Simple style resolutions for 2012: What are yours?

With a brand new year comes a brand new chance to be my most stylish self. At 37, I already have a pretty clear idea of what silhouettes work for me, and what trends are most comfortable to who I am and the lifestyle I lead. I'll never be the woman to wear six-inch stilettos, or floor-sweeping skirts, or thigh-high boots. So I've been working on a list of simple way to be my most stylish without making a major commitment.

• Let my clothes motivate me: No mater what my goals are for the year in regards to fashion, a little style incentive will definitely encourage me to take more risks and try new trends. This not only includes purchasing pieces that are a bit outside my comfort zone, but also actually wearing the clothes I do own and forgoing saving them for special occasions.
• Branch out: Not every day can involve taking a fashion risk, but why not step outside my comfort zone in just one or two ways? Bold floral pants, athletic notes, and bright pink suits are fashion trends predicted to break out in 2012. Thrifting makes it easy to experiment with new silhouettes without breaking the bank.
• Stop impulse shopping: Too often I have been tempted to purchase something pretty, shiny or sparkly, only to realize upon arriving home that it is impractical, out of my budget, or not flattering to my body. Doing so is a complete waste of money, even if it only cost a few dollars at a thrift store.
• Purge, reevaluate, and organize: It's time for a "take no prisoners" approach to editing my closet. If I haven't worn it in a year, or it doesn't fit, the piece is to be donated to my local Goodwill or Salvation Army. End of story. An organized closet will make it easier for me to see what I own and wear pieces that might otherwise have been neglected.
• Get inspired: Image-centric sites such as Pinterest, Instagram (or Extragram on your PC or Mac),  and Pose are the easiest way to get beauty, fashion, and even design inspiration. Magazines and catalogs such as that from J Crew, and the Madewell look book, are other great resources for outfit ideas.
• Learn something new: I have the most fun, and feel the most energized, when doing research for my Thrifting 101 posts. Learning about the history of fashion or the life of a designer helps me understand the inspiration behind what is popular today. For a list of books regarding vintage, this post might help.
• Splurge on some fantastic underthings: 2011 was the year I went for my first bra fitting and learned how important the correct size undergarments are. I also learned that a high-quality bra isn't cheap, and that you truly do get what you pay for. In the coming year I hope to expand my lingerie wardrobe with bras that are pretty as well as functional.
• Have more fun! The biggest lesson I took from 2011 is that fashion is meant to be fun. Wearing sequins casually, piling on the costume jewelry, and throwing a vintage fur over jeans lets me face the world with a smile on my face.

What are your style resolutions for 2012?

Things 90's TV and Movie Stars Wore That I Tried To Wear Too

I've always struggled to define my personal style. Currently, I'd have to say it's the best it has ever been. I try to wear things that are both comfortable and figure-flattering, while attempting to stay somewhat age-appropriate. I understand what silhouettes flatter my figure and which are best to be avoided. I also inject quite a bit of courage into my wardrobe, busting out the sequins during what some might consider controversial settings. Like the supermarket.

If my style had to be categorized, I'd say it's Carrie Bradshaw meets the J Crew catalog with a dash of Mad Men and Zooey Deschanel's character on That Girl, minus the covetable hair. Yes, it's a  somewhat schizophrenic look, and brings to mind a wild-eyed mess of red lipstick and denim and sequins and snug pencil skirts. Getting to this point, though, has been a long and interesting trip. In my 37 years, I have run through a wide variety of looks. I went through a phase where I wore head-to-toe designer clothes, complete with those obnoxious logo handbags that you see on spoiled teenagers and suburban moms at the mall. I experimented with grunge, tearing my vintage Levis and pairing them with plaid flannel shirts and a disaffected smirk. There was a moment with preppy style, in Lacoste polo shirts and chinos from The Gap. I even had a brief brush with athletic wear, during which I wore Nike sneakers with track pants and oversize sweatshirts. That was a particularly unfortunate phase.

