Looking for a fresh way to celebrate the New Year in style? Ditch the same, old boring goals -- lose weight, spend less, exercise, eat healthy, get more sleep -- (you know you'll forget them by the end of the month, anyway) and make some fashion resolutions instead! Here are some chic ways to make your mark on 2009:
- Shop Smartly.
This year, devote yourself to intelligent shopping rather than spur of the moment impulse spending. Know when to save and when to splurge. Instead of buying a trendy piece, one that's so au courant that it will be pass before you hang it in your closet, invest in staple item that can serve as a foundation on which to build your wardrobe. Tailored jackets, crisp white oxfords, Little Black Dresses, equestrian boots, cashmere sweaters, classic trench coats and simple yet luxe leather totes are worth the splurge because they are all timeless and highly versatile pieces. They go with everything and can be dressed up or down in winter, spring, summer or fall.
- Dress Glam for Less.
The single upside of being in a recession? A shopper's dream world with huge markdowns galore. With retailers panicking and mounting epic sales, it's the ideal time to search for that big-ticket item Santa forgot. We, in Hanover, may be far from Madison Avenue, but online boutiques are also having crazy markdowns. E-commerce favorites such as oaknyc.com, shopbop.com, revolveclothing.com, pixiemarket.com and chickdowntown.com are all currently featuring not-to-be-missed discounts. Check sites like fashionista.com, refinery29.com and nymag.com for daily updates on even more online sales that will have you splendidly-attired in designer finery. So grab those silver sequin Marc by Marc Jacobs pumps you've been coveting; they're marked down to $109, (originally $445!) on the Barneys New York website.
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Dress nicely, despite the cold. Between the sub-zero climes, the fierce winds and the snow, slush, ice and salt, it's hard to look runway-ready during Winter term. Dressing for a New Hampshire winter typically translates into sloppily throwing on loads of warm clothing; a bulky, frumpy and decidedly unstylish look. Yet negative temperatures don't necessarily have to mean dowdiness. Check out street-style photographer The Facehunter's blog (thefacehunter.blogspot.com) for stylish inspiration on what fashionable Scandinavians, who have perfected the oh-so-adorable aprs skiing look, are wearing where the weather is cold. With a little bit of effort, and a lot of layering, you too can have their effortless, rosy-cheeked ski bunny aesthetic, rather than the standard Dartmouth ski bum look.
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Add a jolt of color.
Starting every January, the Dartmouth campus starts to dress very monochromatically -- to the point where it begins to look as if the student body is collectively in mourning. It's very tempting to don dark colors from head to toe during the bleakest months of the year. Black is easy to wear, slimming, and most importantly camouflages the grime that inevitably covers clothing during the winter. However, adding a little pop of color to an outfit is the perfect, on-trend antidote to the drabness of Hanover winters. In the words of professional trendspotter Ian Galvin, "If you look bright you tend to feel bright. Acid colors will shine through for '09 so there is no hiding behind your 'safe' black staples anymore" For those who want to add a dash of vivid color to their cold-weather ensembles, Madewell 1937's extensive selection of colorful, embellished scarves, available in every hue and pattern imaginable at madewell1937.com, are an easy, affordable and fun way to inject some life into your wardrobe, even in the dead of winter.
- Cut back on "fast fashion" While "fast fashion" chains like Zara, Topshop and H&M are great for cheap, disposable straight-off-the-runway looks, these quick fashion fixes (produced in factories with synthetic materials and often quickly thrown away) are undeniably bad for the environment as well as creative innovation. Instead of buying another frock from one of these stores, vintage is the eco-conscious way to go. Sites like adorevintage.com and vintageous.com have massive selections of pristine quality vintage clothing at prices comparable to big chains, with the added bonus of knowing that the girl sitting next to you in your 10A won't be wearing the same dress. And while it's fun to buy tons of cheap accessories at Forever 21, you can find equally inexpensive, thoroughly unique handmade jewelry and tote bags at etsy.com. Not only will you be supporting independent designers, but you'll also look a million times cooler in their original designs.
