The Great American Apparel Diet

no buying for one year

Okay, I thought I was just going to log in and just write about a success and go to bed, however it sounds like I am going to write a little bit more. So, I just read about two dieters that quit and boy can that be discouraging for us newbies. I want to something I just learned tonight in my addictions class for all us that are new to the diet. Relapse is to be expected when you are trying to kick the habit. Understand I am not saying that you should expect to fail but that we are going to it just means that we need to recognize that it can happen and we need to recognize the triggers and come up with ways to deal with the urge to buy that new dres. Believe me I so badly wanted to stop on my way home from class and buy myself something new because I had stayed up most of the night writing a paper and usually when I accomplish a task that gets me one step closer to my goal, I want to myself something new to wear.
I was like Pavlov’s dog salivating because the paper was done and I was thinking I’m one less paper away from my Master’s Degree and I deserve a little sumthin sumthin from one of my favorite clothing stores. Then I reminded myself, I am on a diet!

So, as I was driving home tonight and feeling tempted to stop at the mall, I decided to identify my triggers and one of them is that DSW, the mall and Marshall’s are all on my way home from class. It made me realize that I need a new route and that I definitely needed to come up with a different type of reward system.

I know I’m new to the diet but I also want to encourage other newbies like myself because it helps me to stay on track.

I am not expecting to relapse but I know it’s a possibility. Because I am so committed to this diet I am paying attention to the triggers and I am realizing and learning that there is a whole group of supportive people on this site that will help to get me back on track.

Maybe at some point they (the two who left) will come back. Is that possible Sally? Can they rejoin?

Thank You for the welcome! I am very close to celebrating my 1-week anniversary! As we say in the Army, HOOAH!

Tweet This Post

While I am a newbie(and thank you Sally for the welcome), I’ve been on a self imposed no clothes buying order since before the New Year, as that is when it all hit me.  I’ve found it easy thus far, steering clear from my old clothing haunts including the very limited number of decent clothing stores for men in Seattle, there are three in total, and most deadly, the online sites.  The problem is, each month that goes by, I find myself justifying the amount of money I’m saving from not shopping.  This little ”spend averaging” attitude easily slips into my mind.  For each month I don’t spend this year, I’m off setting a month of spend on clothing from last year and bringing the average spend on clothes down.  And over time, I’m going to start telling myself that I deserve to get something because I’ve not spent for so long. 

You see, the way this hit me is I went overboard on clothes shopping the last two years, fueled by the fact that I decided I only like a few designer labels: Armani, Hugo Boss, Jill Sander, Zegna, Ralph Lauren Black and John Varvatos and with the bad economy last year, there were plenty of sales on these brands.  So the “sales justification” mentality kicked into high gear.  The Jill Sander leather jacket I eyed at Barney’s, $2,400.  Too rich for me and too scared to even wear that expensive of a jacket out, but then the 40% off sale.  Still couldn’t justify. And then 65% off….$840, okay.  Sold.  Fits perfectly and I receive lots of compliments, but there is was, a justification from a sale.  By the end of the year, it had gotten out of hand. 

So to put it fairly, the closest is full and I don’t need any more clothes, but I miss it. I miss pawing through the racks and seeing the latest colors and trends, or searching on saks.com or yoox.com for the latest pieces from my favorite designers, or using shopstyle.com to see what others are finding that I didn’t find.  You get caught up in the search…for something new, fresh, different, unique, but you also know the consequence.  If you look, you will find, and if you find, you will want.

Thanks for reading.

Tweet This Post

Ok girls, and one guy.  We do have one guy now, though we are yet to hear from him on the blog.  Anyway, back to my point.  Last week I posted the poll over there to your right.  It’s sort of a trite, yes/no kind of a poll.  I was in a hurry and was getting tired of the old department store versus boutique poll and thought it was time for some poll freshen-ing up.  And the: Is it easy?or Is it hard? poll was the best I could do that day.   When I published the question I was feeling proud and sassy, as if I could go a lifetime without buying anything new.   Well today is another story.  To say “who’s idea was this anyway,” would be saying it lightly.  It’s more like who’s!@#$%^&*()_ing idea was this anyway?   You see we have had record breaking sunshine in Seattle and temperatures hovering around 58 degrees.  It’s like Mother’s Day in February which is giving me some insight into my very limited warm weather wardrobe.  What pray tell will I wear when the real mother’s day gets here?   At least in the winter you can layer a great coat over a bad outfit. Not so in warm weather.  Can you say painter’s smock?  Perhaps I’ll pick up the paintbrush again. 

