Nov 17
Sally Bjornsen

As many of you know I am really interested in the idea of buying things made in America.  The Seattle Times wrote an article How to Dress Like an All American with Brands made in the U.S.A.  Here’s a snippet.

Finding U.S.-made items is a challenge, but it is possible to dress from head to toe in U.S.-made items. Here are four pieces made at home:

Jeans

True Religion is a young brand, founded in 2002. Items such as the Billy-Body Rinse jeans are made in the U.S. These jeans are made with 72 percent cotton, 28 percent elasterall. It is a low-rise fit with 7.5-inch front rise and 12.5-inch back rise. The legs are straight, and the dark rinse features soft brown thread and shiny copper rivets and button fly. Back pockets have flaps that close with a small button. Available in sizes 0 to 12, sizes are listed by waist circumference. $216 at truereligionbrandjeans.com or True Religion stores.

Top

Carve Designs is a California company that manufactures several items in the U.S., including the complete High Point Collection which features tees, hoodies and jackets. The Halifax jacket is another option. This soft shell jacket is made for cooler weather and has a double breast and zip close. It is made with soft-shell nylon bonded with long hair fleece. The fit is close and hits at high thigh. Color options are chocolate or black, sizing is small to extra large. $228 at carvedesigns.com.

Purse

reMade USA is a San Francisco company that turns old leather jackets into fashionable bags. Ready to Order bags include The Sutter Clutch, a 12-by-7 handbag made from “random scraps” of leather jackets. The bag closes with two gold snaps and has a leather hand strap. The bag takes three weeks to complete and finished bags will vary. Available in black or brown, $125. Another option is to supply your own leather jacket and place a special order. Prices vary; remadeusa.com.

Shoes

New Balance manufactures many of its shoes in New England, including the 993s. These high-performance running shoes have a suede and mesh outer and a shock-absorbing sole. Available in gray or black for $139.99. A pink version also is available for $149.99, benefits the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and allows for personalization on the tongue. Message options include “Survivor,” “In Honor of,” “Running for” and “Lace Up.” Available at newbalance.com.

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Oct 03

Hello, I am a newcomer. I have started my shopping diet at the start of august and in September i started to write a daily blog. http://kooii.tumblr.com
My motivation comes from multiple sources: from a growing aversion to consumerist lifestyles, which truly are at the expense of the have-nots as much as at the expense of our planet, but also to save money (for a good cause) to share and to cherish the stuff that I own. I am rediscovering clothes and household goods and actually enjoying myself a lot while doing so. DSC_0901_2

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Sep 30
Elizabeth, Baltimore City

Although I have completed my year of the diet, it has still continued to influence my purchasing. In the last year I have purchased only 3 new items, all after I completed my diet. I have since purchased a pair of running shorts and a top for my upcoming Komen Maryland Race for the Cure. I had been running in cotton shorts and a tshirt, and in the muggy Baltimore, MD it left me soaked and uncomfortable. The only other purchase that I made was a comfortable pair of foldover waistband lounge pants. They were half price and fit like a glove; I couldn’t resist.

Some of the permanent life changes as a result of the “The Diet” are that I continue to read “look books” and fashion articles to discover the trend items and then use what I have in my closet to restyle what I already have. Over the last year I have purchased a a few accessories including this gorgeous belt and a brand new purse. A few pieces of jewelry like this leather cuff, tattoo necklace, and some very chic recycled mixed media pendants. The final and most important purchases were these great brooches that I use to accent my staple pieces like cardigans and jackets. It allows me to wear the same items each week, but feel like I’m wearing something new. I never had enough in the budget to buy clothing and accessories, even back when I purchased cheap clothing on clearance. I have two more planned purchases this year, a black cardigan and one in brown, to replace the ones that I wore so often and for so long that I wore out the elbows and then through the patches. 

What I will continue to do is to always buy vintage, refashioned or recycled clothing first and whenever possible. Etsy, Ebay and local thrift stores are great ways to shop for eco-friendly, inexpensive clothing. If that isn’t possible then I’ll buy handmade to support artisans and crafters who still value quality and creativity. I do love a good one of a kind piece that I know I can wear for many, many years to come.  

The most important lesson that I learned though, is that you can be really stylish without constantly updating your wardrobe with throw-away fashion. Don’t be a fashion victim caught in the cycle of constantly having to buy the newest, trendiest clothes. Buy a few well-made, perfectly fitted items and keep them. Maintaining a healthy diet and  exercise can help you fit into those pieces longer and you’ll be happier and healthier in the end. I spend so little time shopping now that I’m free to pursue all of the interests that I always wanted, but couldn’t find the time, money or energy to devote before. I’ve taken up cooking, running, knitting, crocheting, sewing, downhill mountain bike racing and spending much more time with my family and friends and I couldn’t be happier.

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Sep 29
Kimberly

Here’s my tally for the month of September:
1. One new sports bra and cushioned socks, both necessary for my half-marathon this weekend.
2. Two cashmere scarves (on sale!) during my visit to Scotland.
3. One eBay black dress and one eBay black slacks – both bought during August, but invoices were not sent to me until after September 1.

And that’s it! I have been a bit surprised at how easy it was to stop myself from shopping this month. I think going cold turkey, with the hard-and-fast rules, is the way to go! I did find myself going into “automated-shopping mode” a few times, but I was able to stop myself and think about what I was doing and whether or not I wanted to spend the money. However, I was never seriously tempted to break the diet.

