Mar 25
Currently I am facing a real pants problem. All of the pants that I wear for work (4 or 5 pairs of khaki’s) are too tight in the waistband. I suspect that this is due to two reasons: shrinking and growing. I purchased all of these pants when I started my new job 3.5 years ago, so I believe that over time they have shrunk from repeated washing and drying coupled with the fact that I am growing. Now that I am over 30 (ssh, don’t tell anyone…), I gain and lose an amazing amount of shape on various areas of my body. My waist line expands and shrinks in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. While I train to maintain consistency in diet and exerice, there are times when it is difficult (I recently tore my mensicus and haven’t been able to exercise for nearly two months). There are times when I have to work late, or have engagements that prevent me from getting in my exercise and sleep regularly. I eat pretty healthy, so that’s not much of an issue. I also quit smoking, which has led to some modest weight gain. All of these things equal pants that don’t fit well. Ordinarly I would just go shopping for new pants at the Goodwill and Ebay first, then ultimately at the gap to replace them, but being on the diet means that I’m going to have to get creative. For casual clothes this is always less of a challenge because I can take liberties in my creations. For work however, this is a different story. Thankfully, I had the foresight to purchase only wide leg pants, so the hips and thights are fine, it’s really only the waist band that has become an issue over time. In the immediate future I can’t starve myself, and I can’t just start doing aerobics on a bum knee, so I’m going to try to snip out a little rectangle on each side of my waist band and put in a small piece of wide elastic and then cover with a coordinating fabric from some older scrap garments that I have on hand (maybe even old tshirts?). I’ll post a tutorial on my personal blog and let you know how it goes; wish me luck. In the long-term, I forsee a trip to the gap to replace my pants once the diet is over. I think that if I can get a good 3 or 4 years out of a pair of pants and then use them to make something esle later, I feel like I’ve done my part to reduce consumption and balance comfort with consumerism. Moving forward however, I suspect I see more skirts with stretch waist bands in my future closet.
Tweet This Post
Tagged with: balance, clothes, Consumerism, diet, Ebay, fit, Goodwill, modification, pants, personal blog, Refashion, shopping, skirts, temptation, The Gap, The Great American Apparel Diet, tutorial
Feb 03
Thanks to all of you who participated in the interview with the Time Magazine blog reporter. I think he did a good job telling our story. Once again a great example of how all of our motivations are different and yet the same. I encourage you to read it when you get the chance!
Posted by
Brad Tuttle Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 8:12 am
Since last September, a group of women have been on a fashion fast, refusing to buy any article of clothing for 12 months. What have they learned so far from The Great American Apparel Diet, as the experiment’s called? For one thing, giving up clothes shopping is much easier than giving up wine.
When The Great American Apparel Diet began, 20 women made the commitment to make due with rummaging in their closets for a year. At last check, there were 97 participants from seven countries.
Six of these dieters, including GAAD founder Sally Bjornsen, answered my questions about their experiences thus far. As you’ll see in the Q&A that follows, their reasons for joining the movement vary. For most, it was simply a personal choice to reevaluate shopping habits. Saving thousands of dollars in the process is a bonus.
Read more: http://tinyurl.com/yhq6sv4
Tweet This Post
Tagged with: Ann Taylor, Bluefly, clothes, Gap, J. Crew, resession, smart shopping, The Gap, The Great American Apparel Diet
Nov 09
It’s official – I made it through Week One and I’ve only got 51 more to go. What was I thinking? I wonder especially because I’m neither a frequent shopper nor much of a fashion follower. I ended up with a subscription to W magazine last year and every time it arrived I thought, “What am I going to do with this?” My husband and I joked that it was sent by my mom or brother as a subtle reminder to step it up a notch, but regardless, I enjoyed my fashion peek while it lasted.
So how did I get through the first week? I told my oldest daughter, Margaret (she’s seven going on 35), all about the “diet” (not a top 10 word at home, but I made an exception) and she kept me honest over the weekend. We went shopping for her new sneakers and leggings at three stores (Target, the Gap and Macy’s). I kept stopping to admire random things that I wanted to look at and maybe, even purchase. Um, but that’s right, “You CAN’T” she reminded me at EVERY second, glance or even, “ooh, isn’t this cute!” comment.
We made it through shopping hell, but not without a million questions, “Can you get new shoes? What if your feet grow? How about underwear or bras? Your socks – you love socks and (most important), can you buy ME new clothes?” Yes, yes, and yes. Thankfully, Margaret doesn’t need anything right now, because she is all business about the apparel diet.
I was left thinking after we got home – Why the sudden urge to purchase? I wish I were 2 or 3 sizes smaller (third baby = 3x the weight) and have enough “big girl” clothes to last until I am 60+, but I kept seeing things that would be perfect for the fall/winter and hell, even for a tropical vacation (that we aren’t taking!). The shopping trip left me with some “consumerish” things to think about and more important, a lot more money in my bank account. Thanks Margaret!
Tweet This Post
Tagged with: apparel, macys, sneakers, Target, The Gap
Nov 05
Hello all, we are starting a “theme of the week” posting contest. Every week I will post a theme of the week, this week it is Denim. Every week we will put out a theme and all of you bloggers can blog on that topic. Then we all vote on the most thought provoking, silly, scary or outrageous post. The person who wins gets a piece of apparel.
Food for thought, there was a recent article in the NYTIMES style section about the falling prices of denim…check it out.
Tweet This Post
Tagged with: Big Star, Denim, free clothes, Levis, Lucky, New York Times, Paper, Seven, The Gap, True Religion, Writing Contest
Loading ...
