for inquiries please contact info@sallyreps.com
The Great American Apparel Diet, what is it? We are a group of women who have decided to go on a diet of sorts. A fast really. We are completely eliminating “new apparel” from our diets for one year. Yes, the next time you see us sporting new togs it will be Sept. 2, 2010. Sound easy? Well think again. This is going to be a stretch for most of us. You see, like most women we are attached to our wardrobes in some form or another. In fact buying a new something-or-other is as natural as a dark choclate pick-me-up. We all have our reasons for embarking on this project but it all gets down to this…who are we without something hip and new in our closets? We shall see.
Who are We? We are women, though we have had a few inquiries from men none have been brave enough to join. We range in age from 19 to 60. We are a creative, curious, sometimes hilarious and educated lot. Many of us are self employed, business owners, creative thinkers, writers, producers, executives, lawyers, PHDs, mothers, wives, stepmothers, recessionistas, fashionistas, snowboarders, yogis, students, grandmothers, knitters, sewers and social mavens. Some of us have recently lost our jobs while others are looking to change careers. Our shared interest? We are all collectively reevaluating our habits, shopping habits in particular.
Some of us are motivated to curb our carbon footprint while others are more motivated to curb spending. Some are sick and tired of consumption in general while others are concerned about consumption and the environment. Many of us want to share our trials and tribulations on the blog while others prefer to hang back and observe. We hail from seventeen states in the U.S. and from Denmark, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Canada and the UK. Specifically we are from: Washington, California, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina, Idaho, Maryland, Maine, Indiana, Colorado, Virginia, Canada and England.
Twenty of us started the diet on Sept. 1st and twenty joined in the last week. The rest have joined at some point between October 1st and Dec. 28th.
Bottom line….this is a remarkable group of people who have come together to make a change.
Sally Bjornsen, Seattle Washington. Age: 46 (looks 45) Sally is first and foremost a child of retail (three generations), everything else springs from there. When she’s not shopping online or assessing the latest trends she is a mother, stepmother, wife, author, blogger, social commentator, idea generator and business owner, not necessarily in that order. Assessing the retail landscape (both online and brick and mortar) is sport for her—though parting with cash can ignite heart palpitations.
Born with the guilt of a Jewish mother Sally never feels completely “guilt-free,” when she closes the deal at the “cash wrap.” After 25 years in the advertising and retail biz Bjornsen is finally ready to implement the “less is more” philosophy of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. “I want to see what life is like when women just say no to the new apparel pick-me-up. A lot of women in the “program” currently spend a fair amount of time planning, pondering and preparing their wardrobes (some more than others). This preoccupation is usually motivated by what they want at that moment rather than what they actually need. As a result a lot of us end up with a bunch of weird things in our closets. All that time and energy could be re-focused toward other creative endeavors. Who knows how much time, money and energy will be saved on the diet. I can’t wait to see.
Stephanie Greco. Age: 49 (looks 40). When you think of Stephanie Greco Daegatano you think fresh mozzarella cheese, a huge smile and very expressive hand motions. Stephanie is all that and lots more. She is a mom, wife, designer, business owner and yoga teacher. She is also a physical inspiration. Not only can she wrap her leg around her neck while in a headstand but she can also carry on a conversation and look attractive all at the same time.
When asked why she was interested in the TGAAD she said, “Here’s my story…I’m married, I have two daughters and I have enough clothes to last a lifetime. I’ve realized with age that I will always have enough and I will always feel like I never have enough. And I need to learn to live with what I have. Period,” I’m scared and excited and definitely need a phone sponsor!!! I WANT TO REALLY DO THIS! ‘nuf said.
Laura Zielinski, Seattle Washington. Age: 42. Laura is a mother (2 boys aged 5 and 7), wife, technology executive and skilled online shopping aficionado, replete with competitive price analysis. She always looks great and sports the latest “in” item of the season. Her favorite fashion sites are www.frugal-fashionistas.com; www.stylebakery.com; www.luckymag.com; www.shopstyle.com; www.anthropolgie.com; www.revolveclothing.com; www.shopbop.com; www.etsy.com; www.wideopenspaces.com; www.designspongeonline.com; www.fabsugar.com; www.piperlime.com; www.gap.com; www.anthropologie.com.
When asked why she wanted to partake in the Great American Apparel Diet she said “I spend too much time thinking and talking with people about clothes. I want to dedicate brain space to other things. Given my preoccupation, I think this will provide a good exercise in discipline: using what I have to create new outfits and looks. Finally, I look forward to tracking my insights and struggles on the blog. Laura anticipates boredom with her closet as a potential diet killer. “Seeing some of my Mommy friends in the latest trend just might make me hot under the collar and jonesin’ for something hip and new. I get a lot of my ideas through careful observation.” Laura is also anticipating more free time to dedicate to her other passions such as cooking, reading and gardening (but most of all: trying to figure out my next career).
Aubrey Rosenkranz is a 32 yr old, loving wife, and mother of three youngsters…all under 4. Her son was born at the end of June and she’s still trying to catch up on sleep. She stays home with her kids and works on graphic design projects when time allows, as a self-professed Designer Mom. She loves making art and eating. But, what she really really loves is buying clothes.
“I love to express my individuality with the clothes I wear and I love the rush of getting something new and different. It is surely an addiction,” says Aubrey. “ The hardest part of the diet for me will simply be finding clothes in my closet that are comfortable and fit while I’m still a couple of sizes larger than usual, after having the baby. I hope to be able to wear non-maternity jeans again by October. Although, I haven’t done anything yet to make that goal a reality. I like to find things that are unusual and special. I like to change character depending on my mood and how I’m dressed. My closet makes it hard to mix and match. I don’t have one, distinct style. So, I like to buy new clothes to represent the way I’m feeling at the moment.”
Nancy Lea, Seattle, WA (Pacific Northwest Native), Age 40. Nancy is a wife, chef and mother of two boys (4 and 8).
When she’s not wrestling her boys or whiping up something delicious and delectable for her family (she’s hoping to cook for some clients soon), she reads, practices yoga (she has a penchant for the head stand), walks and volunteers.
Mary Lyn Jenkins, Ponte Vedra Florida. Age: 37. ML is a wife of one, mother of two, ( aged 2 and 5years) and kick ass Baptiste yoga instructor (yes she has been known to wrap her leg around her neck while smiling). When she’s not chasing her kids or standing on her head, she freelances as an interior designer and photo art director. When asked why she wanted to embark on the diet she said, “I don’t know if I really want to but I’m pretty worn out from having friends who say ‘no’ to my ideas, so I wanted to say ‘yes’ and do something I was asked to do by a good friend.”
In regard to wardrobes ML is pretty o.k. with a classic t-shirt and jeans, flip flops and shorts, yoga tank and lulu lemon yoga pants. (Yeah, if I was Christie Brinkley’s twin I would do the same thing). But if in a bind and faced with a looming event she is as likely as any of us to go out and splurge on something new and fab-o that she will only wear once. ML doesn’t anticipate falling off the wagon anytime soon but is wary to say “it’s going to be easy.” ML is looking forward to seeing if she will actually save some money. She hopes to uncover how little she needs in the wardrobe arena.
Kristin Hawes, Age: 36, Seattle Washington. Kristin is a wife and mom of three (an older son who is 6 and three year old boy-girl twins). She is also 6’3” tall, (6’4” when she stands up straight). Along with being a mom and wife she is a lawyer in a boutique law firm in Seattle.
Why embark on the diet? Because of her height, Kristin has always had trouble finding clothes that fit well. More often than she would like to admit, she has gone to work and realized she absolutely hated what she was wearing, and headed out (over lunch or sometimes sooner) to buy a new outfit. In addition to being impulsive, this activity has left her with an abundance of ill fitting clothes that upon further inspection, are not even her style (what was she thinking?).
In the last couple of years, Kristin has been working to break herself of the drop-and-shop habit. She is also working to purge her closet of the offending items. “My goal over the next year is to get over my impulsivity and enjoy the stuff I have. If in the process I save a bit of money, all the better.”
When I asked Kristin what she is most fearful of while on the diet she said, “The “how did I leave the house in this?” moment.” On a side note, Kristin is also planning to go cold turkey on the accessories angle, but is thrilled about the shoe loophole.
Kerrie Foss, 41 San Diego, CA. Kerrie is a marketing executive at Intuit. She spends a lot of her waking hours thinking about the consumer software shopper and how he or she shops and buys software. When Kerrie isn’t wearing her marketing executive hat, she’s spending time with her friends and family, (she is a very-involved auntie and Godmother). She is also a 2nd soprano, 5th/6th grade Sunday school teacher, voracious reader and Zumba fan. She is also currently dating and looking for Mr. Right.
Kerrie doesn’t really consider herself much of a clothes horse. She is not fond of purchasing apparel online because she has to try everything on first. Her claim to fame is “I have never spent more than $200 on one item.” And yet, when asked to participate in this experiment, Kerrie realized that she has certainly dropped hundreds of dollars spontaneously at Nordstrom or Ann Taylor Loft without really thinking through how the new items integrate with what’s already in her closet; asking herself, “How many pairs of black pants do I need?” She loves the ‘high’ when leaving the house for the first time in a new outfit; the opportunity to reinvent herself or get in the groove for a date.
Kerrie is interested in becoming a more thoughtful, sustainable fashionista—wearing what is already in her closet, saving money, and experiencing that ‘high’ from other areas in her life, including within.
Rebecca Kotch, 40ish, resides in southern California with her 3 ½ year old son and 2 large cream-colored standard poodles – Betty & Wilma. It took 2 dogs to replace Rebecca’s beloved Esther – a black standard who not only was published in a book, but also was on TV, won running races, and absolutely positively was more intelligent that good ‘ole #43.
