Wednesday, February 6, 2013

thoughts on a book



have you read this book yet? Overdressed by Elizabeth L. Cline. i've seen a lot of sewing bloggers have read it. actually that's how i found out about it and decided to read it. thank you to my local library. in my opinion it's not a book you'd need to buy. unless you buy it and pass it on to others to read. anyway, i'm a slow reader. i used to read more, but it's a time commitment. and during those hours i'm reading i could be sewing! but i do want to squeeze in some more reading time. hey, i do manage to read all of your blogs somehow ;) which i enjoy, by the way :) i don't always comment, but i am reading. (and argh, i have the most annoying time with disqus, it takes forever to load, if at all, and then it says that i'm not remembering my password correctly, grrr. and don't get me started on recaptchas…)

where in the world was i? oh yeah, so reading takes away from my sewing time. (my full time job also cuts into my valuable sewing time. by a lot.) so last week i was out of town for a few days, away from my sewing machine, so i had time to finish the book.

first off, i think it was a worthwhile read. so if you haven't read it and you have the time, do. i have many thoughts on this book and i'm trying to decide what to share, and how to not get too long winded. i do think this book could be improved. it's not a masterpiece by any means. there are parts where it gets a bit bogged down by numbers and stats and then it switches back to a narrative. it could flow better. i also would have liked the book to include more info at the end about solutions to the problems that are brought up. but is there really any way to completely solve this issue of fast fashion?

she brings up forever 21 a lot. i've been there twice. never bought anything. it felt cheap and "junior" to me and the checkout line was ridiculously long. the forever 21 in my city was opened in my city a year or two ago, after the saks 5th avenue closed. also i had only been in that saks once and didn't buy anything either because it was above my paycheck. isn't that a huge shift? -the place where saks was, becoming a forever 21. and we don't have an h&m. that gets mentioned a lot as well. there are actually very few stores i shop at now. and a while back i made myself change my view of shopping, so that i wouldn't just buy something if it was "a good deal" or if it "looked alright." my qualification to buy something is only if i try it on and can say that "i love love love it." so you can see that i haven't bought much recently, because that's pretty strict. and it also has to be something i can afford. i still have clothes in my closet that i bought earlier, that i bought before the "love love love" qualification, and i'm trying to slowly weed those out. hopefully replace most with handmades. 

i've also become more comfortable spending a little more since i'm buying less. but i'm still not spending a ton. my paycheck just doesn't afford me the luxury of buying high fashion. i'm also much more critical of cheap clothes. and while i liked jcpenney's refreshed marketing campaign (and i did buy one top from them last year. i love love loved the bold watercolor print of the fabric.) their most recent campaign has me wondering. they compare two garments side by side, one by a competitor and one by jcpenney and it says something about "same style," "same details," "same stitching," "lower price." lower price how? how did they reduce the costs? what was sacrificed? something had to give. it's just too bad that most people won't consider this. they'll just think, "oh wow, a magical great deal!" now if someone knows that jcpenney is only reducing their profits, please let me know. i haven't done the research. but i'll probably look into it soon. 

anyway the author does include a chapter on sewing. yay sewing! bring on the me-mades! but then there's still the question of where do i buy my fabric? i'd like to buy fabrics that are made ethically and more eco-friendly. any suggestions readers?

and then there's this huge disparity between me sewing for fun and workers who sewing in a factory and barely scrape by. think about it too much and you'll feel sick.

and the other nagging thought is that people who work in the factories that produce the cheap garments or the fabric, who are making minimum wage or below, still need those jobs. if there were better jobs available, they would be doing those jobs. if i don't buy their clothes or their fabric, they will still keep making it because others will be buying it. and ok, if everyone stops buying their clothes or their fabric, then yay, we've closed a factory that underpays their workers. but what about those workers? that means those workers are out of a job. how do we help them create better jobs?

now that's the tough part. and there are a lot of unemployed people out there. i don't have the answers. but it is better to try be informed than to be oblivious.





i apologize if i rambled on for too long, but then again you probably didn't read this far down if it didn't interest you.  next post will be more light hearted  


UPDATE: Check out Colette's new blog post on the book and interview with the author here.







24 comments:

  1. Great post. Now I want to read the book ~ I'll have to see if my library has it. Sounds interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were several other interesting/eye opening points made in the book, esp. when she talks about thrift stores and what happens to the clothes that do not get purchased. Worth looking for at the library. It was in our "New Books" section because it came out last year.

      Delete
  2. This is such a coincidence. I put this book on hold at my library last week and am picking it up today. I also heard about it through all the sewing blogs and am excited to start reading it. Thanks for your thoughts on it!