What helped: avoiding the bloated fall issues of fashion magazines; avoiding the mall; deleting shopping websites off my Favorites lists; keeping count of every penny spent in a spreadsheet; and enjoying the fact that I could do things with my money that were much more fun, necessary, and deeply satisfying than buy new clothes. I restarted my Flickr feed for the Wardrobe remix group. I got a foot massage after a two-day conference where I stood leading focus groups the entire time. I bought a friend flowers for her birthday. I baked pumpkin bread. I trained for my half-marathon. In general, I just enjoyed myself in ways that didn’t break the bank and sometimes didn’t even involve money.

I’m not saying the next 11 months are going to be easy. But I am much more optimistic about this process than when I started.

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Sep 23
Tawnie

Hey Dieters!
I’ve only been apart of Team GAAD for about two months now, but things have really been picking up speed, especially globally! Looking at our demographic, it really is quite amazing how far this idea is spreading. I thought it was pretty cool that we were getting interest from people in Canada, but our dieters are stretching across the pond into Western Europe in places such as Italy, Denmark, Germany, Croatia, and the UK. And recently we’ve welcomed dieters from South Africa!

So the title of The Great American Apparel Diet, isn’t exactly a strict policy we hold here. It is rather facinating to know that this consumerism issue isn’t just an “American” thing.

Keep on truckin’

Tawnie

Team GAAD

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Sep 07
Sally Bjornsen

Hey dieters the polls are in and the department store wins with the T.J. Maxx, Ross type discounters right behind her.  I was surprised to see that online shopping came in behind the discount brick and mortar option.  But then again not so surprising.  Have you ever ordered a pair of pants online?  Nothing like a few online mistakes that will send you back to the Lucky or Levis store for a pair of jeans that fit.  Boutiques came in next to last with the big box retailer in last place (The first and last time I bought something at a big box retailer it was a swim suit, I was in a panic.  I was horrified to find that every woman over 60 had the same suit that year).

We have a new poll this week that hits right at our emotions…how we feel when we shop.  Arghhhh.  This is a hot topic that seems to surface a lot in our posts.  I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.  Happy dieting!  Sally

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Sep 04
Patricia

When I said I was doing this, my friend Onna thought it had something to do with American Apparel. She was all for it.

Here, for the uninitiated, is a discussion of the American Apparel president’s less-than-appealing business practices, which are particularly regrettable given that he has taken such positive steps as making most of his products in the U.S. and positive working conditions for those employees who don’t happen to attract his roving eye.

So yeah. I’m not buying his clothes either. (If you feel the same, make sure you check the label next time you go to buy a concert T-shirt — a lot of those are AA.)

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Sep 02
Patricia

I heard about the diet for the first time last weekend, when Sally was on NPR talking about its ending. Right now I’m in grad school, studying computer science. So I don’t need to maintain a particularly awesome wardrobe — my classmates tend to favor aging Star Trek T-shirts, after all.

I also don’t HAVE a particularly awesome wardrobe. But it sure does take up a lot of space! So part of the reason to adopt the diet is to become more mindful of what I already have, to clean out overstuffed drawers and closets so I can get at the treasures therein, or at least know what I’ve got.

It’s already been interesting to notice the times I get tempted to buy something new. Usually, I’m trying to fill a need for something that is NOT clothing. If you’ve ever tried to deal with bad eating habits, you know this drill already. But going cold turkey on clothing is a lot easier than following any food plan. I’ve stopped myself several times, and diverted my attention to something else, just as you’d do with a 2-year-old bound and determined to color on the walls.

The other day, I realized that what I wanted was not clothing but color, so I went for a pedicure and got sparkly red toes. Another time, I caught myself shopping online for geek T-shirts and realized I needed to process some feelings around feeling like an outsider among the people in my department.

Because I spend a lot of time online, I’m easily triggered by ads for online stores. And because I am plus-size, I have very few options for buying clothes in person, which brings up a whole lot of feelings around body image and societal expectations and the clothing industry, which can further trigger unnecessary spending.

So one step I’m taking this week is simply to be aware of how often I receive clothes-triggering messages, and try to reduce that number. I’ve been unsubscribing to clothing-related newsletters, blogs (except the awesome Manolo for the Big Girl, because I love it for reasons that have nothing to do with shopping) and Facebook connections. I’ve also installed AdBlock on my browsers.

This weekend, if it stops being UNBEARABLY HOT, I’ll start going through the clothes in my bureau. I’m open to getting rid of some, but really this is just for the purpose of organizing and knowing what I’ve got.

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Aug 18
Sally Bjornsen

Eat, Pray, Spend

Priv-lit and the new, enlightened American dream

Eat, Pray, Spend

Article by Joshunda Sanders and Diana Barnes-Brown, Illustrated by Ana Mouyis, published in 2010;
 
For decades, self-help literature and an obsession with wellness have captivated the imaginations of countless liberal Americans. Even now, as some of the hardest economic times in decades pinch our budgets, our spirits, we’re told, can still be rich. Books, blogs, and articles saturated with fantastical wellness schemes for women seem to have multiplied, in fact, featuring journeys (existential or geographical) that offer the sacred for a hefty investment of time, money, or both. There’s no end to the luxurious options a woman has these days—if she’s willing to risk everything for enlightenment. And from Oprah Winfrey and Elizabeth Gilbert to everyday women siphoning their savings to downward dog in Bali, the enlightenment industry has taken on a decidedly feminine sheen.  click here to read the rest of this article.

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