While Rebecca has been immersed in the world of retail, design and marketing (Nike, Microsoft, House of Blues, Skechers, MBT) for 20 years, the “need for the new” has slowed down as of late. Three reasons: 1). A small child, no husband 2). No time 3). A small child, two dogs. Of course, the “b” word has come into play. Time is one thing – as there is always online shopping, but budget is another. And these days are, well, more challenging.
The opportunity to be a participant in this diet was actually easy for Rebecca – since she recently decided to sign up as a sponsor for a child in Cambodia. The organization is Cambodian Children’s Fund (www.cambodianchildrensfund.org), Rebecca sends $100 a month to support a 13 year old girl who was found picking trash as a way to support her family.
So that puts much into perspective – and $100 a month – or $1200 a year – which may have gone to the Gap, or J.Crew or the big “B” – Bloomingdale’s – “thair she blows” – when Rebecca saw the “oo” on her drive from Beverly Hills to Century City – will have to wait a year now for her support. (This place is sort of Jewish girl’s antidote to therapy).
Izzy Rose, 38, Austin, TX is an author, ghost writer, blogger, stepmom and wanna-be-jock who spends most of her daylight hours in a home office wearing gym shorts and thread-bare t-shirts, often sans undies and shower-free until cocktail hour (4pm).
When she does emerge from her cave, she likes to make up for her cave-like appearance by busting out the stiletto heels, vintage jewels and slipping into her favorite classic/couture look . Before becoming a full-time writer and moving to Austin, she had a vibrant career and social life in San Francisco and looking stylish was a fine price to pay.
“Frankly, I miss that lifestyle, so these days, when I finally get around to cleaning up, it¹s important I look like a version of my former, fashionable self,” says Izze. Because she works from home in what she calls casual-stretchy, Izzy doesn¹t buy a lot of new clothes. But at the same time, she likes having a contemporary wardrobe, so she does indulge a few times a year. But because it¹s been hotter than Hades in Texas for months (100+ on an average day), she couldn¹t wrap her mind around buying new fall or winter clothes before the September1 start date. “I¹m a little worried that come January when I¹m wearing last year¹s ratty sweaters, I may break. That said, I¹m looking forward to updating old clothes with new accessories. Thank God Sally created a loophole in this crazy experiment.”
Jenny Broome, thirty-something, Seattle. When Jenny is not taking care of her hubbie, herding her two young boys, walking her dog (with poop bag in hand) or making sure the house doesn’t burn down, she is seeking a new adventure. During the week Jenny is an HR Executive, but when she’s not at the office she can be found tromping around in the great outdoors, sweating her ass off at her favorite power yoga studio or snapping pictures of anything decidedly strange or inspiring. “At first glance, I thought this clothing fast would be a snap,” she says, snapping her fingers for effect. “I live in the basics: jeans, tees, skirts, big jewelry, and yoga gear. My tendency is towards wardrobe simplicity while trying to stay “hip.” And as we all know, you cannot plan to just walk out the door and find something “hip.” That’s like looking for a boyfriend, walking out the door and finding him. It’s never that easy, it happens when it happens and if you force it you will never find it.
In light of Jenny’s philosophy and since it isn’t her nature to be strategic about her wardrobe, she did not shop in anticipation of this fast. “I hope I am not sorry I didn’t scramble to the mall in a panic before Sept. 1.” Her biggest concern or worry is that she may find herself stranded without anything hip to wear. “And then, I will have to turn to the pile of clothes I usually reject and come up with a solution.”
Jacquelyn Bjornsen-Stevenson, age (I don’t want to talk about it), Newport Beach, CA. Jacuelyn (nickname) is a working (sometimes feels like slaving) Mom who is trying to stay on a budget and look fabulous while putting her children through private school and paying for excessive and expensive tutoring!! “I have been sucked into the Suburban academic marathon,” she says, “and I don’t think I’m winning medals anytime soon.” Bjornsen-Stevenson is approaching this diet as a creative endeavor “how many ways can I wear a black sweater?” Her greatest fear is that one of her clients, a luxury clothing manufacturer, will ask her to go to the employee store and she will have to say no. “I don’t know if I can do that.” (Newsflash Jack—you can still shop, you just can’t buy for yourself). , if giving up apparel was not enough Jacky is considering skipping the footwear and accessories loophole and going “cold turkey.” She also added this caveat, “I am also thinking of bundling this diet with giving up alcohol too.” I have one word for Jacquelyn—Masochist.
Diana Naramore, 42, Seattle Washington. Diana is a busy mom of three boys and a co-owner along with her husband of The Ballard Sip and Ship and the Greewood Sip and Ship. She is a work-a-holic and consummate hostess. People flock to her stores to hang out with the beautiful and hilarious proprietor.
When it comes to clothes you are likely to see Diana wearing a great pair of slim jeans, a drop dead gorgeous belt and a stripped t-shirt or chic sweater. “I have kind of a uniform, hip jeans and a comfortable top. I am running all day long and need to be able to move. When we asked Diana if she wanted to join us in giving up apparel shopping for a year she laughed. “Sure why not, the recession is sort of dictating that anyway these days.”
Diana is a competitive sort and is convinced she won’t fall off the wagon unless of course…a fancy schmancy event arises—EEK! She is all for begging, borrowing and stealing from friends or one of her two sisters. “I will look to my community to dress me if I have to.” Watch out girls, you may be getting a cry for help if the holiday season brings invitations to Diana.
Diana likes to accessorize and she will look to this “passion” as the year progresses. “I will still do lots of looking to see if my current wardrobe can be dolled up with a scarf or necklace.
Rebecca is representing the UK contingent, and lives in Bristol, England. She’s 33 years old, married, and is a full time Sales Manager, a part-time step-mother who can’t quite shake off the single gal inside, a social media blogging addict, and a campaigner for the stepmothers cause. A mail order fanatic, Rebecca is too busy to shop so does most of her shopping online, late at night, under the influence of alcohol. The amount of wine consumed has an exact correlation to the amount of money spent!
Working from home has lead to a definite decline in all things glamour and she can often be found in her home office, reclining, resplendent in clothes that really should have been washed several days ago.
She is already planning lots of creative ways around the clothing diet! Top of her list? Organizing a massive clothes swapping party with all her friends!!
Jeannine has honed her shopping skils over the years. She has a Barney’s fetish and a hankerin’ for anything expensive. She has a busy career at Microsoft which requires her to travel and meet with clients. It is imperative that she look good for “clients,” which is often her impetus for buying something “new.” “When Sally came up with her plan I decided to do something a little different and focus my shopping only at consignemnt and used clothing shops. I cannot wait to check them out and blog about my experiences.” Jeanine will still get her “high” when shopping at consignment stores but she is trying her best to sustain in her own way. Jeanine lives in Redmond Washington with her husband Ron, stepdaughter Haley, and Sasha the black labrador.
Alison Nieman, 24, Akron Ohio. Alison must be applauded. She is our youngest participant. Alison works as a design consultant for LaZBoy Furniture Galleries. She has a degree in design from Ohio State University. Alison also runs a crochet shop called A. Nieman Crochet through the website Etsy.com. Alison has been actively trying to reduce her footprint on the environment through changes in her lifestyle.“The reason she felt this diet would be good is that I am completely dependent on shopping,” says Alison. “ I have an addiction to spending money on clothes, accessories and primarily shoes. I know my habit isn’t good for my finances nor is it good for the environment.” Alison says she has an adequate wardrobe and needs to use it to its fullest. When she read the rules of participation she immediately thought, “this is for me.”
“I am looking forward to participating in the diet! Thank you so much for starting this, it is such a great idea!”
I’m a 28 year old youngster who woke up this morning feelin’ a little adventurous. Nothing like a challenge of not shopping for 365 days to get the heart racing! (Panic attacks will follow when the reality of what I’ve agreed to have set in!) Why have I decided to do this you ask? Because I can. Because I have too much “stuff” in the first place. And because I can honestly say I’ve never been on a diet in my life…and this is the one area I can stand to lose a few pounds 
Cindy O’Neill, San Clemente, CA. Age: 42, Cindy is the mother of seven year old twins. Said twins are known as thrill seeking adventure girls so you can guess how well that works out for the preservation of sanity. She is a wife, chief cook and bottle washer, part time real estate magnate (a girl can dream) and a former sharp shooter for the San Francisco Police Department. (”Does this uniform make my butt look fat??”)
Her favorite shop of late is Anthropologie. When asked about her love of the pretentiously overpriced pseudo-boutique she replied rather defensively, “It’s not what you think! I am only in it for the drawer pulls. I can stop whenever I want!!”
When asked why she wanted to partake in The Great American Apparel Diet she said, “Really, I CAN stop whenever I want and this will just prove to all of the doubters, including myself, that it’s true.” Cindy hopes to have an abundance of free time to search the web for things OTHER than sundresses….like news perhaps??
Jean Lenihan, Seattle WA, 47, a freelance writer, editor, and writing teacher, is the token schlub in the group. (also shlub \
shl
b\ Unkempt in appearance, either due to a lack of effort or lack of awareness. The opposite of metrosexual. — Urban Dictionary). Growing up in a rough area in NYC in the ’70s, Jean learned to dress down in order to avoid notice, and has never really bounced back from that. Still, she feels like clothes shopping (even for blah basics!) occurs in a realm somewhere beyond her control — a kind of visio-emotional maelstrom of lust, anticipation, and carelessness. She regrets half the stuff she buys and will dutifully wear an ill-fitting item so as to justify her stupid act of purchase . Mostly, her trembly — but very excited — commitment to this harsh diet is about having two daughters under her influence now, daughters who watch her kvell for new items and then bitch and moan in technicolor when they don’t work, daughters whose own moods and body issues she tries to ameliorate with clothing purchases. Enough is enough.