So back to the poll.  Last week this diet business was easy….this week?  Un frickin’ bearable.  I want something bright, snappy and new.  The good news is…tomorrow I will likely feel differently.  Hang in there girls, and our one guy! 

Sincerly, your fearless leader

Tweet This Post

I recently “unsubbed” to the multifarious apparel companies who had contrived to get into my email inbox.  Adios, J. Jill.  Adieu, LL Bean.  Auf Wiedersehen to Land’s End.  Ciao, Bloomingdale’s.    Arrivederci, Macy’s.  Most of all, an enormous Valete to all of those luxury bags and scarves mailings. But I was not emotionally equipped for the actual physical presence of a catalogue.  Many hawkers of clothing have abandoned the traditional catalogue.  My response to these catalogues is like a child at Hallowe’en.  I want to consume them all.  I may be a stern critic of advertising and its emotional grip on people intellecutally–but emotionally these catalogues are like poetry.  And art.  Sort of like my own interior Louvre.  And for someone who has been starved by the diminishment of the effluvia of catalogues in the mail, any new thing will do. So I had a heroic struggle with a Land’s End catalogue.  I was sucked into the visually alluring pictures of little Mary Jane T-Strap shoes in 50 colors, mostly neon.  If I only have 38 tee-shirts, I must be in need of several more.  What if the washing machine breaks down and all the laundromats in thw world disappear and I run out of clothes?  Shouldn’t I stock up on easy, casual, Land’s End wear? It was a Herculeon battle, but I thought of my GAAD and the catalogue found its way into the Recycling box where its clarion cries will be in vain.

Tweet This Post

Been wanting to do this post for a while now, but can’t seem to get myself to write somehow…but here’s attempt to change that…

I learned about the apparel diet (or the ’shopping diet’, as I prefer to call it, trying to spread its meaning from simply clothes to other things I want to leave aside for a while, a part which I shall get to later) from a dear friend, who mentioned it in one of our online conversations of some kind; I instinctively felt like I should join, tho at that time I was not quite sure what my reasons were. I just said I wanted to, and I did – as easy as saying ‘no thank you’ to one extra cookie after you’ve had five already, I said ‘no’ to a whole seven months of going through stores, admiring patterns, materials and shapes, enjoying the feel, the look and the touch, and finally adding some happiness to my closet by making it one tiny little piece more full, more ‘complete’. And not only that – I regretted not doing it earlier, not having banned myself from shopping back then in September when I should have done it, but waiting until now. Why?

I guess reading what I just said, one would think I have a serious shopping addiction that I have become aware of, and have found in myself (probably after years of struggle) the desire to put an end to it, and save myself from debt and an empty wallet. And yet, I don’t think it could be any further from the truth I am most certainly not an obsessive shopper – I don’t buy very often, and I only buy things that I am sure I am going to wear; Unless there is a “change in my proportions” (which happens, because my weight oscillates wildly on occasions) and things become too small for me, I am most certainly to wear everything I get multiple times, and enjoy it. I am also not one of those people who buy things only because they are cheap, or because they ‘think’ they need two more pairs of ‘that fav shirt they have now, just in case’ – I prefer spending my money on less, but quality pieces, and I enjoy good design; I enjoy non-conventional pieces, love to explore the works of young, not-yet-famous designers, and am able to save for months to get myself one of those desired, special pieces. This does not mean that I don’t get an occasional ‘shopping rush’ and go crazy at H&M – au contraire, I love shopping everywhere, from second-hands to designer stores, and I cherish my nice H&M finds (or things I find in my grandma’s closet) as much as I do my one piece of contemporary Scandinavian design, which took me months of saving to acquire. But I am, all taken into account, really not one of those ladies who shop (too) much, and in a way I am happy with that

But, if I don’t have a shopping problem, and I’ve already learned to use and re-use every of the pieces in my wardrobe, why am I doing this? In all honesty, because of things which have nothing to do with clothes as such, but with self-understanding.

