Hi. I went to a play reading last night at Solo Bar on Roy street. The group New Century Theater Company put on a play reading, and all the cute actresses showed up to watch the event in their outfits. I noticed that the trend was a little dress, above the knee, leggings and boots. Kind of like back in 1989 when I first moved here! Minus the Doc Martins. Anyway….I started hankering for this look. I have the leggings. But, no little dress. I stared to feel so bad that I didn’t have the little dress. There is a store called Queen Anne Dispatch by my shop, and on my break I went in. I tried on 8 little dresses. One of the owners was there, she knew I was on this diet. She said “won’t Sally be mad at you?” Well, I just saw Sally. She laughed and said someone in the group said I was constantly cheating. Hey, this is only four times! Yes, this is the fourth time. I got a little navy tunic by Trinity. It was on sale, too! Only $42.00. Am I the biggest cheater? Or am I the only one who confesses????

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We are well into March and I am still “abstinent”!  About a year ago I carefully packed up my winter sweaters—oh, yes, cashmere and cables; sumptuous silks and feminine flounces.  I have yet to find this box of sweaters.  I survived this season with one sweater that remained behind as a Spring chill “back-up”.  I used some jackets, blazers and I overused the one sweater I could find.

But the outcome of the equation is that one can survive a season with but one sweater.  I will have the entire summer to seek out the missing box.

I’m doing better–it’s been a long time since I cruised E-bay or Zappo’s or various other on-line sources.  I cannot quite give up looking at catalogues but I resist.  I am increasingly stunned by my own virtue and wonder just who was that person who “needed” scarves by Hermes (and then did not want to spoil them so never wore them!)

I hope everyone else is thriving.

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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

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So I tell my husband about the diet during a dinner with friends.  I get support from my female friend and from her male significant other, “pffff, that’s easy.  I did that once, for two years.”  Respectfully, he’s not a clothes horse, not into clothing, even for a guy, so it’s completely different.  Right? My husband’s response was understated, nodding in approval.  He didn’t say much, but I secretly think he was suppressing a massive desire to do a happy dance.

Then I spot my friend’s super-cute tee under her cardigan and compliment her.  She bought it at Nordstrom, she tells me, it’s James Perse.  Ugh, sigh.  Feelings of jealousy since I cannot buy said James Perse tee.  The next day, I still had these odd feelings lingering, no longer jealousy but desire.  I want that t-shirt.  The next day, feelings gone but now feel silly for wanting the t-shirt just because I saw it and thought it was nice.  How silly, indeed.

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I own an Etsy shop where I sell items made from recycled clothes and fabrics and often peruse the site to share with other sellers, check out what’s new and get inspiration. I was delighted that one of the guest speakers in the virtual chat one evening were the ladies from The Uniform Project. I hadn’t previously heard of the project, but I listened into the chat and was delighted to learn that it involved wearing the same plain black dress for 365 days a year. The idea was to use accesories to change the outfit; what a great inspiration!  Here is some information about the project from their website:

The Idea

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade’s boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

So, if you are feeling a little bored and feel there is nothing to wear in your closet, take some cues from The Uniform Project, get inspired and mix it up!

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I love, love, love clothing swap’s! Fortunately for me, my friends who own the bar in my neighborhood biannually agree to open up for the ladies to conduct a “squaw swap” and what a great one we had this past Sunday. While the turnout wasn’t large, the group of ladies (about 10) had enough clothes, shoes, accesories, and housewares to really make it fun. We swapped stories of our favorite items while enjoying a glass of wine or a Guiness and poked through each other’s cast-offs.  We made goofy costumes, we were amused at another ladies delight over our silly hand-me-downs and we had a blast. Guilt-free shopping is always fun. I am in between sizes so I swapped out for a few new items in both smaller and larger sizes so I’ll be sure to have space to move up and down over the next few months. I got clothes that fit perfect, some that I can refashion or alter and some that I plan to simply cut apart for the fabric and figure it out later. My favorite find was a brown cashmere knit poncho, like an all-business snuggie; I love it. I also found a beautiful Banana Republic blazer, sweaters galore and an awesome cowgirl shirt.  It was fun, it was refreshing and I can’t wait to do it again!  If you live in the Baltimore City area and are intersted in future clothing swaps, you can follow my personal blog or twitter feed for updates, or sign up for the Parkside’s newsletter where they’ll send you emails of their upcoming events, including clothing swaps. The more ladies we get, the more choices we’ll have so bring your used clothes and get ready to have have a liberating, guilt-free, swapping party!

