The Style Hawker: New Year Style Resolutions To Improve Your Life (or at least your wardrobe)…

The Style Hawker (celebrity stylist Annabel Kerman) sets the fashion agenda for 2017 with five key tips to get a fresh style start

I’d like to say i’m all about the New Year’s resolution: the type of person who not only sets myself life-improving targets but who actually achieves them; who manages to carry dry January past the first week, and who knows what actually happens on a self realisation retreat. Unfortunately I’m not that person. In fact I’ve never even made a new year’s resolution, due more to lack of organisation rather than lack of necessity. This New Year’s Day morning I also found two rats in my kitchen, so setting life goals wasn’t uppermost in my mind.

However there is no denying the start of a year is a good time to take stock, and what we wear is surely a good place to start. (Shallow yes, but it avoids all that messy soul searching.) Plus, with the last few months being Singapore’s coolest, the balmy start to 2017 feels almost like a season change, and what better excuse is there for a wardrobe rethink?

See below for 5 style ‘resolutions’ which aim to help you give your look an overhaul for the start of 2017 and beyond.

1.  CULL

It’s hard to move on from clothes when the weather doesn’t dictate a seasonal wardrobe change, and when we love something it’s easy to ignore when it starts to lose its mojo. I have a sundress that even my 9-year-old son has started asking when i’m going to get rid of. Look through your wardrobe with an objective eye and remove everything past its sell by date. And don’t throw away, donate to a good cause like the Salvation Army, or if clothes are unwearable, drop off at H&M’s in-store garment collection: an initiative which aims to address the environmental impact of clothes going into landfills by creating clothing ranges from recycled textiles.

2. GET ADVICE  

If you have a wardrobe bursting with clothes but end up wearing the same things each day, or just seem to have lost your way with your style,  then perhaps what you need is impartial advice. I offer a wardrobe editing service during which we assess your wardrobe lifestyle and style objectives, cull what is necessary, focus on the pieces you love and style up outfits to suit your lifestyle. Plus post-consultation you receive a bespoke online shopping list with suggestions to fill wardrobe gaps. Contact me here for this and other personal styling enquiries.

3. MAKE CLOTHES SWAPPING PART OF YOUR LIFE  

The clothes swap party is my current favourite thing, not least for its pleasingly retro connotations. Most of us have fallen foul to tricky returns policies at some stage or another, and have unsuitable purchases still tagged up in our wardrobes. The answer? Gather a group of girlfriends, each with a bag of unwanted clothes (and preferably wine) and swap your way to a new year wardrobe. The ultimate guilt-free shopping spree. Pinterest has a wealth of clothes swap party planning ideas to set you on your way.

4. WORK THE SALES TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

I have a fear of January sales, which usually carry the whiff of a church jumble sale, and leave you hot, flustered and having purchased something entirely unsuitable. But there’s no denying the appeal of a bargain, particularly at a time most of us appreciate a financial detox. Use the opportunity to invest in quality classic pieces to fill gaps in a capsule wardrobe, rather than transient trend pieces (i.e. step away from the metallic ra ra skirt). Plus, try navigating the sales online: far more civilised and less chance of ending up with a dodgy impulse buy.

5. ONLY WEAR WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

I’m the first person to enjoy a ‘trend’. But what’s most important is to wear things we love rather than blindly following what we’re supposed to. The real role of seasonal trends should be to introduce us to styles we have never considered before, and if you find looks that hold appeal then go for it. If not, then go your own way. Additionally, only wearing clothes that cover up areas you think need disguising is not the route to sartorial utopia. The main thing is to enjoy what we wear and remember to try pieces out of our comfort zones. Even the most style savvy of us can get stuck in a fashion rut.