I'm sure that most of y'all know that the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale starts tomorrow (Monday) morning. If you frequent fashion blogs, especially those with a preppy twist, then you've seen the basic tips, and you know to have your login and payment info ready. But, I have a few of my own tried-and-true after-party sale tricks to help you get exactly what you want in a hurry!

Search by Style

The first thing I do when I get into the Lilly Sale is to search by style. For me, there are three Lilly pieces that always fit perfectly, hold up well, and generally work for my life. I start any Lilly sale by searching for those pieces: The Elsa Top, the Skipper Popover, and the Sophie Dress.

1. The Elsa Top

This is always the first thing I search for when buying Lilly. It's a silk blouse that can work with anything from jeans and shorts to skirts and tailored trousers. It often runs a little large, so I have a two-size range in this style. It's a popular style, and it goes quickly, so I search for Elsa tops, determine if there's one in my size (or my mom's) that I want, and make my first purchase.

2. The Skipper Popover

After I've assessed the Elsa situation, I move on to searching for Skipper Popovers. This is like a dressy, French Terry sweatshirt. There are a few variants on that style now, so "popover" is probably a better search term than "Skipper." Either way, this is my second favorite search, because I wear these tops year-round. I look for my size (and, again, my mom's!); I like to buy these so that they're a little large.

I got the striped Skipper Popover in the January After-Party Sale. It's become one of the tops I reach for time and again!

3. The Sophie Dress

I love the Sophie dress! It's a jersey/knit dress, but it has a little more style and substance than a regular t-shirt dress. I find that these dresses get so many compliments whenever I wear them. This is another style that my mom loves as well (in fact, she and I both have it in Southern Charm, the print at the far left in the photo below), so I look for the Sophie in my size and hers.

Search by Print

After I've looked for my favorite pieces, I search by print. If there was an absolute favorite print that I loved in the previous few months, I'll scan the sale for it. For example, during the January 2017 After-Party Sale, I looked for Psychedelic Sunshine, a print from August/ September 2016. I usually don't like to buy more than one piece in a particular print, but this one is so special that I wound up getting an Elsa and a midi skirt (I'd bought the Sophie dress when it was new in the stores!)

Shop by Size

After these searches, I finally search by size. I look for my size in tops, dresses, and skirts. I check what's available for my mom, and for my little nieces. And, I try not to buy more than we all need!

My all-time favorite Lilly purchase -- my niece's first Lilly dress!

Check Back In!

Because it is so hard to get online at the stroke of 8 on Monday morning, the Lilly Pulitzer crew has really gotten smart about pacing the sale. New styles will come on the site as the sale progresses. This year, they've announced that the sale will last three days rather than two. I promise, if y'all want to shop, you'll be able to!

Shop the Palm!

If you're in Lexington Louisville, stop in the Peppermint Palm! They have great prices and a great selection!

Good Luck, and let me know what y'all find! How do you shop the After-Party Sale?