Refresh a monotone wardrobe with a dash of color this year.  Credit:  Courtesy of MCT

Refresh a monotone wardrobe with a dash of color this year.
Credit: Courtesy of MCT

It’s January, and New Year’s resolutions abound. You know the drill: it’s time to hit up the gym more than once a month, actually do some studying during the semester and search for the man of your dreams. Of course, three weeks later, many resolutions become null and void — life happens, and they get pushed out of our minds.

This year, why not make some fashion resolutions you can actually stick with? Not only will these help you feel more accomplished, but they can help motivate you to transform other aspects of your life as well.

Be more (or less) colorful

After doing a major closet clean-out, I realized that a huge portion of my clothing is grounded in the neutral territory. Even though my closet is absolutely bursting with a variety of pieces, my wardrobe seems so infinitesimal because of the similarities in color. In order to refresh the clothes I already have, I’ve resolved to add at least one piece of color — whether it be an accessory or actual article of clothing — to every outfit I wear. This resolution can also work in the opposite direction, by including more neutrals with an overly bright wardrobe. Not only will this make it seem like you own more clothes than you actually do, but it also offers you a chance to harness your creativity when creating outfits.

Cut, copy, paste

Have you ever flipped through a magazine and fallen in love with an outfit you know you’ll never be able to afford? There’s an easy fix — resolve to use these outfits as inspiration for your own fashion choices. Just because you don’t own the exact pieces doesn’t mean you can’t make a creative adaptation. Rather than striving to recreate something piece-by-piece, focus on the silhouette of the outfit, the colors or even the pattern and fabric combinations. Not only does this allow your creative genius to fly further, but there could be so many outfit possibilities you’d never think of without first seeing them on someone else.

Branch out

Are you stuck in a legging-and-crewneck rut because of the cold weather? While it seems easy to just continue with this theme when you roll out of bed every morning, you’re missing out on so many great clothing opportunities by not trying new things with your outfits. You can wear something just as comfortable and snuggly that looks like you put so much more effort into, like jeggings and a nice sweater. This can also be something as simple as trading out your usual heavy-duty boots for a pair of booties (weather-permitting). This easy switch changes up the entire feel of an outfit and can lead to even bigger and more outgoing changes. Start small, and you’ll eventually be making bold and daring fashion choices.

Challenge yourself

In order to make sure you’re actually working toward accomplishing these resolutions, setting challenge days for yourself can keep you on track. If there’s a day when you know you have more time to get ready in the morning before class, it might be useful to make this a “branching out” day for your fashion choices. That way, you won’t be rushing to think of something new to wear and end up starting your day unhappy with your outfit. Even if you only challenge yourself once a week, at least you’re making progress with your fashion resolutions.

So if you’re the type of person who falls off of the resolution wagon three weeks after the new year begins, try something a little bit different this year with fashion resolutions. What do you have to lose?