Ive been thinking way too far ahead but I really want to score some high-end heels and boots for the 2026 season and I am trying to figure out if Cyber Monday is even still the gold standard for this stuff anymore. I have been saving up for a while now because I have a huge family wedding in early 2027 and I want to get my footwear sorted way before the stress kicks in. I did a bit of digging on some old subreddits and some people were saying that Mytheresa and SSENSE are usually the ones to watch but then I read this weird blog post saying that a lot of the top-tier luxury houses like Gucci or Prada are starting to ditch the public Cyber Monday sales entirely to keep their exclusivity or whatever.

Its super confusing because some people say the real deals are in the private member-only sales that happen the week before but then others say the deep 60 percent discounts only happen on the actual Monday. I am trying to be strategic here since I am not exactly made of money even though I love nice things. I also saw that some sites like Farfetch have changed their loyalty program recently and I cant tell if that makes the sales better or worse for a casual shopper like me.

Heres basically what I am looking for:

• Budget is around 600 to 900 dollars max per pair but obviously I want to pay less if I can
• Specifically looking for classic pumps or maybe some really nice leather knee high boots
• I am based in New York but I mostly shop online because the crowds at Saks or Bergdorf are literally a nightmare during the holidays
• Needs to be a site with a decent return policy because my feet are between a 38 and 39 depending on the brand and it is a total gamble every time

Should I start looking for pre-sale invites now or is it way too early for that? I also heard that some of these sites have loyalty tiers where you get early access to the 2026 winter collections. Does anyone know if it is actually worth spending a bit now to get on those lists for later or is that just a marketing trap...