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Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion Paperback – August 27, 2013

by Elizabeth L. Cline (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 699 ratings
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“Overdressed does for T-shirts and leggings what Fast Food Nation did for burgers and fries.”
—Katha Pollitt
 
Cheap fashion has fundamentally changed the way most Americans dress. Stores ranging from discounters like Target to traditional chains like JCPenney now offer the newest trends at unprecedentedly low prices. And we have little reason to keep wearing and repairing the clothes we already own when styles change so fast and it’s cheaper to just buy more.
 
Cline sets out to uncover the true nature of the cheap fashion juggernaut. What are we doing with all these cheap clothes? And more important, what are they doing to us, our society, our environment, and our economic well-being?
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Portfolio
  4. Publication date
    August 27, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    5.48 x 0.7 x 8.19 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1591846544
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1591846543
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Cline is the Michael Pollan of fashion…Hysterical levels of sartorial consumption are terrible for the environment, for workers, and even, ironically, for the way we look.”
—Michelle Goldberg, Newsweek/The Daily Beast

“How did Americans end up with closets crammed with flimsy, ridiculously cheap garments? Elizabeth Cline travels the world to trace the rise of fast fashion and its cost in human misery, environmental damage, and common sense.”

—Katha Pollitt, columnist for The Nation

“Overdressed is eye-opening and definitely turns retailing on its head. Cline’s insightful book reveals the serious problems facing our industry today. The tremendous values and advantages of domestic production are often ignored in favor of a price point that makes clothing disposable.”

—Erica Wolf, executive director, Save the Garment Center

 

About the Author

Elizabeth L. Cline has written for AMCtv.com, The Daily Beast, New York, The Etsy Blog, Popular Science, The New Republic, The Village Voice and seedmagazine.com. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
 
Visit www.overdressedthebook.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio; Reprint edition (August 27, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1591846544
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591846543
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.48 x 0.7 x 8.19 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 699 ratings

About the author

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Elizabeth L. Cline

Elizabeth L. Cline

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Elizabeth L. Cline is the author of The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good and Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
699 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Teela Wyman
5.0 out of 5 stars Gave us a lot to think and talk about
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book originally for myself to listen to while on walks. My boyfriend took an interest in the book and started requesting that I put it on while on drives. Together we've learned so much about the world of fast fashion, and the state of the fast-fashion industry circa 2009. I sew my own clothes and already had a lot of strong feelings about the textiles I use, but I'd only gone on what I knew in terms of the science behind textile creation. It was helpful to see how the topics which I'd only seen on a microscopic level, played out on a macroscopic level. While the information in this book is definitely dated, and we are looking forward to moving on to more contemporary books on the topic, this book was a great primer for anyone interesting in learning more about where their clothes come from.
2 people found this helpful
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C. Ash
4.0 out of 5 stars My Eyes Are Open Now
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2012
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This book came to my attention through one of the fashion blogs I follow, FashionAtForty. In this post she (not only looks really cute) but also gave a pretty good overview of what she had found in the book thus far, having read only the first half.

I have conflicted feelings about clothing. On the one hand, I'm very aware that I should be able to look great with fewer items than what I actually own; on the other hand, all of my sources for current trends -- blogs, magazines, style shows, and shops -- show people in an almost infinite mix of shapes, colors, and prints. How much is reasonable to carry in my closet? How much is a reasonable clothing budget?

Overdressed didn't give me answers to these questions, but it did offer more meaningful factors to consider when I make purchasing decisions than simply "do I want it?"

The book focuses primarily on "fast fashion," defined as "a radical method of retailing that has broken away from seasonal selling and puts out new inventory constantly throughout the year. Fast-fashion merchandise is typically priced much lower than its competitors'." The introduction, "Seven Pairs of $7 Shoes," and the first chapter, "I Have Enough Clothing to Open a Store," describe the shopping habits of the author herself and of young women known as "haulers," who make YouTube videos of their shopping hauls. The focus of these two chapters is the consumerism that breeds from the price and abundance of fast fashion.

