New Year Fashion Resolutions

The title of this post is misleading. I don’t believe in New Year Resolutions. If I feel that I need to make changes in my life, want to adopt a new habit, or achieve some specific goal, I will start working on that as soon as I feel I have the resources (emotional, mental, financial) to do so as successfully as possible. Why wait for some arbitrary day? And why January of all times? It’s already such a tough month from a well-being perspective; a better month, in my opinion, for giving yourself a break than pursuing new ambitions.

That being said, I suppose that “new year resolutions” is a handy shorthand for the topic I wanted to chat about today, which is setting intentions for my shopping and wardrobe curation moving forward. These are not rules per se, but rather guidelines to help me make more mindful decisions. They arise from a lot of self-reflection I’ve done over the past year — noticing trends in my purchases and outfits, what I like to wear and how I like to wear it, what things are most meaningful and bring me the most joy, etc. A list began to organically coalesce in my mind towards the end of last year; between you and me, I have already started to put most of them into practice. But I think it’s good to write these things down, to crystallize the intentions and create a greater sense of accountability.

Focus on natural fibers

Going forward, I want to focus on purchasing natural fibers. For certain wardrobe categories like knitwear (tops and sweaters) and blazers, my intention is to look exclusively at natural fibers (linings not included because sigh). For skirts, dresses and pants, I know that some level of compromise may be required, but the ideal would be cotton, linen, and wool. I have a love-hate relationship with silk — I love it, but it hates my propensity to spill on myself — so it’s something I buy only if I feel that I can handle the likely laundering requirements (which can depend on the type of silk, category of garment, etc.).

Think twice thrice about thrift purchases

A good chunk of thrift purchases are impulse buys; that’s the nature of the game — you never know what you’re going to fall in love with until you find it. I’ve talked before about how it’s a great way to build a closet … but, in my case, the closet has been built. It has also been elevated, over and over, so at this point it doesn’t contain many “filler” or “meh” pieces. I have so many fabulous clothes, I often feel guilty for not having time to wear them all enough. I don’t want to add more stuff to the mix unless they are things as good or even better than what I have — things that add true value to my closet. That’s a very high threshold, and I need to exercise an equally high amount of discernment when I make decisions at the thrift store.

Closet future-proofing

My focus at the thrift store will be on good quality basics as future replacements. By “basics” I mean primarily base layer staples, like plain tees, tank tops, turtlenecks, etc. These are important “bricks” in my closet and I enjoy having good quality pieces — hello, natural fibers, again — to work with. Replacing them once the actual need arises can be difficult; retail doesn’t generally offer the quality I want, and thrifting doesn’t deliver things on demand. Plus, I am concerned that, as time goes on, the quality available in thrift stores will also decline as their inventory gets taken over, more and more, by fast fashion. Hedging for my future needs seems like a good strategy at this point, as vintage goods are becoming increasingly scarce. I don’t plan on buying a dozen of the same item (I don’t replace them every week, after all), but having at least one good backup seems wise.

Strategic value purchases

Buying fewer things at the thrift store will mean spending less money on thrifting, which means that I will have more discretionary funds at my disposal with which to make strategic buying decisions. By that I mean buying special pieces that most align with my style values — those pieces that bring me the most joy. These are generally things that aren’t very easy to find at the thrift stores, so acquiring them involves paying a premium on other resale platforms like Poshmark and eBay. I will always try to hunt down the best deal I can, but I like having the margin to stretch the definition of a “good deal” if needed. Many of the items I would consider in this category are currently experiencing a surge in secondhand pricing. For example, a good deal for a vintage Ralph Lauren skirt is not what I would consider a good deal for most other brands’ vintage skirts.

I’m still working to outline an overall plan for my strategic purchases for 2024, but I think my focus will be on, among other things:

• Vintage Ralph Lauren items which, to me, are representative of the brand’s ethos and align with my aesthetic. I like to think of it as having my own capsule collection. My focus will be on the categories that speak to me the most: skirts, blazers, sweaters, and coats.
• Vintage heritage brand leather bags — primarily Coach and Dooney. I have 2 or 3 specific bags in mind that I would like to add to my closet, to complement my current bag line-up.
• Classic jewelry that will eventually become part of a legacy for my daughter. I am not necessarily thinking about fine jewelry, but rather items of unique design that are meaningful to me. Some examples would include Canadian brutalist designers like Rafael Alfandary, Robert Larin, and Guy Vidal; Scandinavian design studios like Lapponia; other mid-century and contemporary designers (e.g. Elsa Peretti).

If you are in the process of setting some style- or shopping-related intentions or goals for 2024, I would love to hear about them!