From our friends at College Candy:
I will be more daring with my fashion choices.
Every year we make countless resolutions: lose weight, study harder, be more organized, be nicer to our family, not drink so much.
And usually, we don’t keep, well, any of them. Especially that last one, unless if by “not drink so much” you mean “throw up in the actual toilet more.” If that’s the case, then we get better and better every year!
But what about fashion? Sure, from the surface it doesn’t seem obvious that we should make fashion resolutions, but why not? Fashion is an extension of who we are. It’s the first thing people see when they meet us, therefore judging us by whatever fashion mishaps we might happen to be dealing with. And with a decade closing its doors, not only will it hopefully be leaving some of the fashion trends behind (uh, harem pants?!), but it’s the perfect time (a new year and a new decade) to think about what your fashion choices say about you.
So take a moment and think about what you want to look like in 2010. Here are just a few fashion resolutions for all of us.
1) I Will Be Original. We all love trends but do we need to walk around as cloned Urban Outfitters mannequins? This year, don’t let the trends wear you. You can be fashionable and trendy if you want to, but put your own unique touch into your wardrobe, be it a certain accessory, a pop of color, or a signature piece. Find your own personal style – that signature look that your friends will see and say “that is so (insert your name here).”
2) I Will Not Buy Crap I Don’t Need. Buyer’s remorse is the worst feeling, ever. Okay, so maybe a really bad hangover is worse, but we all know how much it sucks when we think we have NOTHING to wear (even though we have a closet jam packed with clothes) and run out to buy a top for tonight’s party… This year be realistic about what you really NEED. Before you run out to buy yet another low cut black top, think about how to reinvent the ones already in your closet (add a fun necklace, a bold bag or throw a blazer over it). You can even make a fashion fund – any time you are tempted to go spend frivolously, put the $30 in a jar and in a few months you will have enough saved up to splurge on something expensive (like that Marc Jacobs bag you’ve been eying and dying for).
3) I Will Buy the Uber Trends on the Cheap. We all know that in a year from now we will be SO over sequins and feathers and fringe, so why shell out the big bucks for the trends that aren’t here to stay? Lord knows how much money we wasted on cowboy boots and prairie skirts back in 2005 and on butterfly clips, Abercrombie tee’s and platform gym shoes in 1998… Buy your classics at quality stores – invest in a good pair of jeans, a nice pair of boots, a nice sweater, black pants – but the super trends can be left to Forever 21 so that by next year you don’t feel guilty looking at some $150 sequin top collecting dust in your closet.
4) I Will Put In a Little More Effort. I know I sound like my mother when I say it only takes 5 minutes to put yourself together and you never know who you are going to meet. But really, it only takes 5 minutes to put yourself together and you never know who you are going to meet! Fact is, I don’t have enough hands to count the times I’ve seen cute boys, ran into bitches from my past or important people that could be in my future and looked like absolute crap. Maybe even worse. You’ve got a closet full of clothes so there is no reason to be rocking the sweats and sweatshirt every day. Make a conscious effort this year to care about your appearance, because when you feel good about how you look, you exude that feeling (confidence, sexiness, etc) to others. And the cute boy in the coffee shop may not look away (in fear/disgust) anymore!
5) I Will Understand that Sometimes Less is More. I’m talking to me and I’m talking to you on this one: for some reason college is not only the best four years of our lives, it’s the sluttiest dressed years, too. Shirts cut so low in the front that you can practically see your belly button, skirts so short that everyone’s Britney (read: crotch) is hanging out… It’s not pretty. Let’s all take a moment and say the following out loud: sometimes less is more. (And I’m not referring to material!) Ask yourself why you feel it’s so necessary to wear such revealing clothes and this year – even when media is getting sexier and clothes are getting tighter – reevaluate the look you want to give off to the world, and to men. There is nothing wrong with feeling sexy and dressing sexy, but you can dress sexy and be sexy (and in my opinion, sexier) without being of obvious about it!
6) I Will Buy Clothes That Fit Me. No one sees the number or letter sewn into the back of your clothes, so stop trying to hard to squeeze into a size that does not fit. You’ll look a whole lot thinner and sexier rocking a large dress that fits you than rocking a medium dress that makes you look like a tasty piece of sausage. Have you ever heard anyone say the words, “Wow, her muffin top is hot?!” No? Well there’s a reason for that. Be honest with yourself and what size/trends work with your body and you will look and feel better than you ever have before.