I watched 3 minutes of a 15 minute haul video in the interests of research... I have never seen anything so incredibly painful in my life. She didn't even try on the clothes, just sort of held it up enough to see the fabric, but not the shape of the garment, and talked about what she liked about it.

Chapter 2, "How America Lost Its Shirts," describes the history of the garment industry in the United States.

Chapter 3, "High and Low Fashion Make Friends," examines the relationship between price and value. Summary: there isn't necessarily a correlation between high cost and high quality.

In Chapter 4, "Fast Fashion," Cline recounts the history of fast fashion and its impact on the retail world and also the United States garment industry.

Chapter 5, "The Afterlife of Cheap Clothes," was perhaps the most painful section of the book. Cline debunks what she calls "the clothing deficit myth." So often we buy clothes thinking that if they don't work out, no problem, we'll pass them on to a donation recipient like Goodwill and they will find their way to some needy person grateful for our cast-offs. "Of all the clothing that we dump off on charities' doorsteps... less than 20 percent gets sold through stores. About half of it doesn't even get a shot at the stores, going straight into the postconsumer waste stream and on to such facilities as Mid-West Textile" from where it will be sorted and sold by the ton to secondhand clothing dealers, rag companies to be pulped and made into insulation or carseat stuffing, bundled to be sold by the ton to Africa, or put into landfills.

Chapter 6, "Sewing is a Good Job, a Great Job," describes the industry conditions for garment workers and some innovative business efforts.

In Chapter 7, "China and the End of Cheap Fashion," Cline recounts how she went undercover to various clothing manufacturers in China and Bangladesh to learn more about the overseas industry. She found many of her assumptions about garment manufacturing were outdated and misguided, and that seeing the conditions, not only of the factories themselves, but of the environments in which they operated, changed her understanding of the fashion industry. She also predicted the coming end of fast-fashion as we know it: the rising standard of living in China will drive prices up, and other countries will not be able to move into the void as national infrastructure in places like Bangladesh will prevent them from being able to operate under just-in-time principles on short deadlines, as fast fashion requires.

Chapter 8, "Make, Alter, and Mend," is perhaps the weakest chapter of the book. This is not entirely Cline's fault. The conditions she describes that led to the rise of fast fashion -- international agreements such as NAFTA, pricing conditions, the intense marketing practices to which consumers are susceptible, and the economy generally -- are not conditions that can easily be altered, no matter how alert consumers are. Where we can make alternate choices in food purchasing practices by choosing to buy organic or local or at a farmer's market, no such alternate clothing marketplace exists. I can attest myself that it is difficult to determine the manufacturing practices of any given clothing brand, and the "fast" nature of fast fashion means that no single brand has consistent practices among its entire line of offerings. Eaters can grow even a small amount of vegetables in their own homes, but learning to make clothing is much more complicated, expensive, and time and labor intensive. Cline spends a lot of time talking up the possibilities of making one's own clothing, or buying refashioned vintage (a possibility that erodes with every passing year), but even she admits that she doesn't know if she'll be spending time sewing her own wardrobe two years in the future. Her most meaningful suggestion is to slow down, to buy more intentionally, to pay closer attention to fit and quality of construction, to be willing to spend more per piece while holding total amount spent steady.

Cline ends the book on a hopeful note in Chapter 9, "The Future of Fashion." She lists a few conscientious designers and clothing retailers who are working to bring quality and morality back to the fashion industry and describes their methods for achieving those ends.

In all, this was a fascinating, eye-opening read. Cline has an engaging voice. She used the contents of her own closet and her own shopping habits to illustrate the nature of fast fashion. She did an amazing amount of research, including, as mentioned, her trips to China, Bangladesh, and the Dominican Republic, but also research into historical shopping and manufacturing practices, public policy conditions, post-consumer processing practices, and the environmental impact of textile production.

I would really have loved it if she could have offered more guidance into choosing labels and researching the values that guide brands' manufacturing practices. Illustrations would have been incredibly helpful -- both of the factories she visited, and also of the clothing construction she described. It should be noted that I read this book on my Kindle, and I do not know if such illustrations were available in the paper copies.

