Happy new year to the 3 readers of my blog! You are loved and cherished.
I always make resolutions for the new year. I like buying into the idea of a 'new year, new me'; motivation can be hard to find, and there's nothing like a brand new year that serves as a springboard for optimizing things we want to improve. For 2023, I'm categorizing my resolutions into the major areas of my life that I want to focus on, one of which is obviously fashion. Read on to see my fashion resolutions for the new year and let me know if any of them inspire you.
Resolution No. 1: No purchasing clothing for the first 6 months of the year.
I've written before about my thoughts on the consumerism and environmental impact of the fashion world. Although I try to be mindful with my purchasing, deep down, I know I buy way more things than I need. Over the past 15 years, I've accumulated a lot of clothes that haven't been worn often and I don't want them to end up as landfill. I'm hoping a no-buy challenge will force me to wear these clothes and to approach my wardrobe with a new eye to create outfits with things I hardly wear. I tend to avoid repeating outfits back to back, so a no-buy challenge is also the perfect way to be inventive with creating different looks with the same building blocks.
This challenge is going to be hard for me. Shopping is rarely just the act of purchasing: it often becomes a form of commiseration after a bad day, celebration after a good one, or straight up relief from boredom. My goal for this resolution is to not only reduce my contribution to the environmental impacts of the fashion industry, but also to break the emotional relationship I have with shopping. These are some lofty goals and I want to make this resolution attainable, so I'm starting with a 6 month time period rather than the full year. Look out for a future blog post to see how this goes!
Resolution No. 2: Make any and all fashion-related purchases secondhand.
I know myself and I doubt I'm going to last an entire year without shopping, so I created this resolution to maintain my focus on sustainable consumption after my 6-month no-buy challenge is completed (hopefully). Another benefit of buying secondhand is that it requires me to go to a store in person, which forces me to avoid the mindlessly excessive purchasing that happens when I shop online. I already make some purchases from consignment stores and my hope is to make this the norm for me. It's very rare that I actually 'need' to buy clothes anymore: I have everything I need to go to work, socialize, and sleep at night. The things I buy nowadays are 'wants', typically statement pieces that complement my existing collection, and these rarely need to be bought brand new. I don't know if buying clothes can ever truly be sustainable, but buying secondhand is as close as it gets for now, hence this resolution.
Resolution No. 3: Dedicate time to redefining my personal style.
Over the past year, I've increasingly used social media to derive inspiration for my creative outlets. The massive amount of content available has opened my eyes to the amazing creativity that is possible, which in turn has inspired me to push the boundaries with my own dressing. However, I've noticed that the continuous exposure to content has started to blur my own sense of style. I'll see someone online wearing something very cool but vastly different from my personal style, feel an urge to recreate the look, subsequently purchase/wear something a couple of times, and then discard it because it doesn't fit with my true sense of style. Social media is a great way to expand my horizons, but the flood of information has started to obscure my own fashion sense. I'm hoping to use social media in a way that's more aligned with my ultimate aim of continuously developing personal style, so I'm turning to Pinterest. I'm creating story boards of my style so I have a concrete and visual reminder of my fashion sense which can guide me with intentional purchasing. I believe personal style is a continuously evolving concept and being influenced by online content isn't a bad thing - I'm simply aiming to be more mindful with allowing this influence into my wardrobe.
And that's it! My fashion resolutions for this year are formalizing and building on habits I have already started to develop, so I hope this makes it more likely that I stick with them. The unifying theme is a focus on being mindful, ethical, and sustainable: fashion is a deeply personal statement and I want to reflect my values in all aspects of my life, including the way I dress.
I almost forgot my last, somewhat fashion-related resolution: to continue sharing posts on this blog. It's a bit awkward writing out my thoughts online for anyone to read, but starting this blog has helped me reconnect with my love for fashion in a totally new way. I hope ye, my few readers, have enjoyed reading my rambling thoughts and will continue to follow my fashion adventures.
Thanks for reading my first post of 2023!
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