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Cheetahs on the other hand make a really nice coat.  I want to talk about two things.  First fur. Next, those of us on this diet who for lack of a better word are simply cheaters.  But before I do all that, I’d like to give a shout out to my deliciously devout blogging buddy, Stacya Silverman, who, like so many of you, is a cheeter, but is damn cute, and has been bugging me to post because I am lame and have not posted in awhile. Also a hearty welcome to my sister and future neighbor, Nicole, who is joining  TGAAD in solidarity, and is going to help me clean out my makeup case (hurry for Beauty Alert!) in lieu of shopping.

Now, fur.  Not only is it a really good movie with Robert Downie, Jr. and Nicole Kidman, it is also very warm and I recommend that you raid your grannies closet immediately.  I’m not saying you should go all Ashley Olsen on us, but seriously, it’s so cold.  I like mixing knits and fur, the textual possibilities are exciting.  Faux fur is okay too.  H & M is selling huge faux fur hats for $6 girls!  Accessories can change your life.

Now we’ve come to the part where I say… really?!  Is cheating really necessary!

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Running with this week’s theme: Diet Revelations. I rang in 2010 with new friends in LA. The hostess wore a gorgeous white chiffon blouse with a striking big bow and the guests (30-somethings professionals, not in the biz) sparkled appropriately in haute couture and heels. Me? Pink ruffles and jeans that pack well. I confess to having outfit envy at the start of the evening, no question, and last year would have picked up some cute little number just for the event. Revelations? My mood’s no longer so impacted by what I wear. While this was a well-heeled crowd, and I felt a little under bedazzled, the hosts were so gracious, my date so engaged and dancing so fun, I hardly gave it a thought. New Year’s revelation? Celebrate the beauty of others. And, if you sparkle on the inside, you’ll sparkle throughout. Happy New Year! x@

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I have been on the diet for a few weeks, and I have experienced several things:

1) I don’t care about my wardrobe as much, b/c if something isn’t perfect, I have to just “deal with it”— there isn’t the potential to go out and buy something new. I have to make what I have work, and that might mean it’s not perfection. This is actually a huge release and I find that I am devoting much less time to thinking about clothes because of this.

2) There are a few items in my closet that I am not in love with and would like to get rid of, but I have had to think twice about these items because I’m not going to be getting any new replacements anytime soon. I think after this diet is over, I will think much more carefully about which items I purchase b/c I won’t treat them as disposable objects.

3) I have a small closet. Having just a few well-loved items in the closet (that fit in the closet!) makes it easier to clean and put everything away. I am very annoyed now by my husband’s excess of clothing. There isn’t anywhere to put it all! [To be fair, my husband & I probably have the same amount of clothing accumulated over the past 10-15 years, it's just that I have gone through a number of sizes, and my clothes that don't fit are in storage bins in the garage, whereas he is the same size and his clothes are just crammed into the closet/around the bedroom].

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Greetings from Northwest Ohio!

This is my first post and I am very excited to have embarked upon this project, and at the perfect time. I am one of those who agonizes over what to wear to special events, and this month will be full of them. It’s ironic that I get so distraught over dressing up for events, because I don’t have that many clothes, and dress fairly simply. I think part of the apprehension stems from the fact that I’m a graphic designer. I feel a pressure that my clothes should reflect my design sensibilities.

I actually have the first of many holiday events tonight, and honestly, if I hadn’t started the GAAD, I would probably be out shopping this afternoon with my one year old. Can I describe how much fun that would be? I would be searching the racks with half an eye for a few things to try on (before the baby got too fussy… he’s not a shopper) and then I would have to quickly try them on in the fitting room (and inevitably, I wouldn’t like what I’m trying on) and that cycle would continue until the baby gets too upset and forces an ending… deflated I’d leave empty, or I’d purchase something (anything) that I think would work well enough for the event (and 50% of the time, when I got it home, I wouldn’t like it and would maybe never wear it again… which I can’t afford).

Instead, this afternoon Ethan & I will find a much better way to spend our time. A benefit already.

Oh, and what am I wearing tonight? Grey dress pants, black cowelneck A-line sweater & a flower pin that was made by my great aunt.

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