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title: "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion"
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# #48 Green Business rank Top 300 in Marketing & Fashion 720+ reviews, 4.4⭐ rating Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

**Price:** 90.38 DT
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## Summary

> 👗 Dress smarter, not cheaper — the fashion truth you can’t afford to miss!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion
- **How much does it cost?** 90.38 DT with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
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## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
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## Key Features

- • **Eco & Ethical Focus:** Ranked #48 in Green Business, it’s a must-read for conscious professionals.
- • **Fast Fashion Exposed:** Explore the true environmental and social price behind cheap trends.
- • **Future-Forward Solutions:** Discover hopeful alternatives and mindful buying strategies to future-proof your style.
- • **Data-Backed & Well-Researched:** 720+ reviews confirm its credibility and impact on consumer awareness.
- • **Eye-Opening Industry Insights:** Uncover the hidden costs of fast fashion shaping your wardrobe and the world.

## Overview

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion is a critically acclaimed, well-researched exposé on the fast fashion industry’s impact on society, environment, and economy. With over 720 reviews and a strong 4.4-star rating, this book ranks highly in Green Business and Fashion categories, making it essential reading for professionals seeking to align style with sustainability and ethical consumerism.

## Description

“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?

Review: Informative and Engaging - I found this book to be both highly engaging and informative. As a textile designer in the fashion industry, I'm particularly interested in the effects of evolving consumer expectations and the shift to lower-cost and lower-quality goods. Cline put many of the trends I see at work everyday- increased deliveries, the shift to polyester, lower quality of goods, etc- into perspective by discussing the industry's manufacturing history and comparing it to current practices in garment production and distribution. After reading Overdressed, I feel I have a much better understanding of how fashion companies today are influenced by (and forced into following) the fast fashion business model in the interest of staying competitive in a highly saturated market. I agree with some of the other reviews about the questionable editing. I did notice some awkward phrasing and also several of the same examples recycled into different chapters. But I could forgive these literary missteps as I so enjoyed Cline's impassioned and personable writing style, in addition to her well-researched ideas. I read it in a weekend, which I think says enough. Highly recommended reading for those of us in the industry, as well as for curious consumers.
Review: My Eyes Are Open Now - 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.

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #391,103 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #48 in Green Business (Books) #111 in Fashion & Textile Business #266 in Marketing & Consumer Behavior |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 720 Reviews |

## Images

![Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71pvLvu4PTL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Informative and Engaging
*by D***. on September 6, 2012*

I found this book to be both highly engaging and informative. As a textile designer in the fashion industry, I'm particularly interested in the effects of evolving consumer expectations and the shift to lower-cost and lower-quality goods. Cline put many of the trends I see at work everyday- increased deliveries, the shift to polyester, lower quality of goods, etc- into perspective by discussing the industry's manufacturing history and comparing it to current practices in garment production and distribution. After reading Overdressed, I feel I have a much better understanding of how fashion companies today are influenced by (and forced into following) the fast fashion business model in the interest of staying competitive in a highly saturated market. I agree with some of the other reviews about the questionable editing. I did notice some awkward phrasing and also several of the same examples recycled into different chapters. But I could forgive these literary missteps as I so enjoyed Cline's impassioned and personable writing style, in addition to her well-researched ideas. I read it in a weekend, which I think says enough. Highly recommended reading for those of us in the industry, as well as for curious consumers.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ My Eyes Are Open Now
*by C***H on September 5, 2012*

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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An eye-opening investigative report!
*by A***R on July 22, 2012*

This book is simply a must-read for anyone who wears clothes. That basic fact of life in the twenty-first century could not be more different from what it was even a decade ago, let alone at this point back in the twentieth century. People from that era would not believe the clothing industry of today! Ms. Cline thoroughly researched her subject matter, visiting offshore clothing manufacturers while posing as a potential client. That subterfuge allowed her to get an inside look at realities most of the purchasing public knows absolutely nothing about. If you had read this book, for example, you would not have been surprised that Ralph Lauren had the uniforms for our American Olympic team manufactured in China. What else is manufactured outside of the U.S. for sale here? It's incredible, and it's information that totally changed my outlook on clothes buying. I've gotten back to my sewing machine and have begun to value sewing skills that I had let slide for several years. Even if sewing is not for you at all, this book will enlighten you about an everyday necessity with a complex back story. Ms. Cline tells that story in fascinating detail and does the buying public a valuable service.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion
- Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes

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