The Great American Apparel Diet

no buying for one year

So it’s official:

I’M FREAKING OUT MAN!!!!!

As i get closer to to my start date, I’m getting more and more nervous, anxious, doubtful… that I will be able to actually start and finish this challenge.

So nervous that I bought a pair if True Religion jeans yesterday morning… Blarrrgg. I’m doomed!

My friend and a fellow dieter mentioned taking an inventory of my clothes. So I did, and I’m disappointed with the choices I am left with. I cant help but think this diet could have been a whole lot easier if I had made rational, thought out purchases when buying my current wardrobe. Instead of the “Oohh! This is pretty, Oohh this I cute” approach I inevitably ended up taking. Double Blarrg.

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that it’s not a really great wardrobe as a whole. Sure I have some fantastic individual pieces, but most of it is just, well, blahhh..uninspiring, really. Which is rapidly decreasing my confidence.

Update* I had another meltdown last night and ended up purchasing 2 button down shirts, a lovely striped hoodie, and two pairs of jeans [one for me and one for the bf..] from Abercrombie.

I KNOW!!! I’M A HORRIBLE PERSON, 100% HORRIBLE!!!

… on the bright side, I haven’t bought anything today! Baby steps…baby steps.

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post

Okay, so with my last week and a half of technically being able to shop, I am faced with this decision: To shop or NOT to shop?

I think it may be my nerves starting to catch up with me, however I’ve been thinking..should I use these last days to “stock up” on items I already have in my closet but can use more of? For example, in my last post I talked about a pair of jeans I recently bought from AE for $49. In the past, I have never really been a fan of AE jeans as they never fit me very well. But these jeans in particular fit so nicely that it has me questioning whether or not I should purchase another pair…………………………. decisions!

Update! They’re on sale!! For $34.95

But wait, there’s more! You see, there’s this jacket.. and it’s beautiful. It’s something I most definitely don’t have a problem paying full price for and it’s in a wonderful tangerine-ish colour. It would be great for snowshoeing and other outdoor activities as its not too warm and bulky [which is what I'm struggling with in my current arteryx] so I’m playing around with the idea of buying this new one.

The Boyfriend thinks it’s a stupid idea since I bought my current jacket this April, but what do you think??

To buy or not to buy?

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post

I’m chubbier than usual and only 2 pairs of jeans fit me comfortably that I can wear flat shoes with. Its a flat shoe kind of week so I am just going to wear those 2 pairs all week. Ya know, if I vary different cute tops/jackets on top of the same two jeans, no one is going to notice or care. More importantly, I could care less. The temparture has dropped slightly in Hawaii and I’m in AC all day so still as fresh as could be. Plus, did you ever notice how certain jeans slouch just the right way if you have already worn them at least once? Now, I know some of you are just dying to know what jeans I’m wearing all week. One is the very well known Current Elliot distressed boyfriend jeans, this pair has no rips so is work friendly for me. Can be worn rolled up but that look is better with a wedge heel. But rolled down,  is just the right length for moi (I’m 5′1″) & cute with flat sandals. The other pair is a black Stitch Cayenne,with a zipper going down the back calf/ankle. Comfy stretchy on top but with the look of a skinny jean on the bottom. Meant to be cropped but again, is the perfect full length for me.

Did you ever hear of the online challenge, six items or less? For one month, participants only wore six different pieces of clothing. I don’t think I could do six but maybe twenty?

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post

I figured it out. I have figured out that you really really really don’t need that many clothes – and to be confident with what you have. This occurred to me tonight as I put on my favorite Lucky Jeans, Michael Stars Tee, Skirt Sports Black Poly Jacket, and my sneaks and headed out the door to a swanky Rum & Cheese tasting party. I was confident in my “athletic” style – ponytail and all. And as much as I faltered as I approached the table of LA PR gals, bejeweled and with fabulously big hair, I said to myself “I am just fine in my own unique ponytail way”. Stop comparing. Did it matter that I ended up sitting next to a former model now fashion journalist who had the casual look of “I didn’t really think about what I was going to wear today” – but still looks like a rock star? Or how about the blond – naturally blond – PR wedding gals off to the Caribbean tomorrow for some sort of “workshop”.  Or the 25 year old who started her own vintage inspired shoe company with her skinny jeans and 5″ heels? Forget about it. I am just fine in my flats and in my jeans. It’s LA after all, and jeans are a staple the same way the 405 doesn’t move between 3pm and 7pm every single night. So that’s it – just keep on rocking what you got gals!

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post

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!

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post

Strange, isn’t it, how far denim has come? If my grandfather knew that a $600 pair of jeans even existed… let alone that human beings were actually willing to pay that kind of money for them… he would, as my mother would say, roll over in his grave.

When I learned of this week’s theme, it was actually my grandfather who first came to mind – a hard working mechanic who, in the 1930’s, repaired trains in the belly of Grand Central Station. He essentially lived in ‘dungarees’ and durable blue denim overalls back when denim was considered “work clothes”. I can’t remember if it was from my Grandfather or a school assignment that I first learned of denim’s tie in with the San Francisco gold rush, but that’s another image that came to mind with this assignment… again, denim as sturdy work wear.

So, as is typical when I ponder anything relating to fashion, I’m left scratching my head over that NY Times article on jeans [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/fashion/29JEANS.html?emc=eta1]. Possibly BECAUSE I’m no fashionista, I kind of “get” denim, I really do. Or at least I thought I did. I mean, I practically live in my Levis. So I’m perplexed here… HUNDREDS of dollars for a single pair of jeans?! Am I the only one that finds this slightly insane? Sure you can acid wash ‘em, embellish ‘em, sandblast ‘em… you can even give ‘em whiskers, but at the end of the day, they’re still ‘dungarees’.

In a piece by Levi Strauss & Co. about the history of denim, I read, “If we were to use a human term to describe a textile, we might say that denim is an honest fabric – substantial, forthright, and unpretentious.” Boy, does THAT conflict with the current image of denim as high-end designer commodity!

Perhaps, in the long run, the impact of our current economic downturn on the designer jeans industry is a good thing. While I find spending even $100 on a pair of jeans excessive, at least prices have come down substantially from those of 5 or 10 years ago. Maybe denim will even return to its roots and again become the clothing of the hard working, industrious American… I’m thinkin’ this country could use a little more “substantial, forthright and unpretentious”!

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post

Well, OK, maybe not a full 1,000. Seriously, how many black pants and skinny jeans does one woman need? I’m jumping into this with both black-clad legs, because the idea of thinking creatively within what we already have: What a great metaphor for pretty much everything in our lives right now. Still, this is going to be a challenge. One pal is a CAbi hostess, so I’ve been known to scoop up whole seasons full of new duds in an afternoon (for reasonable, if not cheap). And, sadly, I don’t seem to have that shoe or bag “thing” other women have to otherwise pacify me.

So, ladies, I’ll be seeking your feedback on some of the new combos and looks I’ll be fishing out of the back of the downstairs closet. (And how do you freshen up those crop tops from 5 years ago? Anyone?)

• share:
• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments

Tweet This Post