Name: Stacey Scott, twenty-something, Ottawa, ON Canada
Occupation: Communications Officer for a large environmental based non-profit
Stacey enjoys evenings spent at her local dog park with her new puppy Chloé, which is incidentally named after one of her favorite designer labels. She loves wiling the hours away at her local Chapter’s (think Borders in the U.S.) perusing all the new fashion magazines with a Venti Pike Place (think indie Starbucks). Stacey is obsessed by the fake reality that is MTV’s the City and the Hills and when time permits, writes up show re-caps for fun on her blog.
Stacey is a yoga fanatic, especially during the cold Canadian winters. She loves spending time with her friends at cottages, pubs and of course the mall. Stacey is a huge animal lover and enjoys the company of her cat Cooper and her dog Chloe.
“Originally from a small town, I have always had Mary Tyler Moore size dreams of making it after all (insert visual of me throwing a fancy beret in the air in downtown NY here). I moved to Ottawa to get an education and eventually land a kick-ass job. Upon graduation, I was fortunate to land a full-time gig and that is when the clothing problem really started. Starting a new phase of my life gave me good reason to stock up on work attire and of course nightlife attire. Working and living downtown, minutes away from one of the larger malls didn’t exactly help matters either! Needless to say shopping was no longer a special event marked by back to school shopping and big life moments, it had become a daily routine.” Says Stacey.
Five years later Stacey still finds herself spending too much time, money and thought into her wardrobe. Since starting in the environmental sector two years ago and getting informed about the real impacts of fast paced consumerism combined with getting The Story of Stuff forwarded to her she realized something had to give. “I was doing my daily media scan for work on treehugger.com and the story of The Diet caught my eye. I have wanted to curb my shopping for a few years now, but due change in office environments combined with weight fluctuations I could never stay on track.”
Stacey is hoping that she can go one full year without the breaking the rules. She hopes that by being on this diet she will not only save some money, but also keep her motivated to get back in shape and fit into some long lost items that are tucked away in her closet. “As vapid as it may sound, this may be one of the hardest challenges I will try to do.”
Anne Hurley, Seattle, WA, has been chasing fashion, high and low, since graduating from Catholic high school, after 12 years of uniforms. A longtime journalist (The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Seattle Times), she adapted her fashion sense to whatever city her gypsy roots touched down in. In New York, more black (and real winter coats!); in L.A., minis, form-fitting leather vests, ever-blonder hair and a few unfortunate run-ins with self-tanner. Now, at 54, she’s ready to scale back. “I love shopping, and re-creating myself through my appearance,” she says, “but I finally realized I have enough raw material in my closets to reinvent till the next millennium.” Her last apparel purchase, in August: a gorgeous pinky-gray vintage tweed princess-line coat from an estate sale, $2 wadded in a box. “After a visit to the dry cleaners, it’s a show-stopper; a guy in Starbucks told me I looked like Lauren Bacall.” With that, she’s armed for a year of belt-tightening.
Kerry Harvey, Crystal Beach, FL, 42 – Horticulturalist, Landscape Designer. Originally from Australia, Kerry moved to the US from Australia in 1996. When she is not busy planning a garden or playing in the dirt she is busy walking her dogs or painting or redesigning something that needs a new use or a new life.
When Kerry moved to the U.S. fourteen years ago she had two suitcases and was several sizes smaller than she is now. “My size has been up and down and all over the map in those dozen or so years. I love clothes but have way too many in every size imaginable, says Kerry. “My plan for the diet is to shed both clothing and weight. I have some great things in all different sizes so it will be a journey and I’m sure entertaining for me along the way to rid myself of those items that I no longer wear.” Kerry plans on donating her larger sizes as she sheds the layers. “I have a ridiculous number of shoes and hope to be able to pare them down to a more manageable and reasonable size collection. So for me it’s not just about not buying more, it’s also about getting rid of all the clutter, in so many ways.”
Mary Jane is a 40 year old British citizen living in Seattle with her husband and two kids aged 4 and 7. “Skiing is my passion and I am trying to keep in shape so that I can still say the same thing in 20 years time,” says Mary Jane. To that end, I run, swim and work out regularly.” Not buying sports apparel will be a big challenge for Mary Jane. She says she has a particular weakness for swimsuits (must be a British thing), but she only wears the one she bought last. She will be wearing that one for a year!
When MJ is not running she likes to read, watch reality TV, entertain, and be a volunteer wherever it’s needed (school, church, neighbors).
“My ironing pile (ironing, that must be a British thing) resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The kids know that the laundry basket and ‘to be put away’ pile have become extra closets. We navigate these piles of clothes only to have someone announce that ‘I have nothing to wear’. Enough. We have plenty of wear! Mom is on a diet.”
Francine Ruley is an editor and writer whose work has appeared in The Seattle Times and Seattle Magazine. “As a punk-rock girl in the ’80s, we didn’t have Hot Topic or Manic Panic hair dye – we had to DIY!” Which meant scouring the thrifts and vintage shops looking for the perfect Exene dress to go with yard-sale combat boots. Now in her 40s, she still loves clothes from downscale to upscale – and loves that the LinkedIn recommendations for her work in journalism mention “she’s a clotheshorse.” But this clotheshorse is taking off the feedbag for a year.
Amy Tucker, 38, Seattle, WA. A Taurus who loves art and luxury (including really good chocolate and great clothes); an artist obsessed with nature, cups and consumerism; Seattle Art Museum board member and president of the Contemporary Art Council; yogini; snow boarder; fledging guitar player; founder and CEO of Matter Group, a company focused on sustainability; and creator of Xeko, an eco-adventure game and eco-toys for kids; Amy’s interests and fashion needs run diverse and deep. Having been on a three-year mission to transition her wardrobe to 100% “eco-friendly,” retiring old items in favor of Green Festival and local fashion finds, the apparel diet offers an interesting test—can Amy walk the green walk without new bamboo outfits and organic cotton to back her up? And just when eco-fashion actually has beautiful and interesting fashions to offer? Confronted by the apparel diet, these are the demons Amy’s wrestling with… who knows what skeletons will jump out of this eco-fashionista’s closet.
Kimberly, 39 years old, is an upsate NY fashionista on the brink of a life change. After a 12 year detour to NYC she is now officially planted in the land of “confusing fashion” otherwise known as the Pacific Northwest where women are known to wear ski jackets with formal gowns and men gladly wear Birkenstock sandals with wool socks in the pouring rain. Since moving to Seattle Kim has refocused on the things that are important to her and is finally ready to stop the clothing insanity. A phone call from her parents allerting her of the three plastic bins full of cothes still at their house in storage made her question…how much is enough. Kim is looking forward to going on the diet but not without some trepidation. “Buying clothes to me is equivalent to eating a hot fudge Sunday. Going cold Turkey is going to take some willpower.” Kim has an obsession for nice vintage togs. Her style, she claims is “Jackie O meets Sienna Miller.”
Yoko Kuramoto-Eidsmoe, 40, is a Seattle journalist and union activist who lives in a Capitol Hill condo with her husband and three cats. She has too much clothing, but more because she fails to get rid of anything than because she shops a lot for clothes. The things she particularly enjoys buying are jewelry, shoes, accessories and underwear, so … is this really going to be a “diet” for her?
Yujin Mun, 28 Kirkland Washington. I first heard about TGAAD on King 5. When I saw the interview a light bulb exploded in my head (more dramatic than going off in my head). I have been trying to find a way to cut back on my spending for a while now. In 1998, I was down to around 3 shirts, 4 pants, and a couple sweaters. Since then I have started to slowly accumulate again and my wardrobe is taking on life of its own. I would love to be a part of this for a year and see where it takes me. In my free time I like to watch movies on Netflix Instant Queue on the XBOX 360, read, shop, do yoga, do make-up for photo shoots, and other things which I can’t remember but will after I finish this little bio.
My hope for this diet is that I will learn to wear all of my clothes, appreciate what I have, and avoid more Impulse Gucci’s (almost went with a Louis Vuitton because the swank store is right across the street from where I work in Bellevue). I am also hopeful that I will save some $$$.
Jayme McQuaid, 58 Puget Sound area. Jayme thinks this is a perfect time to join the diet. She has recently lost some weight and has lots of clothes that are hanging in her closet that she can begin to wear again. “I love clothes, but do not need to buy anything new!” she says. “I have been a clothes horse since high school. I am inspired by fashion magazines and have been for most of my adult life. I am almost back into my smallest size jeans which makes me happy.” Jayme admits that saving money will also make her happy. “I would like to practice the less is more way of life in most aspects of my life including shopping for clothes.”
Jayme is a program manager at the U of Washington. She wears Jeans on the weekend and slacks or skirts to work always paired with a beautiful sweater. Jayme’s favorite places to shop are: Peruvian Connection.com, Garnet Hill.com, Nordstrom, Macy’s, “Heart” on Bainbridge Island and “Clothes Horse” in Port Townsend. Jayme has a grown son. Adrian. He and his wife live in the Tacoma area. Jayme has recently begun helping my aging parents who moved to her neighborhood about a year ago. “I’m big sister to their dog, Charley. In other words, I am the designated dog walker!”
Erin O’Connor Jones is a young (ha!), forty-something wife and full-time mom-extraordinaire to three, fabulous little ones, ages 7, 5 and 21 months old. When she’s not washing and folding laundry (too many clothes!), Erin can be found working as a career advisor and recruiter at the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, blogging at Change.org and fundraising for the Small School PTA. A former follower of the “Preppie Handbook,” Erin spent her adolescent and twenty-something years fostering her love of the black dress, cardigan, turtleneck, khaki pant (wide leg) and practical, comfortable (but stylish) shoes such as the Tretorn tennis shoe and the loafer. A worshipper of The Gap, J. Crew, Talbots, and LL Bean, Erin is right at home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She lived briefly in Seattle, but after discovering that her clothes weren’t cool enough and her nonprofit salary large enough – she returned to Boston, MA.
