I've been collecting high-end pieces for like a decade now so I usually know the drill when it comes to the holiday season. I mostly stick to the private sales or the stuff that hits the outlets in Woodbury Common later on. But man, the market has been so weird lately. I was talking to my SA at Saks last week and they were hinting that the 2026 inventory levels are looking really heavy for some of the big houses that usually never touch Black Friday.
Im trying to plan out my spending for the end of the year because I really want to snag a Loro Piana cashmere overcoat or maybe that new Celine Triomphe if it goes on some kind of seasonal promo. Usually those brands just do their private invitation-only things but I'm seeing more chatter on TikTok and some fashion blogs that even the Tier 1 luxury players might actually join the public BF frenzy in 2026 to clear out the backlog. My budget is pretty firm at $3,500 and I dont want to pull the trigger on something now if it's gonna be 30% off in November.
Does anyone know if there's any truth to these rumors about the 2026 Black Friday sales? Like are we actually going to see proper discounts from the heavy hitters this time or is it just gonna be the usual third-party retailers like Farfetch and Mytheresa doing the heavy lifting?
Honestly, be careful with those rumors because even if they do participate, it is usually just the seasonal colors or weird sizes first. If youre looking to stay around that $3,500 mark, you might want to consider stalking the luxury department store apps instead of the brand sites directly. I have seen things go south when people wait for a public sale that never hits the flagship store... basically a total waste of time. Make sure to look at these instead of just the Loro stuff:
Just caught this thread this morning and felt the need to weigh in because I have been burned by the luxury timing game before. A few years back, I purchased a Saint Laurent Sac de Jour Grained Leather at full price, only to find a private boutique link with 40 percent off just ten days later. It was a harsh lesson in how opaque these houses can be with their inventory management. While the rumors about 2026 stock levels sound plausible, you should approach this with extreme caution. Luxury brands are notoriously protective of their brand equity and rarely participate in public BF events directly. Instead, they often use tactical offloading that isnt always obvious to the casual shopper. Based on my experience, I would suggest keeping an eye on these specific risks:
I heard the same thing about the 2026 stock levels from some industry friends. Tbh the sell-through rates for the big luxury conglomerates have been tanking since early last year, so the inventory turnover ratios are way off... the warehouses are actually bursting at the seams. But you gotta be careful because the really big players like LVMH usually protect their permanents like crazy. If you're eyeing a Loro Piana Overcoat Baby Cashmere you might want to consider that they almost never put their iconic navy or camel shades on sale publically. They'd rather ship that stuff to an invite-only sample sale than let it sit on a BF rack for 30% off. Now, for the Celine Triomphe Shoulder Bag Shiny Calfskin, you might actually have better luck. I've noticed their seasonal SKU data shows certain colors hitting the sale sections of third-party retailers way faster than they used to. I would suggest keeping a close eye on the stock levels of specific items on Farfetch. If you see the stock count dropping, pull the trigger. If it's sitting at high inventory by late October, wait it out. Just make sure to double check the return policies tho, cuz some of these mega BF deals end up being final sale which is a total nightmare if the fit is off on a $3k coat. Ngl the market is definitely shifting, but the heavy hitters still value their brand equity over clearing the floor, even when the data says they should discount. Stick to the aggregators for the actual 30% cuts.