Overdressed

The declining price of clothing has fundamentally changed the way most Americans dress. Stores ranging from discounters like Target and fast-fashion chains like H&M to department stores such as JCPenney now offer the newest trends at unprecedentedly low prices. Our closets are overlfowing with garments we barely wear, and clothing has become a disposable good.

Elizabeth Cline set out to uncover the true nature of the cheap-fashion juggernaut, tracing the surprising impacts on the environment, middle-market and independent retailers, and the U.S. economy. She travels undercover to factories in China and Bangladesh, where the pressure to produce every-cheaper trends is causing unprecedented harm. She even describes how high-end designers work in tandem with cheap retailers to keep us shopping.

Overdressed will help you slow down and consider some surprising alternatives, from upcycled vintage to cutting-edge, locally made fashion. It will inspire you to find a path back to being well dressed and feeling good about what you wear.

'Overdressed is the fashion world's answer to consumer-activist bestsellers like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma . . . Self-deprecating about her own lack of style - she has a thing for fleece-lined sweatshirts - Cline writes with the zeal of a reformed shopaholic.' Businessweek

'Elizabeth L. Cline goes for the jugular straightaway in this exploration of the consumer love affair with cheap clothing . . . . Cline's target is . . . broader than her book's title implies.' Los Angeles Times

'Cline contends that 'disposable clothing' is damaging the environment, the economy, and even our souls, and she presents a dense and sobering skein of data to support her thesis.' The New York Times

www.overdressedthebook.com