Improving My Style in the New Year: My Top 4 Fashion Goals for 2013
A new year means a fresh start and always seems to motivate people to change for the better. Among all the lists of goals and wishes and things I want to achieve in 2013, there is one smaller list I would like to share with you: my fashion resolutions.
Starting college didn’t mean any major style transformation for me, but this year, I plan on changing that. Of course, the key to making a change that sticks is to start small – figure out what you want and slowly work your way towards it. CF writer Chelsea shared some fashion and beauty resolution suggestions, and today, I’m going to share mine. Without further ado, here are my top 4 fashion-related goals for 2013:
1. Embrace My Girly Side
I’ve always admired the ladylike, put-together looks I see in magazines. That said, I often get so busy that I instinctively throw on basic, comfortable pieces instead of making the extra effort to embrace that aesthetic myself.
This year, I will step out of my combat boots and wear pretty shoes more often. I’ll accessorize with jewelry and utilize my (mostly unworn) collection of earrings and necklaces. I will use my stylish, grown-up bags instead of the old backpack I keep lugging around. I will also try to improve my posture: I will stand up straight with my chin up, and always wear a bright smile on my face.
2. Wear More Color
During the months ahead, I will stop relying on neutrals all the time. I will wear clothes that scream “Look at me!”. I will not shy away from bold blues, reds, and purples, and I will also try to mix them up a bit.
Are you in a neutral rut, too? Study our “color combo to try” posts and challenge yourself to take a risk!
3. From Time to Time, Overdress
I attend school in a foreign country, and the way people dress here is very different from what I was used to back home. Here, they tend to dress more casually. For instance, girls here rarely wear heels, while hoodies are worn on a daily basis. When I moved here, I tried to tone down my outfits in order to fit in… and I quickly realized that it made me miserable.
So in 2013, I resolve to do this: When in doubt, overdress. I will wear over-the-top clothes every once in a while because I love them, and I know they fill me up with energy and optimism. I will not worry about being the most colorful and eccentric girl in the crowd.
If you’re in a similar boat and scared of making such a big step, start small: Wear a funky piece of jewelry or an amazing, boldly-colored skirt and see how that makes you feel! For more tips, check out our post on why you should “dress up” every day.
4. Wear Red Lipstick
This is a personal preference and I know you may not all relate to it, but I recently became obsessed with the bold lipcolor trend. I bought a few shades (a few more than necessary, to be honest), but I have rarely worn them – I always feel self-conscious when wearing such eye-catching makeup in public. On the other hand, rocking a strong color on my lips makes me feel more powerful and gives me confidence – I just need to get over my fear of getting extra attention.
For me, red lipstick is a beauty risk. But your idea of a risk, beauty or otherwise, may be different. Take a minute to think about a trend you love but haven’t had the courage to try. Maybe there’s a fantastic statement necklace sitting in your jewelry box, just waiting to be worn, or a million Pinterest makeup tutorials you’d love to try but haven’t. Try to make it your goal to wear things that make you happy or things that you’ve always wanted to wear.
2013 is a brand new start! Reset your style calendar!
Now I want to hear from you. What are your new year’s resolutions? Share them – maybe I’ll borrow some, too!
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Posted on on January 11, 2013 / Filed Under: Fashion Tips / Tags: challenge, New Year, Resolutions
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Lea
Maria,
It’s interesting to read that students dress more casually in Freiburg. I attend school in Bremen, and it’s definitely the opposite here. Girls regularly wear heels to class, as well as blazers, skirts, hose, etc. I almost never see hoodies worn here, and whenever I decide to dress down and wear my own, I always feel out of place.
Sara
Similarly to Lea, I go to school in Prague and it is a huge difference to my US experience. I couldn’t find one girl in sweats and hoodie in my school if I tried.
Number 4 – I am completely with you on this one! I feel very self conscious wearing bold lipstick and mine also don’t seem to last very long so I don’t see why to trouble with them at the first place :) Definitely trying o change that this year!
Kelsey
I just recently started wearing red lipstick, and I wish I had done it sooner! I love Revlon Lip Butters the most because they don’t get dry and flaky on your lips; they just gradually fade away if you don’t reapply. I love them for days when I don’t have time to put on a lot of other makeup.
Annie
I was just about to comment about the Revlon Lip Butter’s too! My beauty resolution last year was to rock more red/bright lips and I loved the lip butters for a beginner like I was.
Victoria
My style resolution is to stop spending money on clothes I feel like I should wear. So what if I wear lots of neutrals? That’s what flatters my coloring the best, and what I feel most stylish in. I have too many brights and pastels and neons in my closet that I bought and never wear, and it’s taking a toll on my wallet! So I’m going to think of it as not a rut, but my own personal style: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Nora
My style resolution is to actually put together new outfits, and combine my clothes in new ways. I often find myself wearing the same 4 outfits all the time, even though I have a closet full of clothes. Hopefully, this will also cut back on the amount of times I need to do laundry because my favorite shirt isn’t clean!
Anabel
I love style resolutions! My goals for this year are to have more fun with my wardrobe, mix unexpected pieces, and to be more edgy.
aish
I think I will be going with No. 2 for myself. I do need to add more colour to my outfits :)
Anka
I have exactly the same fashion “resolutions”. I’m bored of wearing black in every single outfit, I’m bored of hoodied people all over my school (actually, in my country even grown up women wear hoddies on daily basis! It makes me wanna scream sometimes.). Red lipstick is tricky for me, because I have braces, but they should be off this year, so I can finally rock my inner Snow White ;) And jewellery is mystery for me, I learn how to wear it (even with help of your site, thank you!) and I’m finding it very comfortable and so feminine.
I hope our resolutions work out nice! :) Especially the “less neutrals, more colours” one! .:)
Alyssa Nicole
I love these style resolutions! Mine were similar however I also included hosting my first ever clothing swap party and being able to do more photoshoots. My resolutions were more focused on my fashion career rather then my personal style. Reason being my personal style is just too eccentric and unconsistant to contain :)
Lina
I thought about the same thing
Amanda
My new year resolution for dressing is really simple. Dress up every day because its the polite and fun thing to do :)