    I went black friday shopping for the first time ever this year (I'm Canadian) and I thought it was really strange that the longest lines (at 9pm) were for H&M and Forever 21. I've never really shopped at those stores, mostly because everyone else shops there, and I find the pieces to be too trendy (and cheap) that they don't last more than one season (which I think is the point).

    I, too, wonder what the point is of not buying into fast fashion if the greater majority is going to do it anyway. But I think that if a cause pulls at our heart strings, that we should do what we can (and are willing to) do for it and try not to worry too much about what everyone else is doing.

    It's nice to be a part of a sewing community that cares about issues like this :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'll have to let me know your thoughts after reading it. I have actually never shopped on Black Friday. I dislike the big crowds.

      Sometimes I get to thinking, how can I make a difference by myself? But if the whole sewing community cares, then we can make a positive impact.

      Delete
  3. Your post was thought provoking. Since I started sewing I no longer shop at department stores. I am slowly getting rid of my RTW and I'm replacing them with handmade garments (including underwear). My son bought a shirt at H&M. I told him if he wore it sparingly it might last. Two washings later the seam came apart. A sweatshirt he bought from a name brand company pilled and shrunk after one washing. It wasn't even put in the dryer. I did contact the manufacturer but never heard back. I sometimes wonder if these workers that are underpaid even care about what they produce. The manufacturer only cares about buying cheap fabric, paying cheap labor and counts on the consumer to replace their shoddy garments in record time. I think my sewing experience opened my eyes to quality material and the work involved in making a garment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm impressed that you're making handmade underwear as well!

      I have found that cheaply priced clothing doesn't always hold up so well. I can easily understand how if i were an underpaid worker it would be difficult to really care about what i produced. Even if the workers do care, they are supplied with poor quality materials and given huge quotas to meet in order to be paid, often working more hours than a "normal" work week. It's just crazy

      Delete
  4. Hi - I've just finished reading this book too.I agree,it's a worthwhile read, but not a flowing read. The cost of cheap fashion is that someone, somewhere is doing a skilled job for not much money. Sewists know sewing is skilled worked, but I think if people don't know anything about sewing, they underestimate how skilled it is. Could this be because sewing has been"traditionally a woman's domain, and like a lot of "women's"jobs is chronically underpaid.
    This book made me feel slightly ill, but unsure as to what to do. I sew, but is that making any difference? Not so sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's true, sewing is a very skilled job. It takes time to learn and perfect. I know that for sure! But, yes, most people who don't sew don't understand what it takes to make a garment. The fact that you can buy jeans for $10 is ridiculous. Most people just get giddy about seeing a "great deal" and they don't even think, "how in the world could these be $10?" Factor in the cost of the supplies, shipping, the profit taken by the company… what tiny percentage of that went to the labor?

      I don't want to lecture my friends and family about what they buy, but i think there can be a constructive way to broach the subject. And if you get just one person to think about it, maybe they'll pass it on…

      Delete
  5. I've not heard of this book before but I'll definitely check it out! I love using a charity called kiva. They organise interest free loans for small businesses setting up in developing countries. I tend to loan to the companies who are setting up sewing companies, small cottage industries who are making something and providing others in their locality with jobs. The money gets paid back at a slow rate so that it doesn't cripple the new business and they get the support of the business advisors at Kiva too. Sorry, I'm rambling! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome, I have heard of Kiva, but I haven't actually stepped up and done it yet. I'm going to check it out more and see what i can do. How has your experience with it been? Please continue "rambling" on =) I'd love to hear more!

      Delete
  6. I haven't read it yet, but I'll have to look into it at the library once I have a little more time for things like reading again. You're right--there are no easy answers. I've thought for a long time that sewing was great because I'm not supporting sweatshops, but you're right, there is the question about the fabric and other supplies, and how do you balance wanting people to have work and not exploiting them or having to give up a hobby which I obviously love and is so useful?

    I went into a Forever 21 once in order to try and find a top for my engagement photo shoot, because I didn't have time to sew one (though I did make the jeans I wore for it!) I did not like it. Maybe it's because I'm a decade over their target audience now, but everything really did look cheap and tacky to me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought that as well when i heard older people shopping at forever 21. i think it's geared toward people 21 and under. shopping there won't make you look "forever 21". actually i'd rather look a little older, polished and put together!
      i don't think there's any reason to give up a hobby you love. making things by hand is a very positive thing. and maybe we can all look into supporting new job creation through sites like kiva (see comments above). and perhaps there are other ways? have you heard of any great eco friendly and ethical fabric sources? i'm on the look out for some…

      Delete
  7. I've been meaning to read this book but my library doesn't have it yet and I don't want to buy it...so, I'll just point out something that seems to be overlooked (i've read a few reviews of this). Yes, it is a terrible thing for the environment that clothes end up in carpet factories and that third-world women are forced to work for peanuts to turn out these clothes when big corporations are making considerable profits. But those jobs are better than being forced into working at brothels and that is the plight of a lot of poor, rural third-world girls and women. I think the answer here is to do what you and the other commenters, specifically Smantha, have said, put our money in making our own clothes and loaning or donating money to women entrepreneurs in the third world...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is true. There are more horrific "jobs" out there that women are still being forced into. Most people don't realize that forced prostitution still exists. and that slavery also still exists.