I’ve always found clothes to be much more than simple ‘cover-ups’, something we wear because we need to, because we want to make ourselves warm and cozy. For me they’re a form of beauty we bring into our lives every day; but not only that – they’re our means to express ourselves, our stances, moods, ideas, even power positions and dominance. Clothes are much like cinema, or paintings, or music – the final product, the final piece is an expression of an idea, of a concept. And, on the person who wears and combines it, each piece can become a whole new concept, or a prolongation of the previous idea. But, clothes are also a business, a major industry, an addiction of a kind. And we take the meanings and concepts, the narratives attached to individual pieces or brands too seriously sometimes. We take almost for granted that we can – if we really try, invest enough, combine colours enough, and – yes! – shop enough – re-invent ourselves from scratch, add something to our own identity in layers, changing our moods and characters with our appearance, re-defining our ‘place of belonging’ through our visual identity. And to an extent, we can. But to know where the limit is between expressing yourself and finding yourself anew all over again through everything you take in and let out from yourself, on the one hand, and simply taking the pre-created little niches, fitting into the pre-defined models that are being sold to us as desirable (not only in fashion, but also in art, literature, cinema – there is always something that’s ‘desirable’ at the moment, even if it is not ‘mainstream’), on the other, is hard. And it is even harder if you are young (at heart), and uncertain of where you belong. So my challenge, and the reason why I have taken upon the diet, would be to give myself time to think about two things. One is, how do I want to express myself? What do I really need for that, what should I look like, how do I find my own ways to re-invent myself and ‘show’ myself without the constant craving for ‘the new’ – what is constant to me, and what changes, and how do I channel these things about myself successfully? The other: once fashion becomes a bit more distanced from me, once I’ve tied my hands, I want to pay more attention to other things that define me: the books, the travels, the arts, the visuals…I want to buy a camera, and try capturing other people’s expressions through clothing, instead of focusing so much on mine, constantly thinking how to ‘upgrade’ them. I want to re-think my criteria on beauty, values and things that are relevant to me, and freeing myself from the unnecessary ‘weights’ is, it seems, a good place to start And not just with the clothes – I want to start being more aware of what I buy of cosmetics, what scents I want to keep around me, what ethical criteria is relevant to me, and how I can incorporate all those things in my everyday life.

So, going on a ‘diet’ is basically the same as taking some time off to think. Think about things important to me, and those I can live without. And so far it isn’t hard at all – I am enjoying it tremendously, and feeling good

Tweet This Post

Last night I was out with a good friend I haven’t seen in a while—it’s a schedule issue really.  My friend, she’s fabulous.  She’s married, no kids, big corporate VP job with all the accolades, notoriety and wardrobe that go along with the job.  She picked me up wearing a chic skirt, which later I learned she bought in London while on a four-city whirl wind business trip.  She had on the latest laced knee high boots and a super snappy pancho that she could pull over her head when she felt a drop of rain. 

Flash to me, older mom barely holding it together and deprived of a “new wardrobe.”  For a living?  Well, I manage to piece together a paycheck as I toggle from home to the office to school.  I am not above taking conference calls from the bedroom closet, (lest my clients detect that I am home with kids and two rambunctious cats), or writing marketing plans in the doctor’s office or from the bleachers of a baseball game.

I greet my friend at the door wearing the same jeans I have been wearing for the last 5 days (and by the way they have gotten a little baggy from the wear which somehow makes me feel thin).   Under last year’s black wrap-around sweater coat I wear a stained oatmeal colored crewneck sweater that has seen better days.   On my feet I wear my favorite pair of black Dansko clogs because everything else just hurts.  The good news is I have a fresh application of lipstick on . The bad news?  it’s  all the makeup I have on.  Upstairs, before the doorbell rang, I gave myself a cursory glance in the floor length mirror that hangs behind the closet.  I could have sworn I looked good, but once I see my friend on the doorstep it becomes painfully clear that I do not.

My friend smells good.  She has her fancy rings on her fingers and the latest watch on her wrist.  I notice her bling as I reach up to my ear and realize I forgot to put my earrings on all together. My friend says she had to “Escape from work.” In her words, “They will just have to move forward without me.”  I long to be in such hot demand from someone taller than my shoulder.  My friend told her people that she had a prior commitment and had to leave the office early.  No corporate mukety muck would understand the point of going out with a girlfriend at 5:30pm on a Monday night.  But my babysitter has a curfew and I have to be home by 10pm at the very latest.  This is standard operating procedure for me and my mommy friends who are often buzzed by 7pm and in bed by 10pm. 

When I am with my friend sans children and the big career I feel like The Great American Apparel Diet is stupid.  Like I have set myself up for frumpsville.  I feel like my career of juggling kids, a business and the occasional trip to the gym is just an excuse for a distracted and sometimes unattractive scattered existence.   What I wear is a long way down the  list of things I worry about these days, partially because I have taken up the new and brave effort to consciously consume or simply to not consume.  Seeing my friend makes me want to go to Barneys and spend like Katie Holmes.  I am moved to buy things that I know I will hate in a year, clothes that are conspicuously fashionable and expensive and well beyond my credit line.  I want clothing that says “she’s a risk taker!”   Clothes can do that you know. 

