Style Resolutions 2018

As the new year begins, most of us have ideas of things we want to do differently, begin doing or stop doing.  While I try to not get too many going at once (because…overwhelming!) I have a few in several genres, and a specific set that relate to fashion. First and foremost is to organize! As my life has gotten busier, I haven’t created patterns and processes that are easy and functional to go with it. Consequently, I feel like I’m constantly just keeping up, just making do or just on the edge of spinning out of control. There are clothes I know I have, but I can’t find or haven’t washed yet. Many days, I’m putting outfits together on the fly with what I can see, rather than really enjoying what I’m putting together and the creative outlet that that can be. I want to change that.  I want to know where to find the pieces that will create the look that’s in my head.  I want everything to be neater and not feel so cluttered.  At the moment, I’m not precisely sure how, but I’m brainstorming on it because it needs to happen! And the sooner, the better. Another thing I want to do is get back to having a style budget. I used to set aside a certain dollar figure monthly to spend on clothing (including shoes and all accessories). Sometimes I spent on basics that needed replacing (hello, wool socks!) and sometimes it was a splurge (can you go on living without an Oscar de la Renta statement ring? Well, sure…but would you want to? ;)) If I didn’t spend the full amount, it rolled into next month’s budget. If I overspent, I deducted it from next month’s budget. I didn’t do that at all in 2017 and I realized I didn’t like it. I like the confidence of knowing how much I can spend and I love the idea of knowing that I definitely have x amount of money that I can spend. Even if it’s only $40, I know it’s right there waiting for whenever I find the perfect something in that price range.  It also guides my shopping choices – do I look at this season’s brand new arrivals the instant they come out? Or do I limit myself to looking at sale pages or within a certain dollar range? Can I check out Alexander Birman seriously, or do I need to mainly be looking at Nine West and Zappos?  I have found this to be a great technique when I need to keep my spending low – I just don’t look at anything above my budget. Then, if I can’t find it, I feel like “well, it just wasn’t out there/wasn’t available”, instead of “I found it, but I can’t afford it” – the former seems way more positive in my mind.  I also want to get back to keeping a list of things I’m looking for and/or know I need. First, I’m better at spotting good buys on things if I have a note that I need to look for it. Second, if I can’t find things right away, I can forget I wanted them. The list is a great reminder and many times, there’s a synchronicity that happens when I review it again - I’ll see something I had forgotten I wanted but couldn’t find at the time.  Then, when I go looking again, I run right into a piece that’s just right. And even if I’m not consciously looking for the specific things on my list, I’ve noticed I tend to find most of what I want if I’ve written it down somewhere. When I go back to check my list, I can cross off most of it as “found”.  (Or sometimes "no longer needed" :)). And that’s it – my two goals! I’m a fan of keeping things simple, when possible :).  What about you – do you have any style resolutions for this year?