      It can seem overwhelming. how do we cause change? there are so many people that need help - in many countries and right in my own town. But every small thing we do can have a great impact on another person's life and can cause a chain reaction.

      Delete
    2. That would be a termendously huge thing to do - to come up with a way that the sewing community could act as a whole group ...maybe we all support (donate/loan) something on Kiva. If all us sewing bloggers and sewing blogger readers got together and did it ...I bet that would really be amazing and would make an amazing difference to others too. There is a book called Half the Sky that goes into the plight of abused girls in third-world countries. It is outrageous. I love the idea of sending a child to school for a year by donating somewhere....

      Delete
    3. I'll look for Half the Sky next time i'm at the library. I've been looking at Kiva and there are a lot of people seeking loans. I'm going to read more and then pick one to start with that's sewing related for a start (and then add a few more later). I'll post a link in a future blog post to the one I'm donating to and maybe anyone who reads this will want to join in and push it to 100%. If you pick one, let me know and I'll donate to it too and post that link

      Delete
  8. Arg! I had a whole long reply typed up and Blogger ate it!! In a nutshell I said...After I started sewing I became a lot more conscious of what I was buying. I no longer buy RTW clothes anymore because they are either ill fitting, over priced or cheap. I plan to replace my RTW wardrobe with me made. The only things I'm allowing myself to buy are undies and thrift store clothing that I plan to refashion and give some love to again. I'd rather splurge on a great pair of shoes or a handbag. I try to be conscious and buy USA made but that is really hard in today's world. Fabric buying for me is hard too as I only have a JoAnn Fabric near and online shopping can be difficult when I'm not yet quite familiar with all the different types of fabric. Ok here goes, copying this message in case in gets ate again! lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ohh no, i hate it when blogger does that!

      we don't even have a joann's. we have a hancock's fabrics. there was on organic fabric site on another blog i saw recently that i might try. i think i'm going to try to buy more gifts from etsy or www.tenthousandvillages.com when someone has a birthday or a holiday.

      Delete
    2. I LOVE Etsy!! I like to buy jewelry from there. It's so unique and I've never been disappointed with the quality. I buy vintage fabric from there as well. Check out ErikawithaK's shop. Tons of vintage patterns and fabric.

      Delete
    3. i'm checking out that shop now. i like buying letterpress greeting cards off etsy. they're pricier than a card at a big store, but i just love how the letterpress ones look and it's nice to support people who handmake things =)

      Delete
  9. I'm probably echoing what a lot of other people are saying. But, since I've started sewing, I've basically stopped shopping altogether. One, because RTW clothes don't fit my shape. Two, because I hate having that consumerist "I have to have it" mindset. I actually have to fight this impulse with sewing shopping as well. Just because there's a new shiny gadget does not mean I have to have it :)
    I really like what Nothy Lane said earlier about a sewing blogosphere-wide movement to help out the oppressed. That's something I'd love to be a part of!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With my sewing shopping I've decided to focus on one project at a time. So I'm not letting myself purchase anything new (no matter how good of a deal it is) until i finish what i'm currently working on. Also i want to focus less on getting a good deal and more on buying things that are eco friendly as possible and ethically made.
      Glad you want to join in! I'm going to be reading through kiva loan requests and pick one. I'll post a link to it on a future blog post and if you want to join, you can contribute too. Also if you find one you'd like to contribute to, send me the link and I'll contribute to that one as well. I've been checking out ones where people are trying to raise money for sewing machines and supplies =)

      Delete
  10. I just finished this book. Very interesting. It's encouraging that she notes that people are tiring of fast fashion. One thing that was cringe-worthy was the trips to the Chinese factories - to have them price items to make (a reader can't tell if Elizabeth told them that was a writer or not).

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm almost finished reading the book. I like it, but I mis a global prospective, it is very american, I'm from Europe, so I would like to have some info about them. I really like the figures in the book, but sometimes I'm geeky like that :) Overal ok book.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! I welcome any advice, insights, witty remarks, snarky comebacks, commiserations or just a quick hello. I'd love to check out your blog as well, so let me know where you're posting. Happy sewing!