Are We Truly Overdressed?

Someone I know recommended a book to me recently, and I thought, why not? The book is titled Overdressed, and it's written by Elizabeth Cline. What an eye opener! Living in North Carolina, where the demise of the textile industry is big news, I had no idea what an impact it was to the garment industry when everything moved overseas. Brace yourself, this blog might cause you to think....

The book itself is heavy on statistics, and makes cost of living comparisons to various pivotal points in US history, but it's a surprisingly easy read. It focuses on the way our shopping habits have changed through the years, the easy ready-to-wear impact on our closets, our belief that we are overpaying for fashion but purchasing more, and the sheer volume of clothes imported into the US for purchase. Now, I've always been a shopper who values shopping local, but I had no idea how much shopping and manufacturing locally means to the economy and the environment.

One of the things the book focuses on is a lost art - sewing. I love my tailor, and utilize his services frequently for myself and my clients. It makes good or medium quality clothing stretch far longer, even with repeated washing and wearing. We all have our favorites, right? Hand in hand with the lost art of sewing is our tendency to toss and buy new shoes when the heels wear down or they become scuffed. I remember polishing shoes - not because we were poor, but because we liked the shoes and wanted to keep them for as long as possible. And quite frankly, breaking in new shoes is sometimes painful and we wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

Another thing the book points out is that our shopping habits have not only increased the number of clothing coming into the country, but also where it's made, the lowest minimum quantity a manufacturing facility will take, and what happened to the LA and NYC garment districts. It's not pretty, and the numbers are staggering. Some designers bring in new styles every other week, which doesn't lend itself to quality clothes or unique design. Crazy, huh?

That fact inspired me to take a walk through a local department store to see if I could find any clothes made in the US. Surprisingly, I found some, but the cost of the clothing was higher, and I had to look closely at different pieces of clothing to determine if they were all made in the US. The book states the higher price is due to hand-sewing the finer points of the goods and the quality of the fabric used. Which is nice - no one wants a flimsy, unlined article of clothing that only lasts through one or two washes before starting to unravel. Some of the countries designers are using are China, Indonesia, the Phillippines, Jordan, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, which I thought was part of India, but maybe I'm wrong.

All in all, it's an interesting read. As a wardrobe consultant, it's obviously nice that consumers are used to shopping all the time, want to have the next big trend, and will wait until things go on sale because it tends to happen more quickly and their dollars go further. I also wait for things to go on sale before buying, just from a smart shopping standpoint, and I understand when new shipments are coming and what to look for. The unfortunate side affect, besides the economic and environmental ones the book points out, is that we require bigger closets and tend to have so much to wear that we can't wear it all. That's my first task when working with new clients - going through their closet to see what they wear, what they haven't worn, and what doesn't fit anymore. It's an incredibly great feeling to consign clothing or donate it, and to find 'lost' space in your closet. According to Cline, the not so funny result of finding lost space, is our desire to fill it with new clothing.

It was a great read, and I recommend it if you are looking for something new and different. The one take-away I had that I always encourage is shopping locally for quality basics. What do you think? Does it matter if all our clothes are made in other countries? Does the quality of your clothing matter to you?

Stepping Out

One of my goals this year was to network more within the Triangle. I'm not sure exactly what I was looking for or knew how I wanted to approach it, but I knew I had to do it. Sure, I know tons of people within my industry, whether it is store owners, managers, employees, designers, make up artists and the many other people I run into or work with frequently. But networking outside of your industry and your comfort zone is the key to broadening your business opportunities. No kidding, huh? 

My networking search started with Meet Up, the online presence for every kind of networking groups for every interest possible. Whether it is business or social, there is a group getting together at all days and times. Somehow, I couldn't get in the rhythm of a group. I discovered that my preference is to feel the connection, so my search started me to talking to others to see what they doing. 

Through my friend Jen Bradshaw, the director of Shop Local, she gave me the name of a group of women called She's Connected. Locally, it's run by realtor Ashley Gronewald from Regan and Company. The group  meets twice a month at Piebirds, a great downtown eatery. The times are convenient for me and fit in my often busy schedule. Each meeting, Ashley discusses some sort of business strategy and then we move into brief small group discussions. The two I have attended has offered up some food for thought for me. It is always about then implementing those concepts. The goal of the group is to obviously connect to one another and refer to each other's businesses. Ashley herself is a very impressive young businesswoman. The verdict is still out for me as to whether this is the group I want to join, but I have met some great women so far. While working on my decision, I did a social event called Suzanne's Secret Style Solutions at Ashley's home. Members of She's Connected and a few other guests were invited to bring three garments that are a fashion challenge for them in some way. Whether it is not knowing what garment to wear with it, if the style actually works for them, or how to wear it differently, I offered my advice and solutions. Between the nibbles, the wine, and the relaxing environment, everyone left with a little more fashion knowledge. It was a nice group of gals. 

I have also visited with a BNI group in Durham. Again, nice group, this time predominantly male. It's a large and very active group that makes sure there are enough people to talk to and network with by stating as a part of membership you need to send someone in your place if you cannot attend. I suspect the policy keeps the group fresh and provides many opportunities to meet new people. 

In the next week or so, I will continue my hunt and visit with other networking groups in between writing my Wake Living column, getting my book published, my client work, doing the photo shoot for my book, and actually having a personal life. I'm finding truth in the statement that networking is vital to help grow and develop new contacts in any industry, and it just takes work to figure out your best match. In the meantime, if you have or know a group that would benefit from having me do a short session for items in your closet that are a challenge, feel free to send me an email.