Erin’s nonprofit work is done from her home office, accommodating her school drop-offs in yoga pants (tries to get to yoga class, but not always successful) and warm, winter fleece, coupled with the Dansko clog. Given that she only has 4-5 face-to-face client meetings per year, Erin hopes to alternate her beautiful, grey suit, and a fashionable, black, wrap dress throughout the year without her boss noticing the “uniform”. In preparation for the cold, Maine winter, Erin replenished her selection of black, ribbed turtlenecks last week, and is ready for the diet. Erin says “after inviting my colleagues to join me on the Diet, I got excited by our discussions about why they might onboard or not. Following these lively conversations, I became more motivated to contribute, model behavior for my children, and hopefully, clear space in my head and home.”
Lisa Hammond, 40ish, Seattle. Many fond memories are Saturdays with my Mom, Barbara, shopping on Union Square.
The Day after Thanksgiving Sales at I.Magnin, Joseph Magnin, and The City of Paris (Neimans’ now occupies the old COP building) were events that we dressed for. The Sidewalk Photographer always snapped a picture of us together with our bags of spoils on our way to lunch at Tadich’s. My Dad’s favorite, George Good’s Men’s Fine Furnishings at Sather Gate, was next door to The Little Daisy, (where my Auntie Dottie worked so she had first access to “California Couture”). Little Daisy even had a kid’s version: Little Miss & Mister (where I could shop on account “with approval”).
Growing up in the Bay Area in the 60s and 70s was an opportunity to explore fashion from couture to thrift. A home to some of the earliest ‘consignment’ and ‘vintage’ shops on Haight and Telegraph, I played ‘dress-up’ through my formative years and on thru college. Now, as a stylist and set decorator, my job is making things pretty enough to buy (literally and figuratively). More often than not, there is some purchasing involved. My knowledge and savvy are expected and relied on by clients. I am required to be current on trends and sources. Vendor relationships are key. This requires visiting stores. Purchases are encouraged. I join in solidarity with my gal Sally B., I join the diet for my conscience: I truly am not comfortable with excess. Thanks to Stephanie G. for finding the words first, “… I (want) to learn to live with what I have. Period,”
My most extravagant purchase: a $350. Eric Javits woven straw hat. It’s beautiful in natural, spectacular in black. Plus, you can spot me a mile down the beach!
Kristin Dickert, 46, of Seattle, WA, is the direct descendant of several generations of women in her family who, like her, were born to shop. What a style maven her grandmother was! Born with the RAT (Retail as Therapy) gene, it seems she was internally wired to have the perfect justification for this or that apparel purchase, be it the gorgeous fabric or the stunning silhouette, the classic timelessness or the latest trendy fad, the incredible bargain or the once in a lifetime investment, the perfect fit or the perfect fit once she lost 5 pounds…you get the idea. It all left her a little heady, with a nagging desire to buy something to match tomorrow. One day she began to look anew at her budget, her time, her priorities and her closet and she said, “Good grief, enough already. It’s time to focus elsewhere.” Then she heard about the Great American Apparel Diet.
Cathy Curley, 41. Growing up in a bedroom community in affluent lower Fairfield County, CT, I’ve always been the frugal outsider when it comes to fashion, footwear & accessories. Mine was one of the few blue collar families (dad was a cop, mom a receptionist) in the sea of white collars (most dads were Wall Street executives with wives who seldom worked outside the home other than to volunteer for local charitable organizations).
Since my idea of fashion was the “somewhat-believable knockoff”, I was never in the name-brand-buying, logo-wearing crowd that shopped Bloomingdales, Lord and Taylor and Saks. Most times, I din’t even know what the “it” brands were… “Dolce & who?” Strictly a TJ Maxx / Marshalls / Old Navy gal, I’ve lived in a Banana Republic / Anne Taylor / Talbots world. Even now, as married mom of two, I’ve proudly retained my identity as a savvy, parsimonious consumer. Shopping as a social activity has never held appeal, and movies like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “SATC” leave me shaking my head… their characters’ devotion to all things high fashion seem utterly pointless.
Given that my frugality has always been a choice, though, I’ve been quite content with my situation. Though not “wealthy” by the standards of our community, my husband and I have never had to worry about paying the bills, making the mortgage or going without basics.
However, things changed in April ’09 when my husband was laid off from his job in the financial services sector. With both of us unable to find employment, I have been in “imposed frugality” mode for over 6 months now. Discretionary expenditures have gone by the wayside… and that certainly includes purchasing any new clothing, shoes or accessories. Not that I would have ordinarily bought much of that stuff ANYway, but the sense that this is now not a choice but a “sentence” leaves me with a feeling of powerlessness that I’ve never had before.
I view taking part in “The Great American Apparel Diet” as an opportunity to take back that feeling of control over my frugality… to find greater purpose in it, to connect with others who feel as I do, and to become more creative in the way I approach my situation. I realize that there are SO many women in this country and around the world for whom this “diet” is NOT a choice but a way of life. I’d like to honor them and to remain mindful that, despite my situation, this is still a choice for me… not a “sentence.”
Bridgette Bartlett, 33, New York. Earlier this month, Bridgette’s position as Research Chief at Essence.com was eliminated. She is presently a freelance writer and editor for publications like Essence and Uptown. A Queens, New York native and resident, Bridgette graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and also studied fashion journalism in London, England at American Intercontinental University.
Bridgette’s editorial expertise is fashion, beauty, bridal and travel. She particularly enjoys penning service driven pieces and profiles for both the Web and print. Besides Essence, Essence.com and Uptown, Bridgette has written for a host of publications such as Delta Sky, Gospel Today, Real Simple, Uptown and Vibe Vixen.
Bridgette also maintains a lifestyle blog called People.Places.Things; http://people-places-things.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-going-on-diet.html. Bridgette plans to post about her experience on TGAAD. “By joining this unique campaign, I hope to flex my frugal skills in order meet my long-term financial goals, especially in light of my recent layoff,” she says. “Although I love to to shop (I have clothes in four closets in my apartment.) and know that this self-imposed diet will be very challenging, it’s nice to know that I have a virtual support system to help me along the journey.”
Brena Meadows, 25. Brena found out about the diet while browsing on www.glamour.com . A self described long time clothes horse, no walk-in closet is too big for her. If you give Brena more space or hangers she will certainly fill them to the maximum. Brena knew she had a problem when every month she had to put more hangers on her shopping list to handle her wardrobe. Brena works in the museum field, and while not an artist herself, she likes to express her artistic side with her clothing. Depending on her mood, the personality of her clothing will change. This requires a vast arsenal of separates, but it must stop. Her closet is full, but her wallet is empty. This diet came along just at the right time.
Emily Prouty is a 28 year old work in progress living in Nashville, Tennessee. A year away from community development focused Ph.D. after a literal lifetime spent in school has provided her with much needed time to reassess and rediscover. Current pursuits include training to be a Pilates instructor, running marathons she has not entirely trained for, visiting far off places and trying to sort her truest self out of the physical and mental debris of a decade on moves, over-the-top retail binges and avoidance since college. The sheer volume of clothes, papers, books, etc in her life have made her long to scream: “enough, enough…enough!” with increasing frequency and insistence. As fate would have it, she stumbled upon the Great American Apparel Diet while taking a break from an entire day spent posting unused designer clothes on e-bay. This challenge seems to be the answer to her desire to avoid creating anymore piles of lovely, fashionable goods to be painstakingly dispensed with in the future. As a health nut and native Coloradoan she would never dream of binging on donuts or ding-dongs and finds the parallel the GAAD draws between food and retail immensely clarifying. From now on she will aim to think: Prada = Pigs-in-a-blanket = Appalling!
Cynthia Magana, 44, Costa Mesa California. Cynthia is mother of 3 kids, (two young adults and one teen) and a teacher working with kids with autism. When she’s not teaching or mothering she loves to spend time reading, walking, learning to knit and of course shopping. She is currently working to expand her cooking and baking skills. Her 16 year old son (culinary student) has been an inspiration in that area.
“I would say for the last 5 -6 years, shopping has been an outlet for me,” says Cynthia. “Not only do I love fashion and everything girly, I get an emotional pay off by finding a deal. I love to put bargain items together with my other items. I love to find deals at Target, TJMAXX and thrift stores. I often get the most compliments on my “bargain” finds.”
Today, for a variety of reason, including some financial, Cynthia is trying to downsize and simplify her life. “I am beginning to realize that I need less. More clothes and material things are not going to make me happy. I saw the diet and decided it would be a good challenge for me. It’s just what I need.
Sherry,31 years old, Dallas, TX. As long as she can remember Sherry has loved shopping. “I can shop for hours without getting tired of browsing in stores. Even when I’m at home, I’m browsing online for fashion. I would like to join the Diet because I would like to challenge myself. I am certain that I can hold off any purchases until August but it is not going to be easy.
Olivia Joie, 18 years old. New York. Olivia is a first-year, full time college student. When she’s not at school she has two full-time jobs, “Don’t pity me, I love it,” says Olivia. “I like to be bus every minute of the day.” Olivia loves her sweat pants, and wears them religiously. She also adores pajamas, and cannot live with out them. But, for classes and work, she tries her hardest to dress simply: shirt, pants, nice heels and an overcoat. Simple, yet sophisticated is her mantra.
When first hearing about this challenge, she was distraught: knowing full well that she should take part in it, not only for self control, but to cut down on clothing costs. “There was once a day when twenty dollars spent in a store was too much… now I can easily dish-out a good 3-5 hundred dollars in one store, because I ‘totally would wear it’… once.” Last night, instead of spending a few hundred dollars buying “necessities” for the coming year… Oliva showed restraint. She successfully spent the night out wearing things she already owned.
“ I love life and every aspect of it. I try enjoying and making the most of absolutely everything. I couldn’t imagine having it any other way,” says Olivia.
This picture was taken two weeks ago while visiting my family in Orange County, California. My dad and I are at Fashion Island for the Tree-Lighting ceremony. Lush!
