You will have to change your vacation day,” I told my daughter A when I received the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale catalog a few weeks ago. “The pre-sale dates are July 5 – 13, a week earlier than you thought.”

I had two weeks to drool over the catalog and decide on all of the fall fashions I wanted to purchase.  Ooh, ooh, ooh, I just LOVE all of the colors, styles, and accessories too.  (Not that I want to rush away summer.  No, no, no.  I don’t want the snowy winter back anytime soon. No, no, no.)

My daughter A arrived home late Friday night due to a bad rainstorm, so her friend S, who is a personal shopper at Nordstrom, spent an entire evening catering to me.  My appointment was for 6:30 p.m. and I didn’t leave the store until after 9:30 p.m. (Yes, I spent three hours trying on clothes and other accessories.  It was heaven.)

Want to know the trends for fall 2011?  Keep in mind that these are the trends according to Nordstrom.  There will be more fall fashion blog posts to come after I receive my fall mags, including the September issues of Vogue and InStyle. (Have to get my arms in shape at the gym so I can lift the 900+ pages.  Hope the issues fit in my tiny townhouse mailbox.)

For now, here’s the pre-pre Nordstrom scoop:

– A-Line Skirts (Very pleased that narrow skirts are still in fashion.  I bought two a-line skirts in yellow raisin and basic black.  The Nordstrom Halogen petite skirts fit me perfectly and they wear really well.  I highly recommend these skirts for women 50+.  They are very slimming, especially for boomer women like me who are becoming more and more pear-shaped during their life after 50.)

– Capes (“Every woman must have a Mackage cape,” said my personal shopper S.  “It looks fab on you. You must buy it.”  As the catalog says, “The cape, right now, is the real hero in any woman’s wardrobe.”  I liked the Mackage cape. The leather trim was very pretty and it fit me well.  The price tag was a bit steep, but it was quite versatile, despite the short cape-like sleeves.

Buh, buh, buh. Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh.  Stop the presses.  Stop the cash register.  Something magical was about to happen.  It was as though Batman had swooped into Nordstrom in his black cape and taken me away to Burberry land.

My personal shopper S took me downstairs to the accessory tent where she took out a black reversible Burberry cashmere cape. OMG, OMG, OMG, I wanted to cry.  IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WRAP I had ever wrapped myself in.  I COULD NOT TAKE IT OFF.

“Don’t you LOVE this Burberry poncho?” said S.

“Poncho? What poncho? I know what a poncho is,” I said to S, remembering all the ponchos that my mom had crocheted for me in the ’70s. “This is no poncho.  This is a wrap for a mature woman.” I replied.  “I definitely love it more than the Mackage.  I never want to take it off.”

“Buh, Buh, Burberry it is,” I said at the end of the evening. “Burberry it is.”  P.S. When I showed it to my son D, he said “mom, you look like you are wearing a blanket on your back.”  C’est la vie!)

– Equestrian boots (My daughter A wanted the Tory Burch riding boots.  Ooh, ooh, ooh, but brown is more my color.  A doesn’t wear brown very much.  Maybe she will let me wear the boots sometimes. Dare I ask her?)

– Big, Bold, Belted Handbags (I didn’t buy a new handbag.  Last year, I bought such a large handbag that it weighed down my right shoulder so much that I had to discontinue using it.  Had I continued to use it, I might have eventually looked like a hunchback in my old age.)

– Knitted and Ribbed Vests (Longer vests that hang to the knee seem to be a fall trend.  I did purchase a Tarnish Fringed knit vest in a lovely beige and brown knit. A bought one in purple.  It was very cute on her.)

– Gray Flannel (I noticed gray flannel skirts, boots, sweaters.  But, gray is not one of my favorite colors.  No gray for me.  Not during my life pre-50, nor during my life after 50, even if it is the pre-pre Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.)

– Exotic Essentials (I tried on fur vests and more fake fur-trimmed ponchos.  They were fun, but I went more for the mainstream.)

Dresses and scarves, bracelets and bangles, flats and low heels, pants and tops with ruffles, I wanted them all, but I had to set limits.  As I’ve done in the past, I plan to give many more donations to the Food Bank this month in honor of each fashion purchase.   Maybe, maybe, maybe, my Burberry cape will do real magic this winter and help me warm the hearts and stomaches of all who need help, just like Batman does in his Batman comics and Batman movies.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Maybe I will change my name to Judi Boomer Bat Girl and fly around town in my bat mobile all wrapped up in my Burberry cape.

Judi