Happy New Year! What are your New Year’s resolutions? My own list has a lot of fitness-related resolutions, but it’s also important (and fun!) to include style resolutions for the upcoming 2015.
Here is what I’m putting on my 2015 style resolution list. Feel free to add some of these to yours!
1. Slouch Less
Slouching can ruin an otherwise stylish outfit, unless I’m channeling my inner angsty teen uniform with rubber bracelets and skull tees. As fun as it was to wear skull T-shirts, I’m more attracted to polka dots and purple now. Even then, one is so much more approachable when standing upright. Slouching forces my body to face the ground instead of towards other people. Sitting up straight elongates my torso and can help me think better because I am taking in more air.
2. Style My Hair (Differently)
In college, my hair languished in giant claw clips when it wasn’t down. At work, my go-to look is the simple ponytail. I consider it a step up. I’m embarrassingly inexperienced in styling the back of my head–I admire how some people are able to braid (and especially twirl a bun!) by themselves. I’ll be looking up guides on hairstyling and pick a few to practice until I get better. Lauren Conrad’s blog has lots of cute guides on simple hairstyles for work. Check it out!
3. Indulge in Animal Prints and Other Patterns
I often tell myself that animal prints aren’t “me”. I associate leopard prints with cougars (the cat!), old ladies, and flashier (and super fabulous) designers such as Betsey Johnson. Maybe I’ve read far too many times that one should always pair certain colors with other colors. As a result, sometimes my mild choices in daily garb can be predictable. Nothing wrong with that, but with a new year comes an adventure to try new things. I can make animal prints work for me in small doses, such as a scarf or a necklace charm, before I’m ready to move on to a large item, such as tights or a handbag.
4. Pay Attention to Home Decor
I must admit that I am a clutter fiend. I use my desk as storage rather than a workspace. A glance at my desk yields a stunning view of take-out trays, graphic novels, a mug, nail polish removal, and a cookie tin…enough said. Home decor is also a form of fashion and style, and therefore my goal is to at least keep clutter out, because that stuff can kill a theme. Currently, my theme is purple: I have purple Christmas lights running along the wall and a desk lamp with giant crystal gems along the stem as well as a purple lampshade.
5. Follow the Rhythm of My Own Heartbeat
Life (especially youth!) is too short to worry about fitting into convention (unless, of course, the dress code at your school or internship demands it). Now that I’m working in a conservative field, I wonder why I didn’t experiment more with purple highlights while in college. I have a fascination with lip color but am often too timid to wear it opaquely. My goal is to throw away my notions of conventional attractiveness and follow the rhythm of my own heartbeat. I can start slow, by working in more color gradually so that it’s not a shock of magenta on my face…at least not at first. Chances are that my own apprehensiveness is misplaced. I want to look back at 2015 and see all the fun I had being bold and adventurous!
Did any of these resolutions resonate with you? What are your style resolutions for 2015?