“I am so excited about this initiative. It’s exactly what I’ve been needing, ” says Amy Fidler, 29 year old Graphic Design educator from Bowling Green State Unversity. I am a new mom (my son will be 1 on Dec. 31) and I love to shop for clothes, but I am also struggling with how my penchant for the latest & greatest coincides with sustainability. I do a lot of work with sustainable graphic design and am trying to bring this into my daily life— the Great American Apparel Diet seems to fiscally & environmentally make a lot of sense in those lights.
My name is Alexandra Lemke, 29 from Chicago. I went to Purdue for my undergrad and obtained a BA in political science and then joined the non-profit Teach for America. I spent four years teaching in Las Vegas Nevada, while also obtaining my Masters in Education. Last year I moved back to Chicago and am planning on moving to Berlin this summer with my husband. In preparation for our Berlin move, I currently am working part-time in retail and studying German. I have always adored fashion – however now that I am surrounded by clothes 20-25 hours a week, I realized that I have a problem. We need to save money for our move and think this would be a perfect time for this challenge.
Tricia Young, 28 North Carolina. Tricia heard about TGAAD on a radio station somewhere between New Orleans and Asheville NC, (she was driving home from a Thanksgiving holiday at her parent’s house). When she heard about the diet she immediately knew it was something she wanted to participate in. She is hoping to enroll her whole family, including husband and her two girls; aged three and two. “I have more than enough clothes now so it’s time for a diet,” says Tricia. “I’d like to participate to save money for our family. We’re very close to being completely debt free and I’d love to put money normally spent on clothes towards debt.”
Tricia is a full time mom. In her free time she likes being with friends which is often code for “going shopping with friends!” She organizes a local mom’s group and loves it! Tricia is also a huge LSU fan. GEAUX TIGERS!!!
Brenda, 54.75 years old, GA. Her fear? “I’m Old enough to know I do not need so many clothes, but scared that I will turn into one of those old ladies who is still wearing her plaid suits from her peak career days. . .”
“Brenda first learned about TGAAD blog online on her Yahoo page. It was Kim Fusaro, for Little Miss Fortune. Brenda lives on St. Simons Island in GA for part of the year and in Maine during the summer. Recently Brenda has pared down her four season wardrobe to a two season wardrobe but claims she still has “too many winter sweaters, coasts, pants, etc.” While Brenda describes herself as very organized, she still has trouble making up her mind about what to wear. (It’s the abundance of items that makes it hard to see the forest through the trees my dear, we all know the challenge). “I have so many items. I want to have items that I love and can pair up easily without looking like an old lady – hip and cool without looking like I am trying too hard, but still modern and stylish,” says Brenda.
Brenda is I am an educational, college admissions and financial aid consultant with her own business. Prior to this professional incarnation Brenda had a long career as a college administrator and public school administrator – She was even a high school principal. “What was I thinking?” She has had a fulfilling career life and now works in a home office and uses videoconferencing to meet with clients when meeting them in person is not a option. Thus the need for fewer clothes.
Brenda moderates and maintains her own blog called, www.agelessmakeupgoddesses.com. She posted on her blog yesterday her official “commitment” to the diet. She also had two witnesses by her side to make sure she stays on the straight and narrow.
Karen is a 54 year old woman who was voted “Best Dressed” in her senior year of high school and still loves being designated one of the “best dressed” in her workplace, a Seattle high school. Since being in high school and working in a high school, Karen found a fabulous husband, had 3 children who continue to make her heart happy, and multiple careers to match her variety of interests. At the center of it all, is Karen’s love of color, textiles, vintage anything and a need to create. Fashion became one of her many creative outlets and the creative aspect of it has been a great excuse to always be on the lookout for something new or different. Now her closets are stuffed, her husband is unemployed and she hopes TGAAD will make a positive difference in her household and the greater community. “I would like to be able to redirect some of the money I would’ve spent on clothing to help those in greater need,” says Karen. “I am hoping, too, to be a positive role model for my daughters in the area of spending habits. (Neither one can believe I’m doing this!) As I read through all the biographies, in my mind I was saying “yes, yes, that’s exactly how I feel,” and decided to join. I have to admit that a fear of failure made me think about this for awhile before joining, but I’m hoping that sharing this experience with other like-minded women will up my chances for success.” Karen will define success with fewer shopping bags, personal growth and new outlets for her creativity!
Jennifer Seyler, Seattle, WA, age 43. Jennifer is a psychotherapist in private practice, graduate school instructor in humanities and psychology, writer, and editor. Jennifer is taking on the apparel diet with some trepidation, thus the late start. But after seeing her friend Stephanie step up, she was inspired to give it a whirl. A summer of fun and frivolity led to losing 15 pounds and so getting along with few clothes that really fit will be the greatest challenge. A daily yoga practice also means a mean fetish for yoga clothes will go unfed. Jennifer extends her regrets to REI, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, Talbots, Eddie Bauer, Macy’s, Lucy, Lululemon….
Sherry is a 56 year old mother of 6 (blended family) and grandmother of 4, passionate about conservation and blessed to be able to work in the conservation world in North Idaho – a fertile agriculture area. Sherry is also a blogger wannabe. Throughout the years, She has worked in numerous industries (construction, finance, legal and retail sales) prior to beginning her life as the wife of a farmer and becoming more environmentally conscious. ”My fashion tastes lean toward the conservative and safe basics but lurking underneath is a secret desire for the courage to be much more eccentric and different,” says Sherry. “Maybe with an eco-based restraint in place, that much hidden side of me can be developed, refined and finally exposed – which really might be a disaster but nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Sherry loves to garden, golf, ski, quilt, knit, and included in her bulging storage areas are large quantities of raw materials for craft items and clothing. “I seem to have been the most proficient at purchasing the supplies rather than completing the projects,” says Sherry. ”Maybe the necessity of craving something new will inspire me to reinvent something old. It really is fulfilling for me to be able to save something old.”
Erika Kinno, age 37, Seattle native and resident (with stints in Tokyo and the cypress swamps of Florida). Erika is married with a 3 year old daughter and works full time in local government. She hopes the diet will give her time to weed out unworn items in her overstuffed closet, and either discard or remake them into something she will wear again (or into something else!). Erika is addicted to jogging and her husband`s gourmet cooking, and to reducing consumption/waste in her life—which inspires many “home art” hobbies including composting, vegetable gardening, canning, mending, quilting. Erika learned about TGAAD in late December and joined as a New Year`s Resolution. As penance for joining the diet late in the game, Erika is also giving up purchasing shoes and accessories.
Kessia Goldbloom. Seattle, WA. Age: 23. Recent University of Washington grad (Biology & History) and wife of, shall we say, a “community organizer.” A part time job and hubbies income put us above the FPL, but gets us nowhere when living and serving in a community where a 2 br, 1.5 bath condo goes for $400,000-$470,000 (not in a “downtown” area!). Suffice to say, graduate school and home-buying would be enough to scare anyone into a rice and beans diet. But growing up in affluent neighborhoods without a want for anything, I’m finding it hard to go without the “finer things.” While shopping, I am somewhere between father’s frugal sensibility and mother’s thrill to shop – enjoying the high of being at my favorites – knowing that whatever I have in my hands or am eyeing with intense desire I really don’t need. I walk away from a store relishing a find, trying to ignore thoughts of the social, moral, or ethical implications of my purchase. Bottom line: I have enough. And I need to be reminded of that. I have everything I need, no major life changes are coming my way for the next nine months. I can wait for September to find that killer grad school interview outfit.
Sandiane 54, Kirkland Washington: Wife, mother of three, and nurse (she is also a knitter and sew-er). Sandiane is at a point in her life where she realizes that “more is not necessarily more fulfilling” she is interested in learning to embrace quality, not quantity. “Not only in clothing, but in a lot of areas of my life,” she says. Clothing is a good place to begin.
Sandiane is interested in being a part of TGAAD in an effort to learn to live a little simpler. “I want to stop accumulating so much ‘stuff’,” she says. “I want to be a better steward of the things I do have. I also like the idea of making this journey with the support and interaction of the other members of your group.”
Lauren Davidson, 26, Atlanta, GA. Lauren works as an Architect for a Sustainable Design Consulting firm. Sustainable living is something she is striving to accomplish in every aspect of her life. The only area where she still has eco-damaging demons is in her constant desire to shop for clothes! I seriously think that this TGAAD challenge was designed specifically for me! I also am currently working myself out of a debt that once equaled six figures,” she says. “I will officially be debt free in June, and I do not want to fall right back in to my old routine of consumption, consumption, consumption.” Lauren is engaged to a wonderful man with a wedding date set for October 2010. This wonderful guy is one of the reasons (and one of my most trusted supporters) why she has been able to climb out of debt and feel the desire to curb her old habits. Planning her wedding as a sustainable, neutral carbon-footprint event was an easy and immediate decision when wedding planning commenced. “If only I could be as diligent when it came to shopping for clothes,” she says. “I am very excited about this challenge and I am looking forward to putting all of this extra cash into savings and towards paying down my debt instead of in the hands of the American Apparel.”
Elizabeth, 32 Baltimore City. Elizabeth has been doing her own version of the diet for over a year now and has been blogging about it at: http://icouldsewdothat.com/ . Elizabeth is a Client Services Manager by day and runs an etsy shop, www.serendipit.etsy.com selling handmade recycled clothing and accessories in her free time. Most of the products she sells are recycled from t-shirts or denim. “I buy ‘new’ clothes from Goodwill to satisfy my shopping fix and hold clothing swaps in Baltimore City so that I don’t get bored with my clothing selection,” she reports.
Like a swiss army knife, Elizabeth is a snowboarder, competitive downhill mountain biker, yoga practicioner, wife + mother, dog lover, cook, treehugging creator of things trying to save the world and herself at the same time. Elizabeth enjoys refashioning Tshirts and other recycled materials into fun and practical clothing and accessories.