My fashionable and important, high profile friend and I  had a good time noshing on sushi and sipping saki. We skipped the movie in lieu of conversation and caramelized bananas.   I eventually forgot what I was wearing and I stopped coveting my friend’s outfit.  We discussed cancer, death and dying.  We talked about her and her husband’s effort to adopt a child, about my ever changing career and the shifting sands of the advertising business. 

After dinner my friend drove me home  just in time to relieve Rachel the babysitter (before she morphed into a winter squash). We hugged in the car and promised to get together “sooner than later.”  

Inside I chatted with Rachel and paid her in cash for watching my proidgy.  As she loaded her backpack and put on her shoes she said, “Hey, I like your sweater, where’d you get it?”   It made me laugh.  “It’s from last year…Nordstrom,” I offered, knowing that she’d never find it this year and glad that someone was coveting my wardrobe.

Tweet This Post

Here I am, joined last week…and I have to admit, I had to make my last goodbye shopping last week. I feel like starting with real diet, and eating a big cake the night before  But that was really final! I will not anymore support financial crisis overcoming (because some smart economists told that if we buy more, we will overcome financial crisis faster). So goodbye shinny windows, nice clothes, and discouuuunts. Will update you how it goes! And if I am surviving

Btw, any proposal what we can do with the money we save from shopping! Maybe we can organize some trip in August

Tweet This Post

I must say, Ross is my favorite store.  At least once a week I browse the Alhambra store which carries the more high end merchandise.  Usually I find a steal or two per visit.  Today while making a return, I thought it would be kosher to use store credit… I browsed the aisles finding cute sweater dresses, frilly Valentine’s Day lingerie (even though I have a new red nightie stashed in the closet still with tags),  and striped bikinis. Then I remembered my pledge to the diet and confidently left the store with one bag less- I’ll save the credit for fall.  It has been less than 24 hours on the Great American Apparel Diet and already I feel empowered with the will to end my exploits as a shopaholic, focus on what I need (as opposed to what I like or want), and most importantly save the time, energy, space, and money that are running so low these days. Good luck to all who are on the diet!

Tweet This Post

My initial inclination was to avoid temptation altogether- stay away from my favorite boutiques, un-bookmark all my favorite online stores, and keep a good 5 miles between me and any given mall. Good old-fashioned avoidance would surely work. But inevitably I had to end up in or near a store at some point. That point in time arrived all too soon last week. My best friend had an audition for an acting role as a 70s cheerleader and needed help pulling something together. Being her best friend and a stylist made me the obvious person to turn to for help, even though I’d never technically spent a day in the 70s. ‘How bad could a vintage shop be?’ I thought. ‘Surely they won’t be able to tempt me with their disco-era moth-eaten polyester.’ How bad you ask? Very, very bad.

Turns out even second-hand isn’t so bad when you’re in a self-imposed anti-shopping hell. (Looking back, the phrase ‘any port in a storm’ comes to mind.) I tried on three fur coats and clutched a patchwork handbag against my body as if my heart would literally stop if I lost my grip. In the end I loosened my death grip and walked away without any purchases, but not without seriously reconsidering my vow of shopping celibacy. The good news is I now know where to get a great fur coat in September and that I was knocked off my ivory designer tower and shown the potential of second-hand shops. The bad news is that literally nowhere is safe.

Eff. This little endeavor might be more difficult than I’d anticipated.

Tweet This Post

So here I am. No preparation, no last minute purchases, no nothing for the next eight months- just what I already have in my closets, which believe me, is more than enough. I joined TGAAD on a whim (aren’t all great decisions made haphazardly?), inspired after seeing my friend Jennifer was going shopping-free for a year. I’m the last person anyone would ever expect to give up clothes: I work as a stylist, write about fashion for a living, consider shopping a hobby AND a sport (it’s competitive, burns calories and requires talent), and spend the vast majority of each paycheck on clothes, accessories, and shoes (especially shoes). Because of my little addiction I’ve typically blown through 90% of my money by the second week of the month and am forced to eat ramen and drink tap water by the last.

I’ve decided to give up shoes and accessories too, as excluding these wouldn’t really serve my purpose- I get just as much of a high from a new handbag as I do from shoes or a dress. My one exception will be a bridesmaids dress for one of my best friends’ weddings later this year (I’ll have to order it and pay for it this Spring, but not receive or wear it until the Fall). So here I go, against my better judgment, doing something I don’t want to but need to do, though I’m still not quite sure exactly why. Without the distraction of shopping, however, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to figure it out over the next eight months.

Tweet This Post