Being that I am a child of the nineties, most of my fashion inspiration came from the stars of that decade. As an awkward, geekish teenager stuck in the suburbs, the mythical creatures that graced my TV set were glamorous, stylish, and youthful. They were my first real fashion influences, the people I looked towards for what was trendy. I studied their appearance much as a National Geographic cinematographer tracks a herd of axis deer, and as a result, there were more than a few times when I took fashion cues from them. Was I successful? Well, there's a reason why imitation isn't always the most sincere form of flattery.

The Crop Top

Oh, Donna Martin. She spent her summers at the Beach Club and and went to Paris with Brenda where she almost became zee famous fashion model while Brenda worked zee very very unfortunate French accent for a boy who was, how do you say, gorgeous. She lamented her virgin status and drove a BMW (or was that Kelly? I don't know) and nearly almost didn't graduate high school because she had one measly glass of champagne. One glass. Which was an outrage. Donna is remembered primarily for her somewhat...colorful outfits. She worked a lot of crop tops. A lot of crop tops.Which is fine if you are like her and have an augmented bust and abs that look like you can grate cheese on.

Thigh-Highs

The sexy preppy look was perfect encapsulated by Cher and Dionne in Clueless, though their liberal dose of Californian valley girl vernacular added a certain element I wasn't able to replicate. I adored the white collars that peeked from their sweaters; their plaid skirts; their loafers and headbands and fresh-faced innocence. I loved how their cardigans perfectly coordinated to their accessories and seemed to be made from a combination of angora and baby's breath. But the thigh-high stockings lost me. No matter what size I bought, thigh-highs either squeezed my legs like sausage casings or slid down to my ankles into sad little puddles of wool.

High-Waist Jeans

Melrose Place is most remembered for Heather Locklear's crotch grazing miniskirts and that scene where Jane threw Sydney in the pool after she stole their grandmother's dress, followed by Jane comparing her to the Bride of Frankenstein. Dysfunctional sibling squabbles aside, Melrose Place introduced me to high-waist baggy jeans with a button fly. These were jeans that climbed to your rib cage and cost an astronomical $80 (if you went with Diesels, the preferred brand among Melrose Place starlets.) They were typically accompanied by pegged legs and tiny back pockets, and flattered no one.

Oversized Clothes

Angela Chase of My So-Called Life was my hero. She was awkward, and self-doubting, and thought a lot about things like her failing grade in science and zits and if her dad was cheating on her mom and the size of her breasts and whether she and Sharron were going to stay friends after that horrible hottest girls of the ninth grade list that was passed around at school. There was also Brian, sad sack Brian pining away for Angela while she made out with Jordan Catalano in the stairwell basement of their school. And Ricky and Rayanne, the best friends I wished I'd had. Angela Chase encouraged me to dye my hair red and thrift for grandpa cardigans. Thanks to her, I wore a lot of baggy, oversize clothes that made me look like a hobo Hobbit.

The Rachel Haircut

Those wacky, endearing characters on Friends were full of mystery. How did a group of struggling twenty-somethings afford that cavernous Manhattan apartment? What ever happened to Ugly Naked Guy? Did Monica ever get professional help for her OCD? How did they manage to keep Rachel's triffle down without throwing up? But mostly I questioned how Rachel's hair managed to look so...perfect. It was as if Chandler moonlighted as a hairdresser. Not a hair was out of place. Each strand was lustrous and shiny. It managed to be both perfectly tousled and elegantly simple at the same time. This kept me awake at night. 

Outstanding list of missteps aside, I still learned a lot from these iconic 90's characters. For example, don't allow yourself to be photographed by a creepy drug dealing French photographer because OF COURSE he will turn out to be a pedophile. There's always an excuse to wear plaid. It's generally a bad idea to live with crazy siblings, and even worse to share boyfriends with them. And sometimes you just gotta hang out in a coffee shop with your friends. That lesson was the best.