As much as I try, I really can never fully predict what the new year will look like from a style standpoint. I may have been prepared for the sea of Barbie pink and our continued obsession with all things ‘90s, but I definitely didn’t foresee peplum tops making a comeback, nor did I fully grasp the overwhelming power all things brown would have on me and fashion influencers across the board. All this is to say, I made a lot of unexpected fashion purchases in 2023, some of which may carry over into the new year, but many of which will not. And while I can’t promise myself 2024 won’t also throw numerous curve balls my way, I do think my three fashion New Year’s resolutions will help me avoid ending the year with a clothing donation pile larger than my couch and a bank account that is notably smaller than I would have like (blame it on nonsensical shopping math). Below, the three achievable habits I hope to set in the new year to change up my fashion routines.
I’m a Fashion Editor & These Are My 3 Shopping New Year’s Resolutions for 2024
1. Follow the Three Outfit Rule
Like many folks, I vow almost every new year to curb my shopping habits so I don’t wind up with a closet full of clothes I don’t wear very often and a bank account that’s significantly smaller than I’d like. But I think I may have found a key to actually sticking with my goal in 2024—the Three Outfit Rule. The rule is that before buying anything new (clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.), I have to come up with at least three outfits I already own with which to wear the new item. If I can’t think up three ways to incorporate these silver faux-leather pants, I shouldn’t buy them (no matter how cute they are). It’s those single-wear items—the hard to style, special occasion or overly specific—that end up languishing my wardrobe and making me feel bad on days when I “have nothing to wear.” But I have high hopes that the Three Outfit Rule will help prevent me from making the same shopping mistakes in the new year.
2. Play More with Color
I’ve always gravitated toward vibrant colors and bold patterns on clothing, but to be honest, haven’t always known quite how to make them work IRL. It’s become much easier to default to just wearing neutrals, especially in winter, but it always makes me feel sort of boring, or like I’m somehow missing the “quiet luxury” mark. Enter stylist and influencer Maxine Wylde. During a recent Instagram scroll, I stumbled upon a video of Wylde using a color combination dictionary to help her put together her outfit and was immediately hooked. The little Japanese dictionary has groups of two, three and four colors, which Wylde frequently uses to inspire her chic colorblocked outfits. Reader, I cannot stress to you how quickly I hunted down and purchased that very same little dictionary. I’m so excited to start playing around once again with fun pops in the new year without the stress of trying to come up with my own color combinations.
3. Get More Use Out of My Existing Wardrobe
Related to the two above New Year’s resolutions, I want to get more use out of the clothing I already own this year. And the best way to do that? By playing dress up. Years ago I started taking mirror selfies of outfits I liked and saving them to a folder on my phone to reference on mornings when I simply could not put a look together to save my life. This year, I plan to add to that photo diary by spending some time on random weekends here and there playing around in my closet and seeing what sorts of looks I can make to wear at a later date. By embracing those moments when getting dressed feels fun and creative, as opposed to stressful or upsetting, I can set myself up to embrace the clothing I already own rather than feeling like I need to shop for something new if I can’t figure out what to wear.
Of course, I also hope to continue my efforts to be a more conscientious shopper, buying from sustainable brands or becoming more savvy scrolling through resale sites, and know that I will inevitably fall short on many of these goals. But New Year’s resolutions aren’t supposed to be hard and fast, fail or pass. They’re just guidelines to hopefully make this year better than the last. Or in this case, make 2024 my most stylish year yet.