Trina Wong, Fairfield, CT, 43 – Work from home Mom, Administrative Assistant, Cub Scouts Volunteer, Yoga Teacher, married. In concept, the idea of not buying clothes is such a great one — decrease consumerism, save money, spend more time working on what’s inside not what’s layered on the outside… But in reality, can I do this? A friend joined a few months ago and has been talking about it. She has inspired me to try it. Maybe instead of buying clothing for myself, when I get the urge, I’ll put $20 (or $40 or even $60) in a jar and see how much I’ve ’saved’ by the end. I’m sure I’ll need strategies to cope along the way. Wish me luck!
Anwyn is 28 year old public relations professional in Indianapolis. She stumbled across TGAAD on another site that has been lost in time, and committed to the project (in her head, at least) only a few weeks late. A procrastinating type of hippie, she’s been keeping up with the antics of her virtual partners in crime, but came to the blogging party a little late. While not a serious shopper, Anwyn is known to be a devotee of the outlet mall, and is looking forward to learning how to be happy with what she has, rather than looking longingly at the sale racks.
Sallie , 45 Bothell WA . In Sallie’s line of work, she is required to dress professionally on a daily basis which is not inexpensive. And what can she say, she loves to shop…for clothes.
Sallie spent most of my life quite overweight, and historically had a very hard time finding clothes that fit. Even when she did find something that fit she never felt good in it. Approximately 5 years ago Sallie lost over 200 lbs. With this new body and image came an entirely different shopping experience. “Not only did clothes fit but nearly everything looked good.” Every occasion or special day seemed to need a new outfit, and my rationale was “I deserved it.” Now five years later, Sallie has three closets full of clothes, and on any given day you can find 3-10 items with the tags still on them. “I have come to realize over time, that it’s not the clothes that make you feel the way you do. I want to stop buying and learn to live and appreciate what I have. Saving for my future is really better financially than buying clothes that I will not even like a year from now…”
Karin Hoving, 40, Los Angeles. Karin is married with a 3 1/2 year old daughter. She is also an Emmy-nominated television editor and producer who has been on location around the world– she lived in a tent for two months in the North Pole, she wrangled sea iguanas in the Galapagos Islands and she braved extreme wind tunnels in Hong Kong—always wearing the right outfit for every single occasion of course. Karin has a passion for fun clothes made by designers like Marc Jacobs, Joie, Danang, Agnes B. and spent much of her free time shopping for clothes and browsing the internet for new items. Now with a walk-in closet stuffed to the brim she has become fed up by how wasteful this ceaseless consumption has become. Now comes the ultimate cold turkey test–The Great American Apparel Diet. Gulp.
Jetta is joining because this seems like great fun and knowing that the challenge is only 6 months, (she is just starting) and the limited time makes it easier. For most of her life, Jetta has been frightened of the long term consequences of “wasting,” so much so that her career for the past 20 years has been promoting “waste-prevention” through recycling, reuse, and plain old reduce. “The irony is that I am considered by my family to be a Shopaholic,” says Jetta. “I do love pretty things, especially when I can wear them or have them around me.” Jetta recently moved back to the west coast her current wardrobe should take her through the rest of the Seattle seasons. “Come spring when the weather improves I will be ready to visit my old closet and replenish.” Jetta is excited to join the diet for a number of reasons: environmental, spiritual, economic and weight. (Maybe I can concentrate on losing a few pounds since I can’t buy clothes to cover the excess!!) It’s a new day and I am looking forward to August 31. Hooray and thank you. Count me in.
Elizabeth, 23, Vancouver BC, is a design/literature student. Elizabeth wants to focus less on purchasing clothes, and spend more time defining her own style with the pieces that she already has available. She also wants a good excuse to practice altering the old fashions that she’s inherited from my parent’s swinging sixties days’. Along with being a student Elizabeth also attends local conferences on technology and social media, reads design books, organizes photowalks, drinks coffee (only in the morning) is hoping to get a master’s degree, enjoys capturing street art, loves artshows, friends, handing out business cards, participating in photoshoots, influencing younger people and enjoys mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Joanne Park, 42 from Southern California is a teacher and wife. Joanne is a clothes lover with a closet full of clothes. “I think I’ve collected all the basics and more and it’s time to simplify my life and perhaps save a lot of money to hopefully eat at my dream restaurant: The French Laundry in Napa, CA,” says Joanne. Joann’s brand is anything at Anthropologie and any soft t-shirts, sweats, and AG jeans.
Birdie Carpenter, 37, Colorado is an environmental engineer working in Colorado ( a recent transplant from NH, where she finished her PhD). Birdie tries to be conscious of what she buys in general, where products come from, especially food. One year she gave up buying anything from China (it turned out to be quite a challenge).
Birdie’s biggest weakness is….clothes (and shoes, but lets focus on clothes for now), pretty clothes, sporty clothes, grungy granola clothes, comfy clothes, clothes with soft sumptuous fabrics and pretty colors! “My mom, my sister and I all seem to share this particular weakness,” she says. “Fortunately my sisters and Ssister-in-law are about the same size so we swap quite frequently or rather pass on to each other things we don’t use anymore or that don’t fit quite right. Birdie loves that her castoffs go somewhere that it is appreciated.
Birdie enjoys looking at fashion in magazines and watching what’s new in the store fronts. She is tempted to purchase new clothes, to support those little boutique shops. “ I am very guilty of online shopping as well (GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY!) which really only serves to chip away at my budget.”
So why the diet? “ I want to join up and give up all ridiculous clothes purchases that I know I don’t need. I feel lighter already!”
Nicole Germans, Richmond, VA. Age: thirties. Occupations: wife, mother, advertising professional. I’m just a regular, middle class gal, who aspires to do better with my life.
What I love Family. Mountain biking. The outdoors.Yoga. And yes, I love clothes and fashion.
But doesn’t every woman? Clothes for me are fun, they express a side of me that is polar opposite from the outdoorsy, mud-loving, competitive mountain biker. I love hanging out in yoga pants and a tank top, donning a great vintage suit or stepping out in a DVF wrap dress. I’m not terribly trendy, but I have style. People tell me I have great taste.
My philosophical dilemma: loving clothes and fashion means buying and consuming. Sometimes buying a lot. I dream about a really large clothing budget, the endless possibilities, the fun, looking fabulous. How lovely!
Here’s my chance, stop buying clothes. Will I miss it? Can I do it? Not buying clothes for a year? (OK, 8 months because I’m late to the game.) The thought fills me with anxiety, perhaps in a good way. I mean, I really like clothes – the way a lovely new dress makes you stand tall, confident, beautiful – but my innermost self likes to believe that having less stuff is better.
I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.
Nicole is a 29 year old Brooklynite and kick ass personal assistant. She is also an esthetician and is devoted to all things beauty- just look at that face! Nicole enjoys cashmere, buttery leather, and sparkling jewels. She adores her bordeaux velveteen blazer like nobody’s business. Nicole says that she wants to prove to herself that she can do this thing. It’s going to be rough, but she feels confident that she can put amazing outfits together from what is already at home in her closet. Stacy and Clinton would approve.
Sandrine La Fond, 38, Currently based in Montreal. Sandrine is a dancer and character. When I goggled her online I found out she is a well regarded performer extraordinaire. Sandrine never lives in the same place for very long and is attached to her suitcase. She says she loves to get rid of stuff so she can fill in with new things. She has decided that in 2010 she will get “lighter,” in every way (but not physical), she loves food. Good food made from scratch. She says she has enough clothes to still be herself and not get into a panic. “But knowing that I won’t be the only one doing is fantastic!” she says.
Suzanne, Pflugerville, Texas located next door to Austin. Suzanne is the proud owner of a closet that resembles an accordion because the moment it shrinks she finds herself eager to go fill it out with ’stuff’ and only using about 30% of what’s in it.
Suzanne is the mother of 3 grown sons. In an effort to leave a decent planet for her grandchildren to come (someday, no pressure on her grownup children) she decided to live a life as a minimizer.
Suzanne is a Career Counselor for a non-profit organization and my group of students are Solar Energy Tech students. She says she knows a thing or two about been thrifty since she raised her children as a single mom. “Saving money and living frugally is something I pass on as a lesson to my students based on experience.” Suzanne says she is ready to move on to the next step… really becoming a minimizer. “I know people around the globe ‘own’ less disposable objects but enjoy life in the form of connecting with neighbors, family, traveling and treasuring a reasonable amount of well made material items (furniture, clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc, etc.). I realize I have deprived myself of that lifestyle as an exchange for becoming a consumer of disposable knick knacks.
Looking forward to connect with others who are in the same journey of getting to know the true essence of other fellow human beings… (instead of human consumers).
Namaste…
Kathleen Banzon, Age 25, I am in executive operations for a global consulting firm at the UN Plaza in New York City. Every time I’m going to work, I pass by the calling streets of Manhattan that sparkles with new bargains every week. Shopping has become a problem, especially if you are in debt and can’t pay rent. We live in consumer-driven society, where we need material things to fill our lives, things that are not always necessary, but they sure are FABULOUS! Clothes shopping can be therapeutic. It’s the next best thing that can make us feel good about ourselves. The first thing is a great run!!! Each year I try to eliminate things that may be creating havoc in my life: I have already given up sugary drinks, given up meat, and also have given up several jerks along the way. I’ve never looked back! I’ve given up clothes shopping for three months once, and I managed. But this is a new year and a fresh start! This will be a great time to reassess and reevaluate the things that are important in life, while reducing my carbon footprint. Better late than never!
My name is Amy Obonaga, and I live in New York City. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I began my diet a few months ago. I have known for some time that my ’spendy’ ways were making troubles for both my wallet and the environment. I worked as a seamstress in high school and learned what quality clothing looks like–sure seams, linings, cloths not from blends but pure materials. Since then I am often disappointed by the quality and the lack of pride that clothing manufacturers display in their merchandise. Now, I am vigilant about imaging where this item fits in my closet, how long will it take to degrade in the Kill Van Kull garbage dump (this and the Great Wall of China are the only two man-made structures one can see from outer space), and what sort of thoughtfulness went into the design, construction, and resources to make this item.
