I’m not usually big on New Year’s resolutions because I believe that if we’re going to change something about ourselves, it’s a good idea to act immediately as opposed to waiting for the first day of the year. But this is as good a time as any to talk about style, fashion and shopping related resolutions for the year ahead, and the forum had a great discussion on the topic.

It was interesting to see a core set of resolutions emerge. These were shared by almost everyone who participated in the thread:

• to spend less overall and become more of a bargain shopper
• to purchase fewer fabulous items of greater quality
• to pass on items that are not absolutely perfect (minor alterations are obviously permitted)
• to shop for your dominant season
• to focus on footwear and accessories like handbags, scarves, specs and jewelry because they are cost effective ways of changing up a look

Here are some of the other fashion and style related resolutions that were shared on the forum:

• to do regular closet sweeps
• to improve closet organization
• to shop with a plan
• to learn how to correctly fit garments
• to get out of clothing ruts
• to shop more at thrift and consignment stores
• to eliminate closet orphans
• to get a great hairdo
• to let go of T-shirts (one of my favourites)
• to make an effort to look nice every day

These are fabulous resolutions and I share them whole heartedly. I have a few additional ones on my list:

• to add more skirts to my wardrobe – as much as I adore dresses, I’m on a skirt kick. I seem to wear jeans less frequently these days and I’m enjoying evolving my style in this way.
• to add more knitwear to my wardrobe – it takes a long time to warm up in my neck of the woods and I never seem to purchase enough knitwear. That’s not going to happen this year.
• to wear my cocktail rings – I stopped wearing my rings because I encountered problems with my wrists and didn’t want anything on my hands. My wrists feel better so I hope to wear my rings again.
• to have regular facials – taking care of my skin is my top beauty priority and I’ve found that facials work wonders. I am still trying to make these happen monthly but time is at a forever shortage. This is the year for monthly facials.

How many of these resolutions do you share? Do you have additional ones that will inspire us?

The 1^st of January brings with it a sense of renewal. Out with the old and in with the new! But new doesn’t have to mean “brand new”.  Forum member Laura puts it well:

“it feels right at this point to re-use, recycle, re-purpose the things we already have”.

In 2009 I’m looking forward to finding, suggesting and discussing ways in which we can all look and feel brand new, within our means.

We at YLF wish you and your families a happy, healthy and fabulous New Year!

I thought we could end the year by sharing some thoughts on fashion and style in 2008. First, our wardrobes. New items or golden oldies, these were my all time favourite, “I don’t know what I’d do without them” pieces this year:

• Outerwear: Cream Soia & Kyo trench, long grey double-breasted tweed coat
• Jacket: Charcoal Rag & Bone military jacket, black belted biker jacket
• Dress: Little black ‘60’s go-go dress
• Tops: Anne Fontaine button down shirts
• Knitwear: Cropped citron cowl neck pullover, black military polo neck
• Pants: Cream and black micro-check skinnies
• Skirt: All my pencil skirts
• Shoes: Black Me Too Swann flats, grey patent biker pumps, Haflinger slippers
• Boots: Grey over-the-knee slouchy boots, black 20 eyelet Dr. Martens, cream spectator booties, cream calf-length slouchy boots, flat black patent weatherproof knee high boots
• Handbag: Red cracked patent tote
• Accessories: White watch, white and black specs, black waist-cinching biker belt

Second, the trends. Some general thoughts on fashion in 2008:

• Best trend: Stylish revivals of 80’s fashion.
• Most stylish celebrities: Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kate Moss.

Finally, the most important thing I learned this year: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Never say “never” because you’ll surprise yourself over and over again.

Your turn!

I’ve noticed that people are getting confused when I talk about hose and hosiery. Unfortunately I have been negligent with the use of these words, carelessly substituting the one for the other when they actually don’t have the same meaning.

• “Hosiery” refers to everything that can be bought in the hosiery section of a department store (excluding socks). The term covers all variations and styles of stockings, pantyhose, nylons and tights.
• “Hose” is a shortened version of the word pantyhose, which is a type of hosiery. A pair of hose is not a pair of tights. Hose is usually sheer and transparent whereas tights are generally thick and less see-through.

To make matters worse, I sometimes incorrectly use the word “stockings” as a substitute for the word hosiery. This is a habit I learned at school, where we referred to the hose and tights that we wore with our uniform as “stockings”. Stockings actually refer to the thigh-high hose that are held in place with garter belts. I can assure you that I did not wear those to school.

From now on I shall use the words hosiery, hose and stockings correctly. Of all people I should know better and apologize for the mix-up. Interestingly, I thought that “laddering” was a universal term (for example, see my recent post on hosiery sizes). Apparently, in the US, people say something along the lines of “I have a run in my nylons” when they’ve laddered their hose. I guess we can’t help but lose some things in translation.