Other reviewers have commented on some of the editing issues in this book. As I read, I did note where those came up, but in many cases they were misused words rather than formatting or copy-editing mistakes, so I chalk that up to a failure with the publisher. I appreciate Cline putting together such a well-researched, eye-opening book, that will certainly guide my future purchasing decisions.
19 people found this helpful
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Gwendolyn
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it, share it.
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2012
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and since finishing it have recommended it, loaned it, and am about to purchase a gift copy. Cline's writing style is articulate, entertaining, and conversational yet full of thorough research and documented information. She approaches her subject in an organized and inclusive way, covering aspects of the fashion trade I had never considered and details of construction I had noticed but not reflected on. Whether you shop at thrift shops or the mall, the book invites you to see your spending choices within the economics of global fashion. I had trouble putting it down, finished it in two days, and have not stopped thinking about it weeks later. She presents the "big picture" with just the right balance of relevant history, travel, investigation, commentary, evocative description and clear explanation to keep the story interesting and relevant from the first page to the last. Bravo!
3 people found this helpful
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lanalew
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this!
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
Overdressed

Last month I read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline and it changed my life. It was eye opening. It was truly shocking. It made a huge impact. It was life changing. I just didn’t realize the ramifications of fast fashion. I’m a casual gal – cotton twill slacks in a couple colors, jeans, a few knit tops and sweaters, and I’m set. I used to love to shop at Kohl’s. It’s inexpensive and if it’s not on sale this week, it’ll be on sale next week. And, just like the book stated, items were reasonable enough that I could and would buy a few colors of each style I liked. And do it again next season. And next… So where do all the clothes go when everyone throws them out to get new styles next month / season? That’s what got me. That and never being happy with the fit and quality of workmanship. When you sew, you know how things should be put together. Furthermore, I don’t wish to be a willing participant in providing extremely poor working conditions for those working in garment factories. So I chose to make a difference in my world. I chose to be a more conscientious consumer. I chose to return to making my own clothes.
38 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sonia Maria da Silva
4.0 out of 5 stars A realidade do fast fashion
Reviewed in Brazil on August 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Achei muito bom !
Faz uma retrospectiva de como o consumo de roupas mudou nas últimas décadas.
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Anu Bararia
3.0 out of 5 stars Okay okay
Reviewed in India on January 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
Could be shorter for what it conveys. A light read if you have toooo much time at hand. I had to scan through pages to get pretty much what i already knew.
2 people found this helpful
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Luisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Interessante
Reviewed in Italy on October 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Anche se non condivido alcune delle fonti citate (sono ad esempio a volte semplici pagine web le quali a loro volta dovrebbero citare la loro fonte o ammettere che sono pareri personali), molte delle riflessioni sul mercato della moda odierno sono condivisibili e sensate. Probabilmente molte di queste considerazioni, senza rendervene conto, le avete già fatte mentre gironzolate nei negozi. Leggerle qui, per esteso e contestualizzate, vi farà capire che avevate assolutamente ragione: i prezzi sono ridicolmente alti e del tutto scollegati dalla qualità del prodotto, tanto per dirne una.
2 people found this helpful
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Laura
4.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought
Reviewed in Australia on August 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
The author brings to light some very important truths. As the consumer we have more power than ever before. Maybe it's time we harness this.
If your after a light hearted yet serious discussion regarding the fashion industry this is the book for you. Be inspired till the last page.
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MrsKastrup
5.0 out of 5 stars Read It
Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
GREAT book showing the ugly sides of 'fast fashion'. I really enjoyed the majority of this book - I was so excited I read it in one day. Fast fashion has really changed the way we think about clothing and what we wear - and it is not for the better. People are buying TONS of clothing that they don't wear and they can buy so much because it is SO CHEAP. It makes no sense. I really appreciated how she discussed what happens to donated clothing - because so many people think they're doing something good by donating the clothes they don't want. The truth is - so much is donated that is junk (too trendy, poorly made, ill-fitting) and a lot of it can't be re-sold, reused or recycled. For the most part, fast fashion is bad business that is wreaking havoc on the earth and humankind (a loaded statement, I know, but in many ways - its true!).
2 people found this helpful
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