Clothing as a form of expression has been something I have enjoyed making and wearing for years. Now I spend maybe twenty dollars a month at the second-hand store buying quality clothing to wear and into remake into blankets and purses. I am a graduate student studying architecture and using my downtime to read, head to the museum, and search online for inspiration.
I look forward to participating.
My name is Dragana Stojkovic, I have 25 years, I am Serbian, born in Montenegro and currently living and studying in Italy. I live alone, and away from my family which gives me a lot of time for shopping
I am doing master in sustainable tropical forestry (www.sutofor.net), and I already graduated biology and ecology. From my study profile you could say that I am very ecologically and environmentally cautious. And that would be true I am vegetarian, I buy organic and fair trade good, I recycle, I use public transport and bike, I turn off the electricity appliances when not used… I do believe that all together these small changes have big influence on our Planet. But, shopping is definitely a spot in my almost perfectly sustainable lifestyle.
I can’t resist buying!!! I buy a lot of clothes that I don’t need. It became my daily routine to go to Zara, H&M and similar shops. And when I see something shiny and cute and not very expensive, I can’t resist buying. Somehow I convince myself I need it! But actually I don’t, I have a lot of (or at least enough) clothes. Shopping takes my money and but also my precious time!
Moreover, I am very aware how clothes of my favorite brands is made: in third world countries by workers who are poorly paid, maybe even using child labour, made of cheap materials that will not last long, and even If they do, you can’t wear them next season J
So that’s why I am joining you, as a first European woman in Great American (and beyond) Apparel diet. Hope we will make it together! And believe me, now is the hardest time to start because big sales in Italy just started
Kris Freeman, 51 is a science writer/editor in Seattle, Washington. Because she works at a computer all day (sometimes all evening), online shopping is a constant temptation. She’s pretty good at returning unwise impulse buys, but still spends too much money on clothes. Even worse, online shopping can be a huge time sink. She can spent hours comparison shopping for that special travel bag/shirt/hat/skirt/belt/pair of pants with the security pocket that magically reduces the weight of anything zipped in by 33%. She has removed herself from the print and e-mailing lists of her favorite retailers, but still needs more moral support to stop that shopping.
Keana Okuda, 26, Hilo, Hawai`i. Keana is a designer, writer, entrepreneur and the founder of TheEcoBoss.com. Born and raised on the Island of Hawai`i and a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in LA, Keana has been conscious of social and environmental problems since childhood. For the past five years, she has dedicated herself to researching and writing about these issues and is now focused on finding solutions. The EcoBoss Project — a blog documenting this eco maven’s commitment to conscious living — is the next step. Keana admits that, “I don’t have a shopping problem, nor am I a victim of fast fashion, but I am more likely to donate old clothing to Goodwill than shop there.” Still, she is no stranger to stylish hand-me-downs. With that being said, she is going to take this opportunity to explore the second hand and vintage shops around town as well as start a regular clothing swap amongst friends. The Great American Apparel Diet is one of 365 commitments she will make in 2010 to live more sustainably.To learn more about TheEcoBoss and her projects, check out these links. Website: http://theecoboss.comBlog: http://theecobossproject.wordpress.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/theecoboss
Amanda Grace, 19, Los Angeles, CA. A music producer who loves all forms of art- including styling at the expense of visa. Even before my card I developed the unhealthy habits of a shopaholic. Singer and songwriter from the age of 10, currently exploring electronic outlets while a full time music student in Los Angeles. Amanda’s goals in becoming a minimalist might only be a met with the aid of the apparel diet, like any other addict, she hopes this commitment will give her strength to avoid relapses in the form of unneeded new bikinis, a jacket to add to her collection, or one more black dress…thus saving her money for more important things, like instruments!
Soulaima is CEO of Causa Communication, which helps companies to achieve a more strategic and profitable sales organization that focus on satisfied and loyal customers. Soulaima is also special advisor to some of Scandinavia’s most demanding and ambitious companies, helping them overcome complex challenges and become more professional and passionate players in their industries.
As a renowned businesswoman, she has received prestigious awards such as Rising Star and Talent 2004 by the Danish business magazine Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin in 2004. In her prolific career, she has worked for multinational companies such as Hewlett-Packard and the A.P. Moller Maersk Group. Here, Soulaima accumulated business and sales competencies through significant line responsibility for sales, budgets, and personnel.
Soulaima Gourani holds a Master of Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School, where she now teaches part-time Supply Chain Management, and she is active on several boards and as a highly sought-after lecturer.
Mia is a 30-something Rehabilitation Therapist living in Seattle. She finds her love of clothes at odds with her profession in the medical world which leads her to patients’ bedsides and lends itself more to scrubs and clogs than anything else. She sometimes wishes she had a different job, if only so that she could wear (and have an excuse for purchasing) more trendy clothes.
Zoey Grafton is a holistic health counselor practicing in the area of promoting general health and well-being in men, women and children. She began her career as a holistic health counselor in the summer of 2009, and now specializes in teaching classes on health related topics such as Deconstructing Cravings, Teaching Children to Eat Well in a World that Doesn’t as well as conducting Cooking Demonstrations.
While Zoey is completing her training as a holistic health counselor and starting up her own business, it is the perfect time to balance every aspect of life – food, career, activity, and relationships – including the relationship with clothing! On Halloween morning, her car was broken into and every item of clothing she loved and wore regularly were stolen from her. As heartless and insensitive as the act was, it allowed Zoey the opportunity for personal growth in the areas of detachment and learning to live with limited means and resources.
Spending big and shopping addiction has never been a challenge for Zoey, because the balance of cute clothing that fits well at an affordable price was almost never in existence. This opportunity to look at consumerism and materialism from a different perspective, however, has greatly intrigued her into participating with others to reassess our need for newer, better, and more trendy must-haves! That being said, some of her friends are shocked and don’t believe that she can succeed, so that gives more impetus to proving to herself that she can, in fact, succeed on this Diet. She is also very excited to participate with her good friend and shopping buddy, Mia, as they both join the Great American Apparel Diet!
In her free time, Zoey enjoys the theater, participating in 1980s singalongs and entertaining friends with healthy food, meaningful conversations and fabulous company. Zoey also enjoys doing yoga, dressing up for an evening out and partaking of free first Thursday’s at the Seattle Art Museums.
A devotee of The Tightwad Gazette, a wheat-free/dairy-free lifestyle, and careful financial planning, Jenny Brandt, 44, is no stranger to “dieting”. “A few years ago my husband and I saw a financial planner who had us curb our spending by keeping cash in envelopes marked ‘groceries,’ ‘recreation,’ ‘beauty,’ etc. When the food money is gone for the week, we scrounge rice and beans until the next scheduled trip to the bank.” Fortunately for this avid shopper, the clothing budget line item is tracked differently (read: not at all) and her longstanding addiction to the next new apparel fix has remained unchecked.
“My mother has often said there isn’t a clothing store in the world where I couldn’t unearth something wearable buy,” says Jenny, though her tastes stray primarily toward vintage, sample sales and funky boutiques. Favorite recent finds include an 80’s Op ski jacket ($2) and ruffled plaid coat ($15) —both scored on the sidewalk—and a red crocheted cap she found in a church basement craft fair.
“I notice that every time I’m complimented on my clothing, I feel compelled to state the (low, low) price, as if life were some giant apparel Olympiad where the one with the most fun-yet-tasteful-and-preferably-cheap items wins. How many hours have I dedicated to my rigorous training to be the last wo(man) standing? When I realized that every time I walked through an airport in another city, the first thought in my mind was ‘What the hell are these people wearing?’, I knew clothing was taking up way too much mental hard drive space. “
“I also must confess that when I first saw the TGAAD link, I thought someone was going to tell me what I should stop eating to start looking good in all those American Apparel leggings and clingy tees cut to fit 22 year old heroin addicts. No such luck!”
Jenny lives a life of contradictions, devouring/spouting anti-consumerism ideology while being secretly relieved to live in a town with a 7-11 on every corner. She and her husband live in Los Angeles and are raising two budding clotheshorse daughters, ages 4 and 8. “I tell my kids it is more important to be beautiful on the inside than on the outside, yet if I see a bad photo of myself, I can no longer wear those clothes.” This tangled web of female insecurity, environmental sustainability, capitalism, beauty, confidence, advertising, and existential angst are just a few of the themes that draw Jenny to TGAAD.
When she’s not doing yoga or gymnastics, she volunteers with a local children’s theatre group and at her daughters’ schools. With all the time and money saved buying new clothes, Jenny plans to finish covering her two cars in a duct tape picture-rama and to learn how to sew so she can still get new clothes.
“Do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Hillary Ryan, 37, is a stay at home mother of two small children in beautiful Olympia, WA. Joining GAAD in demonstrating voluntary simplicity to her children as well as her family and friends. “I have made many changes in my life since having kids to practice “green living” but nothing has really been a major challenge for myself personally.” Ryan moonlights teaching about green parenting and Zumba.
Bernadette Gillick, Seattle, 40. Bernadette read the article about TGAAD in the Seattle Times and started that day (that was way back in October). Now she realizes that it would be more fun to be part of the team! Bernadette is a medical professional recently turned PhD graduate student with no good reason to be buying anything new right now- especially clothes! “Thanks for starting this idea – it will be much easier to maintain the diet with others across the nation,” she says. “Now that I’ve returned to school, I want to be able to use the clothes I have, know what clothes I actually have in my closet, and get rid of the clothes I don’t wear.”
