KEY POINTS:
No doubt all you happy campers out there have been making New Year's resolutions over the past few weeks. Stop drinking so much wine, lose weight, avoid unsuitable dates, quit smoking, try harder at work - isn't it funny how almost everyone makes the same sort of resolutions at the beginning of January?
Yes, it seems that some human weaknesses are almost universal. Interestingly enough, the same thing applies to New Year's resolutions relating to fashion or style. Ask around and almost everyone comes up with sartorial resolve along similar lines.
The most common include: stop over-shopping at sales, buy clothes that actually fit, make more of an effort with my looks and clean out the wardrobe or bathroom of useless clothes and beauty products.
If none of those apply to you - or if your current list of resolutions isn't long enough - then read on for some less common fashion resolutions.
If we're all lucky, whichever one you choose will still help make the world a better place by ridding it of three-quarter length shorts with drawstrings and Paris Hilton lookalikes.
In 2008 you solemnly resolve to:
Stop with the fantasy dressing
This is a serious affliction that will see more than a few misguided followers of fashion max out their credit cards at the January sales. Every shopper has one - the fantasy that tells you that if only you buy this dress or that bag or pair of shoes then you will be transformed. Some folks dress because they want to look like a French film star. Others dress for a dream of luxury and a big yacht.
Because it's not for nothing they call fashion aspirational - you're meant to buy into the lifestyle fantasy, as presented by fashion magazines, advertisers and designer brands. In many ways that can be a lot of fun and it's also what keeps you coming back for more.
So really all this resolution is saying is: think before you buy into the fantasy, especially during sale time.
Will that floaty floral number, that's just a little too tight, really turn you into a 16-year-old, barefoot bohemian again? Will that overpriced handbag that looks a little like the really expensive designer one, fool anyone into thinking you're incredibly wealthy? Not so much.
So before you rush to the counter with the dress that's somehow - don't ask how - going to turn you into a hot fox, just take one minute to consider whether there might be better ways of making your fashion fantasies real. Is this impulse purchase actually a waste of time and would you be better off taking a weekend or two to find something that really works for you? Of course, your other option is to go with those fantasies. Start trying to live the dream, as they say - if you want to wear high heels because they make you feel sexy but you never do because they hurt your feet, practice walking in them this year.
And, oh yes, if we're still talking sales, then there are just two things to remember: you can't lose weight off your feet. And if it doesn't fit you or it doesn't suit you, then, honey, it ain't a bargain.
Take fashion more seriously
Over the past six months or so, almost every follower of fashion has jumped on the eco-chic bandwagon. Some have found this a little bit yawn-inducing, and possibly even shallow. But you know what, who cares if every airheaded, style-obsessed wench in town is cheering for organic cotton? Because fashion, as an industry, can be (and mostly still is) a dirty business, a driver of unnecessary consumer desires and a polluter without a lot of conscience. Additionally, fashion can also be a reflection of popular culture and even social and political concerns.
All of which means it's fine to take fashion a little bit more seriously this year. For one thing, it's making ecologically-correct products desirable and that can't be a bad thing. The "green is the new black" bandwagon is making people think about what they consume and how. And fashion is leading a lot of other industries in publicly expressing concern about its environmental impact.
How this translates to the average shopper in 2008 is that, hopefully, you will think more carefully about each purchase. Where was it made? How long will you wear it? What will you do with it after you're over it? And, uh, do you really need it? Which is not only good for the environment, it's going to be good for your wardrobe and your wallet.
Spend some big bucks
It's called investment dressing. Because, as anyone who read the last resolution now knows, one highly priced, beautifully made dress that you can actually put on more than once is worth 10 cheap, unwearable imitations in the wardrobe. Repeat three times as you walk past the tempting displays in the local mall:
"No more cheap imitations, no more Made in Sweatshops Somewhere in Asia," and confine your visits to chain stores to once a fortnight rather than every day in your lunch hour just because you're bored.
Basically, flag the marginal looks, don't buy just for buying's sake, and save up for something you really love _ or hey, you could always put it on lay-by.
Try something different
There seem to be a lot of shoppers who think they should be making more effort with their looks and grooming in the New Year - you know, shaving your legs every day instead of once a month, bothering to pluck your shaggy eyebrows before you look like the bearded lady, and just generally dressing up more professionally, glamorously or prettily in order to attract the right kind of attention from their superiors, colleagues, friends - or maybe that good-looking guy behind the coffee counter.
What a personal trainer at the gym would say to you right now is that maybe you're not trying very hard because you're actually bored by the same old exercise.
The time has come to try something a little different, whether that involves buying an exciting new depilatory cream or experimenting with a hairstyle.
There's no need to go for an extreme makeover just because it's January, just try something a little different to reignite your enthusiasm for dressing to impress.
Go shopping somewhere else
This is a particularly good resolution for anyone who also promised to clean out their wardrobe. Before crying out "but I've got nothing to wear" and going on a spending frenzy, try what has been called "shopping in your own wardrobe" Dig underneath those piles of T-shirts, try on that old dress again and drag out things you thought you'd never wear one last time. If they still don't work for you, then think about doing something novel like organising a swap meet with your friends, or donate them to charity.
Find a great alteration service
No matter whether you're size eight or 18, the most flattering looks usually involve clothes that skim the lines of your body rather than squeezing you in or making you look like you've wrapped some curtains around you before leaving the house. Believe it or not, having clothes altered to suit your figure is one of the most convenient, hassle-free ways to get the perfect fit. Give it a try with something you never wear because it's too tight, loose, short or long - you'll be converted in no time.
Ignore celebrity dressing and seasonal trends
Groan - celebrities are, like, so 2007. Although there are well-known names who pick their own outfits, most of the time those well-paid international actors and musicians don't even choose their own clothes anyway. Stylists have been paid to select them, and it's probably the stylist you should be looking to for interesting new combinations and trendsetting styles.
If you must adore celebrities, then consider them role models in terms of their style rather than dressing exactly like him or her.
As for seasonal trends, there's no need to follow these too slavishly. For one thing, this century there are so many and they seem to be changing so fast it's impossible for any ordinary person to keep up. For another, climate change - which appears to be delaying colder and warmer weather - is forcing a number of designers into releasing capsule collections (smaller ranges available in the middle of each season).
This means that there's new stock arriving on various shelves almost non-stop. The answer? You don't want to look like you're living in a time warp, but basically wear what you like, what suits your budget, your lifestyle and your figure. Focus on refining your own style, in clothes that make you look and feel good, where you don't look like a version of Paris, Lindsay or Nicole.