Tabatha Michelle, 21, is an Emerging Media and Communications student, online radio dj, blogger, and writer of children’s books, minimalist, and vegetarian from Texas. She has moved around the country a lot and discovered the benefits of living with less, the ease of simplicity, and importance of sustainability. Tabatha tends to live by the mantra, “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” and honors the phrase, “if you own a rug, you own too much.” After completing The Great American Apparel Diet, Tabatha Michelle will continue similar self-challenges to lessen the impact of materialism and excess in her life, including participation, or lack thereof, in Buy Nothing Day.
I’m Julia, I live in Germany, and my best friend in the world, Evie Polesny, owner of Café doma in New York, send me the link of your site. I had no time (as I’m on an internet diet as well) to read the site that same moment, but simply the idea of not buying clothing was appealing, that I instantly put it to use. – I told her: great, I won’t buy anything, except when I visit you in NY, because, what is NY without shopping? She wrote me back – later than usual because she is on the internet-diet as well – that the whole point is, to live entire life for a while without shopping and e.g. experience New York from a different side. The email reached me after already a few weeks of not cloth-shopping and, for me most important – not thinking about buying clothes, looking at clothing online, stores etc. etc. . It was an instant realization how absolutely freeing this was. Yes, I did buy a lot before and my closet is full to the rim, because, every time I go to the US I buy like crazy (happens twice a year) and in between I shop left and right when I see something. Worse for me is, as I have a hard time making up my mind, THINKING about what to buy. I spent so much brain energy deciding which boots are the best, which skirt, if I should get it or not, if I should get this color or that. Since my budget is not very limited, there is no restraint from that side either. The point is, the decision not to buy things was so positive instantly that now I want to join and not buy anything till August as well, though I will spend that whole month in the US (my former shopping frenzy heaven). It will be so much fun to not shop in New York finally!
My name is Tamara, but everyone in the world calls me T…I am 26, a polsci master who is currently out of work, but not out of action. I live in Zagreb, Croatia with my sister, but both love and education strivings make me travel from time to time, which is great. I love all things beautiful and thought-provoking, and although I have a particular passion for cinema, which I strive to enjoy, review, and even create, I have always found that, since I am neither a talented painter nor one of those writers who has the certain ’something’ to their words that would make a difference, fashion is my form of self-expression, my canvas, my joy. I enjoy shapes, colors, detailing, even provocation. I almost never shop for trends, but for attitudes (I admit I am much more prone to marketing when it comes to cosmetics, a habit I shall try to change this year too). And I am not really an obsessive shopper either, but can wait for months for finding the right piece. But sometimes…sometimes I have the need to dedicate more time to what is inside, than what is on the outside; and that’s why I really want to join your diet – to see how resilient I am to the constant need to have, to grab, to re-invent myself visually. 
Norah Burke, 25, is an administrative assistant with a psychology degree from Penn State. She lives with her husband, 3 cats and dog in Orlando, FL. Thanks to some wonky genetics she’s battled with mild depression her entire life; moving 1,000 miles from home in 2006 brought on a bout that’s lasted the better part of 4 years. Shopping helped. It always does for the 30 seconds between swiping the credit card and getting the bill. And boy, are those some bills. She realized that she’d been using shopping (once again) to avoid the real issues and the end result is serious debt and a closet full of things she never wears. Dissatisfied with her job but unsure of her career goals, she did some serious thinking. In October 2009 she decided to make a major career change which involves returning to school for a second bachelor’s degree in biology… then on to graduate school for a Master’s/PhD in Zoology with the eventual goal of joining the fight to conserve and protect endangered wildlife. She’s always trying to figure out ways to live more sustainably, which is in stark contrast with her impulsive shopping habits. She loves the idea of the GAAD, it’s so much easier to go on a diet when you make a promise to a group of strangers. So for major life change #2, no more shopping for now. She’s looking forward to helping the environment, lowering her bills and finding a better way to cope all at once.
Sharon, 52, Qubec Canada. Sharon is a mother of three grown girls and grandmother to one boy and 4 girls. Sharon works in higher education and currently directs a unit that handles the creation of publication of content at a large University. Sharon is passionate about knitting, bicycling, and hiking and has recently purchased snow shoes in an effort to find ways to make the long winters less, well, winterish! “Do snowshoes count as apparel?” she wonders. 
Victoria Lee, 23, lives and works in the San Francisco bay area. Though she had been considering a shopping fast, nothing was official until she came across TGAAD. Victoria loves patterns, breaking fashion rules and great sales. Her favorite challenge is incorporating an unexpected, unusual, and borderline-unstylish piece into an everyday outfit. Through participating in TGAAD, Victoria hopes to foster a more intentional approach to her wardrobe, decrease her environmental impact, and be a better steward of money. She’s also hoping to satisfy any urges for new clothing through swapping clothes, knitting more, and learning to sew. In other news, Victoria likes food, actuarial science, and listing things in threes. She looks forward to sharing this journey with you!
Verity Moseley, 32, a British citizen but live with my husband in Chicago, where I’m a professor of Art History. Faced with downsizing and mounting bills, I’ve had to take a good hard look at my spending and the amount of stuff I’ve amassed over the years. Clothes shopping has always been an emotional crutch for me, and a welcome distraction from my academic work. But it’s time to stop filling fantasy shopping carts on the Anthropologie and Topshop websites and apply my energies (and my income) to things that really matter. Doing so with the support of the inspiring women on this website will make the pill of shopping deprivation somewhat easier!
Trista Winnie Fraser, 27, is a freelance writer and graphic designer living in Burien, Washington. When she first heard about The Great American Apparel Diet, she was intrigued; the house she and her husband own has a finite amount of closet space, and she had been getting dangerously close to using up more than her fair share of it. Plus, she and her husband have both been working to reduce their consumption for environmental reasons. TGAAD seemed like the perfect way to tackle both of those problems.
Before signing up for TGAAD, Trista went for a few months without buying any clothes–save for a bridesmaid dress to wear in the wedding of her brother-in-law and his fiancee this summer–just to see how doable it was. Having made it through her self-imposed trial period without a problem, she’s now in it for the long haul.
She works from home and, for most of the year, sticks to a uniform of jeans, a tank top and a cardigan. During Seattle’s short but glorious summers, she has a uniform of sundresses and SPF 30.
Trista enjoys reading, cooking, sports, the outdoors, good microbrews and spending time with her husband and their dog, Penny.
Samantha Levine, 35, NYC. Samantha Levine read about the Great American Apparel Diet on the Jezebel site and decided she would like to join. Samantha, like most of the dieters on the blog admits that she has more clothing than she needs. Like most of us she tends to wear the same preferred handful of items most of the time, and yet she is constantly looking for more. “I have been trying to figure out how to curb my shopping — my fatal flaw is online shopping — and this is just the thing, I think.” She ponders. Samantha is single and works as a marketing and public relations specialist at a non profit firm.
“The one area of my life that I don’t have under control is my finances,” she says. ”Shopping has always been an emotional crutch – it both helps me feel in control and with every purchase offers the possibility that I will finally become the person I want to be if I just have the right dress.” Liz is hoping that by joining the Great American Apparel Diet, she can grab hold of my shopping urges and firmly suppress them until she is in control again And I’ll finally being able to pay off her credit card bill!
My name is Nerissa, 48 yrs old, engineer from Aurora Illinois. I love everything to do with fashion and that comes with a hefty price. I was born poor in my hometown Philippines and never had the means to buy clothes or outfit when all my roommates were buying them on a weekly basis. I’ve kept the same clothes after graduation for 5 years or so taking good care of them as there was no extra to buy anything new. I believed in classic timeless style simply because I couldn’t afford to be trendy.
Feriba Zia, Montreal. I recently turned 31 and I work in an engineering consulting firm as a project manager. My academic background is in computer engineering and I’m currently studying to obtain her MBA(6 credits left!!). Clothing isn’t important in my field of work. Engineers, technical and IT people usually don’t pay attention to clothes, but I love to dress up, make sure my mix and match and look my best. I grow up being a total tom boy and hated dresses and skirts. My mother has given up on me, lol. Now however, I love dresses and skirts, but still hate pink! I rarely wear jeans and tee-shirts, always in dress pants or skirts or dresses.
I saw this website during my trip in Rome in January 2010. I wanted to join right away, but I had to do some shopping in Italy!!! Now that I am back, I realized that still haven’t wore any of the clothes that I bought a month ago, because I have too much clothes!!!! So I decided to cut back and wear all the pieces I have in my closet at least once. So the last piece of new clothing I bought was on January 4th. I am sure this will be an easy challenge for me, because as much as I like wearing nice clothes, I hate shopping. I can’t shop more than 2 hours in a row.
I’m soo going to save soo much money!!
Katherine, 28. Atlanta, GA. I decided to give up buying new clothes for 2010 as one strategy to pay off some debt and to see if I can do it. I am so excited to find out about others out there doing the same thing. I finished my master’s degree in December of 2010 and am going to be returning to school to get a PhD soon. Given that being a student isn’t highly lucrative, I wanted to save up some money while working in between the two programs. I have never bought many high end clothes but have definitely done my part to keep TJ Maxx and Banana Republic in business over the years. I have plenty of clothes to last me through a year and think it will be good for me to not automatically think that I need a new dress for every event or a new shirt for every business presentation. Even in the first month of doing this I have already noticed that I do more clever things with things I already own.
Nancy Fraley, 53 North Carolina. Nancy has tried to downsize her clothing collection but catches herself shopping online because there are such “good deals” on things that she claims she doesn’t need. “It is embarrassing to admit I have numerous items hanging in my closet right now that still have tags and will most likely never be worn,” she says. Nancy is a professional botanist (invasive species management and rare plant and plant community protection) and has to attend a lot of meetings in her job as well as spend a great deal of time outdoors (we can only imagine that this presents a ‘fashion quandary’). She and her husband have an older home that when originally built, had no closets. Nancy says she tires to imagine a time when people had so few clothes that closets were not necessary. Nancy is looking forward to participating in the diet with greater closet space in mind. Nancy lives with her husband and her two dogs.
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